Hey Chris, I'm from NJ and just moved out here mid Jan.
I'm living in Riverside now, working in LA.
There are two seasons here... green and brown. The green isn't green like home, but it's green compared to the brown, if that makes any sense.
San Diego is better than LA from a things to do kind of perspective. There's a lot more cool thing round about down there.
Wherever you go renting or buying a house sucks. Think NYC rents. Or, start getting used to a 3 hour commute, one way.
Rush hour (at least up here) is from about 4 am to 8 pm. Everything after that is like the parkway at 4pm. There is really no open roads...
And, the traffic is like NYC/LI traffic. With two signifigant exceptions... the asses doin 20 under in the left lane don't get shot, and the motorcycles can drive between the cars (called splitting lanes).
But, aside from that, the weather is cool.
And, I guess I've been looking in the wrong places, and the infamous "California Girls" have yet to make an appearance, and I guess that's why I don't wish they all could be...