Ok, so I'm burning out a bit from studying 10 hrs/day for the past 5 weeks (with 1.5 weeks to go). So I'd like to look forward in time a little bit and solicit advice for "best city to live in as a young professional."
Provide some good AND less good aspects of any city you have lived in or somehow just know a lot about (preferably in the US, but hey I'm curious to hear from places around the world as well). Some things that I would like, but do not require, of a city are (and yes, I realize having all of these things in one city is probably impossible):
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. 7. Low crime rate always a plus.
Definitely have SF and Seattle in consideration, although I definitely don't know them well. Don't know much at all about the twin cities. Some more details about those places would be nice and appreciated
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. 7. Low crime rate always a plus.
1. Spring and summer range from warm to unbearably hot (ignore these freakish past few weeks). Winter, on the other hand, is admittedly annoying but it could be much worse. 2. NYC has unmatched free, outdoor activities during the Spring and Summer. Nonstop concerts, events, parades, etc. I just danced in the street with my borough president last night during a parade. Seriously, this cannot be overstated - there is ALWAYS something free and incredible to do in NYC. We've got beaches, beautiful parks .. on and on. 3. NYC has incredible food ranging from the extremely cheap to the ridiculously expensive. I don't even know if I have to defend this one. We've got literally everything and, with the exception of Mexican food (our Hispanic population leans more toward Puerto Rico), we've usually got some of the best of it. 4. NYC sports is unparalleled. Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Jets, Giants, Rangers, Islanders - way more than I can list. 5. Depends on the neighborhood but you'll have an easy time finding one if you put in the time. 6. This depends on the neighborhood. Manhattan sucks (mostly). The 4 outer-boroughs do not. 7. NYC is the safest big city in America.
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year - Covered. Beautiful, balmy North Carolina weather where it's sunny and warm all the time 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. - Of course! Close to many state parks, running trails abound, Jordan Lake for canoeing, camping, etc. You can explore local culture and stuff. Durham's been revitalized with places such as Brightleaf Square (a charming shopping district with some pretty upscale shops and live jazz on weekend nights), as well as being a center of education by Duke and NCCU. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. - Yep. Lots of restaurants in Brightleaf, with mid-range prices (about 30$ a meal per person for most restaurants there). Also check out some local hot spots and home of North Carolina BBQ! 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. - Eh, Durham Bulls Baseball is about it. If you like college sports, then Duke is right in the middle and they have excellent sports teams (basketball!). 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. - There's a huge Asian supermarket, but it's about half an hour away (it's in Cary). 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. - Ezpz. You'll find parking everywhere. 7. Low crime rate always a plus. - If you're not stupid then it should be ok. Just don't go wandering around alone at night.
EDIT: From U.S. News and World Report's "Best Places to Live 2009":
Durham, North Carolina Once a tobacco town, Durham, N.C., has evolved into a world-class center of all things advanced. This city of 206,000, located halfway between the Atlantic coast and the Great Smoky Mountains, is called the "City of Medicine" because of its expansive healthcare industry. And although widely known as the home of prestigious Duke University, it's also a thriving technology hub. At the same time, Durham's mild climate allows residents to get out and explore the region's abundant outdoor attractions. Consider hiking one of the many distinct trails and greenways or heading over to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for an afternoon baseball game.
And you're a young professional? Perfect. You're within driving distance of Research Triangle Park, one of the foremost research and technology centers in the world. Companies like IBM, Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline, etc., all have massive businesses there. Wikipedia it. You'll fit right in and love the climate/weather/environment/culture.
1. Spring and summer range from warm to unbearably hot (ignore these freakish past few weeks). Winter, on the other hand, is admittedly annoying but it could be much worse. 2. NYC has unmatched free, outdoor activities during the Spring and Summer. Nonstop concerts, events, parades, etc. I just danced in the street with my borough president last night during a parade. Seriously, this cannot be overstated - there is ALWAYS something free and incredible to do in NYC. We've got beaches, beautiful parks .. on and on. 3. NYC has incredible food ranging from the extremely cheap to the ridiculously expensive. I don't even know if I have to defend this one. We've got literally everything and, with the exception of Mexican food (our Hispanic population leans more toward Puerto Rico), we've usually got some of the best of it. 4. NYC sports is unparalleled. Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Jets, Giants, Rangers, Islanders - way more than I can list. 5. Depends on the neighborhood but you'll have an easy time finding one if you put in the time. 6. This depends on the neighborhood. Manhattan sucks (mostly). The 4 outer-boroughs do not. 7. NYC is the safest big city in America.
Thanks for the insight. I've enjoyed every trip I've had to NYC. It definitely has a lot of things going for it. Last time was a Valentine's day dinner at Eleven Madison Park. Way way out of my budget but still worth every penny especially as a first time.
On June 15 2009 07:27 VorcePA wrote: Las Vegas, NV.
I live here in Vegas, and I love it. It's a 24-hour town, so you're free to do many, many things even late at night, which suits me.
Problem is this place has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country right now, so it's not a great place to live in for the moment.
Interesting...I don't know any people that live in Vegas. What do you do for fun outside of going to the Strip. Do you ever get sick of all the tourists?
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year - Covered. Beautiful, balmy North Carolina weather where it's sunny and warm all the time 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. - Of course! Close to many state parks, running trails abound, Jordan Lake for canoeing, camping, etc. You can explore local culture and stuff. Durham's been revitalized with places such as Brightleaf Square (a charming shopping district with some pretty upscale shops and live jazz on weekend nights), as well as being a center of education by Duke and NCCU. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. - Yep. Lots of restaurants in Brightleaf, with mid-range prices (about 30$ a meal per person for most restaurants there). Also check out some local hot spots and home of North Carolina BBQ! 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. - Eh, Durham Bulls Baseball is about it. If you like college sports, then Duke is right in the middle and they have excellent sports teams (basketball!). 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. - There's a huge Asian supermarket, but it's about half an hour away (it's in Cary). 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. - Ezpz. You'll find parking everywhere. 7. Low crime rate always a plus. - If you're not stupid then it should be ok. Just don't go wandering around alone at night.
EDIT: From U.S. News and World Report's "Best Places to Live 2009":
Durham, North Carolina Once a tobacco town, Durham, N.C., has evolved into a world-class center of all things advanced. This city of 206,000, located halfway between the Atlantic coast and the Great Smoky Mountains, is called the "City of Medicine" because of its expansive healthcare industry. And although widely known as the home of prestigious Duke University, it's also a thriving technology hub. At the same time, Durham's mild climate allows residents to get out and explore the region's abundant outdoor attractions. Consider hiking one of the many distinct trails and greenways or heading over to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for an afternoon baseball game.
And you're a young professional? Perfect. You're within driving distance of Research Triangle Park, one of the foremost research and technology centers in the world. Companies like IBM, Cisco, GlaxoSmithKline, etc., all have massive businesses there. Wikipedia it. You'll fit right in and love the climate/weather/environment/culture.
Great reply, thanks. I've always heard and read good things about Durham but have never managed to visit. I'll definitely look into the city more now.
On June 15 2009 06:35 radar14 wrote: Ok, so I'm burning out a bit from studying 10 hrs/day for the past 5 weeks (with 1.5 weeks to go). So I'd like to look forward in time a little bit and solicit advice for "best city to live in as a young professional."
Provide some good AND less good aspects of any city you have lived in or somehow just know a lot about (preferably in the US, but hey I'm curious to hear from places around the world as well). Some things that I would like, but do not require, of a city are (and yes, I realize having all of these things in one city is probably impossible):
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. 7. Low crime rate always a plus.
So what do you guys think?
This looks like Athens...
1) Greece is known for its sunny/warm weather dont need to explain furthermore 2) Lots of things to do for fun, also you can visit Acropolis, Olympic Stadium etc 3) Our food rocks!!! Go give a try at ouzo, gyro, souvlaki, feta 4) Hooligans! I hate sports in my country! 5) There are asian restaurants in athens, mostly chinese. 6) You go wherever you wanna go without a car!!! The metro is the new big thing for athens the past years, you basically go from one place to another in 5 minute time. 7) We arent like US or UK so ye low crime rate. tho greeks tend to "steal" from foreigners. I hear this all the time on the news about how taxi drivers usually tend to overcharge some tourists that come here.... so thats a bad thing... not everyone does it tho. lol
On June 15 2009 07:39 Cambium wrote: 1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. Weather is amazing. Fairly warm during the day, and cool at night. Very little rain.
2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. Yep
3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. Definitely
4. A decent local sports scene to follow. Don't know too much about sports in the bay area
5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. Chinatown + Japantown = win
6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. Could be tricky
7. Low crime rate always a plus. Pretty good
I'm probably taking a short trip there in a few weeks so I'll get to explore a bit more, hopefully after catching Wicked.
1) Greece is known for its sunny/warm weather dont need to explain furthermore 2) Lots of things to do for fun, also you can visit Acropolis, Olympic Stadium etc 3) Our food rocks!!! Go give a try at ouzo, gyro, souvlaki, feta 4) Hooligans! I hate sports in my country! 5) There are asian restaurants in athens, mostly chinese. 6) You go wherever you wanna go without a car!!! The metro is the new big thing for athens the past years, you basically go from one place to another in 5 minute time. 7) We arent like US or UK so ye low crime rate. tho greeks tend to "steal" from foreigners. I hear this all the time on the news about how taxi drivers usually tend to overcharge some tourists that come here.... so thats a bad thing... not everyone does it tho. lol
Always wanted to visit...I know that one basketball player from the NBA moved to Greece and seems to be enjoying it. Although he also is a multimillionaire which probably helps you enjoy most places. How can you hate sports when you live in the birthplace of the olympics??
On June 15 2009 07:39 Cambium wrote: 1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. Weather is amazing. Fairly warm during the day, and cool at night. Very little rain.
2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. Yep
3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. Definitely
4. A decent local sports scene to follow. Don't know too much about sports in the bay area
5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. Chinatown + Japantown = win
6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. Could be tricky
7. Low crime rate always a plus. Pretty good
I'm probably taking a short trip there in a few weeks so I'll get to explore a bit more, hopefully after catching Wicked.
Yelp is pretty solid in San Francisco - I'd recommend using it to help pick places to go.
Also, SF's Chinatown is actually somewhat mediocre (kind of touristy), but the Chinese (and other Asian) stuff in the west part of the city (Inner Sunset, West Portal, etc.) is phenomenal. There are some amazing restaurants out there.
Lastly the sports scene is actually pretty solid. It's really easy to go to Oakland and fairly easy to get to San Jose so you basically get two MLB, two NFL, one NBA, and one NHL team within very reasonable distance.
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. Sorta.. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. A lot of this, Skiing, Snowboarding, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Climbing, some reservoirs to swim in. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. Sure. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. Not sure what you mean but, GO BRONCOS! 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. Not sure. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. Check 7. Low crime rate always a plus. Check
On June 15 2009 08:19 Fredflintstone wrote: Denver/Arvada, Colorado
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. Sorta.. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. A lot of this, Skiing, Snowboarding, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Climbing, some reservoirs to swim in. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. Sure. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. Not sure what you mean but, GO BRONCOS! 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. Not sure. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. Check 7. Low crime rate always a plus. Check
On June 15 2009 08:19 Fredflintstone wrote: Denver/Arvada, Colorado
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. Sorta.. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. A lot of this, Skiing, Snowboarding, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Climbing, some reservoirs to swim in. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. Sure. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. Not sure what you mean but, GO BRONCOS! 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. Not sure. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. Check 7. Low crime rate always a plus. Check
On June 15 2009 06:58 WindCalibur wrote: Vancouver B.C. Canada
Sounds just like what you want, I'm not informed on the sports scene there though.
Hockey, hockey and more hockey. Lot's of diverse food and cultures here (you can find chinese/canto, indian, taiwainese, malay, singaporean, mediterranean, etc, plus all the usual white food places), and it's a very clean city. Also you should read this: http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1016868.shtml
Summers here are peeerrrfect -hot, with nice warm breezes. There are tons of national parks and urban ones too for outdoor activities... and as for a "large body of water', well there's the pacific ocean.
San Francisco is a great place for young professionals, and it meets your criteria nicely, as others have pointed out. The parking sucks and the weather isn't exactly warm (40-70 year round), but parking sucks in every big city and the weather beats most everywhere else anyway. Silicon valley has better parking and warmer weather, but it's not as great of an environment for people in their 20's. Younger people are crowded into SF apartments, whereas silicon valley is full of families and old people. Single 25 year-olds simply can't afford houses here.
On June 15 2009 09:58 ShadowDrgn wrote: San Francisco is a great place for young professionals, and it meets your criteria nicely, as others have pointed out. The parking sucks and the weather isn't exactly warm (40-70 year round), but parking sucks in every big city and the weather beats most everywhere else anyway. Silicon valley has better parking and warmer weather, but it's not as great of an environment for people in their 20's. Younger people are crowded into SF apartments, whereas silicon valley is full of families and old people. Single 25 year-olds simply can't afford houses here.
On June 15 2009 12:24 YPang wrote: montreal, if you dont mind the language.
montreal is beautiful. i would give my endorsement if i didnt want to kill myself during the winters - and im from nyc, so im not unused to cold. but once you cross that border, things change during the winter months..
1) Greece is known for its sunny/warm weather dont need to explain furthermore 2) Lots of things to do for fun, also you can visit Acropolis, Olympic Stadium etc 3) Our food rocks!!! Go give a try at ouzo, gyro, souvlaki, feta 4) Hooligans! I hate sports in my country! 5) There are asian restaurants in athens, mostly chinese. 6) You go wherever you wanna go without a car!!! The metro is the new big thing for athens the past years, you basically go from one place to another in 5 minute time. 7) We arent like US or UK so ye low crime rate. tho greeks tend to "steal" from foreigners. I hear this all the time on the news about how taxi drivers usually tend to overcharge some tourists that come here.... so thats a bad thing... not everyone does it tho. lol
Always wanted to visit...I know that one basketball player from the NBA moved to Greece and seems to be enjoying it. Although he also is a multimillionaire which probably helps you enjoy most places. How can you hate sports when you live in the birthplace of the olympics??
Actually I am a big fan of basketball (used to play in my school's team with a team mate that now is a professional basketball player here in greece). And I love olympic sports. Like swimming and running. The only thing that bothers me is that you cant go watch a football match because I personally hate all the swearing involved and the hooligans.
My town (Santos, Brazil) meets all your criteria perfectly. Sunny weather, good nightlife, awesome food, lots of asian stuff, great local sports scene, very low crime rate etc.
It just fail at one thing that is more important than anything else that you didn't put in any of your criteria: it sucks for finding a job lol. This is mostly a touristic town that retired people come to enjoy their final days. Great for having a good time if you don't need a job. Sucks if you need one. ><
On June 15 2009 06:35 radar14 wrote: Ok, so I'm burning out a bit from studying 10 hrs/day for the past 5 weeks (with 1.5 weeks to go). So I'd like to look forward in time a little bit and solicit advice for "best city to live in as a young professional."
Provide some good AND less good aspects of any city you have lived in or somehow just know a lot about (preferably in the US, but hey I'm curious to hear from places around the world as well). Some things that I would like, but do not require, of a city are (and yes, I realize having all of these things in one city is probably impossible):
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. 7. Low crime rate always a plus.
So what do you guys think?
Why don't you just say you wanna live in Southern California/LA to begin with. Is this a joke?
On June 15 2009 06:35 radar14 wrote: Ok, so I'm burning out a bit from studying 10 hrs/day for the past 5 weeks (with 1.5 weeks to go). So I'd like to look forward in time a little bit and solicit advice for "best city to live in as a young professional."
Provide some good AND less good aspects of any city you have lived in or somehow just know a lot about (preferably in the US, but hey I'm curious to hear from places around the world as well). Some things that I would like, but do not require, of a city are (and yes, I realize having all of these things in one city is probably impossible):
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. 7. Low crime rate always a plus.
So what do you guys think?
Why don't you just say you wanna live in Southern California/LA to begin with. Is this a joke?
On the off-chance (~15%) that you are not trolling:
1. Because I want to learn about other cities and want as many options as possible in two years when I apply for a job. And no one even mentioned Socal in this thread until you, so clearly there are plenty of other places that have a lot of things on this list. And thanks to some of these posts I have some places I can now consider more carefully.
2. What city in Socal manages to satisfy all those criteria? LA...parking sucks, crime rate not great, plus it's really spread out and sprawling. Orange County (where my parents live)... very suburbia and built for families. San Diego...might be getting closer, but I've never lived here and can't speak from experience. As I said, I don't really expect many places to have all those things. It was more of just a way to start off the conversation.
On June 15 2009 10:15 radar14 wrote: Step 1 of the medical boards
Seriously. Durham, NC. Duke University Medical Center right here, you could probably apply for either a volunteering or a paid position, and get some first hand experience while you study for your test. DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Austin, Texas is definitely a good pick and meets all your criteria easily, just about anything you can think of outdoors and good nightlife, music capital of the world, lots of young people, its a great place. I've also visited to Seattle and I would definitely live there as well.
On June 15 2009 10:15 radar14 wrote: Step 1 of the medical boards
Seriously. Durham, NC. Duke University Medical Center right here, you could probably apply for either a volunteering or a paid position, and get some first hand experience while you study for your test. DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Haha well, studying for this test is pretty much a full-time job (someone tell me to stop posting on TL) and I only have about 8 days, 21 hrs and 3 minutes until the test. Not that anyone's counting carefully. After the test I still have two more years of school and then I apply for residencies. Duke is definitely on the list but it's just so competitive. I'll consider doing an away rotation there for sure.
On June 17 2009 00:32 XoXiDe wrote: Austin, Texas .
This would be true but it lacks in the sports scene. San Antonio is the closest city with a sports franchise which is the NBA Spurs.
Dallas, Texas. We have the most strip clubs from any city. I quote Chris Rock "Dallas has more stripclubs then starbucks." Only if we had $60 dollar bath houses. Checked into that and it seems like I would need roughly $400 bucks.
La Jolla, San Diego is still the best place I have ever lived in. I can't choose between that city and Seoul, but that's only because I'm Korean and I like an urban area.
The answer is definatly not any north american nor south american city(minus canada) ! Reason, any random junkie might kill you and take ur kidney T_T...
Citys I would recomend, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Berlin, Paris. I would say spanish citys, but they r full of spannish ppl so I wont :/...
On June 17 2009 00:32 XoXiDe wrote: Austin, Texas .
This would be true but it lacks in the sports scene. San Antonio is the closest city with a sports franchise which is the NBA Spurs.
Dallas, Texas. We have the most strip clubs from any city. I quote Chris Rock "Dallas has more stripclubs then starbucks." Only if we had $60 dollar bath houses. Checked into that and it seems like I would need roughly $400 bucks.
2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc.
Two rivers in Portland, Willamette and Columbia, and a couple lakes further out. We have many parks, including the unfathomably immense Forest Park (5000+ acres of forest, literally blocks from downtown). Many, many independent movie theaters, most of which serve beer. More strip clubs and breweries per capita than anywhere in the world. Very lively city during the day, but it pretty much closes at night (except for Old Town). Great music scene, comparable to Brooklyn or Austin.
3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food.
We have an okay restaurant scene. Not terribly knowledgeable here.
4. A decent local sports scene to follow.
Everybody loves the Blazers, right? We're hopefully getting a MLS team here soon, if they can figure out where to build the stadium. There are also the Beavers (minor league baseball) and the Lumberjax (lacrosse).
5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice.
Sizable Asian presence. There is a Chinatown, but gentrification has largely pushed out most legitimately Chinese/Asian markets out of downtown to the seedier 82nd Ave.
6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time.
Parking isn't hard to find, but you will have to pay for it downtown, though it is cheaper than most cities. Huge benefit though: driving is almost totally unnecessary. Portland has one of the premier public transit systems in the US. It's very easy to live without a car here. Where ever MAX (light rail) won't take you, a bus will. Passes are something like $70 a month.
7. Low crime rate always a plus.
Very low crime rate. Only a few "bad" parts of town (NoPo and Lents), and even those pale in comparison to most cities "bad" areas. I feel perfectly safe walking around at any hour.
There are studies ranking Vienna as the city with the highest quality of living in the world among hundreds of international metropolises. I disagree: The Viennese dialect makes me wanna puke.
On June 18 2009 01:54 choboPEon wrote: 24/7 Subways to wherever you want to do whatever you want > LA
Tokyo trains > NYC trains
but tokyo has a crapload of rain
Are they 24/7? If so, I believe it. Although we certainly have more track and so they go to a bigger variety of places.
Why do you say that? (I've never been to Tokyo)
They don't smell, they're air conditioned, the power stays on, etc. You could eat off the floor of a Japanese train station.
On the flip side, the riders on Japanese trains aren't nearly as interesting as the riders in NYC. I think I'd prefer NYC overall though.
Austin is a great choice too. LA fucking sucks. The only people who think LA is great are the people who grew up living there. It's a nasty place, even to visit. If you want SoCal, San Diego is the place to go.
My ideal city would be a smallish university town in Northwestern Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, UK, Ireland, Netherlands. Apart from Canada and perhaps the US, I can't imagine myself ever not living in one of these countries.
If I had to choose a city in Eastern Europe, it would be Ljublijana, Tartu or Tallinn. For Canada, Victoria, BC, Kingston, Ontario, and Quebec City were all nice places. Perhaps Ottawa as well.
Places I've visited where I would certainly not like to live? Moscow, Detroit, Buffalo, anywhere in China.
On June 18 2009 01:54 choboPEon wrote: 24/7 Subways to wherever you want to do whatever you want > LA
Tokyo trains > NYC trains
but tokyo has a crapload of rain
Are they 24/7? If so, I believe it. Although we certainly have more track and so they go to a bigger variety of places.
Why do you say that? (I've never been to Tokyo)
I've lived in both New York and Tokyo, and I'm speaking from experience.
Trains stop around 1 AM and resume around 5 AM in Tokyo. This is not a big deal because clubs typically close after the trains resume.
Tokyo's system is better because 1) RFID entry: it's so much easier than to swipe a flimsy card, and you can have them on your cellphone. 2) Cost per distance: it just makes so much sense to charge by distance than by entry. 3) Cleanliness: this applies to both trains and stations. This is one main reason why they shut the system down at night: maintenance and cleaning. With the exception of maybe the green lines, NYC trains are filthy, and almost all stations are old and poorly maintained. 4) Trains: the trains in tokyo are much newer and have AC, and most of them have LCD displays indicating stations and arrival times in both Japanese and English. 5) Punctuality: trains are almost never late, and schedules are be easily found online. The same cannot be said about NYC. 6) Frequency: trains on major lines typically come once 2-5 minutes during the day.
On June 19 2009 00:27 Cambium wrote: 5) Punctuality: trains are almost never late, and schedules are be easily found online. The same cannot be said about NYC.
Not only that, but Japanese train schedules are much, much easier to read, even if you can't read Japanese. It's probably easier to read the boards in Japan (without knowing Japanese) than to read boards in New York (knowing English.)
As for the lateness, I think NYC trains do a decent job of running on time, but Japanese trains are exceptional in this regard. Shinkansens arrive within 10 seconds of their arrival time, and I've heard a rumor that when people commit suicide on the tracks, they send a bill to their families for delaying the trains. o.o
Colorado is the shiiiit. Live in Centennial though.
1. Moderate weather all year, The winters here are honestly not that bad and it does not snow that much in town, but on the flip side the mountains, which are only half an hour to an hour away get a shit ton of snow late into spring and all of winter. In the summer it rains almost every afternoon, less and less as it get towards august though. The summers here are not too hot but it can get up to 100 degrees.
2. Tons of outdoor activities. Our mountains are amazing for skiing/boarding/snowmobiling and in the summer 4 wheeling, hiking and camping. There are quite a few rivers here too.
3. Downtown Denver has a TON of stuff to do whether you want to go to a club or look at art. I lived literally five minutes walking from the Pepsi Center for a year and it was the shit because I could get anywhere in Denver very quickly.
4. Public transportation. There is a light rail system that is almost complete and it will take you almost anywhere you need to go. Busses run everywhere too and are reliable.
5. As far as food goes we have everything you would want. Not sure about an asian market though..
6. The Rockies just won 13 games in a row and the Nuggets made it to the semi finals, what more could you want!
7. Parking in Denver sucks dick but anywhere else it is plentiful. Not too surprising.. Cities suck.
8. There is a pretty low rate of crime in Denver, I saw nothing in a year of living there.
On June 18 2009 01:54 choboPEon wrote: 24/7 Subways to wherever you want to do whatever you want > LA
Tokyo trains > NYC trains
but tokyo has a crapload of rain
Are they 24/7? If so, I believe it. Although we certainly have more track and so they go to a bigger variety of places.
Why do you say that? (I've never been to Tokyo)
I've lived in both New York and Tokyo, and I'm speaking from experience.
Trains stop around 1 AM and resume around 5 AM in Tokyo. This is not a big deal because clubs typically close after the trains resume.
Tokyo's system is better because 1) RFID entry: it's so much easier than to swipe a flimsy card, and you can have them on your cellphone. 2) Cost per distance: it just makes so much sense to charge by distance than by entry. 3) Cleanliness: this applies to both trains and stations. This is one main reason why they shut the system down at night: maintenance and cleaning. With the exception of maybe the green lines, NYC trains are filthy, and almost all stations are old and poorly maintained. 4) Trains: the trains in tokyo are much newer and have AC, and most of them have LCD displays indicating stations and arrival times in both Japanese and English. 5) Punctuality: trains are almost never late, and schedules are be easily found online. The same cannot be said about NYC. 6) Frequency: trains on major lines typically come once 2-5 minutes during the day.
uhhh I like $2 getting me anywhere.
Yes yes it is dirty. NY's grime does not phase me, it is part of its character. I don't mind it and it's not as bad as most out of towners make it out to be.
Most trains are 99% punctual. I don't know what you're talking about. And the frequency is similar in NYC.
On June 15 2009 07:00 choboPEon wrote: also SF seems quite awesome from all that I've heard from folks who have moved there.
too friggin moist =.=
btw korea's trains r just like japan's in terms of cleanliness but both stop going after midnight(ish)
IMO Korea and NY are both too cramped to be a good place to live in (hanging out or visting's fine but living in it? ehh, not really)
NY has everything good about america and everything good about Korea IMO so it's the best place to live
Maybe midtown manhattan but ny is five boroughs not a small piece of one borough. We've got plenty of wide open space.
Not only that, but Japanese train schedules are much, much easier to read, even if you can't read Japanese. It's probably easier to read the boards in Japan (without knowing Japanese) than to read boards in New York (knowing English.)
I've never had a problem but I do know that, as a native, I've had time to get used to it. What's so bad about it / what should be improved?
Anyway I know NY isn't for everyone but faulting NY's transit system is silly.
And anyway, Tokyo's stuff ending @ 1am is a big draw back to me. I really love living in the city that never sleeps. I never have to make a mad rush for the last subway like I do in other cities.
On June 15 2009 06:35 radar14 wrote: Ok, so I'm burning out a bit from studying 10 hrs/day for the past 5 weeks (with 1.5 weeks to go). So I'd like to look forward in time a little bit and solicit advice for "best city to live in as a young professional."
Provide some good AND less good aspects of any city you have lived in or somehow just know a lot about (preferably in the US, but hey I'm curious to hear from places around the world as well). Some things that I would like, but do not require, of a city are (and yes, I realize having all of these things in one city is probably impossible):
1. Warm/sunny weather for a majority of the year. 2. A nice variety of things to do for fun, e.g. outdoors stuff, parks, theaters, cafes, nearness to usable bodies of water, etc. 3. A good diverse foodie culture. This is something I really plan on exploring a lot more after 8 years of cafeteria/dining hall/fast food. 4. A decent local sports scene to follow. 5. Asian supermarkets and restaurants in the vicinity would be nice. 6. Not having to look/pay for parking all the time. 7. Low crime rate always a plus.
So what do you guys think?
Keep in mind that I have lived here my entire life, and only visited a couple of other cities (so far, soon changing!)
1) Sydney is 30-40 centigrade across summer, autumn and spring are usually warm, though recently they have been colder than normal, winter is usually 10-20. (I'm entirely basing this off recollection rather than hard stats, you could probably look this up). Has heaps and heaps of beaches.
2) As I mentioned, beaches, has a decent night life, cafes everywhere, parks etc, luna park too. There is a lot to do in Sydney. I realise I recently posted a blog about how I'm getting bored of it all, but I think in my defense I've been here for 21 years now! haha
3) There is pretty much access to every cuisine here, just need to find the right 'area' of the city for the good stuff. Some suburbs are known for korean, etc.
4) If you live in Australia you have the choice of Rugby League, Rugby Union, AFL and cricket. Soccer, basketball etc still exist, but they're not as public.
5) This really depends where you live. Sydney is a sprawling city, iirc it's somewhere close to the top of 'largest' cities (space wise, not people, we only have a few million). If you want to have access to the most possible stuff, go for an apartment in or near the city.
6) Parking is .. well you get used to it. I don't know how it compares to other cities, but you usually have to pay, there are heaps of parking garages though that charge between 10 and 30~ for a day's parking. There are 'known' and unkown free spots though, where the observant driver can find free parking. If you know about them all you're pretty set. THis is only in the CBD though. Outside the CBD parking is pretty easy and cheap/free.
7) I have no idea about this.
Most people I know who have moved here say they love it and never want to leave. Personally I really want to try living in some areas of Europe and America before I make that decision, I'm just waiting till I finish this last year of uni.
Edinburgh fits your requirements, except numbers 1 and 6 (about weather and parking). Most other cities in the UK are pretty similar, but Edinburgh is particularly nice.
Go anywhere but Parkhill, ON. Seriously. Or, go to Parkhill, and then you'll get a self-esteem boost, and you'll be content with wherever you live. Three guesses where I am right now!!
Don't go to San Jose, I don't know what the hell people here are thinking. It's a giant suburb and there's nothing to do here. San Francisco fits all of your requirements except 1 and 6 in some parts.
EPT
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