During the past three months, I've traveled to Manhattan, San Francisco, San Jose, Portland, Chicago, and Miami for biz/personal trips.
I've stayed in mid-priced hotels. (Actually, non were cheap as in staying at a Best Western in the 'burbs. :-) )
Observations:
Manhatten: Used to love to go here. Now I find it crowded, dirty, and people are rude on the streets, but normal once inside. Least value per sq ft of hotel space of all the cities.
San Fran: Love the Wharf. Expensive, a homeless problem, past its prime?
Portland: Beautiful, had to fight off the homeless on every block as I walked. No sun the entire trip.
San Jose: Energy! Wonderful weather, expensive as hell. Traffic sucked.
Chicago: More I go, the more I fall in love. Clean, not crowded, people are friendly. Saw two panhandlers the entire weekend. Good hotel value.
Miami: Great food, the babes on South Beach were amazing eye candy. It would be too hot in summer. Condos expensive.
So if I had to move from middle of no-where Wisconsin where there are more cows that cars, I would pick downtown Chicago and try to find a condo overseeing a river or Lake Michigan.
Originally Posted by Sofa King:
I’d buy a huge ass building and live with all of you. A short drive from Arrowhead. And i’d bang Loochy’s old lady. Not Pestilence’s old lady though, she’s too fertile. Though I bet she wants it.
Running a come-and-go commune as a rich benefactor would be awesome in fantasy land -- the reality would likely suck. [Reply]
We vacationed in SF for 12 days in May and June of last year. It was cold as hell. I was glad to visit but I don't see the charm of living there. [Reply]
Something about San Francisco doesn't speak to me. I've been there a couple of times, and I'm not really a fan. The streets are confusing, it's too hilly to walk easily, and there's a lot of concrete.
Plus, I was there as the kickoff point for my freighter journey, and I walked through the tenderloin area. Wow. It makes Denver's worst area look like Beverly Hills. I walked toward one intersection and some guy lurching around turned and looked at me. He had taped half of his head all the way around with clear packing tape, including one eye that was taped closed in a weird monsterlike way, and the other eye was looking at me in a manner that I deemed highly threatening. It was creepy as heck. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Simply Red:
I'm a weirdo I've basically had my fill of the city - but I'd take Manhattan in a heartbeat. However if it weren't Manhattan, I'd just assume relocate to Pittsburg Ks or Frontenac... I love those towns for their character. I'm tired of Atlanta, mostly because I don't care for the people here, 'overall'
I've worked in Atlanta about 4 times and it's not one of my favorite cities.
For a big city, I prefer Chicago over NYC though. I feel squashed by the concrete and buildings in NY and the people are rough. MidWesterners are more polite and Chicago has more space and order. I love the Magnificent Mile. Used to stay in a lovely glass penthouse on the MM and shop a few times a year. Especially love it at Christmas. I love Chicago but Boston is my home, my roots.
Despise LA, would never want to live in SF either. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BucEyedPea:
I've worked in Atlanta about 4 times and it's not one of my favorite cities.
For a big city, I prefer Chicago over NYC though. I feel squashed by the concrete and buildings in NY and the people are rough. MidWesterners are more polite and Chicago has more space and order. I love the Magnificent Mile. Used to stay in a lovely glass penthouse on the MM and shop a few times a year. Especially love it at Christmas. I love Chicago but Boston is my home, my roots.
Despise LA, would never want to live in SF either.
Nobody on CP likes Atlanta - so there's no surprise there.
People in Manhattan last time (in January) were super friendly - more so than this town! I loved the people there. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Simply Red:
Nobody on CP likes Atlanta - so there's no surprise there.
People in Manhattan last time (in January) were super friendly - more so than this town! I loved the people there.
Really? I find Southerners in general are much friendlier and willing to talk to strangers. Actually, almost too friendly that it comes across nosy to me. At first I was appalled by it. Then again, Bostonians aren't considered that friendly from what I've been told by people, who moved there who claimed it was tough to break into meeting new friends. This included a girl from Alabama who I became good friends with.
When I had a job interview in NYC when I lived in Boston, people were so rushed that I felt if I tripped and fell they'd keep walking on top of me without a care in the world. That actually nearly happened to an old man on New Years Eve in Times Square seeing the ball drop, when we stopped overnight when moving here. I had to scream at people to stop moving when he fell. Was really scarey. NYers scare me. [Reply]
Originally Posted by GloucesterChief:
Raleigh-Durham. Close enough to Charlotte to not miss anything exciting. Close enough to OBX for vacation. Inland enough that humidity and hurricanes are not so much of a problem.
Edit: The Chesapeake bay area would be my first choice but no downtowns on the Bay/Rivers so that kinda kills the appeal and where the really nice expensive homes are.
I love Raleigh NC and Charlotte. But NC has an income tax. So.
Love, love, LOVE North Carolina. Work there one or two times a year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by GloucesterChief:
That part of DC is only like a fifth of the city and full of tourists which is even worse than the horrible people that actually live in DC.
DC is basically a giant slum. The Federal govt area is the only bright spot. Besides, I bet most of the DC Swampers live in the ritsy suburbs—which are nice. [Reply]
