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A recent discussion on an Over Easy thread got me thinking: where would be my ideal place to live, if I could move anywhere? With a brand new year just around the corner, we might chat about where we’d like to live if money, family location, or jobs weren’t a constraint and we could just pick up and go anywhere.
I’m a lifelong Midwesterner. Born in Ohio, I spent much of my adult life in Michigan, briefly moved back to Ohio for career, and now have spent 9 years in Indiana. None are my ideal, but I’m retired, close enough to my kids and grandchildren to make frequent visiting easy, and with many friends and activities to keep me happy. I love my home, with its screened porch “in the woods” and its open floor plan.
But the weather here in NW Indiana is less than ideal, and South Bend is a small town with limited attractions other than Notre Dame (although Chicago is an easy drive). My sister is in the San Francisco area, but I wouldn’t want to locate that far away from my family, and the cost of living is horrendous. I’d love to see much less snow that we have here, but I wouldn’t want a place with little or no seasonal variation, which rules out the far south.
Money Magazine has this list of Best Places to Live 2012. I see Carmel, Indiana, where my son and his family live, tops the list!
If you’re looking for great weather, here are the top ten U.S. states with best weather. If you’re concerned about affordable living, check the top 10 most affordable cities in the U.S.
Want to know where to live if you’re raising a family? Here’s a good list, and number one is where my family spent 8 years, Grand Rapids, Michigan. But if you’re single, consider these options. If you’re retired or nearing retirement, investigate 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012. If you’re LGBT, the Human Rights Campaign’s list of Most Gay Friendly Cities is a good resource.
And if you’re a bit more worldly, here are the World’s best Places to Live. Hmmmm….none is in the U.S.
Pull up a chair, and lets do a bit of virtual traveling. Where would you live, if you could live anywhere?
Photo by R Horning, in the public domain
179 Comments
Good Saturday morning, friends. Grab a cuppa your favorite morning beverage and let’s chat about the pros and cons of places you’ve lived, and where you’d rather be.
Thanks, msmolly. One important feature to me is public transportation, and once upon a time I loved the Boston area for that, and all its history. Warm weather is changing, as our summers are increasingly hot, and I think costs will be ever more prohibitive to stay livable.
Well, well, a topic that has been on my mind lately, to be sure. When I got out of the service, I came within a whisker of relocating to Seattle or Portland and I still kick myself for not having done so. I have to be honest though, in the past several years I’ve despaired of turning Texas blue again and I think living among more liberal people has it’s appeal. To that end, I sometimes randomly apply for jobs in Hawaii. I’m also not opposed to moving out of the country and both Australia and Japan will allow me to move to there counties under a persecuted minority status. I’ll probably wind up somewhere in Texas though. As the saying goes, Texas born, Texas bred and when I die, I’ll be Texas dead.
Getting around San Francisco area is easy with BART. I’ve never lived anywhere with decent public transportation except buses.
Some friends in SanFran don’t even own a car. They can get one of those one-day rental cars if they need to go somewhere they can’t get to on BART or the extensive bus routes.
LOL. Good morning, Peg. I used to yearn to go back to what was then at least sorta blue Michigan, but it isn’t any more.
Weren’t you talking about moving to Austin at one point? Still thinking about that?
I’ve often thought that of the places I’ve lived, I’d go back to Grand Rapids, MI in a heartbeat. But it’s politically conservative, heavily Christian Reformed religiously, and I’d probably be sorry. I’ve changed a lot in the 25 years since I left Grand Rapids.
Not too many years ago I was sent info that our neighbor, Mexico, wants a base amount of $1500/mo for relocating there. Details are fuzzy in my memory. The economies have gone down since then, of course.
I’m not sure I understand. Do you mean people would pay (the government?) $1,500/month?
As I brought up my kids in the D.C. suburbs, and Metro became a vital part of that, I like locating there, too.
No, that they would see you as having enough to be a contributing member of the citizenry if you had that level of income. I believe it was directed at retirees, and I was approaching that stage.
Good morning all. Nice topic msmolly and thanks for hosting.
I like D.C. a lot. My son and his (now ex) wife lived there for a couple of years, and I have a friend who’s lived there for several years whom I’ve visited. But cost of living is pretty high there, too.
Good morning, oldnslow. I suspect you and Ms. CBL have put down roots where you are, with your family nearby too. Any thoughts of relocating at any point?
I think Kris was the one that got me started on this topic, with his desire for good Mexican food.
True, it costs more than here, but the advantages are huge.
I think about this a lot, although realistically I expect to continue to live in Austin till I die, particularly as long as I have a job.
I like Austin but I don’t love it. I don’t find the country aesthetically pleasing (yes I know some do), it all feels bleak to me. I like that Austin is relatively liberal. I especially like something common all over Texas, that people are generally friendly in daily life and on the street. I like that the education level is pretty high. There are scads of interesting activities, more than I could ever make it to. I get a lot of fun (and anguish) out of watching politics in teh state capital.
On the downside, the traffic is horrendous (so horrendous it can be a deal-breaker even on things I’d like to do). And for me the summers are a nightmare — heat to me is miserable.
On the upside (and as I get older, even though I haven’t personally needed this yet except for cataract surgery), the medical care is fairly good relative to other places people in my family live such as El Paso and Reno, Nevada. (I worry that the new medical school, with its desire to attract more specialists to the area, may worsen that — the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care has found that more specialists in an area is associated with MORE, WORSE, and MORE INTENSIVE medical care and not with better medical results — but for now it is good relative to those other places and to some of the horrors I’ve personally seen.)
But Austin has SUCH a high opinion of itself and sometimes I find the arrogance irritating. I’m here – but meh. So I do think of other places.
Yet, I’ve been here since 1975 and I can’t move anywhere else where that is true – and I am a stick-in-the-mud.
No matter where I reside, I will always be from Kentucky. That is still home for me but not sure if it is the best place for me.
Back in the 70s, a singer from Memphis named Jesse Winchester, went to Canada to avoid the draft and wrote the song “Nothing but a breeze” with the hook “I’d like to live with my feet in Dixie but my head in the cool, blue north”
But if I had everything, money no object, I think I’d still have to select Hawai’i as the place. Perpetual summer, soft breezes every day, mild temps, not real humid, the scent of flowers on those breezes, it is called paradise for a reason. I would just need to take an annual trip back to the mainland and drive in a straight line for a couple of weeks to refresh myself.
Puzzled by this, but just means I don’t know enough about you evidently? “Persecuted minority” status?
Don’t know if I got this up in time for your birdwatching;
Flicker in snow out front windows.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bqt0WqX_lPYjeP10–LHGQ8szHUx-OY9EC-wKjAl8ho?feat=directlink
Mornin, MsMolly and all, I’ve lived in MN (still have the accent)CO, CA and TX (MD in the service) Now in Galveston, some folks here say it’s near Texas and it does have a liberal flavor, comparatively. October to May the weather is great, summer is nasty hot and touristy. There are many beautiful warm sunny winter beach days with no crowds. Don’t broadcast it but housing is very reasonable where you can walk to an ocean beach. No hills, great for biking.
It is so easy to just stay where you are unless you truly hate it. I would never have selected South Bend, IN as a retirement destination. When I retired in 2010 my kids immediately started in on me to move to Indianapolis to be closer to them. I thought it would be nice to be able to phone and say, “come over for dinner tonight,” but in reality they are so busy it would rarely happen, and I’d be starting MY life over and leaving this house I love.
So here I am still.
dakine01, I’m with you, no matter where I live, I will always be from El Paso, Texas. No, I don’t plan to return, but that is absolutely where I’m from. Both parents were born there also. It’s interesting to me all the wanderers who are not really FROM someplace like we are.
The sad fact that all businesses price themselves out of our range if they can just keeps coming to the proof that our society needs greater influence from its members. Interesting thoughts on Up! this a.m. about cooperative business.
Austin is the place I’m trying hardest to move to but it’s not my ideal either. Texas is waaaaay hot!
I heard a retired guy talk about living in Costa Rica and he marvelled at how the local people there hardly left their small towns (money being a factor, of course). He said many in his town of Alajuela had never been to the coast, a few hours away. I think he was startled when I replied, “My kind of people!”
I suppose if you had the money you could go someplace north for the summer, just like we “northerners” sometimes go south for the winter.
Cannot imagine being ‘from’ somewhere, since I am living in my home town though I moved away early. I had friends who spent many years in Hawaii, found it terribly confining socially. Beautiful place anyway.
Weren’t you in Florida settling Cissy’s affairs for awhile? No inclination to stay there?
I will always be from Genoa, Texas but as that has long been subsumed into Houstopolis, I’m not moving back!
well if you do move to Austin, get in touch . . . would be interesting to meet you in the flesh
I’ve only been to Hawaii once, and I couldn’t imagine then living somewhere that I’d have to fly to leave, no just getting in the car and going. Not sure I’d like that. And isn’t the weather pretty constant there, with no true seasonal variation? Admittedly, I haven’t checked it out. It is really lovely, though.
but how taxing to have to move twice a year (even though I love the idea of getting only the good part of the weather)
We actually like it here. I don’t plan on going any place any time soon.
We are close to Austin and were in fact in the city yesterday. Spring Texan complains about the traffic but having grown up in the SF Bay Area I can assure you that Austin traffic is nowhere near that bad. There does seem to be a bunch of folks in Austin whose sense of entitlement is over powering. I suppose that may be true all over.
LMAO! As I’m not a social creature, I have no problems there. I’d jump at a chance to move to Hawaii. Alas, the older I get, the less likely it becomes. If I was a fan of cold weather, I cold see myself moving some place remote. Like Nuuk, Greenland for example. Remote enough for my taste but large enough to have access to things I’d want and need.
We have several Firepups in Texas. You all ought to plan a meetup!
Galveston is intriguing, I spent awhile at a little meditation garden next to a church, Episcopal, I think, about at 7th street, and had a pleasant lunch with birds and flowers, and butterflies. Lots of reasonable houses, I could see.
I did see that yesterday. Thanks.
I’ve thought of trying to rent a place in Florida for January or February, when our winters are the most ugly. But I’m single and fairly gregarious and I’m not sure I’d like spending a month in a strange place knowing nobody. And there’s the cost, of course. But I know some neighbors who do that.
No, I am back in Florida now. Cissy had lived in New Hampshire for 40 years so I was up there for 7 months.
Florida does have its good points but having lived in both FL and HI, I take HI hands down.
Ruth, HI does have its downsides and outside of Waikiki, it is very much an “up with the sun” perspective. Tourism is the prime economic engine but the overall beauty, relaxed “island style” way of living is very appealing to me.
OK obviously I was confused about who was where.
Yeah, Austin traffic sucks but it’s not as bad as San Diego traffic was in the 1980s or as bad as Houstopolis traffic remains. San Antonio traffic has it’s own, unique flavor and many of the Mexican immigrants here love to tool along, doing 40mph in a 65mph zone. Makes for delays and frustration. That’s not limited to Latinos though. As often as not, when I get up to the car slowing everything down, it’s a white person with the cell phone glued to their ear. I guess that’s everywhere that talking on the phone and driving are still legal though.
The couple of families I know who do the double occupancy routine keep summer things up north, winter things down south for the most part. Of course, that would mean you have permanent places.
I guess one of the good things about South Bend is that there’s not the traffic I experienced in the Detroit area and in Cincinnati. A former coworker used to say, “South Bend doesn’t have rush hour, we have rush minutes” and that’s pretty true.
I see more and more people obviously texting while driving. Something that I dislike a great deal.
I look after a neighbor’s home during the winter months….go in once a week and run water and flush toilets and generally check things. They have a nice retirement — three homes, this one occupied only during ND football season. They have it fully furnished and with apparently a wardrobe that stays here. I haven’t snooped, but I do occasionally open closets just to check for anything unusual.
I practically lived on West beach in my 16th and 17th years. Back then, one could camp and be unmolested by police. The last time I was there, it was wall to wall homes and you couldn’t even access the beach unless you parked miles away and walked. I have to admit, I didn’t lament the huge loss of property when a hurricane took most of those homes down. Probably rebuilt by now though…
Not much of a social person myself, but I do find out things and kind of don’t like being an object of much attention, which small town life does do to folks.
Yeah. Banning cell use in school zones isn’t enough. Cell phone use behind the wheel needs to be banned and that ban needs to be enforced.
I don’t text while driving, but my iPhone 4S gives me the ability to dictate a message if I absolutely must. I rarely do, because even that is distracting. Actually I think talking on a cell phone while driving has been shown to be very distracting to a driver.
I am retired and intend to go north next summer as I have in the past, CO CA, MN SD, friends and rellies. Haven’t been to IN except on an interstate. I really need to canoe the Boundary waters soon, it’s been a while and if you are from MN it’s a requirement.
Easily done as I have lived and worked all over the country. I left KY in ’75 and since then have lived, in order:
Sandown, NH
TX (basic training San Antonio – Lackland AFB and Wichita Falls tech school at Sheppard AFB),
Oscoda,MI, (Wurtsmith AFB)
Honolulu, HI, (Hickam AFB)
Londonderry, NH
Waltham, MA
Rome, NY
Wallingford, CT
Montgomery, AL
Albany, NY
Manchester, CT
Springfield, IL
Albany, NY
Denver, CO
Apollo Beach, FL
San Antonio, TX
Brandon, FL and now Ruskin, FL
At the tail end of the time in Wallingford, I spent 2 months in Anchorage, AK. At the end of the time in Montgomery, I spent a month in Providence, RI. While officially living in Manchester, CT the last 8 months I was commuting into Manhattan and living in a furnished studio in Battery Park city a couple of blocks south of the South Tower.
In California — or at least the SanFran area — they require hands-free cell phone use, but I don’t know how well it is enforced.
I always though you were in the Houston area but that’s probably because of your pseudonym.
Here, that’s true of business vehicles, and yes, I mean construction company trucks for the most part, all seem to have drivers on cellphones.
Looking out the window it appears to another beautiful central Texas day. That said, just walked by the weather station on a coffee refill and see it is 34 outside and the ice warning light is flashing. Oh well….. no motorcycle ride today.
agree wholeheartedly!
Wow. I thought I had moved around a lot! But not much real variety:
Columbus, OH
Warren & Sterling Hts. MI
Grand Blanc (Flint) MI
Grand Rapids, MI (8 yrs)
Farmington Hills, MI
Royal Oak, MI (8 yrs)
Cincinnati, OH
South Bend, IN (9 yrs)
That’s pretty common here too but mostly it’s people in office attire, yakking away instead of driving. My sister on law once insisted that she could talk safely while driving. My sister in law is one of the few truly brilliant people I’ve known and she has nothing but my respect and admiration but she can’t drive safely while talking on the cell phone. Anymore than I can.
Too late. You are known far and wide to all the Amish in Crawford county as that possum trapper from Texas.
That seems lovely, and I believe RV’ers are making their own kind of life more like that. Two past summers in TX should have produced a whole new round of travelers, as well.
it is extremely rare that I use my phone while driving. Funny thing, the calls and texts I don’t answer while driving (or riding) are always there when I stop. I suppose it makes me an old fuddy-duddy to remember there was a time when people functioned just fine without a f*cking cellphone glued to the side of their head.
morning msmolly,
My immediate area was the same 40 years ago, as more people retired here they brought their more liberal and progressives values with them and we’ve there was an evening out and now a turn to “blue,” politic and less rigid religious leanings here. If you did move there you would likely find good company.
ROTLMAO!
Thanks for reminding me to wear my coonskin cap when I get there, to make the rumors change.
I often turn my cell phone off when I’m out and about. I remember a time when we didn’t have to always be “in touch”. I used to stay away from my home so as to have an excuse why I didn’t answer my phone.
Haul your bike down here to Galveston. The seawall drive is dry and sunny. Go west along the gulf to Freeport or ride the ferry east.
I think you should carry an armadillo purse. That’ll start some Pennsylvania tongues wagging.
Indeed, I don’t even feel the need to look to see who’s calling until I pull over entirely. Guess not being dangerous is a calling with me. Even my possums get relocated.
What I don’t quite understand is that they bought this house and furnished it, but they’re only here about 3-1/2 months. I’d think they’d have been better off to buy an apt. style condo. I think they bought somewhat below market and may have just paid cash, and want a big enough place to have friends and relatives visit. It is nicely furnished, but sorta look like they just bought a few rooms of furniture and accessories from an inexpensive furniture store.
Either they will be mad at me for not letting them trap on my farm, or they’ll just think you got lucky.
Good idea. Of course, my reputation will never recover from buying pre-made pie crusts in the local store. Really.
Riding from Houston to Surfside along 35 and then back over the 257 bridge and then the big I-45 causeway was a great ride. Except I did it on bicycle and that takes a lot out of you!
Somehow I bet it was an investment house. Before the bottom fell out of the real estate market. I have neighbors who got in deep planning a BIG house, now have trouble heating and cooling what they’ve got. Which is not a pretty house.
Funny you should mention that! We bought a very nice used truck last week. While out yesterday the CBL inquired about loading the bike in the back so we could ride at the coast. (she does not like long rides and we are about 3-4 hours from the coast) We will go down for the spring birds probably in April.
If the local store carries pre made pie crusts, then clearly some local people buy them. HA! Rationalized. And you are welcome!
Bring the bike. Rent a room on Galveston, they aren’t high in the off season. You won’t be disappointed.
Guess I could train one to beg, anyway. Make friends.
The things I love about it include how they’ve kept the city alive. Wealthy donors have poured money into Grand Rapids, including sponsoring the annual ArtPrize, which turns the city into one big art gallery and draws thousands into the downtown. Big hospitals and medical centers, etc. And more restaurants than one could possibly sample even eating out every day. Hundreds of them.
Roseate spoonbills a favorite.
That’s me. It just can’t be THAT important.
I’m with Margaret, armadillo purse or ‘gator boots. That’ll start the tongues waggin for sure.
Amen, We could go a whole day or more without a call and we are still here to talk about it. ;o)
As it happens I am shopping for an electric assist hub motor for the front wheel of my recumbent(like cycling in a lawn chair) that would make that kind of trip possible for me. They are really improving bike assist motors now, don’t cost much either. (Golden Motors has motor already mounted on a replacement wheel, all sizes)
More appropriate than that lampshade considering the weather. You are so darned practical.
My absolute favorite as well! We saw a rookery at the Brazos Bend State Park. Staggering site. From across the swamp it appeared the trees were pink there were so many.
Yeah, I can still do twenty miles in an hour on flat ground without too much difficulty but making that kind of trip these days wouldn’t end well probably. I did that when I was much younger!
I have two places.
One in terms of the weather and cultural amenities is much less than optimum. The other is the opposite. The weather is spectacular and the cultural amenities are rich and varied.
Yet, my state of well being, generally speaking, does not seem to be impacted by whether I am in one place or the other.
It is in the works.
Isn’t there a small MI town that Michael Moore is involved with restoring theater etc.?
msmolly, I have to ask how you got a picture of cd moving to Tx?
Hey Molly & Pupses of Fire:
Ideal place to live? Um…Walking distance to the ocean.
My pace is slower (but I’m older than you by a lot). I ride about 10 – 12 MPH. But I still racked up 1722 miles in 2012, and hope to get to 2000 miles in 2013.
Someday I need a new phone, this one can’t bring up messages I’ve gotten. Forces me to use email. This works out quite well.
That’s actually a picture of Willard on vacation back in the day. His dog is inside the box, duct-taped to the roof, you know, for safety.
Or at least walking distance to a nice lake. One thing I’ve always wanted was to live on the water. Fortunately the St. Joseph river runs through a lot of South Bend area and lots of my bike rides are along the river.
Indiana is kinda on the way from Chicago. Maybe she was just in the right place at the right time?
Dunno who this ‘willard’ is you mention, seems I did know at one time and have forgotten, so be it.
LOL. I’ll never tell. Photo sorta reminds me of Thelma and Louise, tho.
I’m going to be scared to wear the suede in deer season, whatever else I bundle up in.
Thanks for the post and the host Molly. I’m going to get going and take a shower but I’ll be back and forth. Hope everybody has a great day.
I had those thoughts also but as joemael says, down the memory hoe.
The builders on Chincoteague Island informed me that no one who ever had spent time around the ocean would live right next to it, and they all located on the highest land on the island.
That and the forgotten president seem to be holes in the composite picture of the field for the right these days.
One word:
Italy.
Well, maybe France or Catalonia.
I am out also folks. Thanks again msmolly. Have a great weekend all.
Trying to explain to the teen that unless she is using a particular communications device as a tool to bring in income and at minimum, pay for itself, it is just another something with their hooks into you to have you pay them.
I don’t think I’ll be able to get a battery or an upgrade to my phone’s operating system that will be compatible with the provider’s requirements without upgrading, likely to happen sometime this coming year.
My ex husband and his wife built a home in Southport, NC not far from the water. The climate is nice, I guess, but H U R R I C A N E S. And too far from the grandkids…he only sees them 3 times a year or so.
Did you look at the “world” list up top? Some looked pretty appealing.
There was a learning experience here on Galveston 4 years ago. Now any new construction has to be up on sticks in most of the island. A lady down the block from me waited out Ike in her attic while the water came up to her ceiling. Now their house has been lifted up in the air. Many folks got to know their neighbors. I wasn’t here then.
Then there’s Croatia, wonderful small towns on the inlet, low prices.
this will sound odd, but after 6 years in FL, I just wanna go back to NJ. After growing up 12 miles from NYC, it’s really not so odd though. Great place. I’ve also thought about the Pac NW and Canadia.
Yes, but many are too cold, although I could live in Vancouver b.c.
BUT, actually living? The Italians know how.
The three mentioned areas are the best sources of musical inspiration for me. I would want to steep myself in the environments.
Italy as well had greatness stamped all over invention and science. Well positioned to access the other two.
Did you know the Northern Italians taught the French how to cook?
I’m already in the PNW. Still would leave it for Italy.
I suggest you keep her away from Skype, if you want to have any conversations other than telephone ones.
I live on the lee side of our island’s highest land, out of the strong west winds, but within walking, bicycling distance of the
shorelineextreme high property tax zone, therefore relatively more affordable.As oldgold so eloquently stated earlier,
No, I didn’t know that.
Actually, I’ve put it this way: I bloom where I’m planted.
that just occcurred to me– vancouver is BOTH in the pacific “northwest” and canada. so that takes care of mine; I mean, it’s NW for us, not for them. i’m just not into learning another language
Great topic, msmolly. I think about this often enough. I like the light/sun and the climate mostly in NM. I don’t like the cold much, but we are going to be in a bad way with water in the new climate regime. So it is going to be difficult here sooner than later.
I like to travel, but I am not sure where else I would live.
I liked Vancouver. On the other hand, I was just as happy to leave it behind.
With a handle like yours, you would fit right in with Portland. As in “Keep Portland Weird!”
Sounds right. Of course, not everyone is at a place in life where moving would be desirable in any case.
France, once known as Gaul, was connected with Northern Italy.
And I’m guessing (with insider information) msmolly would likely attest after a few days away, in some very important respects, and echoing the words of L. Frank Baum, “There’s no place like home.”
Thanks msmolly,
Peace and Joy and Resolve.
This is a fascinating question. I often had bankruptcy clients who had no deep ties to Nashville, and I always told them that this was their moment to make positive changes to their lives, including moving. One was a salesman who tried to start his own business and failed. He was single, late 30s and had no kids. I figured if anyone could start over in a new place, it was this guy, because sales are such a transferable skill.
Me: So, if you could live anywhere in the country, where would it be? Seattle? Chicago? Denver? San Diego?
Him: Kansas City, he says. I love Kansas City.
Me: [long pause] Kansas or Missouri?
Him: Kansas, of course.
I pointed out that he was free to move out there. And he did. Last I heard, he was selling for a big company out there, and was happy as a clam.
Kansas, of course!
i don’t drive so good mass transit is esseential. i’ve heard Portland has it.
I have a childhood friend who has lived in Saltspring Island, BC for a lot of her adult life. I think when she and her husband were raising their son they lived in California, but moved there after he was grown. We haven’t kept in touch beyond Christmas cards, but I did visit them once when I was traveling with my sister and husband, and it’s very nice up there.
Yup, you nailed it. My own waterbed last night, a long shower in my own bathroom this morning, life is good.
But it reinforces for me that I don’t want to be anywhere that I can’t be part of my childrens’ and grandchildrens’ lives. Which sure narrows the radius of locations for me.
Reasonable. Max, the light rail part, has many detractors, one of them my SO. But I grew up in Chicago, and rail transit was vital and second nature to my travels around the area, including to and from Valparaiso IN, where I went to school.
That’s a good thing to do. Having a choice doesn’t happen often, and a lot of change is good, in itself.
I still take the South Shore train into Chicago, both for occasional shopping and to get to Midway or O’Hare airports.
That’s interesting. Do you know why he was so attracted to Kansas? I’ve never been there, and it’s never been on my list of places to visit.
Having my own things around me reminds me that when I move, I will need to go through and eliminate some to avoid overcrowding. Choices will be made.
I took the Pennsylvania RR from Valpo. It had a commuter train with it’s terminal in Valpo. Ran through Calumet City etc.
Where is KrisA this morning? He had some strong feelings about the availability of real authentic Mexican food. I figured he’d show up to weigh in on this topic.
I have moved around enough that I “travel light” mostly. I do have a couple of boxes in the basement that came with me from Cincinnati and have been unopened since, and this winter’s project is to go through them and (mostly) pitch or donate the contents.
Not that I’m planning to kick the bucket anytime soon, but I remember what my sister and I dealt with when our father died and we moved our mother to assisted living, and cleared out and sold their house. I won’t leave that sort of thing for MY kids to handle.
Do not know about KrisA, but ChiDyke is sleeping, and had a really nice local TexMex restaurant food that she really was happy to find, yesterday.
My very elderly mother told us all some years back to take what we wanted, now. We haven’t cleaned her out, but did add some things to our own households that weren’t part of her daily living routine. My sister discovered that some of the things she’d treasured just would not fit into her present RV lifestyle!
The biggest physical item for my kids to handle is a 54″ upright Kimball piano. It really can roar!
Next is my photo files. Even if I have them perfectly organized (which I don’t) it will be a chore. There’s enough work of quality that it would gain collectors attention (hopefully!)
Tes, Island fever is a real thing! Been there, dun that, have beer/food stains on the t-shit, now in the rag drawer, but wearable!
Yes, Island fever is a real thing! Been there, dun that, have beer/food stains on the t-shit, now in the rag drawer, but wearable!
T-shit? With stains?
LOL!
My parents lived through the depression, so among their “treasures” were several of those rubber bathmats with the little suction cups on the bottom, a nice collection of styrofoam meat trays (they had no garbage disposal and I think they emptied coffee grounds onto them), a stash of the backs of envelopes carefully removed from their incoming mail to use as scratch paper, and other stuff like that. And our mother was becoming increasingly senile so we had to do a lot of hunting to find their attorney who had their will, etc.
Looks like it was written via iPhone.
Oh, my. Lucky there were not a lifetime collection of Nat’l Geographic and a big ball of rubber bands. Or were there?
Well, I have quite a bit of big furniture they won’t want, like a king size waterbed and matching chest and dresser, a 12 ft. entertainment center, a long sectional sofa, etc. But it’s all nice enough stuff that it probably will sell at an estate sale, although no antiques or collctibles.
Oh yes, National Geographics. Stacks of them. No rubber bands that I remember.
There are firms around here that do this for people. Of course, this is a big retirement target area.
How did I guess? Libraries get lots of those.
Geeze….I’m in that exact position right now! I’m just reaching my social security age and will have some kind of income stream for the rest of my life, hopefully.
I currently live in an RV with my dog and I’m trying to decide what to do with myself. I’ve already been all over, having lived from Dallas and Austin to Seattle to Orlando and Tampa and San Diego, even Puerto Rico a couple of times and Angola with various other islands thrown in and I have to say that I’ve enjoyed them all! I worked as a construction manager and made good money!
The way I figure it, even if I get oldtimers disease, as long as I don’t lose my memories, I’ll be rich!
Geeze, the food, the places, the women what a time! Did I mention the food and the women? Many’s the night that as I lay down to sleep, I will recall an event in my life in one of those far flung places and I will laugh out loud from the joy of the memories!
I’ll bet there’s not many people who had an account at the whorehouse!
I did, in Antigua where I was renovating a military barracks the the dump was just past the Bordello. When the girls saw the carpet going to the dump, they lined up across the road and stopped me. We negotiated and I had an account open 1 girl for each room of carpet and I had about 26 rooms. Sad to say that I never got to zero it out, but had some wonderful drunker times in Antigua!
Well my goal is to find something crafty to sell on a circuit somewhere where I’ll enjoy travel and the contacts I have in the fairs or shows or whatever.
I am, by the way, open to suggestions?
I hope I haven’t bored you!
Happy Holidaze!
Carpet business sounds like your field. (folks here know I can’t resist making bad jokes.)
Carpet Diem!
Not boring at all. Where, of all of those places, would you like to live again? Seems like you could take your dog and RV and live anywhere. You could even do carpet installation as a sideline. LOL.
You note I didn’t mention ‘laying carpet’ … oh, dear, there I go.
Just so’s the carpet matches the drapes!
One step a-head, dear!
You don’t want to hear my theory about why a woman likes a man who wears a beard.
Time I should go do things now, before I get any sillier.
Thanks, all for the good company, and msmolly for hosting.
Go a head. I wear a beard! See if it matches mine!
I left!
…aka duck and cover!
I come when I’m called :)
Real Mexican food = California. Real Chinese as well.
I wouldn’t trade our little town for the world, though.
I’ve been doing some internet research and it seems there may indeed be an authentic Szechuan restaurant in North Austin, and a couple of places in Austin that serve real tacos.
We had a wonderful Szechuan restaurant 30,40 years ago in Portland; Uncle Chens. My god, it was good!
Szechuan was only one part of how this fellow could cook.
Each place holds wonderful memories. I don’t know if I could decide.
I’ve been blessed with the ability to travel. I once spent a month on the Island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, where Napoleon was exiled to and where he died. I have friends there who I could live with. It was a magical place. The people were warm and wonderful. The climate was wonderful. But it was the place. It was like going back in time 200 years except they have cars there now. But the homes were on hillsides and they heated their water in their wood burning stoves and they speak the Kings English and are civilized and polite. I may breath my last there, it wouldn’t be a bad thing except that I would miss my daughters. No airport yet.
And with that I’m out. Got some banking to take care of. Have a great weekend pupses!
Sort of lends new meaning to the term, doesn’t it?
I’m getting tired of looking like Gabby Hayes meself.
Yeah, I think I’m out too. Great conversation this morning, and I’ve been in no big hurry to get on with the day, but now I must. See you all around whatever town you settle in!
Long ago FDL had a map that showed where the various Firepups (those willing to share the info) lived. It would be fun to have that again.
I’m pulling out.
See you all soon!
Happy New Year!
OMG now you did bring back a memory! Gabby Hayes!
” Darn Toootin ”
I didn’t realize he’d been gone so many years. Died in 1967. I watched a lot of Roy Rogers movies, so I remember him well from those.
Now I’m out for realz. Have a great day. *poof*
Happy Trails to all….Luckily I really slept in on this cold morning, but looks like a good time was had by all. There really is quite a Central TX contigent; bet we could do a meet up for Chinese food. Enjoy. ;)
Well, geez. Too late again.
I’m home in San Antonio. With another big snowstorm predicted for the mid-Atlantic covering the hours before and after my scheduled flight, the wise thing seemed to be to change my flight to yesterday. So I did. And as usual, I slept late this morning.
Just couldn’t face sleeping overnight at BWI if flights were cancelled. I was a bit stir-crazy anyway, so even though there’s some kitteh cleanup to do, it felt really good to be home. It was actually colder when I got up here at 10 am than in Baltimore most of the week! 41 here, mid-forties most days in B’more. Cold Tues and Wed though, mid-thirties.
Well, I’ve got laundry to do and gotta go to the grocery store after five days away. Will check in later. My computer addiction wasn’t broken; very weird to have nothing to do most of them. Jumped at the chance to do some laundry, vacuum the floor, etc.
So glad to see the gang here!
And as to where to live…I’m feeling my usual torn feeling after one of these visits: Maryland is not my home, but the red brick and evergreen trees, change of season, certain foods are familiar and always make me wonder if I should move there, after all. Since I really have no hometown, having moved several times as a kid, it would only make sense to go to MD or PA, where most of my cousins live. It’s unlikely to happen, but I regularly wish I could.
Ideal – in memory – is Boston. I loved it there, though I’m not sure why. It wasn’t easy to make friends except through school or work (have done both there), and the long winter eventually got to me, and of course, it’s expensive. Which has kept me from trying to move back…everyone I was friends with is gone or long out of touch; worry that it would be merely trying to recapture my youth. But it remains my favorite place that I’ve actually lived.
Happy you stopped by, and welcome “home” — I’ve always thought Maryland would be nice. But again, too far from my kids and grandkids, I guess. Weather would be better, tho.
Hey, Molly! Yeah, Maryland has a lot less snow, and a lot less often, than South Bend (but what place doesn’t that apply to, hmm?). Has four real seasons, with a scorching ugly-humid summer. Makes me pant just thinking of the looong summer I spent in Baltimore working before law school.
Countryside especially is quite beautiful;green, trees everywhere—tall ones! (I can almostsympathize with Romney’s “trees are theright height” comment…the difference in trees, especially size, are the first thing I notice traveling between Texas and Maryland).
I realise the last question was to open the discussion of “where you’d like to live” but nevertheless, I find it surprising that almost no one has commented on the fact that not a single US city is anywhere in this survey. Or does it no longer surprise anyone that quality of life in the US is considered substantially lower than many other parts of the world nowadays?
Speaking of the survey results, I find them surprisingly realistic, and know quite well many of the cities in there. I’m happy to see Vienna at the top. It’s a hidden gem. If I’ve understood the housing market correctly, it is also extremely affordable in marked contrast to Zürich or Geneva.
Mmmm
Wherever the island was where the Swiss Family Robinson ended up
oh good one!
Although my state is not overly conservative, the area where I live is. It’s also expensive. I’ve thought sometimes of relocating to Vermont (not until elderly parent is no longer in the picture, though), but am unsure if I could stand the winters. Vermont’s social climate and what I hope in the future might be some sort of state-run medical care are what would attract me.