I guess I often forget that there are a large chunk of cities in the US that are still horribly spread out. It’s nuts that Dallas and Houston, for instance, are not much more dense than a city I grew up near that only had 30k people.
Not a fan of needing to drive 10+ miles to do anything, at least from an environmental perspective. I like being able to walk down the street to pick up groceries or hit up a bar.
I love the idea of that, but it’s way too expensive to live in those places. I love NYC. We go for a few days every few years and we spend so much money eating and drinking and going to shows. You can always walk to an amazing bagel place for breakfast. Being there is awesome. Every time I go I think I’d love to spend all my time there.
Then I think about paying double my mortgage for a tiny apartment. Probably more for a family of four. I think about listening to my neighbors fuck or fight through the walls or smell them smoking pot. I wouldn’t be able to have a garage full of tools I can use any time I want. I wouldn’t be able to sit out on my deck drinking scotch and smoking cigars in absolute serenity - though NYC balconies have a serenity of their own odd you tune out the sirens and stuff. I think about how much I’d spend a month going out, and it’d either be more than my rent or why am I even living there anyway? I’d have to make about 5x my salary to even think about living in a big city. And if I made that much honestly I’d probably just work remotely and spend all my time on vacation in the tropics and then why would it matter where I live in the first place?
Cities are amazing places but I never want to give up everything I have here to live in one. I can get anywhere worth being around here in twenty minutes or less. Maybe another ten if I have to go during rush hour. And what is here? Food of every ethnicity - Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Persian, Italian - not all of it is outstanding but some of it is as good as I’ve had anywhere. An excellent theater. A planetarium. A half dozen movie theaters. A baseball stadium (minor league, but I don’t really care anyway. Tickets are cheap enough it’s something to do even though I’m not into sports), college football, basketball (where they also hold concerts though we don’t draw the big acts), and hockey. Hiking/Bike trails that cover the entire city. A zoo (it’s not amazing, but it’s here). Music and art festivals. Museums and gardens. I mean it can’t begin to compare to NYC but it’s pretty damn lively. No, I can’t walk to any of it, but it’s all so accessible. I can drive to downtown or old town or campus and walk around there to do all the city things.
I don’t mean to disparage big cities. Like I said I think they are neat. Just not for me.
I guess I often forget that there are a large chunk of cities in the US that are still horribly spread out. It’s nuts that Dallas and Houston, for instance, are not much more dense than a city I grew up near that only had 30k people.
Not a fan of needing to drive 10+ miles to do anything, at least from an environmental perspective. I like being able to walk down the street to pick up groceries or hit up a bar.
I love the idea of that, but it’s way too expensive to live in those places. I love NYC. We go for a few days every few years and we spend so much money eating and drinking and going to shows. You can always walk to an amazing bagel place for breakfast. Being there is awesome. Every time I go I think I’d love to spend all my time there.
Then I think about paying double my mortgage for a tiny apartment. Probably more for a family of four. I think about listening to my neighbors fuck or fight through the walls or smell them smoking pot. I wouldn’t be able to have a garage full of tools I can use any time I want. I wouldn’t be able to sit out on my deck drinking scotch and smoking cigars in absolute serenity - though NYC balconies have a serenity of their own odd you tune out the sirens and stuff. I think about how much I’d spend a month going out, and it’d either be more than my rent or why am I even living there anyway? I’d have to make about 5x my salary to even think about living in a big city. And if I made that much honestly I’d probably just work remotely and spend all my time on vacation in the tropics and then why would it matter where I live in the first place?
Cities are amazing places but I never want to give up everything I have here to live in one. I can get anywhere worth being around here in twenty minutes or less. Maybe another ten if I have to go during rush hour. And what is here? Food of every ethnicity - Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Persian, Italian - not all of it is outstanding but some of it is as good as I’ve had anywhere. An excellent theater. A planetarium. A half dozen movie theaters. A baseball stadium (minor league, but I don’t really care anyway. Tickets are cheap enough it’s something to do even though I’m not into sports), college football, basketball (where they also hold concerts though we don’t draw the big acts), and hockey. Hiking/Bike trails that cover the entire city. A zoo (it’s not amazing, but it’s here). Music and art festivals. Museums and gardens. I mean it can’t begin to compare to NYC but it’s pretty damn lively. No, I can’t walk to any of it, but it’s all so accessible. I can drive to downtown or old town or campus and walk around there to do all the city things.
I don’t mean to disparage big cities. Like I said I think they are neat. Just not for me.