best spots in USA

[Sonny]

I definitely think that SF is a great choice and can be done with roommates, just don't expect it to be cheap. If I was in your shoes, I would pick the bay area and see if you can share someone's car.

[Greg]

share a two bedroom with 2 or 3 roommates- $500 each
sorry to say were not on pair with Europe but SF is the friendlyest city in the USA for public commuters, only place I've seen better is around the capitol..
This is NOT going to be a walk in the park but it is VERY do-able, if your not a spoiled BRAT and expect to be studying most of the time, hook-up with fellow kiters when you can..etc.. you'll be fine.
And I'd like to add, SF has a boatload of nice girls and other fun activities, ALL within walking distance...
L.M.G.

[zgur]

Let's keep it simple.....

Bay area is incredible for kiting in March - October, but requires your own set of wheels. You may be able to get by w/out a car (live in SF close enough to crissy to use bike), but your options narrow down too much, and you miss a lot of what the area offers.

Kite size: 12 and 9 will cover 80% of your needs on a TT. Adding a surf board makes the range larger. We average 20kts in the kite season. Some big days require smaller kites, and later in the season you may need a larger one. All depends on how much you "must" kite.

Where to live? I'd suggest thinking about the east bay. The $ you save in rent (50% discount to SF)can be used for a vehicle. If you live in Concord, you are :20 minutes from the delta, :45 from crissy, pretty good. Not saying the East bay = SF......especially for a young dude with an accent ;-)

You can still enjoy "the city" it is a simple BART train ride away.

If you really want to enjoy what this area offers, both kiting and non-kiting, a vehicle is a necessary tool.

Good luck and enjoy this awesome part of your life.

Z.

[windhorny]

you could live in an rv at sherman and not have toi travel at all.

[wjb]

Ha, what internship can you get out at Sherman? :mrgreen:

[reyrivera]

You can be a chiropractor and athletic massage intern.

Athletes can get a spinal adjustment before they enter the water, and get another spinal adjustment after their session plus a sportsman's massage.

I think if the intern have a trailer there, it will be a good training experience.
:mrgreen:

[reyrivera]

Hey Traver,

cost of living is a little bit high here in the Bay Area, you just have to adjust according to your income level, getting room mates should help a lot.

[jjm]

Check out http://sfbay.craigslist.org to get a rough idea what rent for an apartment / shared place would be. As other people have mentioned, with your budget you'll probably be renting a room.

Check 511.org, or local transit authorities (SF Muni sfmta.com, Alameda/Contra Costa County Transit actransit.org, Bay Area Rapit Transit bart.gov) to get an idea of what the public transit options are (bus/train lines, schedules, etc).

Compare this to local site info on this site, or say kitebeaches.com. This should give you an idea on how you might be able to take local transit to kite.

Also, make sure to check 511.org and/or maps.google.com during morning/evening hours to get an idea of traffic patterns.

If you're working a full-time internship, and are not located really close to the beach, it will probably be tough to get weekday sessions in, especially with public transit. Weekends are another story, especially if you make some friends that you can share/bum rides with.

[windhorny]

You can intern for the sherman safety crew and let air out of peoples kites who dont stack them properly. its a full time job. Hell, that guy who sells icecream probably makes more than i do. you know how to cook hotdogs?

[Greg]

oops