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..gee, I envy those city folks because they have everything so close to them and can walk to everything?
I know I do especially when I see people who have social lives or even just people comfortable enough to eat out + eat at home and they live in say Cambridge, Arlington, Allston, or Somerville/Watertown. Here I am, little old me in Billerica just looking at these people like I want to be one of them. I mean in the worst way too.
As you can see, I could care less about suburban lifes image of being nicer and cleaner than the city. All it means in MA is the people who were once city people but escaped the city and they dont leave where they are currently.
Does anyone feel this same way. Tell me.
I know I am gonna live in or around Boston in not too long a time, maybe 7 months away, but damn, I can envy those who have it all right there even if they are on affordable housing plans and working part time.
Not in the least. You couldn't pay me to live anywhere near a city again. As a matter of fact, I'm leaving Cape Cod because it's gotten too crowded. I'll be going to Maine to a town where there are no police, the firefigthers are volunteers, and there is no food delivery. I can't wait!!!! Pray tell, WHAT is it that you think is so wonderful about being around so many people?????
I would so love to live in the city esp. a town like Boston if I had no kids. Of course it is nice to have the yard, the BBQs, the bigger house, woods and fields even wildlife. But then there is the restaurants, the shops, the museums, the theaters, public transportation, people and even sidewalks :-). It all depends what your personal preference is. Or you do what my husband is planning to do. Once our daughters hit the teenage years he will get a small apartment in the city and just stay there...
I did. I thought I was going to pull my hair out in my little town. I lived in Maine for 4 years and as much as I enjoyed the experience, I couldn't get out quickly enough.
I'm in Boston now (Mission Hill-- though I was absent from the city today to avoid the Kennedy procession) and couldn't be happier. I love having everything within walking distance/ a T ride away. I love being in the belly of the beast when it comes to social and cultural activity (except the large funeral procession today). I am thrilled with the fact that just about any type of food I could ever imagine is within a two mile radius. I love not owning/ worrying about a car.
I like the social aspect too. I love being around that many people. I go crazy when I'm away from the city for a long time. I like that there are all sorts of different types of people here and I love the day life and the nightlife. Even stuff that bothers or makes some uncomfortable (i.e. an early morning- 4am- in Chinatown when deliveries are ALL over the place, or watching the drunks stumble out of bars at last call, etc) can be enjoyable for me. There's always something going on. I've never been the type to go for long hikes or walks on the beach by myself, so being so close to so many people and having unlimited entertainment at my finger tips is just fantastic. The way I see it is that I'll go hiking or skiing once or twice per year. I don't need to live in the boonies to enjoy that stuff as much as I already do. It's also great for networking and education.
I sometimes just enjoy walking by a landmark during my daily routine and think about what's happened there in the past. It seems that in Boston in particular there are so many unique spots around every corner.
The things people complain about in the city don't bother me. Traffic is worse for car owners and people who commute from outside the city in. Sure, a rush hour train can be a tight squeeze, but it still moves. You can always walk if you don't want to take the train/bus/etc. Crime hasn't been a problem. I'm not involved with those who commit crimes and thus reduce my potential involvement (on either end) in criminal activity. The air isn't bad, I don't care about not having trees in my backyard (or having a backyard for that matter) and I don't need more space. The city is my backyard and my small room in the apartment is just enough when I need quiet time to myself.
It's great. I don't see myself living outside a large city ever again. I can't do it. To each his/her own. I know many people who enjoy nature and open space, but I couldn't care less about that stuff. I go crazy every time I'm that far away from civilization for more than a few days (a weekend in Maine will do just fine). In short, I can absolutely sympathize, meltinjohn.
I did. I thought I was going to pull my hair out in my little town. I lived in Maine for 4 years and as much as I enjoyed the experience, I couldn't get out quickly enough.
I'm in Boston now (Mission Hill-- though I was absent from the city today to avoid the Kennedy procession) and couldn't be happier. I love having everything within walking distance/ a T ride away. I love being in the belly of the beast when it comes to social and cultural activity (except the large funeral procession today). I am thrilled with the fact that just about any type of food I could ever imagine is within a two mile radius. I love not owning/ worrying about a car.
I like the social aspect too. I love being around that many people. I go crazy when I'm away from the city for a long time. I like that there are all sorts of different types of people here and I love the day life and the nightlife. Even stuff that bothers or makes some uncomfortable (i.e. an early morning- 4am- in Chinatown when deliveries are ALL over the place, or watching the drunks stumble out of bars at last call, etc) can be enjoyable for me. There's always something going on. I've never been the type to go for long hikes or walks on the beach by myself, so being so close to so many people and having unlimited entertainment at my finger tips is just fantastic. The way I see it is that I'll go hiking or skiing once or twice per year. I don't need to live in the boonies to enjoy that stuff as much as I already do. It's also great for networking and education.
I sometimes just enjoy walking by a landmark during my daily routine and think about what's happened there in the past. It seems that in Boston in particular there are so many unique spots around every corner.
The things people complain about in the city don't bother me. Traffic is worse for car owners and people who commute from outside the city in. Sure, a rush hour train can be a tight squeeze, but it still moves. You can always walk if you don't want to take the train/bus/etc. Crime hasn't been a problem. I'm not involved with those who commit crimes and thus reduce my potential involvement (on either end) in criminal activity. The air isn't bad, I don't care about not having trees in my backyard (or having a backyard for that matter) and I don't need more space. The city is my backyard and my small room in the apartment is just enough when I need quiet time to myself.
It's great. I don't see myself living outside a large city ever again. I can't do it. To each his/her own. I know many people who enjoy nature and open space, but I couldn't care less about that stuff. I go crazy every time I'm that far away from civilization for more than a few days (a weekend in Maine will do just fine). In short, I can absolutely sympathize, meltinjohn.
You see, I never lived in a city, but I've known for awhile that I wanted to live in one.
I visited Portland OR for one month and that gave me a good picture and I loved the experience. I walked around the city all on foot or I took busses/trains.
I always felt out of place in the burbs even at times I didnt know I was a city guy at heart. I just couldnt make friends as easily and ended up not liking the people I was around.
Suburbs can be all the more depressing since the people living in them often times are the sharecroppers, but are made to look like they are wealthier or they have more. NTM the T costs a lot more coming in from the burbs.
You said this nicely. Just the answer I was looking for.
Some may say how living close to Boston benefits those with disabilities since some cant drive cars or carry their own weight, but I would rather hang around with people on affordable housing plans in parts of Boston (as I might be one of them for the time), than someone who is married with a house with totally no government assistance out in Reading or Wilmington.
Location: The State of Rhode Island, Presented by Dunkin' Donuts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meltinjohn
..gee, I envy those city folks because they have everything so close to them and can walk to everything?
I grew up in suburbia (Wayland, MA, the most white-bread suburb imaginable) and liked it at the time, but now, I HATE it. There's nothing to do out there, everything closes at 9pm, and it's so quiet at night that -- when I stay over at my Dad's house, where I grew up -- that you can hear your pulse. I kid you not -- you can actually hear it. That's how quiet it is.
Nowadays, I live in Providence (on the uppity East Side). I'm about 2 miles from downtown, but still live on a relatively quiet street with trees and small yards, etc. But I can walk to any of about 10 restaurants, can take a bus to pretty much anywhere in the city, go to downtown events, museums, stores, what-not.
To each, his own -- but for my money, suburbia sucks eggs. My Dad still lives in the house I grew up in and refuses to leave -- but the second my sister and I inherit the place, there'll be a "FOR SALE" sign in the yard. Who needs to hear their pulse at night?
I lived in the city (Cambridge/Arlington/Brookline) until I was 42. The main thing that drove me out (besides the insane rent control persecutions on my condo building) was that I could only live in a tiny studio or condo apartment. I wanted dogs and trees, but more, I wanted freedom from psychotic people living down the hall (remember, rent control) and I wanted financial control. I could pay all my condo bills, etc., and some guy who left the country back to Pakistan left 1/4 of our little building without recourse or funds. The condo board (all three of us) couldn't agree on legal action. People were squatting in the empty apartments. Etc.
So I wanted financial control and some control over my living environment, and that, to me, means some distance from people. I always said if I could find a free-standing studio apartment in the city, I'd grab it. I knew every carriage house/casita/tiny shed house in Cambridge and Brookline.
I do miss the feeling of a public life, which is present on city streets, and not in suburbia. I currently live in a former rural town, so there's no real downtown or anything. I am surrounded by nature, one mile from Rt.2 and 495, and have control over noise, aesthetics, finances, and adopting multiple dogs.
It's all a trade off. I think if there was housing in town that wasn't apartment/condo, I'd be there.
I have lived in both a dense urban environment and suburban areas. Both have their pluses and minuses. Yes, the walkable urban setting can be quite interesting and stimulating. Being close to lots of interesting restaurants I found especially attractive. And, of course, if you work nearby living in the city can mean a short commute. But unless you have tons of money, your home will be extremely small, shabby, and/or lacking in many typical conveniences. If you have a car (and having one sure is handy) urban life often means on-street parking, which can be a mini slice of hell in so many ways.
OTOH, the burbs can be more boring (though I disagree strongly with the oft-repeated, pseudo intellectual cliche that intellectual life is non existent outside of urban areas). And, yes, having to drive everywhere can be a bummer some times, especially if one has a long commute to work. But the peace and quiet, quality schools, easy parking, and conveniences of a roomy suburban home -- things that urban life are all often lacking in -- sure are hard to turn down.
Perhaps the ideal would be to live in a large, comfortable home with "all mod. cons." (as the English used to day) with a nice yard in an urban area with ample, off-street parking with excellent public schools. Of course, such a place does not really exist. Wealthy people can afford comfortable seven and eight figure inner city homes in top notch areas and send their kids to top-flight private schools. Those who are not similarly situated financially must sacrifice something -- either live in a lackluster urban place and send your kids to mediocre (or worse) schools OR give up the urban setting and move to the burbs to get that comfortable home and better schools. Needless to say, most people in the U.S. choose the latter.
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