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After living in Philadelphia for years and now currently living in the suburbs, the New York experience made me ashamed to call myself a "city boy" becuz New York was the ultimate and real city experience.
New York was just ridiculously crowded, loud, and full of concrete ABOVE and BELOW ground. I felt suffocated by the swarms of skyscrapers in every direction you looked. I was jealous of the people living there cuz they lived in the biggest and most intimidating city ever.
I was really impressed with Manhattan at night time. Times Square was VERY crowded during late evening hours even til midnight. The subways during late evening hours were still crowded with a mom strolling a baby carriage (which would NEVER happen on a Philly subway). I was also impressed with the sheer density of areas outside Manhattan, notably Brooklyn and the Bronx. I was impressed with how many tenements and tall apartments were scattered all over Brooklyn and the Bronx.
It was sad leaving New York late at night, driving by on I-95 south, looking back and seeing the gorgeous Manhattan and Jersey skyline all lit beautifully and it made me sad seeing it become more and more distant. Arriving Philadelphia, it felt so small for the first time and so quiet. I became very ashamed once I got to my suburban home becuz I didn't live in a super city like NYC.
I have to preface this by saying I'm not a fan of big cities. I like to drive and I like open spaces so the places I really like are not cities.
NYC: Overwhelms me. It's too crowded, too dirty, too noisy and the high buildings make me feel insignificant. Too much rushing. When I was there, I couldn't wait to leave. I was born in The Bronx and lived on LI most of my life. I hardly ever went to NYC. Food is great.
Washington DC: Lived there in the early 70s for 3 years and worked there then and in the mid 90s for 3 years. Not a fan of the smell of urine in the morning, tourists, cobblestone and buggy eyed homeless people shouting obscenities at me. However, there is open space in DC and that's a good thing if you stick to the tourist areas.
Atlanta: Too hot and way too much traffic. Was in the Atlanta suburbs, too. Remember the sound of insects and the stifling heat.
Miami: Passed out in church from the heat there when I was 12. Not a fan.
Jacksonville: I really really liked Jacksonville Beach area but Florida is still too hot. Didn't spend much time downtown.
Ft Lauderdale: Didn't spend enough time there to form an opinion. It looks pretty but it's still Florida and it's still too hot.
Dallas: Probably my favorite big city but it's too hot. If Dallas temps dropped 30 degrees, I could live on the outskirts of the city/suburbs. I liked the place, the food and the people very much. It made a good impression on me. Made a side trip into suburban Oklahoma. Liked what little I saw there, too.
Austin Texas: Boring. Not a fan. Heard it has become a haven for big lib Californians. Makes it more unappealing.
San Antonio: Still can't get over that the Alamo isn't more isolated. It's too hot.
Los Angeles: Waaaaaaay too much traffic. Pretentious but that's actually overshadowed by the horrid horrid traffic even late on a Sunday night.
Ogden Utah: Haven't been there in 20 years but when I was there I really thought it was a great place with surrounding beauty.
Salt Lake City: Only spent a day there but thought it was a nice clean place.
Chicago: Didn't like the pizza. Thought the city was dark and dingy. See rest of description of NYC. Applies to Chicago, too.
Memphis: Enjoyed my stay there. Great food. Good music. Felt very comfortable driving around there. Plenty to do. But, it's way too hot and now it has too much crime.
Nashville: Spent more time in Brentwood than I did in Nashville. Prefer Brentwood because of more open space.
Boston: Have been there twice and still have no opinion of it.
Kansas City: Loved the place and the people in the burbs but I'm allergic to something in the air there and "cried" the whole time I was outdoors or in the car.
Toronto: I was sick when I was there so I'll have to pass on an opinion.
Indianapolis: Thought it was nice especially the countryside on the ride to the airport. liked the people.
Baltimore: Scary place. Cab driver told me where not to go and where to wait for him to pick me up so I'd be safe. Downtown is nice. Liked the Aquarium.
Denver: Really hate that airport. Under no circumstances should you take a flight where you change in Denver. Don't have much memories of Denver except it was hard to walk there.
Montreal: They wouldn't give me directions in English inside a McDonalds when we were lost even though we bought food. Will never go back.
Philadelphia: The food is good. The hockey was good. No other opinion.
St Paul: Liked it. Felt like you could breathe there. Open spaces.
Arlington, Va: Way too much traffic. Not a fan.
Atlantic City: Won't venture off the boardwalk.
Hartford: No memories. Went to a hockey convention there. Other places in Connecticut are prettier/more appealing.
Ocean City, MD: Out of season - two thumbs up.
Cinncinati: Eh. Covington Kentucky area is nicer.
Asheville, NC: Pretentious. Too much traffic. Tourists plus too many non-NC natives live there. The Maggie Valley area of North Carolina, however, is just beautiful.
The beautiful parts of Maryland are on the eastern shore, in the western part of the state and not too far from West Virginia. West Virginia is beautiful. Love Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire area, mountains and driving through new Hampshire. Like upstate northern NY and rural Maine. Love the entire Cumberland Plateau area in Tennessee. Love Norris, TN. Like the Ft Loudoun area of TN. All are beautiful. Like the I-81 small towns of Virginia. They are beautiful.
I have to preface this by saying I'm not a fan of big cities. I like to drive and I like open spaces so the places I really like are not cities.
NYC: Overwhelms me. It's too crowded, too dirty, too noisy and the high buildings make me feel insignificant. Too much rushing. When I was there, I couldn't wait to leave. I was born in The Bronx and lived on LI most of my life. I hardly ever went to NYC. Food is great.
Washington DC: Lived there in the early 70s for 3 years and worked there then and in the mid 90s for 3 years. Not a fan of the smell of urine in the morning, tourists, cobblestone and buggy eyed homeless people shouting obscenities at me. However, there is open space in DC and that's a good thing if you stick to the tourist areas.
Atlanta: Too hot and way too much traffic. Was in the Atlanta suburbs, too. Remember the sound of insects and the stifling heat.
Miami: Passed out in church from the heat there when I was 12. Not a fan.
Jacksonville: I really really liked Jacksonville Beach area but Florida is still too hot. Didn't spend much time downtown.
Ft Lauderdale: Didn't spend enough time there to form an opinion. It looks pretty but it's still Florida and it's still too hot.
Dallas: Probably my favorite big city but it's too hot. If Dallas temps dropped 30 degrees, I could live on the outskirts of the city/suburbs. I liked the place, the food and the people very much. It made a good impression on me. Made a side trip into suburban Oklahoma. Liked what little I saw there, too.
Austin Texas: Boring. Not a fan. Heard it has become a haven for big lib Californians. Makes it more unappealing.
San Antonio: Still can't get over that the Alamo isn't more isolated. It's too hot.
Los Angeles: Waaaaaaay too much traffic. Pretentious but that's actually overshadowed by the horrid horrid traffic even late on a Sunday night.
Ogden Utah: Haven't been there in 20 years but when I was there I really thought it was a great place with surrounding beauty.
Salt Lake City: Only spent a day there but thought it was a nice clean place.
Chicago: Didn't like the pizza. Thought the city was dark and dingy. See rest of description of NYC. Applies to Chicago, too.
Memphis: Enjoyed my stay there. Great food. Good music. Felt very comfortable driving around there. Plenty to do. But, it's way too hot and now it has too much crime.
Nashville: Spent more time in Brentwood than I did in Nashville. Prefer Brentwood because of more open space.
Boston: Have been there twice and still have no opinion of it.
Kansas City: Loved the place and the people in the burbs but I'm allergic to something in the air there and "cried" the whole time I was outdoors or in the car.
Toronto: I was sick when I was there so I'll have to pass on an opinion.
Indianapolis: Thought it was nice especially the countryside on the ride to the airport. liked the people.
Baltimore: Scary place. Cab driver told me where not to go and where to wait for him to pick me up so I'd be safe. Downtown is nice. Liked the Aquarium.
Denver: Really hate that airport. Under no circumstances should you take a flight where you change in Denver. Don't have much memories of Denver except it was hard to walk there.
Montreal: They wouldn't give me directions in English inside a McDonalds when we were lost even though we bought food. Will never go back.
Philadelphia: The food is good. The hockey was good. No other opinion.
St Paul: Liked it. Felt like you could breathe there. Open spaces.
Arlington, Va: Way too much traffic. Not a fan.
Atlantic City: Won't venture off the boardwalk.
Hartford: No memories. Went to a hockey convention there. Other places in Connecticut are prettier/more appealing.
Ocean City, MD: Out of season - two thumbs up.
Cinncinati: Eh. Covington Kentucky area is nicer.
Asheville, NC: Pretentious. Too much traffic. Tourists plus too many non-NC natives live there. The Maggie Valley area of North Carolina, however, is just beautiful.
The beautiful parts of Maryland are on the eastern shore, in the western part of the state and not too far from West Virginia. West Virginia is beautiful. Love Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire area, mountains and driving through new Hampshire. Like upstate northern NY and rural Maine. Love the entire Cumberland Plateau area in Tennessee. Love Norris, TN. Like the Ft Loudoun area of TN. All are beautiful. Like the I-81 small towns of Virginia. They are beautiful.
Wow, you are very harsh and picky. Your descriptions depress me.
Lehigh Valley, PA: I love it there. Its a nice place to unwind and so much natural beauty. Mountains( Hey coming from LI there mountains lol), rivers, and all. People are really nice. Allentown was ghetto in my opinion and it was weird how you could be in a nice suburb one minute then 4 minutes later your in the middle of a hood. My mom said theirs crime lights so the cops know where to go when something happens. That's just weird. But the nice suburban community my mom lives in is great.
Miami: Hot, Humid. Seemed like the whole city was under construction when I went. Loved the houses we saw when we were sailing off near the water.
El Paso: Brown. Very brown. I don't like the desert at all. My family seemed to love it out there though, but it's not for me. The southwest just doesn't seem to be for me at all.
Manhattan: I need to live there! I need to live there at least once in my life. Queens just isn't going to cut it forever. I wonder if I will ever leave the NYC metro area (except for the four upcoming years at Albany for school)
Williamsburg, Va: Nice and Historic. I would go there again. People seemed nice. Loved Busch Gardens and Water Country USA.
Rock Hill, SC: People were nice. Besides the amusement park seems to be nothing to do. But Paramount was fun. It was really hot and seemed really country. Lots of wildlife.
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Location: St Simons Island, GA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LauraC
I have to preface this by saying I'm not a fan of big cities. I like to drive and I like open spaces so the places I really like are not cities.
NYC: Overwhelms me. It's too crowded, too dirty, too noisy and the high buildings make me feel insignificant. Too much rushing. When I was there, I couldn't wait to leave. I was born in The Bronx and lived on LI most of my life. I hardly ever went to NYC. Food is great.
Washington DC: Lived there in the early 70s for 3 years and worked there then and in the mid 90s for 3 years. Not a fan of the smell of urine in the morning, tourists, cobblestone and buggy eyed homeless people shouting obscenities at me. However, there is open space in DC and that's a good thing if you stick to the tourist areas.
Atlanta: Too hot and way too much traffic. Was in the Atlanta suburbs, too. Remember the sound of insects and the stifling heat.
Miami: Passed out in church from the heat there when I was 12. Not a fan.
Jacksonville: I really really liked Jacksonville Beach area but Florida is still too hot. Didn't spend much time downtown.
Ft Lauderdale: Didn't spend enough time there to form an opinion. It looks pretty but it's still Florida and it's still too hot.
Dallas: Probably my favorite big city but it's too hot. If Dallas temps dropped 30 degrees, I could live on the outskirts of the city/suburbs. I liked the place, the food and the people very much. It made a good impression on me. Made a side trip into suburban Oklahoma. Liked what little I saw there, too.
Austin Texas: Boring. Not a fan. Heard it has become a haven for big lib Californians. Makes it more unappealing.
San Antonio: Still can't get over that the Alamo isn't more isolated. It's too hot.
Los Angeles: Waaaaaaay too much traffic. Pretentious but that's actually overshadowed by the horrid horrid traffic even late on a Sunday night.
Ogden Utah: Haven't been there in 20 years but when I was there I really thought it was a great place with surrounding beauty.
Salt Lake City: Only spent a day there but thought it was a nice clean place.
Chicago: Didn't like the pizza. Thought the city was dark and dingy. See rest of description of NYC. Applies to Chicago, too.
Memphis: Enjoyed my stay there. Great food. Good music. Felt very comfortable driving around there. Plenty to do. But, it's way too hot and now it has too much crime.
Nashville: Spent more time in Brentwood than I did in Nashville. Prefer Brentwood because of more open space.
Boston: Have been there twice and still have no opinion of it.
Kansas City: Loved the place and the people in the burbs but I'm allergic to something in the air there and "cried" the whole time I was outdoors or in the car.
Toronto: I was sick when I was there so I'll have to pass on an opinion.
Indianapolis: Thought it was nice especially the countryside on the ride to the airport. liked the people.
Baltimore: Scary place. Cab driver told me where not to go and where to wait for him to pick me up so I'd be safe. Downtown is nice. Liked the Aquarium.
Denver: Really hate that airport. Under no circumstances should you take a flight where you change in Denver. Don't have much memories of Denver except it was hard to walk there.
Montreal: They wouldn't give me directions in English inside a McDonalds when we were lost even though we bought food. Will never go back.
Philadelphia: The food is good. The hockey was good. No other opinion.
St Paul: Liked it. Felt like you could breathe there. Open spaces.
Arlington, Va: Way too much traffic. Not a fan.
Atlantic City: Won't venture off the boardwalk.
Hartford: No memories. Went to a hockey convention there. Other places in Connecticut are prettier/more appealing.
Ocean City, MD: Out of season - two thumbs up.
Cinncinati: Eh. Covington Kentucky area is nicer.
Asheville, NC: Pretentious. Too much traffic. Tourists plus too many non-NC natives live there. The Maggie Valley area of North Carolina, however, is just beautiful.
The beautiful parts of Maryland are on the eastern shore, in the western part of the state and not too far from West Virginia. West Virginia is beautiful. Love Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire area, mountains and driving through new Hampshire. Like upstate northern NY and rural Maine. Love the entire Cumberland Plateau area in Tennessee. Love Norris, TN. Like the Ft Loudoun area of TN. All are beautiful. Like the I-81 small towns of Virginia. They are beautiful.
Sounds like you need to stay home with the shades drawn and the AC cranked up
Status:
"Pickleball-Free American"
(set 1 day ago)
Location: St Simons Island, GA
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Reputation: 16840
Paris, Rome, Tokyo and New York: Out of all the places that I have visited, these four truly filled me with awe the first time I arrived. Prague: Pure magic, especially standing on the Charles Bridge at night looking back at the old city bathed in light. Moscow: The better parts of the city look like NYC in the 50's. San Francisco: So full of picturesque, bohemian charm. Often compared to European cities, but to me it has a vibe that is unique to the world. The most relaxed I ever feel walking around in a city, with the possible exception of Florence, Italy.
Since I'm reading all these good NYC experiences, I thought I'd share mine --
NYC: I visited a family member who lived in Manhattan. Having originally come from the east coast, the urban flavor and density was something that wasn't new to me. However, what surprised me was the neighborhood feel; people knew each other like they do in small towns, although the "neighborhoods" were tiny areas of a few blocks. In some ways, it seemed like they interacted more than a lot of the rest of us -- since they take the same public transportation and shop at the same stores (the ones they can walk to), eat at the same restaurants. It was neat to see. Seems like too much of the rest of the country just drives into their suburban home's garage, shuts the door, and then you never see them again. These suburbanites will never share a bus, a sidewalk, much less a car or cab, and good luck seeing them in the local mega-mart. The other surprise was how friendly people were. Having lived in TX for so many years now, I am really sensitive to how unfriendly people can be in other US cities... but NYC was different. Sure, they are in a hurry and won't appreciate you taking their time with unwanted conversation... but, when the circumstances are right, they are incredibly friendly and proud of their city. Closer to Texans than I expected...
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