Discussion: I just listened to that Moth too

Also enjoyed! =)

It's worth reading The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles to really get the background on that one.

If I lived in NYC, I'd go see this.

Definitely.

Thanks for cluing me in to The Moth. I'll have to check it out. Saw this review on the website, which sounds similar to your experience, Peter. "...I found myself sitting in the car, listening intensely, waiting 'til the end of the program, (all the while, the clock ticking and me realizing that I was late for a dinner engagement), rather than miss the outcome of the last storyteller. This is radio at its very best..." - Listener, Studio 360

If I lived in NYC

When Margi sees something in NYC she wants to go to (museum exhibition, theatre) she just does it. I'm less inclined to do a day trip to NYC from Northampton. But given that you're in Ltichfield every week ...

Of course, the chances of my ever living in NYC are just about nil. The last couple of times I can even recall going there are 1999 (an HVO meet in a corner of the Bronx) and around 1984 when I went to buy a guitar. This doesn't count passing through on the interstate. Maybe there has been a more recent visit, but it's not coming to mind.

...passing through on the interstate.

Traffic congestion is so prevalent on I-95 in NYC that there are very limited times when I will even consider going through there, rather than using the Tappan Zee Bridge. And, in the eastbound direction, the difference in tolls is also a factor.

Of course, GPSs will invariably route you through NYC on I-95 -- something which, I suspect, unfamiliar drivers follow blindly.

I've lived in Berkshire Co just west of PG, and on the East Side of Manhattan. And I don't understand the common American mindset that cities are to be avoided.

Today New York is Disneyland for adults...a huge amount of this country's culture is centered there. As we grow older, why wouldn't we want to have regular access to all of it? Along with potential new friendships with others who are similarly inclined? By and large, I found far more interesting people living and working right next to me in New York, than I ever did in Berkshire Co.

True..you'd best give up your car when you're there. But after 35 years living without a car in Chicago, I can only tell you that avoiding all those hours behind the wheel, on expressways, in traffic jams, in mechanic's waiting rooms, and working to pay for the gas it uses...that your life becomes enriched by its absence.

Clark, perhaps at some point in the next 35 years your accumulated wisdom will include the fact that people are different.

common American mindset

Perhaps not so common, as it seems that a majority of people now live in cities.

And as it turns out, I am on my way into NYC right now, harmlessly fiddling with my smartphone while Jessica drives.

"Nobody goes there any more, it's too crowded."

Comparing something to Disneyland is a good way to scare me off.

I´ll be visiting NYC in two weeks time...
Maybe I should change my plans?

It's a nice place to visit . . .

I would much rather go to NY than to Disneyland.

Geez guys...other than Phil and Charlie, no support for my contention that cities ARE worth visiting frequently, and perhaps living in for a period of your life?

With all the restaurants, theater, museums, concerts, fashion, broadcasting, history...and just the street scene you get for free...cities are indeed entertainment capitals. Maybe calling them Disneylands was too simplistic, for they are so much more.

And me of all people, celebrate that "people are different." I didn't mean to come on so strong in my post above...sorry.

bubo, even if you've been to NY many times before, I highly recommend Big Onion Walking Tours. I have a good friend who was a tour guide for them and walking around the city with her is amazing. It's like every street corner has a whole history book worth of interesting stories to tell.

Also, agree that comparison to Disneyland is a turn-off. ;-) That's how my former co-workers used to describe Las Vegas - "Disneyworld for grown-ups". I guess it's pretty accurate since both make me want to puke.

Cities are most appreciated by people who grew up in them.

We lived in Chicago (!) for 16 months. That was quite enough city living for me, thank you. I find cities are okay to visit, occasionally (not frequently).

I grew up playing in the woods, so orienteering just comes naturally to me as a sport for a lifetime. :-)

I lived in Cambridge when I was going to college. Right next to Boston. I prefer living out in the woods where I grew up.

I have never been to Disneyland or Disneyworld, and it would take some pretty extreme tactics to get me to go.

Next local meet:
"JJ, does this rag smell like chloroform to you?"

This would work for me.

Whoa, yeah!

I happen to appreciate cities enormously despite growing up outside of them. Urban living really just makes so much more sense - your friends, food, services, entertainment and just general activity all within a close distance (especially if you have access to green spaces). It's so much more efficient. And interesting. As a kid I used to think I would prefer to live out in the woods, far from my closest neighbor, but now I think that would be a pain in the ass. Fine for some weekends and holidays, but I want to be able to do stuff (or buy some milk!) just by walking out my door or hopping on some transportation. So, a smartly designed village works, too, though it's not quite so efficient in the housing realm.

Hope I didn't sound too Clark-like there. ;-)

Christina you write so eloquently, I could never duplicate it. So I don't think you need to worry. But thank you for expressing so well what I was trying to say.

You're actually beginning to sound a bit European, if I may say so. A bit like my Finn wife, who grew up in the forests of central Finland, but loves city life too...would never go back to Mänttä. Just as with health care and public transit, I think Europeans are also ahead of us making cities livable as well.

I may sound 'a bit European' but it was the most American of experiences that made me think this way - experiencing New York properly. And, of course, I grew up in the suburbs of many awesome cities (DC, SF, London, Boston), so I always had a taste of it. And yes, I think the US is way behind in establishing proper urban living, which is really the way of the future.

I like cities ok, but I like European cities I've been in quite a bit more than any US ones. Drawbacks of cities for me are dirt, noise and smells. I understand and appreciate the cultural values of cities and the opportunities for a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

So for a little hijack, what is your favorite North American city? I'll start. Ottawa.

Carol, Re. EuroDisney:

A map like that would definitely have made my visit more pleasant. I tried to stay away, but travelling with the family made them outnumber me 3-1.

Ottawa - the way I remember it from ages ago (1976?) - is a nice city.
At least what I saw, with lots of parks and trees to complement the usual downtown areas.

Calgary and Vancouver could work too. Big cities with still a relative closeness to nature and adventure.

Sorry, I haven´t got enough experience from US cities to have an opinion...

No love for the suburbs?

Ooh, ooh, Clark, you take this one!

But first, a comic interlude:

Yah...Funny Times, in Cleveland...one of the most failed of American cities. And doesn't that guy look like a young Mitt? Despite many efforts over the past 20 years, Ohio has done nothing with its major cities than depopulate, devastate and demolish. Too bad. Many of those Ohio neighborhoods were built for much more wealthy people than ever occupied New York or Chicago...wha' happened?

I don't think I've ever been to Ottawa. I thought Spokane wasn't so bad.

I haven't been to Ottawa either, as far as I recall. I like Boston. And Minneapolis. :-)

Since I was raised in the city (if the leafy residential areas of St. Paul can be so called), I like them. I really enjoy my suburban city of Bethesda -- big enough to have all the amenities, but not too big. (Too much traffic though). Not perfect, but pretty nice overall.

I used to think, like Cristina, that I'd prefer to live in the woods far from people, but I realized I really wouldn't like that too much. Love to visit though! And I really enjoy NYC. At least in short bursts.

San Francisco is my favorite city to visit.

NAOC 2014 in Ottawa two years from today!

Portland OR is also pretty nice.

I am desperate to visit Portland OR. I've loved my trips to SF and Seattle, and lke doing things in NYC. WE don't do it regularly because two hours on the train on a Tuesday sucks, but for concerts we're really excited about it's great.

As someone who just moved from the suburbs to ~ 4 miles from downtown Denver (so, in the city still), I'm loving it. I can bike or walk to the theater, downtown restaurants, 2 different sport stadiums, etc. It's definitely more exciting. Not to say that this is where I'd like to live the rest of my life, but for right now, it's good.

I lived in DC for about 7 years (post-college, before moving to western Mass.), part on Capitol Hill, a little near Dupont Circle, more in Georgetown. More or less enjoyed it, but found myself on weekends always wanting to get out of the city. Don't think that general feeling has changed.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

Well that's the best of both worlds! Enjoy the amenities of the city during the week, get away on the weekend. That's more or less what we do.