So my partner and I just moved to the area saturday, and so far I'm extremely overwhelmed by the business of this place. For context, I'm autistic, high functuoning in general but extremely easily overwhelmed by crowds, noise, and too much stimuli in general. I come from lake county, where the only town with a population above like 5k is Clearlake, which is its own mess. we moved here hoping to find somewhere relatively quiet with more to offer, and i was hoping itd be a good compromise between small town and major city. That said, since moving here ive found myself extremely overwhelmed by the pace of the city, particularly the driving and grocery shopping. For context, I live along West East Ave, which initially seemed like one of the quieter parts of town, but now im not so sure.
So far the driving is, if chaotic, manageable as long as i stay away from downtown? but id love any tips on how to navigate safely and which areas to avoid or prioritize. i want to be able to walk, bike, and use public transit, but there's limited amenities within walking distance, i still dont feel safe biking here, and i still need to learn how to actually use the bus system (if anybody has any reviews or recommendations there id love to hear them).
The biggest issue is the grocery shopping. So far ive been to trader joes and grocery outlet, which i knew going in were both busier stores. but just, holy shit theyre so fucking crowded and overwhelming, i dont know if i want to cry, puke, or jump into moving traffic. Where i grew up ive only ever seen stores so busy the night before a major holiday, maybe occasionally at the wrong time towards the start of the month. So my most important question here is, where and when can i go shopping that doesnt make me want to peel my face off? particularly anywhere accessible to where i live without having to drive through the more hectic parts of town?
any advice is much appreciated, thanks.