Post by UnderProtest on Oct 7, 2015 18:39:55 GMT -5
NYC, Tokyo, Hong Kong or anywhere super crowded. I also wouldn't pick any place that doesn't get a lot of sun. I've come to realize that sunshine is important for my mental health.
I would never live more than 2 hours from a major/large city. Everywhere I have lived has been within an hour of a major body of water. If you asked me 2 years ago I would have said I would never live in Texas....so never say never? I can't really imagine I'd ever end up in Arkansas for any reason.
I say where I have to drive more than an hour to an airport, but honestly if you threw enough money at me I could make it work. It would, however, have to be a ton of money.
In general, I think I could be happy in most decent sized cities. I can deal with the South and with conservative states as long as I am in a big enough city to find like-minded people. I have lived in cities in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, and the South and been happy in all those places. But I suspect a rural area--especially a really conservative rural area--would be tough for me.
As a practical matter, I would probably not live anywhere on or near the West Coast or outside the U.S. for more than a couple years at this point in my life, simply because it would be too far from family.
Post by FrozenSunshine on Oct 8, 2015 1:53:08 GMT -5
For a set amount of time I could live just about anywhere. I was a military brat and traveled but primarily grew up in Alaska. When H was up for his most recent promotion the only place I didn't want to go that was a potential option was Shelton, CT.. But only because it was too close to some crazy extended family.
Admittedly I'm a West Coast girl making it work in the Midwest right now.
Like hens, I believe I could be happy in most decent sized cities. I have lived in Atlanta, NYC, Boston, Toronto and London as an adult and was fine with all of them. We are trying to move away from areas with bad winters and are hoping to move to Texas next year. I can deal with the South and with conservative states as long as I am in a big enough city to find like-minded people. I probably would not like small towns or rural areas, no matter where they are.
Top of my no list at the moment is CT. Too damn close to certain in laws.
Other than that. I don't like FL and need to be within sane driving distance or a quick flight to a medical center that has experience with my type of transplant. When I can baffle my current team, they are the ones who pioneered the protocol.
Hawaii is out - have a friend there now trying to find a single doc that sees adults. There are a few Peds docs.
I am pretty adaptable and could live in a lot of places. As I get older, I might be a little pickier because logistics matter more but in some ways I am still an open book.
I will admit that I prefer someplace to not be totally flat. A remote, rural part of a Great Plains state would be an example of a place where I'd be hesitant to move. Also, aside from large cosmopolitan cities (such as Atlanta or Houston), I wouldn't want to live in the south. I'm pretty open when it comes to weather but I hate driving in snow. I would live somewhere in the north but I would prefer a town or city where the roads get plowed quickly. If there is a good public transit system providing an alternative to driving in the winter then I would have no problem living there.
I guess that most rural places are out for me at least as a place for a primary residence. I like getting away from people when I travel sometimes but ultimately I like to feel like I live in civilization and returning to a populated area always makes me happy if I've gone off to somewhere remote.
If I moved somewhere more expensive, ideally it would have warmer weather. My boss once asked me if I'd be interested in a transfer to NJ. Which I'm sure is fine generally, but it's way more expensive than Kansas City, just as cold, and I don't know anyone there. No thank you. I would approve of the more liberal politics though.
I'm not that interested in moving away from my friends and family generally.
I don't get to choose where I live. I just need to figure out the best way to spend the time we live in each place. Unsurprisingly, it's pretty easy to find enjoyable things just about anywhere if you have no other choice...
I hate to break it to you, but that rules out basically the entire earth.
It's more obvious in some places, and it's certainly easier to find diverse and welcoming communities in some places than others, but I can't think of any place that doesn't face issues stemming from prejudices.
Almost anywhere I lived before this...the rural Midwest, south, Italy, the desert, etc. I have a very short list of places I want to live at this point & nowhere abroad. I'll visit anywhere, but live for more than a month, maybe 5 places.
I'd like to be no more than a 30 min drive from any of these city centers: Chicago, LA, DC, San Diego, NYC, Boston, San Francisco, and I guess Detroit since I lived there for 8 years.
But I really like LA. Aside from the no water thing and insane housing prices, it's pretty perfect.
I'm sure I could be picky about a lot of places, but the stories my friend told me of rural Arizona, from the shovel by every door (for rattlesnakes) to the bull snake coming up through the septic system to stick his head out the toilet (right after she'd flushed it) ... yeah, no. Never, ever, ever rural Arizona.
A place without four distinct seasons. A very rural area. No place where it takes more than 30-45 minutes to get to a big city. A place where everyone talks and moves very slowly. A place that's really really hot all the time. I can deal with a few days during the summer but that's it. An island. I don't like the idea that I could get "stuck" somewhere if shit hits the fan. I like to have escape options on the mainland. I didn't really dig the West Coast during our trip last year. The "vibe" felt different than back home. Even when I go to a place like Boston or DC, I still feel the same vibe as NNJ/NYC. Even Montreal feels sort of the same.
I really don't think I ever want to leave New Jersey. I would be willing to consider retiring to someplace in New England or Upstate New York, though.
A land locked state. I need the ocean in my life. I need to live where I can drive to it at any time and drive back within the same day. This rules out Western NC which hurts my soul because I want to live there again and leave this barren wasteland of a desert I live in (SoCal). I also don't want extreme snow. A light dusting is fine but not more. That rules out the east coast and other snowy places. I don't like FL at all. Mid-west didn't seem appealing to me either.
The middle east. China. Africa -- (there are a few exceptions). Columbia. Mexico. Northern places that stay dark in winter. Places that don't have access to good health care.