Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Maine
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-20-2008, 12:16 PM
 
Location: Maine
2,492 posts, read 3,393,662 times
Reputation: 3821

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by diablogun View Post
I've read these posts about culture and urban living and I'm wondering if the definition of culture is having lots of people drinking and chasing one-night romance?
Or perhaps it means going to galleries to view expensive garbage?
Or maybe it is having twenty-three places to eat Thai food and discuss how much you like to dine on even more sophisticated fare?
The more that I hear people talk about needing urban sophistication or intellectual nourishment, the more unintelligent and pretentious I've found they tend to be. But that is just me :-) And, of course, that excludes present company.
Great post! I love the way people who post on the Maine forum think.

rossco17's post is encouraging, too. Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-20-2008, 12:22 PM
 
Location: Providence, RI
12,731 posts, read 21,879,869 times
Reputation: 14109
Quote:
I've read these posts about culture and urban living and I'm wondering if the definition of culture is having lots of people drinking and chasing one-night romance?Or perhaps it means going to galleries to view expensive garbage? Or maybe it is having twenty-three places to eat Thai food and discuss how much you like to dine on even more sophisticated fare? The more that I hear people talk about needing urban sophistication or intellectual nourishment, the more unintelligent and pretentious I've found they tend to be. But that is just me :-) And, of course, that excludes present company.
^This is the argument I've run into a few times in Maine when It's come up that I want to leave in conversation. I've been told that I'm a snob if I want to leave Maine, I'm pretentious, I think I'm too good for Maine, etc. Most people have responded the same way as those who have responded in this thread (kindly and understanding), but a select few have gotten offended and borderline angry. I don't know why as I've always been VERY careful with my wording.

I have made it a point to explain that my differences are personal beliefs and that it's nothing against the state of Maine. I feel that while Maine is a great place, It's not for me. I don't think it's "pretentious" to believe that a place is not what you're looking for. I wouldn't recommend NYC or Metro Boston to someone looking for peace and quiet just as much as I wouldn't recommend Portland or Maine to someone who who was looking for a diverse urban environment. Is Portland better off than many cities its size? Absolutely. But is it really so "pretentious" to want to look for something a bit more?

Sure many of the people claiming to be intellectual are snobby, and quite frankly ignorant. But there are a lot of places that offer a lot more in terms of diversity, culture, art, dining, nightlife, etc than Portland... what's so bad about wanting to go to one of those places? Saying that people who want a bit more urbanity and sophistication are "pretentious" is like calling someone who wants a simpler, quieter way of life, a "hick." While there may be truth in both situations, that type of negative perception is a generalization and typically far from the actual norm.

I apologize if I've used the term "culture" too liberally. I meant it in a general sense. I felt Portland didn't offer the variety nightlife opportunities and QUALITY of dining that many other New England cities do offer. I also felt that the number of art galleries and museum exhibits were only on par with comparably sized cities. I enjoy trying new (not necessarily expensive) varieties of foods, I enjoy different types of museum exhibits, and I enjoy (depending on what type of mood I'm in) different types of nightlife. I can't find many of those things here; it's nothing personal, and it's not intended to be rude or snobby, it's just how it is.

If I'm ignorant because I want to live in an urban environment with more for someone my age to do than can be found in Portland, then so be it. But I think it would be ignorant and pretentious to assume that Portland is the be all and end all when it comes to culture; and even more ignorant and pretentious to assume that someone who wants more than what is available in Portland is ignorant and pretentious for desiring more.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Portland and Maine are GREAT places. I love them to death, but I don't think I could be happy in this environment at this point in my life (maybe later on like, arthwys though?).

diablogun, I'm not attacking your post as I know I've met some arrogant people and I'm sure you have as well. I just wanted to clarify that just because someone seeks something more does not make them pretentious, unintelligent, OR ignorant.

Last edited by lrfox; 10-20-2008 at 12:34 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-20-2008, 12:26 PM
 
15 posts, read 46,195 times
Reputation: 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by diablogun View Post
I've read these posts about culture and urban living and I'm wondering if the definition of culture is having lots of people drinking and chasing one-night romance?
Or perhaps it means going to galleries to view expensive garbage?
Or maybe it is having twenty-three places to eat Thai food and discuss how much you like to dine on even more sophisticated fare?
The more that I hear people talk about needing urban sophistication or intellectual nourishment, the more unintelligent and pretentious I've found they tend to be. But that is just me :-) And, of course, that excludes present company.

Well, I can see what you mean, and there are certainly a large crowd that do just chase one-nighters and drink and view expensive garbage.

I'm a history dork, so by museums I mostly mean Smithsonian. There's also Dumbarton Oaks, a fantastic Edwardian Mansion with fabulous formal gardens to wander in and an attached museum that focuses on Byzantine artifacts.

I'm heavily into British indie-rock, and being in DC get to see these bands live quite often. Most of these bands never go north of Boston, unless perhaps Montreal.

I do enjoy the vast selection in terms of restaurants and food. I very much enjoy Indian and Vietnamese, etc. But it's not all posh and uppity. There's not much on a snowy day that can top a hot steaming bowl of Pho (vietnamese beef soup) from the grimy shop next to the Latino market. These are down to earth people too, just living in extreme built up suburbia.

However, eventually I'll want to settle in a large house, with children and a dog or three. I would want them to have a large yard, and woods to explore, and a guarentee of snow for winter activities. I like country fairs and virgin coastline. I would love to know that I can leave the door unlocked and let my kids run off for the whole day by themselves.

Oh yeah, and I can definitely live without the traffic!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-20-2008, 01:18 PM
 
300 posts, read 756,383 times
Reputation: 247
As I said, present company is excluded :-) However, as I mentioned before, and from my experience living in several different countries, states, etc (hey, does that make me cultured? :-) the culture is in the people; that is, I find culture in going to a russian village and sitting in a banya with some guys I that I can't even talk to, and hitting each other with twigs.
Or, perhaps it is in meeting folks as they do their jobs at a supermarket in Kiruna, Sweden.
Or maybe just eating at a restaurant in Calais, Maine, where the wonderful old lady who served us dropped our food, and could barely hear a word we shouted into her ear.
In any case, I guess culture can mean different things to different people. To me it means seeing and knowing good people, usually of the humble variety
:-)
Oh, and I am also something of a history buff, so if your version of culture includes history, then I give my enthusiastic thumbs-up :-)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-20-2008, 02:37 PM
 
Location: Providence, RI
12,731 posts, read 21,879,869 times
Reputation: 14109
^I agree. and I apologize for misinterpreting you initial post. I don't like the idea of considering oneself "cultured." I've spent lots time in many other countries as well and I'm better for those experiences. However, those experiences don't make me any better than anyone else and I've never felt that they do.

I also agree with your definition of culture, it IS in the people, and in that sense, Maine is very rich in culture. But in terms of the other things I mentioned (that I believe are part, but not all, of culture), it's safe to say some places offer more than others. I think culture is a general term that includes MANY things. The nightlife, dining, schools, artists, music, etc. are all part of an area's culture. I guess in my past posts I was focusing specifically on only a few aspects of culture. To each his (or her!) own I guess.

For the record, history is my second favorite hobby (next to architecture, though they aren't mutually exclusive by any means).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-20-2008, 02:39 PM
 
8,767 posts, read 18,618,122 times
Reputation: 3525
My Cousin who is originally from Maine came to visit recently from Southern California. He was shocked at some of the things we see daily. The lack of minorities really struck him. He actually took pictures of the "white kids" working in the fast food restaurant we stopped at and marveled at how they spoke English! He thought it strange that we don't lock our cars around here or our houses for the most part.
He was incredulous that we can carry our guns and ammo in the car without having them in a case and the ammo seperated in the trunk. He loved the fresh pumpkin donuts from the orchard, the clear air, the thousands of stars at night, the cool temperatures, the peak foliage and other aspects of Maine life. He felt free here and loved the slower pace of life. Is he moving here....nope! He's now a California man and has his roots sunk in deeply there. He tolerates the big brother intrusions of the urban area, the crime, fires, Santa Ana winds,heat, air polllution, noise, illegal immigrants,etc. Why?? he's used to it. He loves to go to all of the shows around LA, has a good paying job and a pile of equity in his home built up. His wife is a California girl, his son was born and raised there....they're happy.....so am I.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-20-2008, 02:41 PM
 
Location: Providence, RI
12,731 posts, read 21,879,869 times
Reputation: 14109
^That about sums it up!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-20-2008, 03:46 PM
 
Location: Sacramento, CA/Dover-Foxcroft, ME
1,816 posts, read 3,382,473 times
Reputation: 2896
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maineah View Post
My Cousin who is originally from Maine came to visit recently from Southern California. He was shocked at some of the things we see daily. The lack of minorities really struck him. He actually took pictures of the "white kids" working in the fast food restaurant we stopped at and marveled at how they spoke English! He thought it strange that we don't lock our cars around here or our houses for the most part.
He was incredulous that we can carry our guns and ammo in the car without having them in a case and the ammo seperated in the trunk. He loved the fresh pumpkin donuts from the orchard, the clear air, the thousands of stars at night, the cool temperatures, the peak foliage and other aspects of Maine life. He felt free here and loved the slower pace of life. Is he moving here....nope! He's now a California man and has his roots sunk in deeply there. He tolerates the big brother intrusions of the urban area, the crime, fires, Santa Ana winds,heat, air polllution, noise, illegal immigrants,etc. Why?? he's used to it. He loves to go to all of the shows around LA, has a good paying job and a pile of equity in his home built up. His wife is a California girl, his son was born and raised there....they're happy.....so am I.
I feel the same way when I visit. Not many minorities. Especially in the quik stops or convenience stores. I just went into a store out here the other day looking for a cigar. This one store carried them. I asked the clerk if he had that cigar and he just said "We donn hav". I smiled and said I'd been buying them there for a couple years now and I went on to say a few more things trying to have a conversation and he just looked at me with a quizzical stare and said, "We donn hav". He looked new and that's probably all he knows how to say just yet. I just smiled and walked away.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-20-2008, 06:23 PM
 
Location: Maine
566 posts, read 1,414,771 times
Reputation: 685
irfox, diablogun and arthwys, how very nice to come on here and read your posts. You all were able to express your opinions in a mature and adult way. It is nice to see that. This Maine forum is my favorite place to come to every day. It really is nice to see the various opinions of others without bickering and name calling. Rep points for you all!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-21-2008, 08:07 PM
 
Location: Mid Missouri
21,353 posts, read 8,432,636 times
Reputation: 33339
Hi Everyone,

New poster here. Just read threads for the last two hours on all of you moving to Maine and now many of you posting whether you're happy or not with your decision.

I've had a love affair with the downeast coast of Maine since 1984. I live on Cape Cod and have owned my home here for 30 years. I've watched the property along the coast go from next to nothing to now being higher priced than the Cape. Blows my mind! lol

I found a beautiful home in Searsport that hadn't had any activity on it in two years. I put an offer in and the next thing you know, there's a bidding war. It was the week the government decided to tell us we were in a he** of a financial pickle and then the stock market crashed. lol Talk about timing, 'ey? haha Well, because of the economic situation and my financial picture in the short term, I wouldn't go over the 2nd bid I put in, so I lost the house. Now I'm sad that I lost it as it's a magnificent setting and had about 99.9% of what I'd like to have in Maine.

I just found another one tonight through the net, but it's in Steuben. Steuben isn't quite the end of the world, but you can see it from there! lol I'm wondering what those of you from out that way think of living so far out in the hinterlands... do you get good tv and internet reception? Do you experience long power outages in the winter? Do you have generators?

As beautiful as the countryside in Maine is, I have a love of the coast and I can't imagine moving up there to enjoy the beauty of the water and ending up sad about it, but I am questioning my sanity a little. lol I'll be 52 in a few more weeks and I wonder if I'm crazy to buy a house up there and have to worry about plowing etc. What say all of you?

Thanks for any and all of your input in advance! Looking forward to getting to know some of you!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Maine

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:28 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top