Retiring to a "cool" town (restaurant, wife, call)
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I hear you. I am just hoping that the "coolness" will spread out among several cities and not put pressure on any one location.
As long as there are vacant lots and dilapidated buildings here I can't feel too negative about energetic newcomers arriving to fill them and fix them up. I was one of those (sort of) newcomers once. But how do you slow it down once the city fills up? Walk around looking boring?
Yeah, that's one of the sad things. First they built expensive condos. Now it's "affordable" housing which really isn't. But to build all of these what they tore down wasn't old and dilapidated. None of those buildings were in bad shape by any means.
In fact I was just looking at what was being taken down in my friend's neighborhood and they are several cute little older houses that were turned into small businesses like restaurants, a knitting store and a crafts store. All the buildings were in good shape. It is and was the same in the other neighborhoods.
One that was close to me was an older building that had housed a Chinese grocery store that had been there forever. Along side it was a small shopping mall with a candle shop, herb store, a little tea shop and a store that sold crystals and beads along with New Age books and various odds and ends of that nature.
There were town meetings with the developers and city representatives. One local newspaper devoted it's whole front page and feature story to the situation. It's called you can google wwweek.com if you would like to read about it. City ordinances allow this so there was nothing anyone could do. It's in all our local papers. The citizens are helpless as these things are taking over and the new "cool" people moving in are pretty hostile and rude to the incumbents in the neighborhoods. They park in front of driveways, they leave their cars in parking spots for days while they ride their bikes everywhere proudly proclaiming how "green" they are. They profess how they are saving the environment by riding their bikes but the won't give up their cars.
After seeing what a place deemed "cool" (and I also saw Aspen before it too was deemed "cool" ) can become, I would much rather live in a place that was called "interesting" or maybe even "old fashioned." But I think when a city starts being described by words like "cool" or "unique" or "quirky" or "laid back" and people start writing satires about it that others mistake for documentaries, that city is doomed.
Yeah, that's one of the sad things. First they built expensive condos. Now it's "affordable" housing which really isn't. But to build all of these what they tore down wasn't old and dilapidated. None of those buildings were in bad shape by any means.
Totally agree. "Affordable" housing is one of the biggest jokes.
To get the ball rolling, here are some possible pros:
Your friends and family are more likely to visit.
...
What do you guys think, and for those of you who have lived in cool towns, what has been your experience?
Initially, we retired to not just a "cool" town, but also a "cool" country, and for the entire 7 years of living there, we had a sneaking line of visitors just about every year. Many of our friends, friends of friends, and relatives of friends managed to ignore the fact that our home only had one true bedroom. Since we gave up our bed to some visitors, others rather expected us to do the same thing for them. The ones who did not sleep in our home asked us to be their tour guides. Since we lived in a small town that the average tourists did not think appealing, and since we did not own a car, we had to take bus or train to meet them at the cities where they stayed. Many times, we had to stay overnight in the hotels since we could not get back home the same day.
Well, they all said they appreciated our hospitality, but no one ever offered to reimburse our expenses. Most of all, the tranquility that we escaped the States to seek was interrupted often by our eager visitors.
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 10-11-2012 at 02:08 AM..
Initially, we retired to not just a "cool" town, but also a "cool" country, and for the entire 7 years of living there, we had a sneaking line of visitors just about every year. Many of our friends, friends of friends, and relatives of friends managed to ignore the fact that our home only had one true bedroom. Since we gave up our bed to some visitors, others rather expected us to do the same thing for them. The ones who did not sleep in our home asked us to be their tour guides. Since we lived in a small town that the average tourists did not think appealing, and since we did not own a car, we had to take bus or train to meet them at the cities where they stayed. Many times, we had to stay overnight in the hotels since we could not get back home the same day.
Well, they all said they appreciated our hospitality, but no one ever offered to reimburse our expenses. Most of all, the tranquility that we escaped the States to seek was interrupted often by our eager visitors.
LOL interesting point! We have occasionally had friends from other states expect to visit and stay with us. Or, as you point out, visit DC and expect us to drive in to meet them. It can get old. We put our foot down about ten years ago that only family members can stay in the house.
LOL interesting point! We have occasionally had friends from other states expect to visit and stay with us. Or, as you point out, visit DC and expect us to drive in to meet them. It can get old. We put our foot down about ten years ago that only family members can stay in the house.
Hehe - I don't play "hotel" for ANYBODY! Even the in-laws stay at a motel when they come! That is one reason I always like to have a small house with no extra beds, etc.
I will say that by the same token, we don't like or expect housing from anyone else, either. We like to stay in our own hotel, etc.
Hehe - I don't play "hotel" for ANYBODY! Even the in-laws stay at a motel when they come! That is one reason I always like to have a small house with no extra beds, etc.
Smart! I worked w/ a woman once whose son and kids moved in w/ her. After a year, the bathroom had been destroyed, she told me and the whole house in chaos. He did leave and the day after, she called someone to take the bed out of the spare room and converted it into a sewing room. Never again, she said. Hehe.
Cool towns themselves often become trashed and overburdened. Then they are not so cool anymore. Maybe it's because I am older now that I would rather have a bit more peace and quiet but I would much rather live in an interesting town than a cool one.
I've got a few years til retirement. I have spent hours checking out Hawaii and have been thinking of Oahu as the island of choice. Time will tell, I plan to visit this winter again. Any one here retire to Hawaii?
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