Glad to be back home in NYC! (New York, Woodstock: neighborhoods, living in)

[nativebrooklynite]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

I think within the next 20 years or so the recent luster of the "Sun Belt" will fade. As naturally beautiful as the west is (as well as smaller cities like Sedona), Phoenix and Vegas and the like are just horribly developed. They are everything bland and awful about America at its most gluttonous. Cultural and intellectual wastelands to boot.

I suspect we'll see the Northeast and the Great Lakes regions rise again as destinations as more and more people realize there's a lot more to happiness than four seasons of sun in an ecosystem never intended to support that many people.

QFT. Not to mention the fact that that kind of lifestyle is totally unsustainable. Just look at the massive drought Phoenix had a few years back. And I've never seen so many golf courses as I have in the Valley. I'm talking six or seven just off the top of my head. In a desert.

[Chelsa1075]

Glad to see your back and obviously very happy about it! I don't think that I would have ever moved out of NYC in my 20's. Single or not in your 20's there isn't a better place to be than NYC. 24/7 there is something to do. Best place on the planet! I didn't feel differently until I had my kids. I love all the things that NY has to offer, but now being a mom of 2 busy boys, I barely get to enjoy any of those things. I live a suburban life without being in suburbia. I spent some time in Maryland after my parents divorce and I loved it, because I had not yet enjoyed what NY had to offer (I was in Jr. High). Life is different as a kid in other states. Funny thing is it is very similar in all states except in the 5 boroughs. Upstate is even very similar. Long Island a little, it is just weird that they don't have Friday night sports for schools, everything is done saturday afternoon. I love NY still, but I'm welcoming the slow down that I'm about to take with my move. Who knows, maybe I'll be back in a year - LOL. I doubt it though. I know what it is to live some where else for a significant amount of time and I rather like it. Key is to mentally prepare yourself. There is NO WHERE in the world quite like NY and when you haven't prepared yourself mentally for the slow down that other places offer, you can really go stir crazy.

[nativebrooklynite]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Glad to see your back and obviously very happy about it! I don't think that I would have ever moved out of NYC in my 20's. Single or not in your 20's there isn't a better place to be than NYC. 24/7 there is something to do. Best place on the planet! I didn't feel differently until I had my kids. I love all the things that NY has to offer, but now being a mom of 2 busy boys, I barely get to enjoy any of those things. I live a suburban life without being in suburbia. I spent some time in Maryland after my parents divorce and I loved it, because I had not yet enjoyed what NY had to offer (I was in Jr. High). Life is different as a kid in other states. Funny thing is it is very similar in all states except in the 5 boroughs. Upstate is even very similar. Long Island a little, it is just weird that they don't have Friday night sports for schools, everything is done saturday afternoon. I love NY still, but I'm welcoming the slow down that I'm about to take with my move. Who knows, maybe I'll be back in a year - LOL. I doubt it though. I know what it is to live some where else for a significant amount of time and I rather like it. Key is to mentally prepare yourself. There is NO WHERE in the world quite like NY and when you haven't prepared yourself mentally for the slow down that other places offer, you can really go stir crazy.

Word on the slow down thing. That slower pace was what really drove me nuts. Everything closing all early and stuff. There was literally nothing to do but go to the same bar every night and get wasted. Granted I am not hugely into clubbing and partying, but I am into the gothic scene and that is pretty much non-existent out there. If you are into anything aside from the frat boy scene you are pretty much SOL out there.

The one good thing about living in a place like that at my age is that it's much, much easier to strike out on your own and establish yourself. Except the crappy call center jobs that are the bread and butter for young people just starting out are drying up (I had one at a major credit card company and was outsourced before I got into financial aid counseling).

[ChasT]

I really liked reading your story, it put things into perspective.

[Ericmrtt]

Man, I loved to be back as well. I was born and lived in the Bronx (Pelham Parkway) for the first 11 yrs of my life. Than my mom packed up and we moved to ATL. Now in my 20s I only been back twice. Really sucks. Now I'm not one of those people that sit and tell people how much NYC is so much better than ATL. ATL is great and frankly I don't know if I would move back. One reason is I don't think I could go back to real winter, ATL is no PHX and does get its fair share of cold (dropped to 10 degrees this year) but generally milder than the north. Also the proximity to FL make escaping to warmer weather 5-8 hrs away, driving (10 for Miami). ATL has terrible traffic, public transport is a joke, funny thing is ATL has one of the better systems outside the NE, DC, Chicago, and Bay Area. You have to drive everywhere and be stuck in traffic. The pay is lower here but cost of living is lower. Everyone lives in the suburbs, only about 10% of people who say they live in Atlanta actually live in the city of Atlanta. Crime is high in certain areas just like everywhere else I guess. Crime is actually really why the public transport is not so great. They won't expand MARTA (bus and rail in ATL and Fulton County) to surrounding counties where the majority of the population lives in fear crime will go up. So going back to NYC. I like City life. Tall buildings on every corner. Accessibility of the stores everywhere and great public transport. Diverse people. Oh and the great food. All that I love about NYC. But high cost of living, the crowdedness, and the weather I don't like. So I wouldn't move back but just visit more often. Once I finish school and get my life together, I could do that. Right now I'm broke so unfortunately I can't visit often.

[krispydude]

As someone who was born and raised here in Phoenix, I couldn't agree with you more! I'm going on 26 years here now and if not for the recent recession, me and my fiance would be leaving. In the past few years we have done a lot of traveling to see what's out there. We have been to SF twice (which is an awesome place), Chicago, NY, Boston and DC. In August, we have another vacation planned to goto Philadelphia, NY again and Boston again.

Visting all these places makes Phoenix suck. The heat, the driving, the same chain stores and restaraunts every 10 miles, endless suburbia which went out of control and screwed us royally for a while. Downtown is a joke and is dead past 6pm and barely has a heartbeat when the Suns or D-backs have a game.

It was like 88 degrees here yesterday, in freaking February! We'll be in the 100's by early April and it will continue until November. We get super excited here when it rains. How crazy is that.

We'll be leaving here when there are signs of the economy is not free falling anymore and can get reasonable jobs. You guys are lucky!

[Chelsa1075]

See, I think that those are the things that people go there for. When people tire of the hustle and bustle of NY, they tend to look for simplicity. I know I am.

[proroc]

This isn't popular but I feel the opposite. When I visit relatives in PA or NC I don't like returning to NY (Staten Island). I'm sick of the horrible traffic, bad roads and rude people.

[Chelsa1075]

Don't feel bad - there are plenty of people who feel that way. Not everyone is cut out for the city. Just because you are born and raised here does not mean you want to live here your whole life. I think it is the same for those people who come from small/smallish towns (everthing is relatively small compared to NYC), they can't wait to get out of there little towns, come running to NY, but there are those people from Alabama, Tennessee, texas, oklahoma, etc. that would never leave. Meanwhile, some of us go running those states. It is all relative and depends on your personality and what you define as quality of life. I love the country and everything about it. I had no choice but to grow up here because my parents lived here. I'm now being proactive about leaving. It is all personal choice. However, I will always love NYC. It is a great city, just not for me anymore.

[edrican]

Is Staten Island that bad,I thought it was more calmer than the rest of the city.