I just love Boston -- fantasize about living in one of the surrounding areas, like Salem or Gloucester... or anywhere the city was within reach. That's one of my favorite spots in the world, that entire area.

Also heading to SF, with any luck. :) I guess I'd better make it up ani's way sometime soon or I'll be in trouble... ;)

Mads is also our local Philly expert, so I hope she'll come around. I've only been there once, but loved it...though I didn't care for crossing the bridge over to NJ as much -- people over there are nuts! The driving is insane, probably the worst I've ever experienced...(we have driven in all of these cites, so I can compare, LOL).

Sam

It's strange that I never got that overwhelmed feeling in NYC -- for some reason it feels more comforting than claustrophobic. I enjoy the Syracuse area, but would enjoy living closer to a larger city, like you do, for the reasons you mention. I might even like to try living in a city one of these days... if cash allows. ;)

Sam

I am so envious -- I never experienced cities until my late twenties and thirties, and then only on visits, but it's a fantasy to be able to live in one... I often imagine a little downtown Manhattan or Brooklyn apt, or a nice spot in Beacon Hill... ;) Living in cities can be expensive, though, and I guess there's a reason for that -- it's a great place to be. :)

NYC does get in your blood, doesn't it? Maybe we'll meet up there one of these days... Or I'll see you in SF!

Sam

I think living just outside of a city, or in a small town close by, has to be the best situation. Though to be, acreage has become upkeep and mowing, expense, and snowblowing, etc -- I'm convinced that for retirement, when I'm old, being in a city really is the best, to never have to mow or shovel, to have so many people around and so many resources close by... I run and play in both places, but I sort of know what you mean -- I get that feeling about the ocean and the desert, though I don't actually want to live in the desert because of the bugs and snakes. ;)

Sam

I just went west of Michigan for the first time last year, to San Diego. ;) I like CA, but I am one of the few people I know who have gone there and had no desire to live there. I think the east coast, north or south, is just in my genes by now, even though the west coast is lovely...

Sam

Just curious. You know, when we were down in the city, there was a young black man who came walking down the street, arms stretched out, yelling what he wanted to say so everyone could hear it. It was actually kind of cool. He seemed like a nice enough guy, had a message, and you know, people either said something back or kept walking, but it was all so "normal" -- I mean, you can do *anything* there, I could walk down the street in high fashion or dressed like a pink banana, and it wouldn't hardly make anyone blink... There's something about that that I love.

Oh, That made me realize I completely forgot to add my pics of the naked cowboy! How could I have forgotten THAT?

Off to find it...

Sam

The grass is always greener. ;) I am not a country person, because I don't like isolation, and I really like convenience. I want things close. I am curious to have the resources of a real city close by though -- to be able to take a train or a short drive to see great shows, go to a museum, or just walk the streets... I like some outdoorsy stuff, but the way I see it, you can get that when you're in the city, but it's harder to get the city stuff if you're in the country... ;)

Sam

ani, what a neat thing to have experienced. Some of the 18th century writers, and probably some current ones, claimed it wasn't necessary to travel to really see or understand the world, but personally I disagree. I grew up in a very isolated little community, and as my geographical horizons expanded, I grew a lot as a person. I always wished I had the resources to take my son traveling more -- I think it's a must for children, IMO. And for adults -- almost every time I travel, even a little trip like I just went on, I learn something.

Small towns, big cities, they all have ups and downs. I've met friendly, open city people and rude, closed-off small town folks -- neither one is perfect, and it always bugs me the stereotypes one type has about the other, since people are people where ever they are.

Smaller than 7500? The idea gives me shivers, I have to say -- I just couldn't imagine living even in a place that small, unless there were a lot of resources close by (as you obviously have). Maybe a smaller city is a good compromise for you. ;)

Sam

I don't live in a small town, but I am by a lot of them, and my sister lives in a *really* small town (one cop, one grocery store, one stop light... they just got a streetlight on their road, and they're starting to have more neighbors as city people buy land for summer homes...). Total population according to the web is about 1500 people. Widely scattered, though it's gaining ground. About an hour and a half from Boston, and an hour from Portland ME, but still too far out for me.

They also had a hard time being accepted, it took a while for people to welcome them, and even after 25 years they are still "outsiders" to some people. They've made friends, but jobs are scarce, resources are scarce, and it's a 20 minute-1 hour drive to *anything*. Life can be hard there, when the electricity goes out, the roads, the water, etc. People aren't necessarily all that helpful, and there's crime, believe it or not -- kids get bored and get into trouble a lot.

Now, there are larger small towns that are very pretty and have resources -- maybe something with 10,000 people or so, and that will be more livable, I think... maybe closer to what we see in the movies. The fair we went to in Durham and the little town my in-laws live in in CT seems more like that small town myth, but it's also wildly expensive to live there (especially if it's close to a city as well), and so if you can afford it, then you can have that life, I guess.

Sam

Syracuse is just over 100,000, so smaller than where you are, but I really wish we were close to a beach! That's one of the reasons I speculate that if we do move closer to a city someday, it will be Boston, Baltimore, Norfolk, or maybe Tampa, because we like the ocean. NY has access to the ocean, too, of course, but it's not as easy getting there, and I actually have no desire to live in Long Island or that area.

D.C. is great. Love the Smithsonian and the Mall. The Jefferson Monument is my favorite.

Actually driving in NYC is not bad at all -- people make a lot out of it, but I've never found it very difficult (the worst experience we ever had driving there was getting in and out of a gas station -- they don't have many, and the stations can be tough to get around in, usually twenty cars in that tiny little space). Driving Boston, while it is much smaller, is very confusing, unless you know the streets. Philly was easy to navigate (if you stay away from NJ) and DC and Baltimore were busy but not difficult, either. You have to learn when the busy times are, basically. Norfolk was easy to drive around, but there the tunnels are the fun part -- 5 lanes of traffic merging into one for the tunnel, LOL. Personally, I like to drive in, and have access to my car, but then we walk or take public trans everywhere. I am a big walker in the city, I think it's the only way to really experience anything, on foot.

Sam

I have to admit, I had to take several Lactaid to even eat part of that, it was so rich, but even if it had made me sick, it would have been worth it. ;)

I think I've come to break down cities into these classes: historic cities, big cities, and then there are cities that could be big or small that seemed to grow up around some kind of particular job or industry. So, while everyplace has a history, Boston or Ottawa, Philadelphia, etc are clearly historic cities -- it's their identity. They also tend to be smaller and prettier. Big cities are the major ones, like NY, Chicago, Dallas, LA, etc. Then there are cities more defined by the jobs around them, like Washington (politics), Norfolk (Navy), Seattle (coffee/high tech), SanFrancisco (Silicon Valley).

I think living in a big city would be something I'd like to try for at least a year, but who knows -- could be I'd hate it by the end of that time. I think living in one of the more historic or smaller cities would probably be very pleasant, like having a condo on Beacon Hill, or something like that.

Then again, I'm pretty happy right where I am. ;)

Sam