Destroy my ATL ego

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:00 pm

dnorwood Wrote:

Atlanta is fun and great esp. for someone like me who grew up in the 'burbs, but after spending my college/post-college years there, I was ready for a change. Clearly this is only my opinion. It's fun to go back and visit friends/family, but there's not much I miss about it. I don't miss sitting in rush hour traffic for 1-2 hours. I don't miss the crappy MARTA system. I don't miss the 8% sales tax. I don't miss the carjackings and break-ins. I don't miss the 45 minute drive regardless of where you're going. I don't miss the urban sprawl. I don't miss the smoggy days of summer. I don't miss having to pay the enormous AC bill every summer (or having to have AC to begin with).

I really love the Pacific Northwest. Portland housing is still expensive, but not quite as expensive as Seattle or SF. No sales tax in Oregon, so that's always a plus. I feel comfortable here. But then again, I'm in the "older obner" demographic, and things I might find important may differ from someone who's younger. That said, I would never include LA, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, or Philadelphia in my top cities to live in. Texas in general doesn't appeal to me at all.

I actually love the Pacific NW too D---in fact a lot of PTC kids in our crew (mostly in Seattle) live up there......

i gotta stay here in the A for now for business reasons but i might make my way out there at some point----its cool as shit and while weather-wise I would prefer San Diego (fuck LA, kids, and the Valley and NoCal is just too much for me {and geologically unacceptable}; that shit is getting sooooo expensive (i did some window shopping a few years ago and lauged--oh how i laughed) i could see myself ending more near some mountains up in Oregon or Washington....the peeps too seem pretty accepting. of my shit.

Dalen · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:03 pm

Elvis Fu Wrote:

dnorwood Wrote:

Elvis Fu Wrote:

I like my 'burbs, because I'm a half-hour drive from either Baltimore or DC. We get two of everything.

See, you and cotton are in that strange stretch of highway where every 1-2 hours or so, you hit a big city.

Gimme 4.5-5 hours driving time and I can be in:
Baltimore
DC
Richmond
Philadelphia
New York
Pittsburgh
Anywhere on the Atlantic Ocean from Virginia Beach to Long Island
and West Virginia

damn, that's sweet man.

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:05 pm

cotton Wrote:

ummm, you don't live in atlanta and I don't live in philly right? so...why do you start this every time cities come up?

and wait didn't you get run off the road a few months ago by meth heads?

yeah, true on both counts but when i did live in the city-- i had a fucking blast.

same could probly be said if I lived in Philly only with a preponderence of folks I like less than the folks down here.

and its no offense to Philly------you yourself met one of my best friends in the world from up there plus the other peeps I know......

Thee Incident · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:08 pm

Detroit's got a couple good clubs and concert halls and not much else to offer as far as things to do. Lots of crime. Horrible debt and city management. Shitty schools.

Yeah, take it off the list.

I did something like this a couple months back when considering where I was going to move, though I had my own parameters (had to be warm-weather, or at least have minimal snow, had to be largely accessible for wheelchairs, had to have a great music environment, not be entirely sprawly, etc.)

Austin came out as my no. 1, though Portland and Seattle, San Diego, Nashville and the N. Carolina "triangle" were all contenders.

NY lost on weather and accessibility, ATL on sprawl and bad urban planning, LA and SanFran because they can be hilly as fuck.

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:09 pm

Dalen Wrote:

damn, that's sweet man.[/quote]

I like that area where you live at too, man. Not sure about the fucking Haitans and the lack of shows and shit but that area around WPB, down towards Lauderdale and onto Miami is real cool in the right spots.

puma · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:18 pm

san diego!? um no. fun to visit, never could live there. plus, it's fuckin EXPENSIVE as hell. unless you live in el cajon (ghetto).

for the longest time, i wanted to move to NY. the fact that i don't have to own a car is fabulous however, to be honest, i couldn't deal with east coast weather. oh, and the summers there- that humidity between the buildings. ugh! ugh! ugh!

i absolutely love the pnw- specifically portland. although i'd get bored aftter a month of living there, too mellow for me... seattle was too depressing for my own taste.

never been to atlanta, chicago, austin or boston... those are places i'd like to visit.

detroit was alright.

but my heart belongs in la. you can't fuck with the weather.

Dalen · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:18 pm

Yail Bloor Wrote:

Dalen Wrote:

damn, that's sweet man.

I like that area where you live at too, man. Not sure about the fucking Haitans and the lack of shows and shit but that area around WPB, down towards Lauderdale and onto Miami is real cool in the right spots.[/quote]

yeah man, i dig it. very mellow vibes, and without the traffic and chaos of Miami. gorgeous beaches and plenty of authentic foreign eats make up for the lack of shows and shit.

oh, and the women. it doesn't get much finer than South Florida.

hahaha, and the Hatians. they open doors just fine. :wink:

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:25 pm

pumachik Wrote:

san diego!? um no. fun to visit, never could live there. plus, it's fuckin EXPENSIVE as hell. unless you live in el cajon (ghetto).

True, true. Unles I gots me a business in National City selling Mexican car insurance, right?

I just dig the vibe and the scenery in PB and even OB-----but yeah, I know--- its too rexpensive and not really mt style down there.

But if I work real hard for a change and get a joint in La Jolla, you'll be the first one there, right?

Yail Bloor · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:29 pm

Dalen Wrote:

oh, and the women. it doesn't get much finer than South Florida.

if by "South Florida" you mean "The ATL", then yeah; y'all just get better and cheaper drugs in FLA----Atlanta does have the market cornered on fine ass women.

rogneeb · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:07 pm **Posts:** 12618

cities where I could live in the US - not in any real order

1. NYC - but the size and general craziness would wear me out in a couple of years
2. San Francisco - love it - but expensive
3. Portland - duh
4. Seattle - a lot like Portland but more expensive with worse traffic and worse weather...still when it is sunny one of the most beautiful cities in the country.
5. San Diego - for a town this size it is pretty boring...and that's coming from someone who lives in Portland. But pretty nice anyway.

Parts of LA are cool as well but just too much for me.

The South - the heat and humidity are rough, and a lot of the cities are pretty crappy...plus the politics..ugh. There are some cool places in the South but they are generally not the big cities.

The Midwest - nah. I like the ocean and don't like extreme weather.

Denver is meh for me, but CO as a whole is awesome.

Phoenix - people are not meant to live there. Maybe the worst place I've been - but I've never been to Detroit.

The East coast - too many damn people in general...but I've never been to Boston.

Dalen · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:58 pm

Yail Bloor Wrote:

Dalen Wrote:

oh, and the women. it doesn't get much finer than South Florida.

if by "South Florida" you mean "The ATL", then yeah; y'all just get better and cheaper drugs in FLA----Atlanta does have the market cornered on fine ass women.

yeah true, ATL has some thickness.

puma · **Posted:** Thu Dec 15, 2005 11:21 pm

Yail Bloor Wrote:

pumachik Wrote:

san diego!? um no. fun to visit, never could live there. plus, it's fuckin EXPENSIVE as hell. unless you live in el cajon (ghetto).

True, true. Unles I gots me a business in National City selling Mexican car insurance, right?

I just dig the vibe and the scenery in PB and even OB-----but yeah, I know--- its too rexpensive and not really mt style down there.

But if I work real hard for a change and get a joint in La Jolla, you'll be the first one there, right?

oh but of course.

PB is cool... very mellow. however, i'm not a mellow livin type of gal so i'd get bored.

oh how can i forget about san franscisco? i love it there... but way too expensive.

chowgurt · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:48 am

Pagoda Wrote:

Tell me how full of shit I am and how all ATLiens have a false sense of self confidence.

Tier 1
1. NYC
2. LA
3. Chicago

Tier 2
4. San Francisco
5. DC
6. Boston

Tier 3
7. Atlanta
8. Miami
9. Philadelphia
10. New Orleans

Tier 4
11. Seattle
12. San Diego
13. Dallas
14. Detroit

How in the hell can you put LA above SF and the Bay area? Are you basing this on the Hollyood factor and music industry in LA? As far as quality of life and culture goes htey both have things going for them but SF as a 2nd tier city over LA is hard to believe.
Even SF vs Chicago? And that's not to say that Chicago is not a great city but did you pick it cuz it's a big city in the midwest?

tehobner · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 8:48 pm **Posts:** 4479

Cities are gay, buy a boat.

chowgurt · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:54 am

STRIKE LIGHTNING, STRIKE Wrote:

Cities are gay, buy a boat.

Boats are holes in the water you throw money into.

bluejayway · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:56 am

Sorry, but Baltimore is so much cooler than DC it doesn't even bear mentioning... DCs too much of a commuter town to have any soul.

I have lived a lot of places and B'more is for sure my fave american city to live in - won't claim we beat ny and such to visit, but we have the cheap good living and the nice folks.

Dick Meatwood · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:07 am

I just know I'm ready to get the hell out of here. Unfortunately I don't see it happening in the next few years.

duckyboy · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:59 am

pumachik Wrote:

san diego!? um no. fun to visit, never could live there. plus, it's fuckin EXPENSIVE as hell. unless you live in el cajon (ghetto).

like Long Beach is any better?? but i don't know why I'm attempting to defend SD, as I don't really like it myself. it's okay. I don't like the weather here--much too sunny. the only nice parts of SD are downtown by the harbor, balboa park, etc. the rest is ugly shit. I hate PB myself, but I'm not the beach type. is SD really any more expensive than the LA area?

my top pick would be SF. used to live there, like it much better than SD. though, the only way I'd like to live there again would be if I could buy a house, and that certainly isnt happening any time soon. Next would be either Portland or Seattle. However, I'd really like to move to London.

Old Kentucky · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:30 am

duckyboy Wrote:

pumachik Wrote:

san diego!? um no. fun to visit, never could live there. plus, it's fuckin EXPENSIVE as hell. unless you live in el cajon (ghetto).

like Long Beach is any better?? but i don't know why I'm attempting to defend SD, as I don't really like it myself. it's okay. I don't like the weather here--much too sunny. the only nice parts of SD are downtown by the harbor, balboa park, etc. the rest is ugly shit. I hate PB myself, but I'm not the beach type. is SD really any more expensive than the LA area?

my top pick would be SF. used to live there, like it much better than SD. though, the only way I'd like to live there again would be if I could buy a house, and that certainly isnt happening any time soon. Next would be either Portland or Seattle. However, I'd really like to move to London.

Yeah, I've got a love/hate thing with San Diego -- been living here about a year and a half now.

The good: weather (never used my heater or the A/C), mid-December and still surfing a bit.

Also good: the Casbah, a hole in the wall that gets some good shows and reminds me a lot of the old Atomic in Athens. Or maybe the Caledonia with about half of the pretentiousness.

The bad: pretty much everything else.

SD is just a bit too boring to be a big city. I was expecting LA I guess. I don't give a shit what folks say about LA being a shithole, I think I'm going to try it out in a couple years.

NY would be cool too, but I suspect too quick-paced and impersonal for my Southern-rooted ass.

As far as American importance, I see it like this:

TIER 1:
NY (capital of the world)
LA (Disneyland)

TIER 2:
The othaz

Sketch · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 5:39 am

Fu's proxmitity list matches one of the things I liked about growing up in Toledo. It was close to a lot of stuff within that 4.5-5 hour mark.

Detroit
Cleveland
Canton/Akron
Columbus
Cincinnati
Indianapolis
Louisville
Pittsburgh
Chicago
Buffalo
4 of the Great Lakes

It definitely overachieves with its art museum and symphony. Some of the downtown rebuilding is decent, but still nothing great.

Very biased here, but I'm sold that London is the coolest city on the planet. Would I raise kids there, though? eh...

Senator LooGAR · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:10 pm

We should reverse this, and you can have the Loog N' Bort Armpit of America Tour. You land in SCENIC NEWARK, take a Greyhound to Cincy, then Detroit, then OAKLAND.

Anyway, this is a funny exercise, and you get lots of regional bias. I came to realization when FEMGAR moved to MGM (instead of me moving to ATL) that 1) I am not meant to live in ATL. EVER. After trying in vain for 4 years to move back to the area, it just ain't happening.

Most of the cities on this list have MASSIVE NEGATIVES, and only a few have positive benefits. San Fran and NYC would be facking tight to death if I were a millionaire. Seattle and Portland would be awesome to visit, but I just love the South.

I think at this point my #1 place to live is Birmingham, AL, but I really wanna visit NYC, Chi-town and San Fran in the near future.

puma · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:19 pm

duckyboy Wrote:

pumachik Wrote:

san diego!? um no. fun to visit, never could live there. plus, it's fuckin EXPENSIVE as hell. unless you live in el cajon (ghetto).

like Long Beach is any better?? but i don't know why I'm attempting to defend SD, as I don't really like it myself. it's okay. I don't like the weather here--much too sunny. the only nice parts of SD are downtown by the harbor, balboa park, etc. the rest is ugly shit. I hate PB myself, but I'm not the beach type. is SD really any more expensive than the LA area?

my top pick would be SF. used to live there, like it much better than SD. though, the only way I'd like to live there again would be if I could buy a house, and that certainly isnt happening any time soon. Next would be either Portland or Seattle. However, I'd really like to move to London.

depends what part of long beach you live in. there's definitely ghetto parts... but the best areas are belmont shores, downtown lb, and over by cal state lb. i live in downtown long beach, and i LOVE it here- everything is walking distance. i'm one block from the beach (not like i'd go in the water but it's there) and just a few blocks from dive bars, art galleries, coffee shops, etc. it's nice to be away from la (even though i spend majority of my time in la anyway). plus, the drive is only 20 minutes (with no traffic). i was raised in la however, so like i said before, that's why my heart lies in la. i'm probably not going to be living in long beach much longer anyway... probably move up to the silverlake/echo park area.

i'm just sayin, sd is boring. when i used to live in irvine, i spent my weekends down there visiting friends from ucsd and good god, there was nothing to do (unless you're going to college down there). i'm thinking cost expenses in sd is probably the same as the westwood/brentwood/venice area of la. like in every city, it really depends on what part you live in.

OPA! · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:24 pm

Personally, I couldn't see myself ever leaving NYC. Visiting other cities makes me realize how convenient it is to live here. Chicago and Boston do nothing for me. They're both cheap imitations of NYC. Philly is OK but again, why live there when NYC is a little bit over an hour away. LA scares the crap out of me. San Diego is a nice quaint little town but there isn't too much to do.

Austin may be my next destination. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned.

puma · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:26 pm

what's with everyone and how la is too much or scary? just curious... maybe it's because i haven't really lived anywhere else outside of southern cali, but i'm just wondering why people are so anti-la.

OPA! · **Posted:** Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:28 pm

pumachik Wrote:

what's with everyone and how la is too much or scary? just curious... maybe it's because i haven't really lived anywhere else outside of southern cali, but i'm just wondering why people are so anti-la.

I can't quite figure it out but I've been there twice and both times, I felt very unstable. It's too free in the sense that there seems to be no structure. I don't know. It's just a feeling I have whenever I'm there.

Destroy my ATL ego

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