Starting over. Where shoud I move to?

[Texastyle]

How could you not love San Diego. It's a fact that it is the greatest city in the history of mankind.


[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[yerfdog]



What do I do on a normal Saturday? I walk around the city, dropping into galleries and cafes and cool little stores, then at night I eat at a nice restaurant and go to a show or a movie. Can I do that in Scottsdale, Kansas City, or Memphis?

No.

People who pretend that all cities are more or less created equal and you just need to make the most of it have never lived in a world class city.

yeah but if you live in Montreal I'm pretty sure you can only do this 6 months out of the year, at most, because it's way to cold to just casually walk around the city the rest of the year

 

[Lord-Barrington]



yeah but if you live in Montreal I'm pretty sure you can only do this 6 months out of the year, at most, because it's way to cold to just casually walk around the city the rest of the year

6 months out of the year? I think you're confusing Montreal with Whitehorse.

It's too cold to walk around 3 1/2 months out of the year but the subway and underground circulation system is so well developed that you can get everywhere near to downtown without walking more than 5 minutes outside, for the most part.

 

[Lord-Barrington]

I feel the need to clear up a few things:

Firstly, I believe that a city must suit you. If you don't like crowds and like the outdoors, you will loathe NYC. My uncle lives in Northern Wyoming and loves every minute of it. It works for him, and I'm glad it does.

Secondly, saying that I'd only live in a handful of North American cities was a statement of personal choice. As I explained, only a few cities in NA offer the range of services and activities I'm looking for in an urban layout I find works for me. This doesn't mean I think everyone should fall in line with my views.

Thirdly, I was trying to point out that people will always claim that some city like Cleveland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Tampa, etc. is on the cusp of greatness and has a ton of great stuff going on and a bunch of great restaurants and art galleries and blah, blah, blah, but in most cases that's just people trying to convince themselves that their current city doesn't suck too hard. I've spent time in basically every major American city and only a handful of them can really offer a world class array of services, entertainment, and cultural and culinary options.

 

[BDC2823]

I'll also give a thumbs up to San Diego. Beautiful beaches, women, and laid back. Close enough to LA to drive there for the day as well. would be beneficial to know your hobbies. For instance, San Diego has some great golf courses like Torrey Pines (which is a dirt cheap steal for SD residents) and a course I loved playing called Sycuan. If you like fishing, SD is perfect as they have a couple great landings such as H&M that run trips down to Mexico for yellowtail, yellowfin, bluefin, albacore, etc. The deserts close by for atv, dirt bike riding, and shooting if that's your thing. Mexico's just a few miles away. Petco is a great park and although the Padres suck, it's a great place to catch a game. I personally love going down there and going to the Gaslamp district to bar hop. Pacific Beach is also a blast to go bar hopping in and Mission Beach is fun as well.

As for Scottsdale, I have a friend that works for the Suns and loves that area. You also have Phoenix nearby and he says the nightlife and girls in Scottsdale are fantastic. Great golf courses as well. But it gets hot as hell in the summer.

I lived in New Orleans for a year and loved it. Bourbon is really fun and always gives you something to do. I had a great time hiking around the various bayous and the fishing is great as well. The food is absolutely divine if you're into seafood. It's close to Baton Rouge and the coast towns like Biloxi, Mississippi. Those towns are full of hot young southern belles. I couldn't believe the quality of girls there and they are so much nicer than you will find on the West Coast. Not as superficial and stuck up. Be prepared for that in Cali. But, there are some negatives and I'd view it as more of a pit stop than a place you'd want to live in permanently for the foreseeable future.

 

[Lord-Barrington]



I'll also give a thumbs up to San Diego. Beautiful beaches, women, and laid back. Close enough to LA to drive there for the day as well. would be beneficial to know your hobbies. For instance, San Diego has some great golf courses like Torrey Pines (which is a dirt cheap steal for SD residents) and a course I loved playing called Sycuan. If you like fishing, SD is perfect as they have a couple great landings such as H&M that run trips down to Mexico for yellowtail, yellowfin, bluefin, albacore, etc. The deserts close by for atv, dirt bike riding, and shooting if that's your thing. Mexico's just a few miles away. Petco is a great park and although the Padres suck, it's a great place to catch a game. I personally love going down there and going to the Gaslamp district to bar hop. Pacific Beach is also a blast to go bar hopping in and Mission Beach is fun as well.
As for Scottsdale, I have a friend that works for the Suns and loves that area. You also have Phoenix nearby and he says the nightlife and girls in Scottsdale are fantastic. Great golf courses as well. But it gets hot as hell in the summer.
I lived in New Orleans for a year and loved it. Bourbon is really fun and always gives you something to do. I had a great time hiking around the various bayous and the fishing is great as well. The food is absolutely divine if you're into seafood. It's close to Baton Rouge and the coast towns like Biloxi, Mississippi. Those towns are full of hot young southern belles. I couldn't believe the quality of girls there and they are so much nicer than you will find on the West Coast. Not as superficial and stuck up. Be prepared for that in Cali. But, there are some negatives and I'd view it as more of a pit stop than a place you'd want to live in permanently for the foreseeable future.

Another corollary to everything I've said is that I'll live absolutely anywhere for 6 months - 1 year. I've lived in some of the shittiest places in NA for short stretches of times and liked it a lot just because you aren't there long enough for stuff to get really boring.

There's a huge difference between short and long term, obviously.

 

[BDC2823]



Another corollary to everything I've said is that I'll live absolutely anywhere for 6 months - 1 year. I've lived in some of the shittiest places in NA for short stretches of times and liked it a lot just because you aren't there long enough for stuff to get really boring.
There's a huge difference between short and long term, obviously.

Agreed 100%. That's also why I stated, "But, there are some negatives and I'd view it as more of a pit stop than a place you'd want to live in permanently for the foreseeable future."

It's a great place if you're only looking for about a year stay. I do in fact love the city and loved my time there, but don't think it would be my ideal lifestyle for a long period of time. There's a host of places (only talking about the U.S.) that I wouldn't mind venturing to under the same circumstances such as Portland, Seattle, Montana (I'm a sucker for the outdoors), Austin, Denver, NY, Boston, Nashville, etc. with the mindset of only giving in a short amount of time and getting out, unless I fell in love with the place.

 

[otc]

Why not Minneapolis (or if you swing that way...St. Paul).

Aside from some people's qualms about the weather (I honestly prefer MN winters to chicago...), it has most of the things you guys are bickering about in this thread.

Thriving arts/music/theater scenes (more theater seats per capita than anywhere except broadway). Huge variety of available outdoor activities--the accessibility of things like mountain biking and [******] downhill skiing to the urban dweller are things I miss a lot living in chicago. Food may not have a selection of world class michelin stars but there are lots of good options.

Everything is relatively affordable and I think the job market's not doing so bad. There are certainly lots of options--one of the highest concentrations of fortune 500 companies, some big financial services (even a federal reserve bank), advertising, and lots of local businesses...(but sadly no real official presence in my niche industry)

 

[impolyt_one]

Minneapolis is 'nice', I've lived there before - but I'd get bored to death. I really would. I don't see myself being able to live in that kind of environment even if I was 95. Just another big Midwestern city where you have to drive to everything, and then be in by midnight or 1 because everything in the city is lights out unless you want to eat pancakes and bacon with drunk people under fluorescent lighting. I just can't come to grips with that, depression would kick in and I'd kill myself.

 

[otc]



Minneapolis is 'nice', I've lived there before - but I'd get bored to death. I really would. I don't see myself being able to live in that kind of environment even if I was 95. Just another big Midwestern city where you have to drive to everything, and then be in by midnight or 1 because everything in the city is lights out unless you want to eat pancakes and bacon with drunk people under fluorescent lighting. I just can't come to grips with that, depression would kick in and I'd kill myself.

They are getting better about it though. Since I moved away, they have started to expand public transit and bar hours have been extended (and could see a push for some afterhours stuff). Of course they still haven't fixed the backwards liquor laws (dedicated liqour stores only, no sales on sunday and no sales late at night) but I know people who still live there or have moved there and enjoy it. Not for everyone, but it might work well for the OP.

 

[Piobaire]

Interesting observation on this thread: part of "cool" is not driving but using public transportation. This can be ignored though if the city is deemed "cool," i.e. Seattle. I spent several months in Seattle/Edmonds and did not notice a well developed public transport system but did find it to be full of bad drivers and heavy traffic on mainly narrow surface streets. The monorail did not impress me. Was also surprised at all the "card room" and such. Seattle would not be a first string choice for me.

 

[impolyt_one]

Well, I think it's a two-part thing regarding cars Pio. If it's a city that requires a car, but is horrible to drive in, like LA, then that's no fun. If it were Portland or something, I guess that might be okay (I don't really know, haven't been to these cities in years)

I really like cars, don't mind the upkeep and would pay to have one, but for the past 8 years or so, I've lived in Asia and having a car would've been dumb. There are cabs, buses, trains, and driving is more of a hassle than any of those. The only reason one buys a car here is for vanity. There's absolutely no way it's ever cheaper to own a car.

The real point though, is that you can allow yourself to have whatever you want to drink, and you don't have to worry about making it home or harming anyone in the process, you'll step out of the restaurant or bar and there'll be a taxi that'll come by shortly. That's a great feeling. I mean, the middle of America, yeah the backwards religious types keep all kinds of regulations on alcohol to keep you from being able to go into a bar and have a beer at 2am or something in hopes that you'll make it to church, but the end result? Last call, the bars shut down, and all of a sudden you have thousands of drunk people behind the wheel trying to get home. The reality is that police realize this, sit and watch the parking lot clear out, and just kind of cherry pick who 'looks' drunkest or darkest, I guess. After not having been around something like that for awhile, it just strikes me as the most bizarre thing.

 

[Piobaire]

Imp, I don't disagree with anything you say there but I do not think that is what applies to LB. Something tells me he's not concerned about over imbibing and driving. Also, it's not like cities with well developed public transportation also do not have a ton of drivers and bad traffic, i.e. Toronto and Montreal (I will admit it's been about 18 years since I was there but traffic was bad). Also, having taxis does not mean the city is worthwhile. I've lived in a couple of areas I would never live in again that have a plethora of taxis.

FWIW, I think you and I see things about the same on this topic.

 

[wing8tes_qw]

classic ron burgundy up there!

OP got pretty quiet. What's the eta on leaving current situation?

 

[impolyt_one]

I think we probably do. I can make the most of living in most places. That doesn't always mean even the same mix of work and pleasure, activity or inactivity, so I guess there probably is an ultimate hierarchy of where one is best off, but if life said I had a job and it made me live in Memphis, or even Springfield, Missouri, or Tulsa, Terra Haute, Indiana, I don't know - you find a way to make do.
I originally suggested that OP find a big college town in the Midwest, because they're not really cities, rather they are cheap to live in big towns of like 100 or 200,000 and often just a stones throw away from a larger city. He said it had to be in America, so to me, that's more realistic and fun than trying to make a life for yourself NYC if you're not ready to. It could be like, Lawrence, Kansas, Madison, Wisconsin, Ann Arbor. If it were me I'd open a small business or get a job with the university, enjoy mingling with the local school girls, and get a house with a pool or something on the 'nice' side of town so that when summer comes, it's not too boring. You aren't gonna be going to Joel Robuchon on a Friday night in Lawrence, or going to MoMA and then dropping in for brunch at Balthazar if you live in Madison, but whatever. You don't miss it as much if you don't even know about it in the first place, and that's a nice part of living too.


Me, I really like my neighborhood in Tokyo, just moved here a few months ago but it's got what one needs. Bit of an understatement, but yeah - if there were ever a 'styleforum approved' city, Tokyo is it, for sure. No shortage of good MC and SW+D clothes, social life food and drink, home, living, and automotive stuff, tons of beautiful women here. The Japanese revel in knowledge of obscure finery, and it's all here for one's enjoyment.