Lynchburg, VA (lawyers, theatre, high school)

[LynchburgLover]

I do pray you're joking about suicide. Seriously though, bored people should stop whining about themselves.

Look outside yourself for entertainment. Like animals? Get involved with the animal shelter or a dog/horse/cat club. Worried about the envirornment? There are hiking/biking/preservation clubs. Are you a history buff? There are historic preservation groups. The Arts? Quilting? Photography? Stamp collecting? Whatever; find a group or start one!

And groups are always looking for help with teaching someone else to read, speak english, be a mentor, staff a soup kitchen.

Once you start focusing on others and see how good you have it, your boredom will melt away. I agree -- "sounds like a serious lack of imagination to me"!

[roanoker 4]

I agree! There is plenty to do. I think many local people don't realize how good we have it here and those from outside the area try to compare us with NoVa, HR, RDU, CLT when this region is unique. Lynchburg/Roanoke/Blacksburg are more prepared for the future from a "green environment" nature than places that command more attention and respect from young professionals. Greenways have already been built in Roanoke for bicyclists. Lynchburg has efforts underway and the city is loaded with parks and open spaces. If gas goes to $10/gallon it will be a lot easier to live here than the overcrowded, dysfunctional urban areas nearby. At least we don't have huge parking lots of traffic.....yet! Lynchburg is a wonderful place to live in my opinion. Our area can't compete with the wealth
and job opportunities in NoVa but how many people really like living in that congested region? I think the 21st century will be vastly different than what we have always known in the past.

[Mr_Jonas]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

Makes me wonder what kind of things he tried to make happen. And how it was presented: "Up north, we did it this way . . . "

You do realize that what you just wrote is a very typical attitude around here. (Does not make people bad people or anything like that, it is a cultural thing I assume)

When I frist moved here I used to suggest things to my wifes relatives, never referencing my georgaphical origin, only to be told that "that is not how we do things around here". I was a bit surprised, but I am not the one interested in arguing.

Now we are all different, we come from different walks of life and have different expectations out of life. Some have found what they like in Lynchburg, others have not. Nothing strange about that.

What is wierd, for a lack of better terms is that people either seems to LOVE Lynchburg or really, really dislike this town.

Anyone here who actually falls in the middle???

[Mr_Jonas]

Originally Posted by badger74

I'm an outsider who has lived in Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, LA, Denver and in the NY suburbs. While there are not as many options I found plenty to do when I wanted. I enjoy sports car racing and VIR is just over an hour away--one of the best tracks in the US. The new theater complex adds a major asset in that area. For live sports you have good minor league pro ball, Liberty football, basketball, and hockey and lower division sports at the other colleges.
Restaurants were covered and there are plenty and most 25% less than big cities with no waiting most times.
Live music--big shows just an hour away in C'Ville. Some good smaller local shows.
Theater--lots of local and college productions.
Art--growing all the time. RC museum is very good. Lots of smaller shows at coleges and galleries that are popping up all over.
Hiking, etc--Blue Ridge is great.
Shopping--all you need except some high-end stores.

Missing--a zoo

Based on previous talks on this board I assume you are a bit older then me. (I'm 36). The areas you listed are all very urban areas.

Is it safe to assume you were drawn to these areas when you were younger?

When you were my age, how would you have seen Lynchburg when you were in my age? Would you have embraced the place or would you have drifted towards areas like Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, LA, Denver and the suburbs of NYC?

I have found that, yes, Lynchburg does have theatres...but it is high school or college productions. It is not the RSC! The Randolph College art gallery is quite nice (they have a Whistler, a VERY small one, but still a Whistler) but the gallery is also VERY small. (There is an interesting gallery inside an architecture firm in the old down town too...no Whistlers though ). I think shopping lacks basic stores like GAP, Express Men, Banana Republic.....

Anyhow, I am getting off the point.

I really respect your opinions, so I am basically wondering - when people like me or "thejoe" (or others who have moved on) who are a bit sceptical about Lynchburg (to say the least) can you see were we are comming from, or do you think we are completely off the mark?

[LynchburgLover]

Of course, I realized it and say it partly tongue in check! Maybe you didn't frame it that way but a lot of people do.

But no matter where you go (a new school, church, club, the south, the north, whatever), people don't like the implication that wherever you were from is somehow better than where you are now!

If it is so much better up north, in the city, in the suburb, another country, then go back!

Construction suggestions are always welcome; just don't preface it with "We used to . ."

[Mr_Jonas]

Originally Posted by Nebat

No problem, it's hard to gauge someones real thoughts from a message board. I was also very tired and in a touchy mood.

Well it was a bad joke, so I NEVER should have said that.

People who know me in person has heard me joking about myself as "euro trash" or such, but I cannot expect folks to whom I am just a screen name to see that it was all in jest.

[Mr_Jonas]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

Maybe you didn't frame it that way but a lot of people do.

Maybe they do, but it was hard to feel welcomed when people had to point out that "this is not how we do it around here". One example:
A really interesting architecture gave a speach at the then Randolph Womans College. I tried to get some of my wifes relatives to babysit the kids. When they heard what I was doing they got quite wierd and mouthed off stuff how everyone at RWC were lesbians and a whole bunch of other rubbish. I bet if I said I was to go hunting, they gladly would have babysat. Too many incedents like that.

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

But no matter where you go (a new school, church, club, the south, the north, whatever), people don't like the implication that wherever you were from is somehow better than where you are now!

That is true, if anything it is bad manners.

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

If it is so much better up north, in the city, in the suburb, another country, then go back!

Not everyone has that opportunity.

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

Construction suggestions are always welcome; just don't preface it with "We used to . ."

I agree.

Could it be that MAYBE, just maybe, some folks around here ASSUME that if you are not from around this area you will, by default try to say that were you came from is better and in so, read peoples comments in that color, EVEN if they were NOT intended in that way??
Just a thought.

[Tshie]

Lynchburg is a small town, or small city. So everything that goes with way of life in a small town, you will find here, no doubt. If you are used to a bigger metro area, and appreciate what that type of environment has to offer, then you will have a hard time adjusting here, no doubt about it! But if you want that small town enviro and all that goes with it, you might like Lynchburg, who knows?

My company transferred me here from the Cleveland, OH area last year and I have had a difficult time adjusting because the lack of things to see and do. I have gone out and explored, but eventually it runs its course. And that's simply because I am from a bigger area with more activity. I'm divorced and all, so things like family and kids are not there to keep me busy.

For example, while in Cleveland I used to get involved in independent film-making. We had a diverse group of talents across the board: Techs, producers, directors, actors, editors, equipment specialists, etc that would meet periodically and work on short films and what not. An area like this doesn't offer much of that unless it is through the college and I have grown past working with unreliable college kids. Just one example.



So for people like me, you run out of choices as you are used to them.

[LynchburgLover]

Tshie,

Have you thought of the YMCA, recreation department or one of the bigger church youth groups -- Maybe you could offer to teach a class on film making. That sounds cool and something young people would probably love to do!

[Tshie]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

Tshie,

Have you thought of the YMCA, recreation department or one of the bigger church youth groups -- Maybe you could offer to teach a class on film making. That sounds cool and something young people would probably love to do!

Well.........I'm not quite qualified to teach yet, still learning myself, I was writing and producing small projects.