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Visit and prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Singapore is a million times more interesting/fun than Houston or Dallas.
Wow really? Wow nice! Thing is though, I was actually considering moving to Texas. I don't know where exactly but I was considering the Ft. Worth-Dallas area. This is after I graduate, which is like 1 or 2 years from now.
Visit and prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Singapore is a million times more interesting/fun than Houston or Dallas.
I know a lot of people who have been and they did not have good feedback - they said it felt borderline communists, sterile and as if they were at a hospital.
I have heard the Singaporian government will not allow citizens to chew gum, it is banned! If this is true, they are nutjobs.
I have to admit, I couldn't live any where too remote and cut off or a place where everyone knew each others business, and should imagine parts of Canada, parts of the US and particuarly Alaska or mid west/great plains, parts of New Zealand/Australia, parts of Russia, parts of Scandanavia etc would be fairly mind numbing and that would include some of the more remote cities. If you are further cut off by snow or other adverse weather the situation would be further intensified, and parts of the world where it's dark for long periods of the year would also be unappealing to me personally, but then again other people may enjoy such lifestyles.
Dallas and it's sprawl has to be the most boring city in the world. As superficial as it gets with all the big McMansions, big cars and big Debt. They call it 'Big D' for a reason. Although, roads are never big enough because 30k millionaire idiots with junk insurance drive big fancy cars with no care for life or limb. So you could get into big-big accidents here. People are like frogs in a well in the city and it's burbs- most people try to find happiness with their stuff. In this town it's all about -'keeping up with the joneses'. I keep getting these wierd looks when I go around town - either it's because I'm indian or it's my stupid flip-flops but surely all these men dressed in checkered shorts with polos tucked in with a belt are tasteful.. what's up with that!!. A number of women dye their hair blonde because in their heads it equates to success. I once saw a grown 45 year old-man driving a range-rover. He walked in to 'Bolsa' with his 3 kids and his fancy plastic-Barbie wife.. On his shirt was written i kid you not - "I'm a baboon". I looked down at my stupid flip-flops and my jeans and my t-shirt which had a tiny bleach stain on it and told myself - " I have to find a way to move back to Seattle".
Some of those who criticize clean cities as sterile seem to be of the mentality that thrives in urban decay, wallowing in filthy conditions like pigs in mud. I've never understood this mindset -- that longs for the days when NYC used to be a digustingly filthy ghetto craphole.
I think the most of the criticism directed against NYC (or Manhattan at least) is that it has gentrified poorly, rather than the fact that it has become cleaner. Note the polemic on this point beginning roughly page 17 on this thread.
I doubt even the most liberal minded would long for the New York of the 1970s.
1. Flat, grey, lacklustre built form of the city itself
2. Yes, there are places to go, but for some reason the place just gets OLD really quickly. The biggest problem with toronto is that their just isn't an authentic culture here.
3. People seem just to eat out alot. I'm not the biggest gourmands out there, so for me toronto just isn't exciting. Don't forget, too, that during the sometimes rather horrific winter weather the only thing people can realistically expect to do is go to a movie.
4. Proximity to other places is where Toronto shines, We're close to the border, only a few hours by air from the carribean and florida. I'm personally thankful that I can get away from here without too much trouble.
Some of those who criticize clean cities as sterile seem to be of the mentality that thrives in urban decay, wallowing in filthy conditions like pigs in mud.
No - this isn't the case - at least, not with me. I don't want to be surrounded by urban dereliction - but I also don't want to live in a city that is completely pristine and appears sterile. Cities are supposed to have a bit of a grungy edge to them - a bit rough around the edges - some areas that are perhaps visibly shabby but perfectly functional, and not necessarily decaying or downtrodden. Areas like Camden Town are what I'm referring to - a little chaotic, certainly not orderly, with interesting facades that catch your eye, rather than just endless rows of rather bland Georgian/Regency terraces (I'm not saying Georgian or Regency terraces are bland - but they can get a little monotonous if they seemingly go on and on and on, with little change in their outward appearance).
I've never been to Zurich or Geneva, but they appear like the sterile cities I am referring to, and they're too small as well - not to mention stupidly expensive for places with far less to offer than London or Paris - although I'm 26, so my priorities in life are probably different to someone who is in their 40s.
No - this isn't the case - at least, not with me. I don't want to be surrounded by urban dereliction - but I also don't want to live in a city that is completely pristine and appears sterile. Cities are supposed to have a bit of a grungy edge to them - a bit rough around the edges - some areas that are perhaps visibly shabby but perfectly functional, and not necessarily decaying or downtrodden. Areas like Camden Town are what I'm referring to - a little chaotic, certainly not orderly, with interesting facades that catch your eye, rather than just endless rows of rather bland Georgian/Regency terraces (I'm not saying Georgian or Regency terraces are bland - but they can get a little monotonous if they seemingly go on and on and on, with little change in their outward appearance).
I've never been to Zurich or Geneva, but they appear like the sterile cities I am referring to, and they're too small as well - not to mention stupidly expensive for places with far less to offer than London or Paris - although I'm 26, so my priorities in life are probably different to someone who is in their 40s.
That's why I said "some". And even saying that I would cite camden as an example of an area of urban decay that's been gentrified - where some of the decay has been left residue for "fashionability". You simply fall into one part of the spectrum of this mentality.
The example you give of endless regency terraces is not an objection to cleanliness. It's an objection to monotony and lack of variation - a completely different concept. Not that "monotony" really applies to the stucco town homes in central London given the layout of neighborhoods.
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