About your city...?

[luckotheirish]

There's a pretty good chance I'll be relocating within the next year and there's a lot of statistics out there about cities in the U.S., but little in the way of personal reviews (that I could find anyway).

So, I thought I would ask you all...

What do you like most about your city? What do you like least about it? Would you recommend it to someone else?

Feel free to list things that have to do with being gay and things that haven't nothing at all to do with it.

 

[G-Lexington]

I love Denver. Lots to do, but not so big that you feel lost or swallowed up by it all. Good gay scene if you're into that sort of thing (I tend not to be).

Only drawback is winter. Either it snows (which I don't like), or it's just plain ugly with everything being dead. But the weather's great most of the time.

Lex

 

[gmoney]

Hmm, guess i'll go first?

Riverdale, GA... well, the pro is that its... quiet.

And the con? Its completely boring. There is a subrate mall, a movie theatre, all the fast food you'd want. And an Econo Lodge.

And there it is. Riverdale in a nutshell. Go live in Midtown if you want the gay scene(and can afford the living).

Riverdale's not that bad! Yes, I live on the north side of Atlanta, but no matter what side, you still have access to a great city! Atlanta is great for employment, entertainment, shopping, theatre, etc.

If you want a weekend getaway, you're not far from the mountains, or a less than a day's drive to the beach.

As for the gay scene, yes Midtown is the place. You don't have to live in Midtown to enjoy it either. I'm less than 30 minutes away in very affordable real estate.

 

[JayHew]

What is good, no city. No town near by. Wild life every day right outside the door. Mountains, sunrises and sunsets to take your breath away, quiet, peace, wild flowers. Hiking, fishing, exploring every day if wanted.

Summers are warm with daylight for 23 hours a day, always places to go things to do. Winters, cold but manageable with snow machining, ice fishing, less day light so hibernation possibilities. When really cold (like now -35 to -40 at night for last week and to be the same for next week) plenty of chances to get the house cleaned and pet projects done and out of the way.

Gay life, what gay life? Oh, there are plenty of guys around here and there and it is not too difficult to get together, it is just your night at the opera might consist of sitting on a river bank and watch eagles dive on salmon and raise a ruckus with each other.

May not sound like much to most, but to me, a most cherished little piece of heaven here.

Good luck on your move.

 

[HPNJ2006]

I'd make a recommendation based upon the type of lifestyle you want to live. If you're like me and hate driving, there are lots of older, walkable, and transit-oriented cities. Places like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco are cities in which you can live well without having to rely on an automobile. If you live in a "sunbelt" city such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, etc. auto ownership is absolutely necessary. Those cities grew up at a later time and were designed for the automobile.

And as a general rule (though there are excpetions), if you want to be out and gay in America, it's best to stick to metropolitan areas in which there are more than one million inhabitants.

As for MY city, well I live in Northern New Jersey, 12 miles from Manhattan. My town is a dense little suburb with an active downtown. There's an arts and musician community here, a university, and a large restaurant community as well. Many of New York's most popular chefs have opened restaurants here in Montclair. BUT, it's a suburb and therefore I have to own a car (I hate cars). Although I can walk to the grocery store and other places I need to go, and although there are excellent train and bus connections to NYC, there are just some places (including work) I have to drive to get to. There's also a bit of a "holier than thou" attitude (read: wealthier than thou) that a lot of people in this town have. The Stepford Wives could've been set here.

 

[DiaryOfAMadman]

HPNJ2006 funny I never knew you were so close.

Here's my review

Hillside, NJ
Population: 20,000 ish


My town is good one only one aspect LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.
That's really the only positive thing about my town.

We're right off of Rt. 22 (major artery lots of shopping and stores) runs east/west across north-central Jersey.

15 mins from the entrance to the Holland Tunnel into manhattan

5 mins from the Gothels Bridge / Varizanno Bridge into Staten Island / Brooklyn

3 mins from the Garden State Parkway (the major passenger vehicle roadway running the coast of NJ from North - South.

4 mins away from the NJ Turnpike / I-95 entrance

4 mins from Route 1 & Route 9

The town borderers Newark, Elizabeth, Union, and Irvington.

Thats basically the only good thing about living in Hillside. You can easily get anywhere you want to go. The public school system is pretty awful and the taxes are OUTRAGEOUS for a town of our size and income levels $6,000 per year and up. But lucky its easy to escape!

 

[reinventedboy]

Sydney - its full of life. Very socially acceptable.

 

[miaplacidus]

Atlantida, Uruguay - population 10,000-ish.

Best: beaches, environment in general, lots of trees, always quiet, a general impression of peace.

Worst: people - not very gay friendly.

 

[luckotheirish]

Thanks for the input so far!!

Anybody from Boston, Philly, Baltimore, DC, Charlotte, Phoenix, or any other cities?? When the time comes, I have pretty much the map of the U.S. to throw the dart at.

It doesn't have to be a place with 20-30 gay bars. Getting drunk, smoking, and/or doing drugs doesn't really appeal to me anyway. It just doesn't curl my toes. I would however like the opportunity to meet more gay people and make some gay friends. All of my current friends are straight.

Thanks again for the info. Keep it coming...

 

[Swellegant]

Oakland has a lot of plusses... the weather being my top pick (seldom very hot, seldom particularly cold); then there's the proximity to Gay Mecca (San Francisco), close enough to visit but far enough away that you don't have to deal with it if you don't want to, not to mention proximity to Berkeley (hot college studs), the wine country, and a lot of other lovely day-trip destinations; lots and lots of different cultures to participate in, some rather stunning views, and a generally laid-back atmosphere. And lets not forget the manicure shops every fifty feet, the fabulous and mostly inexpensive restaurants (a foodie's paradise for sure), and some great shopping/neighborhood venues like Grand Lake, Piedmont Avenue, Rockridge, and Downtown.

On the minus side there's the ridiculously high cost of living, a not-very-cozy crime rate, and municipal governments so generally inept and corrupted with petty palm-greasing that you spend a lot of time just shaking your head at their amazing stupidity. Oh yeah, and the traffic... you can't get anywhere without hitting traffic unless you drive around in the middle of the night, yet the public transportation is such that you'll probably need a car unless you plan to live on a bus route (which aren't the safest neighborhoods).

 

[jwest]

chicago..undoubtebly one of the best cities in the world
you get the big city feeling without the overwhelming immensity that taints nyc or los angeles
like hpnj said, great transportation system
some of the best recreational spots...millennium park, navy pier, museums galore

no real negative..unless you hate cold weather, rain, snowstorms, or wind

 

[januaryguy]

Hey there I'm from Pittsburgh, PA...

There are a lot of things that people don't know about Pittsburgh that are reasons why I love it..There are so many different niehgborhoods around the city that most people do not exist with all different sorts of ethnic groups, I think my city has some amazing food choices..You are so close to mountains and rivers that during the good seasons there are endless things to do..The gay scene is ok, not the greatest from what I understand but not the worst either..The weather can be a drag unless you embrace it, we're called "The Seattle of the East" because we have the second most cloudy days per year, but ya know the cost of living is cheap as hell and there are some real up and coming places here! Go to wikipedia and type in Pittsburgh, PA to see pictures...Traffic can be a bitch, but isnt it everywhere?!

Good luck on your move!

Is it like what we see in QAF?

Vic

 

[dpnice]

Why are you restricting your oyster to the states? How about emigrating?

Come and live in Nice in the South of France; you will never want to leave, well except to visit other European towns.

 

[bimmrboy]

I love the Boston area. Pretty much whatever you are into you can do. The downside is it's incredibly expensive which can be very frustrating unless you have a ton of money.

 

[OtterJoq]

Minneapolis. Very gay-friendly and supportive. Arts scene (especially theater) unparalleled in a city this size. Great schools, pretty good restaurants, year-'round outdoor festivals. VERY fun Pride celebration in summer. Walkable downtown with extensive skyway system when the weather is bad. Riverfront is exploding with lofts and condos, restaurants, shops, et cetera. Light rail system connects downtown with Mall Of America and the airport; next phase will connect downtown Minneapolis with downtown St. Paul.

It gets a little chilly here, but that only makes Spring that much more splendid.

 

[hunky]

Belo Horizonte, Nice boys, beautiful boys, hot boys, sexy boys...

 

[FlyingCheeseSteak]

Representin' Philly here!

You either like the suburbs or the city. I like the city.
It is actually pretty nice, although I wish that there would be more "life" in it.

 

[NineOfClubs]

Portland, Oregon

Best:

Just the right size. Good (and improving) public transport. An hour or so to the beach, ski-ing, trails. No blizzards or hurricanes. Light rail line to the airport. Clean air. Has Flexcar. No sales tax. Great bicycling town. Has become a good "food" town. So many bars (and most 'straight" ones are very open to gays). Rarely any summer humidity. People very relaxed and accepting. City of fun neighborhoods and all seem to be lively and on the upswing.

Worst:

You might not like the winter rain. It's hard to tell the straight boys from the gay ones. Liquor not sold in groceries. High cost of living (but better than other West Coast cities). A few miles outside the city and you're likely to run into a hick attitude.

 

[luckotheirish]

Why are you restricting your oyster to the states? How about emigrating?

Come and live in Nice in the South of France; you will never want to leave, well except to visit other European towns.

Thanks for the invitation!

I was in France for my first (and so far only) time two years ago. I was very impressed with how well we were treated and how clean it was. Kinda pricey though. The big problem is my job. I'm a pharmacist and that requires layers of licensure to be employable. The cost and time required for reciprocation (license transfer) from state to state is ridiculous enough. When pharmacists from outside the U.S. come here, it takes months to years before they can work. I'm pretty sure I'd starve in the meantime. But I would like very much to visit Europe again, and again.

 

[luckotheirish]

I love the Boston area. Pretty much whatever you are into you can do. The downside is it's incredibly expensive which can be very frustrating unless you have a ton of money.

bimmrboy,

Do you live in the city or the burbs? Any particular area/neighborhood you recommend?

My brother lived in Weymouth about 15 years ago, so it's been a long time since I've been to Boston. I remember liking it a lot. We were there for the 4th of July. WOW!!! Very impressive!!

As far as cost of living. I have read that real estate is especially expensive in Boston. I certainly don't have a "ton of money, " but I make what's considered to be a great living by small town Indiana standards. My house here would cost at least double in Boston and I don't know about salary differences between here and there.

Thanks again for the input!!