Things They Don't Have in San Diego

Litter.

Every scrap of garbage is recycled, right down to gum wrappers. No Taco Bell wrappers, no water bottles, no soda cans... all along the sidewalks, gutters, parking lots, all you see is clean.

Graffiti.

Buildings are huge canvases, but oddly enough, with the exception of intentional murals, they remain "street art" free. I found one example of graffiti, on the side of a parking garage, but I like it too much to call it vandalism.

Dog Poo.

San Diego allows each resident to own up to six dogs, and many try to meet this quota. However, all residents are hyper-aware of where their dogs 'go' and clean it up. Their motto: "Your dog doesn't know any better, but you do."

Fast Food.

With all the fast food places designed to look like regular buildings, it's hard to find the golden arches. I found it was just simpler to eat at the little place around the corner. You'll get fresh, local produce in a restaurant owned by actual people.

Spit.

No need to look down when walking. Men do not spit on the sidewalks, they do not roll down their car windows, they do not lean out their truck doors to expectorate where you walk. WV men, take note.

Roadkill.

None! No squirrels, pigeons, raccoons, dogs, cats, skunks, possums, deer, seagulls, seals.... I don't know if these animals are smart enough to look both ways, or if drivers here are watching the roads instead of spitting out the windows... All I know is we walked and drove all over San Diego for an entire week and I never saw one flattened critter.

Cats.

I think maybe all the cats are strictly indoors, or they just don't have them here. No stray cats in alleys, no feral cats by the dumpsters.... hey, come to think of it... no dumpsters.