Lately I've gotten into that sort of beat-heavy crescendo pop for some reason. I loved this song.Plus the video makes me miss NYC.
I miss NYC pretty much every day, and I've never spent more than a week or two there.
I spent 4 years there. I was over it. But I'm starting to miss it a little bit now.
My sister lived there for about 5 years. I really enjoyed visiting and felt the same way, "how could anyone ever get tired of this place?" But as I began to reflect on a typical day there it occurred to me that beyond your apartment walls there is very little solitude. Even the quiet moments involve the sounds of not too distant people. I would miss being able to go on a hike or a walk where I'm near certain I won't see anyone. Though those moments are rare these days, I still enjoy knowing they are possible. I've been trying to talk my wife in to moving there for years to no avail. We have 2 large dogs that are accustomed to big back yards. They would be miserable. But it is a really fun place. I get the same type of energy from it as I do being in the mountains -odd.
I'm utterly divided. Some days I wake up and I'm a crowds and cities and people-watching person -- give me a walk around Columbus Circle and a bagel in Central Park -- but others I just want to park myself in the middle of nowhere and walk into a canyon.
The ideal cities have both. But none of those cities are on the scale of NYC.
Definitely one of the cities on our short list along with Vancouver, Seattle, Austin and Raleigh-Durham.
Disregard Seattle. Lived here for over three years, and I still feel like a visitor. The social dynamic is... Swedish. Not to disparage the Swedes. But it's really chilly. Also, the city is so spread out that it feels more like a series of isolated boroughs, and none of those boroughs feel quite as culturally developed as you'd expect from a city this size. And the local music scene is really narrow- if it's not garage punk or cabaret, forget about it. Honestly, I feel like Seattle has got an inflated opinion of itself. Grew up in Portland- that place was awesome as a kid, and it's only gotten better, although the job market is tough. Warm people, incredible culinary/bar scene, good music for days, and some beautiful (and affordable) neighborhoods. If you're looking at Detroit, you should check out Baltimore as well. Fantastic city.
I heard that from sounds_sound once. He referred to it as the "Seattle Freeze". I've heard nothing but good things about Portland though. I used to live in Missoula MT and there's a part of me that really wants to get back out west.
If you end up in either, let me know. I'm interested to know how much Missoula has changed and which, if any, of my old haunts are still around. If you end up in Asheville, we'll have to get a beer sometime as I go there occasionally for work etc. I live in Durham.
I forgot to put Detroit on my list. I find it very likely that we'll end up in Detroit or Ann Arbor again. I love Ann Arbor and Detroit is pretty kick ass too. But Austin is a place I will forever visit.