living in hell

Originally Posted by Big Pun

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Oh yeah, I also cope with SF lol. I was just thinking, everytime I mention something I've only heard from SF, it is met with confused alienated stares, so uhh, thanks SF?

That's the other thing. Somehow I almost totally avoided all the pop culture that was apparently popular with my peers. I consider myself to have a relatively good grasp of music and film and stuff, but people always talk about **** that I never watched/listened to.

I live in what I'm sure most would consider a hellhole (less than 50,000 people, not a suburb of anything bigger), but I really like it.

If I was to move to a larger city I wouldn't be able to do a lot of what I can here. For a town of our size, we have a LOT of infrastructure and activities and I'm able to be a much "bigger fish" than I would be elsewhere. Not to mention, I have a sizable in-town lot (in an incredible neighborhood) and damn near 3000 sq. ft worth of a big old house for less than many of you probably spend on dining out each month. Ultimately, I'm willing to have a few less ethnic restaurants and "suffer" the indignity of traveling to do my shopping in exchange for the benefits of living here.

We certainly spend a lot of time with friends and all, but I also spend a lot of time on hobbies (art, restoring my home, etc), going back to school (our local university is pretty good for its size), and doing local theater/art/civics events.

It may not be NYC, but I'm within 2-3 hours of at least half a dozen mid-size cities with tons to do and I'm able to enjoy a very nice quality of living at a pretty young age. By the time I've earned my CPA I'll be able to live more-or-less how I want on a salary that would barely afford a decent bungalow in a trendier area.

Hey Kunk don't be mean

I live within spitting distance (20 min either way with no traffic) of two minor cities, an hour and a half from South Beach, can walk to the beach in less than 20 minutes, have no snow, access to just about every retail establishment imaginable, and an un-godly amount of women.

I would trade all this **** for a small town full of people who weren't complete miserable degenerate cocksuckers in a heartbeat.

lol nvm, totally misunderstood thread

Originally Posted by thekunk07

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so many posters here live in proverbial armpits. i can't even imagine what it's like to have shiot restaurants and bad marinara and no boutiques and such. how do you deal?

short answer: they don't actually realize how much it sucks. I mean there was once a restaurant threak here where someone recommended Buca di Beppo as great Italian food

also, lol @ all the "big house = quality of life" poasts

it's all perspective.... you can be happy anywhere with the right attitude.

Originally Posted by cl smooth

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it's all perspective.... you can be happy anywhere with the right attitude.
As long as you've got Pete Rock you're set.

Originally Posted by dtmt

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also, lol @ all the "big house = quality of life" poasts
Yeah, I've never bought into the whole "cost of living" argument. I mean sure, at the upper extremes (NY, SF, etc.), it's definitely a big issue. But, like, do I really care if I can buy a palatial estate in Bumfuck, Mississippi vs. a condo in Los Angeles? I'll take the better location 10 times out of 10. Also, in today's socioeconomic reality, many costs are going to be universal regardless of where you live. Giant cable and internet bills? That **** ain't getting cheaper just because you live in the sticks. If anything, it might get more expensive. Medical? Yeah, that's not getting any better. Food? Pretty much the same prices anywhere you go, unless you're determined to shop at Family Dollar or Walmart on one end, and Whole Foods / greenmarkets / etc. on the other end. The point is, rent and real estate pricing are pretty much the only things that really change based on location. And, while that's a significant change, it's definitely not enough to justify a bad location over a good one.

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

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Yeah, I've never bought into the whole "cost of living" argument. I mean sure, at the upper extremes (NY, SF, etc.), it's definitely a big issue. But, like, do I really care if I can buy a palatial estate in Bumfuck, Mississippi vs. a condo in Los Angeles? I'll take the better location 10 times out of 10. Also, in today's socioeconomic reality, many costs are going to be universal regardless of where you live. Giant cable and internet bills? That **** ain't getting cheaper just because you live in the sticks. If anything, it might get more expensive. Medical? Yeah, that's not getting any better. Food? Pretty much the same prices anywhere you go, unless you're determined to shop at Family Dollar or Walmart on one end, and Whole Foods / greenmarkets / etc. on the other end. The point is, rent and real estate pricing are pretty much the only things that really change based on location. And, while that's a significant change, it's definitely not enough to justify a bad location over a good one.
Actually, you have it a little backwards. Because I'm not paying over-the-top rent for my home, I can actually afford luxuries like fios, a security system, netflix, and to shop for groceries at fresh market/whole foods. There's also a lot of advantages with having a bigger home, things I probably couldn't live without for right now, definitely in the city. The fact that my family right now is three dogs, and they definitely would be a little displeased stuck inside a condo. The house itself also becomes your palette, which is especially fun once you own it (I do). You can do whatever you want with it, rip the floors up, repaint the walls, decorate the outside, destroy your bathroom and redo it from the floor up, etc. etc. etc. If you're into DIY. And on the Italian restaurant comment... whoever recommended Buca da Pep should be shot, and I take no responsibility for whichever country bumpkin said that. I am actually VERY picky and snobby about my Italian food, and I pretty much look down upon all the Italian restaurant chains like Maggianos, olive garden, carrabbas, etc. If it's my choice, I have two local Italian eateries in Tampa that I love like a fat mafioso. One is the Laughing Cat, a hole in the wall kinda place down in ybor city, and the other is Bella's in hyde park, which has been tampa for decades. Nothing better than having a negroni with some pear-infused tortellini at the latter, beautiful place too.

Originally Posted by deadly7

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I ******** with MarkI's slutty gf.
Dang you too? That might be what pushes me over the edge and causes me to stop. I'll have to call my buddies and let them know so they can decide for themselves. Hope I can remember everyone I introduced her to!

Originally Posted by CrazyJew

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Well actually they follow the same rules. Sarasota is just like Tampa: a bunch of suburbs, with the rich and the poor mixed in pretty well, and then a small central downtown. There aren't really any rich sectors, rather walled-off estates kind of surrounded by ghetto. But the downtown area in Sarasota is ******* beautiful, and actually has way more interesting restaurants and boutiques than the Tampa downtown district does.

Tallahassee I don't know much about. I've heard it's mostly just a college town, because outside of UF there's nothing there really.

What I consider hellishly boring is where my fiancee came from. She was born in Destin, FL, and aside from a bunch of redneck bars, a nice beach, suburbs, and shopping outlets, there is nothing there. The tallest building is like 3 or 4 stories there. It's ridiculous. Imagine living your life there for 18 years... blahhhh!

edit: on the other hand, the trade-off is again apparent even in Destin. If you only really care about you and your family and not about things to do around, it's amazing what you can get for your dollar there. To be right around the corner from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, for practically nothing.

Dude, Tampa and Sarasota are not "just like" each other. How much time have you spent in Sarasota? Tampa, small timer as it may be, is far younger and more cosmopolitan than Sarasota.

Also, UF is in Gainesville, not Tallahassee. FSU is in Tallahassee. Tallahassee is also the state capital, which means there's a lot more there than the university. I'm not a particular fan of the city, but calling it a college town is woefully inaccurate. Gainesville is Florida's true college town.

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

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Yeah, I've never bought into the whole "cost of living" argument. I mean sure, at the upper extremes (NY, SF, etc.), it's definitely a big issue. But, like, do I really care if I can buy a palatial estate in Bumfuck, Mississippi vs. a condo in Los Angeles? I'll take the better location 10 times out of 10.

Also, in today's socioeconomic reality, many costs are going to be universal regardless of where you live. Giant cable and internet bills? That **** ain't getting cheaper just because you live in the sticks. If anything, it might get more expensive. Medical? Yeah, that's not getting any better. Food? Pretty much the same prices anywhere you go, unless you're determined to shop at Family Dollar or Walmart on one end, and Whole Foods / greenmarkets / etc. on the other end. The point is, rent and real estate pricing are pretty much the only things that really change based on location. And, while that's a significant change, it's definitely not enough to justify a bad location over a good one.

This is patently untrue. There are all kinds of things that vary significantly in terms of cost of living. The two big ones I can think of off the top of my head are taxes and insurance, which can be dramatically different from place to place.

Originally Posted by dtmt

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short answer: they don't actually realize how much it sucks. I mean there was once a restaurant threak here where someone recommended Buca di Beppo as great Italian food

also, lol @ all the "big house = quality of life" poasts
LOL at the cramped apart, wine bars and museum you don't visit=quality of life poasts. That whole "art of living" thing has taken such a life of its own in the US that all marsupial-urban dwellers can talk about is how amazing the coffee is at American City Brewers co. or the glory that are the vegetarian Cannellonni at Chez Spezzo. I say this as someone who never goes to suburban places and hates the countryside.

^that's true too. my friend in college paid 3k a month for a 1br so he couldn't eat anywhere but grey's papaya

Some people gonna bring hell with them, irrespective the locale.