100 Things - #2

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First, I must point you in the direction of tamsin's Elena Gilbert rec post. All the Elena-stanning you could possibly want!

Now, onto today's question from fuelforflight: Is there a particular town or city, besides your own, in which you would love to live? And explain why.

LONDON! I mean, there is a reason it has its own tag. I suppose the fact that I've already lived there for a brief time makes me biased, but I just loved it SO MUCH. And if my entire family and friends and career weren't here, I'd have seriously considered going back to London for grad school or a job.

London also basically spoiled me for vacations anywhere else. It's why I think the best way to see a place is to stay there for some length of time. Because then you really get to experience it, rather feeling like you need to cram in as much touristy stuff as possible into your week's vacation. You have time to do normal, everyday stuff, and to get the authentic experience of a place. And I think what made me love London so much is that, after only a few months there, I was able to feel like I belonged there, even though I was in a foreign city where so many things were different.

(Also, living in a major tourist destination seriously lowers your tourist tolerance. Even now, I have an extremely low threshold for getting annoyed at slow-moving crowds of people who don't know where they're going. Seriously, try to take the Metro in DC in the summer and see how many times you have to suppress homicidal urges. So now I hate seeming like a tourist in other places, because I'm aware of how much the locals hate me, lol.)

Where would YOU want to live?

Comments

[tamsin]

Hamburg, Germany. I go there regularly, because my best friend lives there, and every time I go I fall more in love with the city.

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Oooh, I sort of have vague feelings of "oh, Germany would be nice to visit" but I don't really know where I'd go.

[slaymesoftly]

Not London. :) I dunno. I'm pretty happy where I am - which is, obviously, not a city. I could live in DC if it was in a part of the city where I didn't have to build parking tickets into my monthly budget. I could live in Pittsburgh if I had to, but I think I'd have to go south for the winters. Blowing Rock, N. Carolina (and that general area) would be my chosen other place to live if I could afford it and didn't mind being so far away from my family. I'm not sure it qualifies as a city either, though. It's not very big.

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Heh, I am not a city girl by nature. In fact, the thing I like about DC is that I can live in the suburbs and yet have all the conveniences of a city (not needing a car, restaurants/stores within walking distance, lots of cultural things). But something about London just doesn't feel like a big city? I don't know why, exactly, since I was living right in the heart of it.

[slaymesoftly]

Hee! Well, I'm not much of a suburban person. I always said I wanted to be in the city - with all the advantages you mentioned, or in the country with room for my horse and dogs. But the NoVA close-in suburbs are like being in the city - without actually having to be, you know, IN the city. :)

London just didn't do that much for us, with the exception of all the touristy stuff and a wonderful dinner with Scheherzade. We much more enjoyed the cities and villages in the northern part of England.

[fuelforflight]

Great answer! Your bias is my bias. London is wonderful. Though to be honest, I’ve only ever experienced it as a tourist. I can only imagine what it must be like to experience it as a local. How long were you there?(By the way, JEALOUS is what I am. I can’t tell you how many morally questionable things I’d be willing to do to spend just a year in that city.)

And I agree----total immersion is really the only way to experience a place. I lived five weeks in Oxford, fell in love, decided that if given the opportunity I’d just up and move. But I couldn’t have really fallen in love that way had I breezed through. But five weeks did it for me----I can tell you with no shame whatsoever that I would do approximately eighty-four morally questionable things to get back there. (That said, it was collegiate Oxford I fell in love with truly, and we all know how exclusive that community is. Goddamn them and their academic standards. Sad face.)

I think I could also enjoy living in New Orleans? Awesome food, pretty buildings, SWAMPS. I'm easy that way.

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I was only there for a semester. I'd have stayed the whole year, except my college would only count two of my study abroad classes toward my major, so a whole year would've delayed my graduation. :(

I've never been to New Orleans, but it seems like it'd be a fun place to live.

[seapealsh]

London is my absolute favorite also, although I did fall in love with Germany when I was there last fall. Can't really pick a particular city though.

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London is the best! Let's all move to London, the whole flist! :)

[mcmegan]

Right now, I want to live in Philly. I miss big cities!

I wanted to move to Seattle when I visited there. I only spent a few days there, but could see myself enjoying it. But since it's on the other side of the country, I was a bit hesitant. I applied to jobs out there, but I don't think my mom would like me living on the opposite coast.

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Heh, maybe it's because I spent so much time there growing up, but I really have no desire to live in Philly. I wouldn't mind if I ended up there, but given the choice, I'd rather go someplace else.

I have heard Seattle is nice, too. My parents went there once, but I had to stay home and cat-sit. :( I don't think I'd like being so far away from my family, though.