J1 Past experiences

beach123

Hey people, first of all not sure if this is the right forum but I'm hoping some people with knowledge or past j1ers could help me trying to find a suitable place to go this summer

3 mates and I are looking for a place with a good nightlife eg House partys and to a lesser extent nightclubs but also a place where you can do and see things. Vancouver would have been ideal but we are ineligible for the visa.

We're thinking of going to either Huntington Beach, Cape cod, san diego or newport but could still end up going anywhere!

While we have researched a lot its hard to find true reflections on these places.

Could any kind soul tell me a little about these places particularly if there's a good party scene for Irish.

Thank you very much in advance

littlepeach

I was in San Diego last summer. One crucial factor before ye decide on a place is if ye will all be 21 or not? If you won't be 21, you would be better to pick a smaller city that will have lots of house parties ... SD is all about going out, and you won't get in places if you're not 21. There are no HP's because you will immediately get evicted if you have one. Last summer they became insanely strict with the Irish. A lot also got arrested for drinking on the beach, on public transport etc. But you always have the trips to Mexico !!

The craic was insane though, because of the sheer volume of us. Think there could have been something like 3000-4000 Irish in SD last summer. It's also a great city with loads and loads to do and great beaches.

Something else you should consider is the new rule that a job must be secured before you get your visa? To be honest I think you'd find it difficult to get a job before flying out to SD. Most places the Irish worked were small tourist restaurants/shops that only began their summer hiring in May.

I was also in Huntington beach just for a day, it has a beautiful beach but the place didn't appeal to me much. Was just one main street really, whereas SD is huge. Can't personally vouch for the others!

beach123

Thanks so much for the reply

We've decided on either Huntington or San Diego!

We'll be 21.. group of 5 or 6 lads. Will have a bit of money going over so wouldn't mind paying a little extra if it meant we got more space in a house.

Thinking of staying in pacific beach,SD but ideally where the party is? Aka where the Irish will be!

cooperguy

Was in Huntington Beach a few years ago now. Definitely need to be 21 to get the full benefit of the place. I liked it, tehre was a lot of irish around and it was central for day trips to the other beach towns, LA, San Diego, Vegas etc.

The other poster is right, there is only one main street, but we never had a shortage of stuff to do!

beach123

Thanks for commenting Cooper,

Would you mind me asking what the party scene was like?

I have no idea what it will be like but from what I've gathered there's limited house parties and the clubs/bars are good but not the best!

Not gonna lie we just wanna have enjoyable days doing cool stuff (Def getting a car for a while) and pulling at night!

Thanks in advance,
Beach

InTheTrees

littlepeach wrote: »

Something else you should consider is the new rule that a job must be secured before you get your visa? To be honest I think you'd find it difficult to get a job before flying out to SD.

This.

Its going to seriously impact the numbers I would have thought.

littlepeach

To be honest I would imagine there will be an awful lot less people on J1's this summer, and so also in SD, simply because the new regulations might put them off. Therefore, you might not have as much trouble finding accommodation as we had last year as there could be less competition. I'm just guessing though! The ideal scenario would probably be to get a house around pacific beach. Ocean beach is cool too, really chill, but for partying PB is probably best. If you are in any sort of an apartment complex house parties are out of the question. Even in your own house cops will be around. They are extremely, extremely strict over there, especially with the Irish. PB has a couple of good bars and clubs, imo downtown is probably better. If you manage to get a house you can party in without getting in trouble, you'll be laughing.

What I would be concerned about is getting a job secured. That is going to be really difficult without having contacts so I would advise starting to look into it straight away

catmee

Hey

Me and 3 friends thinking Newport or huntington beach this summer too! Was leaning towards Newport because I heard it's easier to get jobs and has better nightlife!

Let us know if you get a big house, we might be able to fill some space!!

Also anyone any suggestions on where to live or any numbers of landlords?

Thanks