[milf]

So, how about it? I need a change of scenery and there are so many places around the US and other parts of the world that I'd love to explore. How about stating where you are and a list of pros/cons (weather (temperatures), traffic, food, to-dos, people, culture, etc.)

[MacGorilla]

I live in on Mars. Pros: Quiet, isolated. Cons: Dry, empty, atmosphere stinks. People keep sending space garbage my way. No traffic, no culture but if you like the outdoors, its the place the be. We have the largest mountain in the solar system, the deepest canyon and some of the best snow boardin money can buy. Oh and bring your sun screen: we ain't got no ozone layer or magnetic field to protect you.

[macroy]

MD/DC/VA - Pros:
Diversity - definitely a mixing bowl of culture. Great food.
JOBS JOBS JOBS... probably the least hardest hit by the current recession. Of course, most will require a US citizenship, and a good number also would like a clearance. But there are other jobs..MD actually have a pretty good biotech sector. Good schools (one of the best areas in the country). Smithsonian! (this will spoil you as some of the worlds most prized artifacts can be found here...for FREE!) - other Museums, arts, etc.... chance to see powerful people (hm.. I guess pro or con depends on who you like dislike in politics...). Close proximity to NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlantic City etc..

CONS - TRAFFIC REALLY REALLY REALLY SUCKS, Metro (subway)/public transportation is not as good as other large metropolitan areas. HIGH Prices for everything - SF and SD definitely takes the cake in terms of housing, but I've noticed that food can be had for much cheaper in those cities. Here, everything is pretty pricy. Weather... you get the extremes of both - hot and humid in the summer, and cold as hell in the winter.
Oh, and the current Redskins.

[todrain]

Dallas - it is in Texas. :/

[Buck_Naked]

Silicon Valley

Good:
Weather
Family
Apple Computer

Bad:
Cost of living
Traffic
Idiots on the road

[Cipher13]

Sydney, Australia.

'tis awesome.

Plenty of job opportunities, never drops below 23F even on the coldest winter days (it's currently about 95F... goddamn the Farenheit system is stupid). Awesome nightlife, beautiful city. Within an hour of the city are national parks, beaches, mountains... you name it.

I'd never wanna live anywhere else.

[Athens]

Originally posted by milf:
So, how about it? I need a change of scenery and there are so many places around the US and other parts of the world that I'd love to explore. How about stating where you are and a list of pros/cons (weather (temperatures), traffic, food, to-dos, people, culture, etc.)

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Weather (including Seattle) for this area is very mild, our winters are almost always above frezzing, and summers are never super hot. We get maybe a couple inchs of snow a year. In the winter and spring we get lots of rain, in the summer and fall we have very dry weather.

Traffic is starting to become bad because of groth, Vancouver has doubled in size from 1 million to over 2 million in the last 20 years.

We have every kind of food imaginable, because of our high chinese and east indian population here you can find stuff from all around the world here.

Vancouver pretty much has every thing you need for entertainment, some of the largest malls and movies complexes, and Arcades are here, we have some 24 hour arcades, bars are open until 4 am, Whistler which is a 2 hour drive is one of the worlds most know skillhills outside of Eroupe and supose to be the best skill hills in North America. Lots of large national parks close buy, great camping, in drysuits the surf is decent in the right places. Vancouver is hosting the Winter olympics in 2010, we hosted Expo in 86, we have a NHL team and Pro Football but CFL not NFL. Our baseball team is a AAA which is the feader for the LA Angles or what ever the team is, its in California.

In the downtown core in the westend of the city is the denses place in North America with over 150 000 people living in a few city blocks. Lots of golf. And the best part is your a less then a hour drive from the US and 2 hours from Seattle.

The West Coast is great for the mountains, forests and ocean.

Vancouver has been voted the number 1 place to live in the world 6 years and a row and dropped to number 2 for the last 2 years because of traffic problems.

LOL I can go on forever but I think I said enough

[ThinkInsane]

In the summer, my town is great. Beautiful weather, I live on the shore of Lake Ontario and we have incredible sunsets. Lots of history here. There is a ton of potential here, with lots of undeveloped property and waterfront real estate.

In the winter, it's a nightmare. We measure snow fall in feet, not inches. On more than one occasion I have seen 72 inches of snow fall in a 24 hour period.

Also, like many upstate New York towns, the industry has moved elsewhere, and good paying jobs are getting few and far between. Historically our taxes have been way below the state average, but recently, they are rising fast to make up for the short fall that all those fleeing industries left.

For a good idea about what it's like here, read the book The Last Good Chance by Tom Barbash. It's set in my town, although the author changed the name of it to Lakeland in the book. Ironically, I picked it up in the bookstore, having no idea that the story takes place here. I figured it out in about the first ten pages though, it was that spot-on.

[Mr. Blur]

for the most part, see the above post about vancouver....some differences though:
rain - victoria gets about 2/3 of the precipitation vancouver does
nightlife - not too much here, a bit more of a laid back town for those looking for something a bit quieter (like me)
traffic - certainly not as bad as most cities, but we've a few trouble spots
isolation - it can be a pain sometimes to get off the island...at the mercy of ferry schedules and capacities
jobs - this is a gov't and tourism town
housing - most people find it very expensive, rental availability is below 1% at the moment

[Athens]

Um there are lots of rentals in Victoria as I go there every week, at least with Apartments, on Gorage Road almost every building has suits open.

Victoria is a nice city to visit, sucks to live there. But one nice thing is Vancouver and Victoria are very close together

[Mr. Blur]

Originally posted by Athens:
Um there are lots of rentals in Victoria as I go there every week, at least with Apartments, on Gorage Road almost every building has suits open.

Victoria is a nice city to visit, sucks to live there. But one nice thing is Vancouver and Victoria are very close together

yeah, there are rentals, but the ratio of availability *is* about 1% which drives the prices. i own my place so it doesn't bother me though!

close to vancouver, but with the georgia straight between us it makes sure we don't just become a suburb of vancouver, which would be an awful thing.

[Athens]

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:
yeah, there are rentals, but the ratio of availability *is* about 1% which drives the prices. i own my place so it doesn't bother me though!

close to vancouver, but with the georgia straight between us it makes sure we don't just become a suburb of vancouver, which would be an awful thing.

I lived in Victoria for 5 years and one of the biggest complaints was the cost and time it took to get to Vancouver, Victoria gets boring very fast. Going to a Canucks game was impossible unless you spent the night in Vancouver. Rental prices are very good in Vic, I found places for 450 a month 1 bedrooms, the average place in Vancouver is 550-700 for 1 bedrooms.

[Face Ache]

Originally posted by macroy:
MD/DC/VA

Nice qualifications but where to you live?

[spiky_dog]

i just spent the last four years in boston (well, cambridge, close enough).

pros: awesome mix of people thanks to the bajilions of college kids in the area. good food if you ask around. nice movie theaters, public transit works. chinatown isn't sleazy, has good late night restaurants.

cons: T shuts down shortly after midnight, walking home from chinatown to cambridge sucks. expensive in general, and especially in rent. many blasé 20somethings hanging around with little purpose in life, gets old. weather is harsh in my feeble seattle-bred opinion.

[Face Ache]

I live in Perth, Western Australia (or P, WA for macroy)

Pros:
Great weather, great beaches, laid-back lifestyle, good roads, clean air.

Cons:
Bugger all jobs, people being laid-back to the point of coma, redneck attitudes, poisonous stuff and things wi' big nasty teeth.

[Demonhood]

Land of the Easily Amused:

Pro:
-great weather
-not too crowded
-clean air
-next to a large body of water
-beautiful people
-bike friendly
-random run-ins with famous people

Con:
-high cost of living
-not much open 24/7 (people need to recover from all that laughter)
-beautiful people
-random run-ins with famous people

[Zoom_zoom]

Mackay, North Queensland, Australia, Earth, ect, ect.

Pros: Great tropical weather, (apart from some humidity in summer)
Very friendly people
Moments from the Whitsundays
Great beaches and reefs
Really nice place
Has every thing that you need


Cons:
The "You aint from around here are you boy" attitude to new people (I moved here a year ago from a place near melbourne.)
Some Red Necks
One Mac dealer that knows nothing about Apple
Country music

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally posted by macroy:
MD/DC/VA - Pros:
SNIP
CONS - TRAFFIC REALLY REALLY REALLY SUCKS, Metro (subway)/public transportation is not as good as other large metropolitan areas. HIGH Prices for everything - SF and SD definitely takes the cake in terms of housing, but I've noticed that food can be had for much cheaper in those cities. Here, everything is pretty pricy. Weather... you get the extremes of both - hot and humid in the summer, and cold as hell in the winter.
Oh, and the current Redskins.

Horrible, horrible, horrible traffic. Did I mention hw bad the traffic is?

That and the bad, bad, bad public schools in DC is what is making me leave the area. I would come back here after I go to graduate school but the situation will be worse by then.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally posted by macroy:
MD/DC/VA

Originally posted by Face Ache:
Nice qualifications but where to you live?

Look at his location. Potomac, MD of the MD/DC/VA triumvirate. A pricey suburb just outside the priciest part of DC.

[Angus_D]

The main downers here are the weather and ludicrous amounts of tax we pay to the government, and our infrastructure is falling to pieces and public services are probably beyond repair. Other than that, it's good

[kmkkid]

Southern Ontario

Pro's:

Very few natural disasters (only the odd tornado, which usually isnt even that large)

Nice scenery in the country

Fairly clean in the the large city's

Always a fairly short drive from a major city (london, TO, windsor, hamilton, niagara falls etc.)

No fear of terrorist attacks

OHIP

much much more, but I take too much for granted.


Con's:

Winter

Our lakes are polluted

Gas prices

Can get boring if you don't live in a large city.




Chris

[milf]

I guess I should mentiono my pros/cons for the Washington DC area:

Pros:
- I have job security out the whazoo. A good feeling.
- My immediate family lives here. Nice having them around.
- DC is a great city. Young and not too fastpaced like NYC. Museums.
- The people

Cons:
- The weather. Like said we have extremes. HOT summers. COLD winters, neither of which I'm a big fan of.
- Traffic. I hate my morning commute, even at 6 in the morning. If I skip the morning workout and leave at 8...the commute is a nightmare.
- I'm getting tired of the same old scene.
- Politics galore
- The people
- I'm becoming more and more of a DC drive. It's time to go.
- My new car doesn't like the poor road conditions

Okay, enough b*tching. Thanks for the great responses. Keep 'em coming. I've been to most of the places mentioned so far, except Australia. The Croc' Hunter has me spooked though. Too much sh*t down there the size of a quarter that could take my life in a matter of seconds. :-P

[SupahCoolX]

New York City:
Pro- You name it, it's here. Best food going. Sports, museums, events, shopping, concerts, "culture," history, etc. out the yin-yang. All types of people here, too. You can never be bored here. Amazingly clean and safe for such a large city (it's nothing like the TV/Hollywood stereotypes would have you believe).

Con- Some people just don't like the hustle and bustle. Also fairly high cost of living, but there are lots of high paying jobs, so it may not be an issue depending on what you do.

[DesignerTerp]

Originally posted by macroy:
MD/DC/VA - Pros:
Diversity - definitely a mixing bowl of culture. Great food.
JOBS JOBS JOBS... probably the least hardest hit by the current recession. Of course, most will require a US citizenship, and a good number also would like a clearance. But there are other jobs..MD actually have a pretty good biotech sector. Good schools (one of the best areas in the country). Smithsonian! (this will spoil you as some of the worlds most prized artifacts can be found here...for FREE!) - other Museums, arts, etc.... chance to see powerful people (hm.. I guess pro or con depends on who you like dislike in politics...). Close proximity to NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlantic City etc..

CONS - TRAFFIC REALLY REALLY REALLY SUCKS, Metro (subway)/public transportation is not as good as other large metropolitan areas. HIGH Prices for everything - SF and SD definitely takes the cake in terms of housing, but I've noticed that food can be had for much cheaper in those cities. Here, everything is pretty pricy. Weather... you get the extremes of both - hot and humid in the summer, and cold as hell in the winter.
Oh, and the current Redskins.

Ditto all this.

Edited: But you would know this, living in Arlington. (to milf)

[macroy]

quote:Originally posted by macroy:
MD/DC/VA

quote:Originally posted by Face Ache:
Nice qualifications but where to you live?

MD/DC/VA Usually refers to the DC metro area. But I do live in Potomac, MD - about 10 miles from DC, and right across the river from VA.

Originally posted by DesignerTerp:
Ditto all this.

Edited: But you would know this, living in Arlington. (to milf)

DUH, Milf.. . Nice that I gave you a bunch of info that you already know.... hehe. My bad.

[DesignerTerp]

Originally posted by macroy:




DUH, Milf.. . Nice that I gave you a bunch of info that you already know.... hehe. My bad.

yeah I ditto'd yours and then read that he's in Arlington! D'oh!

[nredman]

being close to my family makes where i live the best place to live.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
New York City:
Pro- You name it, it's here. Best food going. Sports, museums, events, shopping, concerts, "culture," history, etc. out the yin-yang. All types of people here, too. You can never be bored here. Amazingly clean and safe for such a large city (it's nothing like the TV/Hollywood stereotypes would have you believe).

Con- Some people just don't like the hustle and bustle. Also fairly high cost of living, but there are lots of high paying jobs, so it may not be an issue depending on what you do.

Um, I also live in New York City, and have been living here since 1997, but it seems that I've had a somewhat different experience. Although there are some pros, the cons are fairly significant, too.

Pros:

• many people everywhere with iPod's
• The Apple Store SoHo
• never-sleeping city
• the financial capital of the United States
• the fashion capital of the United States
• a theater capital of the United States
• home of Times Square
• many different ethnic groups
• many ethnic restaurants
• many, many skyscrapers everywhere in Manhattan
• the subway works 24 hours per day
• many Broadway shows
• many museums
• The Statue of Liberty
• The Empire State Building
• The Chrysler Building
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Guggenheim Museum
• The Sony Building

Cons:

• 9/11/2001
• frequent terrorist threats
• within fifty miles of the Indian Point nuclear power plant that could flood NYC with lethal radiation if attacked
• unreliable public transportation
• crazy traffic
• crazy taxi drivers
• crazy bus drivers
• many crazy store clerks with a "Hey, YOU! Either buy NOW or leave NOW!" attitude
• many crazy people who are only interested in how much money you are worth
• many rude, frowning people everywhere with a "Hey, YOU! Get outta my way RIGHT NOW!" attitude
• long hours with little pay
• dirty subway platforms with no heating or air conditioning
• lots of theft (Somebody stole my Handspring Visor Deluxe PDA last November in an Internet caf�!)
• no rent control for most apartments and businesses
• many over-greedy landlords who suddenly raise the rent by 300% and drive stores out of business and people out of their homes
• 8.75% sales tax
• about 30% income tax
• $300/meal ultra-expensive restaurants whose overpriced dinners sell out
• homeless people everywhere
• near-impossibility of an average-ability person to rise from rags to riches here, because the rich control the city
• unstable job market
• almost everybody leaves the city during every extended vacation
• poor people peeing across several cars into the car door gaps during the rain (I have personally witnessed this in the Upper West Side several times!)
• high cost of living

I used to teach English in Tokyo, Japan, but teachers there earned between two and three times what they earn here, and only paid 6% in income tax!

Now, I'm trying to move back to there, to Osaka, Japan, or to Sydney, Australia!

--DekuDekuplex

[wdlove]

Boston, Massachusetts

Pro:
Four Seasons
Mass Transit
Medical & Educational Centers
Mountains to North
Ocean

Con:
High Cost of living
High humidity in summer
High taxes

[g. olson]

Truthfully, I hesitate to post on this topic because I think I live in paradise and really don't want to share it! First, a disclaimer: I am a 100% Swedish-American, so what I think is great weather may be the worst thing someone else can imagine. I am in Duluth, Minnesota.

Pros:
Clean, clean air
Clean abundant water
Lake Superior
Brutal, exhilarating winters
Endless forests, lakes, rivers
Wolves, bears, moose, otters, eagles
Honest, socially conscious people
Open, responsive government
Cheap housing

Cons:
Too many deer
Hockey, hockey, hockey
No decent Mexican food
No jobs
Summer tourists
Ten days a year over 80 degrees

As an aside, my favorite place to visit is New York City. It is like Disneyland for the literate.

Gary Olson
Duluth, MN

[milf]

Ten days a year over 80 degrees

You're right, g.olson, we don't quite see eye to eye on the perfect weather. Bring on the heat and sunshine!

DesignerTerp/Macroy/and other locals:
It's good hearing what others think of our area, especially since we seemingly agree on many points. How long have you guys been here? Plans of trying some place new?

The NYC crowd:
I love NYC, but only in 5-day chunks per year. It's just too overwhelming for my tastes, but a great city nontheless.

What about some input from those outside the US?!!??! Anyone?

[dtriska]

Originally posted by milf:
What about some input from those outside the US?!!??! Anyone?

Um, Canada and Australia aren't part of the US, regardless of what you've been taught in school.

[milf]

Um, Canada and Australia aren't part of the US, regardless of what you've been taught in school.

Hah, very good point, smartass. There was supposed to be a more in there. How about some MORE input from those outside the US..

[Sven G]

OK - here's some input from us "outsiders" (a good concept, anyway!)...

Personally, I live in a town south of Milan, in the region of Lombardy, in Italy, part of Europe; at the same time, I work in Milan, a "big" (but not too big, really) city, with many, many problems (and also with some good things, of course)...

Here's where I live (a photo of the "famous" bridge on the Ticino river, in Pavia, a historical medieval university town in Europe (one of the most ancient universities, together with Bologna, AFAIK) - which was indeed called Ticinum many, many years ago...):



And here's where I work (and also live, of course, being that working = living, to some extent, at least; formerly called Mediolanum...):



Pros:

- historic cities and towns, with good artistic value;

- acceptable public transportation (acceptable in the meaning of mediocre: not at all at the levels of Switzerland and Germany, for example - at least for the time being);

- interesting architecture (both "classic" and modern/postmodern);

- great potential for doing constructive things, in a good cultural environment (at least potentially);

- ...

Cons:

- traffic chaos galore (especially in Milan, of course - and because of wrong decisions in the past, favoring the car instead of an extensive public transportation system): really disgusting;

- "dirty" towns/cities (see above);

- local people don't seem to seriously care about their own environment;

- too much "work for the sake of work" (see also "business for the sake of business") ideology, in Milan, especially: of course, it's often work that's not really useful and constructive;

- ...

... And if someone is interested in living here, I'd only say: try and see - maybe you'd like it, maybe not...

[osiris]

NYC - Manhattan, my native home is heaven and hell.

Pro: Restaurants, museums, models/movie stars, anonymity, Central Park.

Con: No smoking of any kind anywhere, a homogenized Times Square, dirty/smelly, expensive, over taxed, no big super markets, Rich vs Poor attitude with politics/business, a dwindling middle class, and a 2nd rate transit system embraced in decay and political corruption.

but it's still a helluva town!

[fat mac moron]

Springfield, Mass

Pros:

- Best paying job I've ever had.

- Boston only an hour away.

- Close to my parents, who live in Maine.

Cons:

- Crazy insane psycho nutball drivers. People around here are the WORST drivers. Anywhere. Car insurance is ABSURD. I moved here from Philly, where I paid $800 per year. Massachusetts insurance was $1400 for the same vehicle.

- Bad winters. I know we hit -40 degree (F) last winter.

- Possibly the worst accent on the planet. Oh, and liberally throw the word "wicked" into everyday conversation. It's wicked hot. It's wicked cold. That's wicked aaahsaam (awesome for you non-Mass people). Yeah.

- Red Sox fans. Poor, poor bastards.

- Taxes, taxes, taxes.

- Horrible gun laws. I don't even own a gun, but this state makes you jump through hoops, naked, covered in Crisco, only on Thursdays, to even possibly have a slim glimmer of hope to legally purchase a firearm. Meanwhile some crook can probably buy a gun in under 30 seconds down the block.

[effgee]

Originally posted by milf:
What about some input from those outside the US?!!??! Anyone?

Alrighty then ... here's for my former hometown and favorite place to live in - if you're tired of city life and/or the suburban hellhole that is DC/MD/VA here's an alternative for you: Heidelberg, Germany



Pros:

• Beautiful scenery - Heidelberg is located at the foot of large wooded area with lots of rolling hills, overlooking the 30 mile wide Rhein valley
• Compared to the overall world economy, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg (which Heidelberg is a part of) is doing very well, unemployment below average, lots of high-tech jobs in the bio-tech area
• Even though Heidelberg is a small town (approx. 200000 people) it is an extremely open-minded and cosmopolitan place due to the huge college, lots of tourists and the large US army bases located in the area
• Great schools - Heidelberg is home to oldest college in Europe (founded in thirteenhundred-ho-hum)
• There's actually 4 seasons in Heidelberg, cold winters with a bit of snow and nice warm summers
• Located in the heart of Germany, 40 mins. from Frankfurt (jobs, economy, airport, finance) and about an hour from Stuttgart (quite a bit of high-tech industry, Daimler-Chrysler, Porsche )
• No crime worth mentioning
• No areas that you wouldn't dare walk around in at night time
• Germany - unlike the US - is not a country of extremes, much more balanced and mellow
• The goddam' Autobahn - screw 55mph !

Cons:

• For German standards and taking into consideration the rather small size of the city, the cost of living is relatively high. Compared to DC, though, it's a steal
• Gas is too fsck'ing expensive
• Germany - unlike the US - is not a country of extremes, much more balanced and mellow

P.S. Of course this is a matter of personal preference/opinion - but I have lived/worked in a few places in the US (DC, NYC, Philadelphia, Boston plus a few others) but the DC area (the area surrounding DC, that is) was by far the worst - pure "suburban-soccer-mom-monster-suv-yuppie-hell" ... ewwwww!

edited because I still can't type worth a doo-doo

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally posted by milf:
DesignerTerp/Macroy/and other locals:
It's good hearing what others think of our area, especially since we seemingly agree on many points. How long have you guys been here? Plans of trying some place new?

I've been here since 02 October 1992 and have lived in Arlington and Falls Church Virginia. In DC I have lived in Mt. Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, and Southwest--both in a sailboat on the waterfront and in a condo where I currently reside.

I hope to be out of DC by 2005. I want to leave my high-paying govt. IT job to return to graduate school and get a Masters degree. Then I am off to the world of secondary education and a 30-50% pay cut from what I make now.

As to where I will go, it depends whether or not I am involved with someone at the time and wan't to be with her or go my own way. Otherwise, my two top choices are Columbus, OH or Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada.

[deekay1]

Originally posted by effgee:
here's an alternative for you: Heidelberg, Germany

after growing up, and having lived there for almost my entire life (i just moved 2 years ago) i can only second what effgee wrote!

in addition:

� great bar "scene" and some really neat clubs as well

� very pittoresque and laid back downtown, with many bistros/caf�s, where you can sit outside during summer and make fun of all the tourists *g*

� a real good selection of restaurants as well, covering all sorts of different types of "ethnic" and local food

[Sven G]

Originally posted by deekay1:
:� very pittoresque and laid back downtown, with many bistros/caf�s, where you can sit outside during summer and make fun of all the tourists

Yeah, tourists - especially in "forced" groups, and in particular the Japanese - really look a little stupid, sometimes!

Anyway, the practice of looking at tourists is, of course, doable in any place...

[WizOSX]

Originally posted by kmkkid

Southern Ontario.

I agree with your list of Pros and Cons except you left out one:

On a day to day basis, our air quality is now among the poorest in North America.

[mac-kerouac]

I love where I live. I'm a one hour train ride from NYC and a 40 min drive from Philly. It takes 10 min to get my kayak to the delaware and a 50 min drive to the jersey shore. I can be on the appalachian trail in an hour. I'm surrounded by major universities, good for going to school and hanging out.

NJ is not all refineries and turnpikes!!

[milf]

Alrighty then ... here's for my former hometown and favorite place to live in - if you're tired of city life and/or the suburbian hellhole that is DC/MD/VA here's an alternative for you: Heidelberg, Germany

.

Germany is my favorite location outside of the US. I love spending my springs/falls/summers there, but those occasional rough winters I definitely like to avoid.

I've been all over Europe, but Germany is definitely more of my home. It probably helps having lived there (Wiesbaden and Aschaffenburg) and being able to speak the language. Kind of makes it easier to get around and meet people.

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by Sven G:


Yeah, tourists - especially in "forced" groups, and in particular the Japanese - really look a little stupid, sometimes!

Anyway, the practice of looking at tourists is, of course, doable in any place...

[rant]
Ahem! Excuse me, smartass, but my mother just happens to be Japanese, and I myself have been a "Japanese tourist" on occasion.

Just what is it exactly that makes "in particular the Japanese - really look a little stupid?"

How about this, since you started this kind of discussion: "Yeah, tourists - especially in 'wandering' groups, and in particular the Milanese in New York - really look a little stupid, sometimes!"

Please THINK before making remarks that target specific ethnic groups! I'm not a big fan of political correctness, but in your case, I think that you need to read the book on it!
[/rant]

--DekuDekuplex

[spiky_dog]

whoa, calm down there. i, too, am japanese. and agree that japanese tourist groups have a particular, funny look about them. why? the ubiquitous slr around every neck. the funny flag and/or folded umbrella held up by the jacketed and hat-clad tour guide. er, can't think of any others now.

[thePurpleGiant]

Originally posted by spiky_dog:
whoa, calm down there. i, too, am japanese. and agree that japanese tourist groups have a particular, funny look about them. why? the ubiquitous slr around every neck. the funny flag and/or folded umbrella held up by the jacketed and hat-clad tour guide. er, can't think of any others now.

I live in Melbourne, Australia. I love the culture, the funky laneways of restaurants and cafes. I love the alive and friendly atmosphere at night time. I enjoy just chilling out in the many parks surrounding the city, and in the CBD itself.

The surrounding suburbs all have their own 'feel' to them, each adding a different element to the city. The palm trees and long esplanade of St Kilda, the shops in Richmond, the array of restaurants in Carlton, etc. Public transport is easy and accessible, with a single ticket providing all the public transport services you need - Trams for shorter trips, busses for slightly longer distances and trains to travel between suburbs and the country. All with a single Metlink ticket. (there is also a free 'city circle' tram)

I think Sydney is great too, the harbour is great - while our harbour area 'Docklands' is about 8 more years from being completely finished. I find Sydney a little too 'uptight' sometimes, especially the drivers there. I love driving in Melbourne.

Well that's the good things, the bad would have to be the weather. Great all year, but winter is so drab.

Photos:

The Yarra, and Crown Casino (uh, "Crown Entertainment Complex" sorry)


St Kilda - 5 minute tram ride from the city. Nice beach, Luna Park (theme park) is right next to the beach.


Docklands (with the Telstra Dome in the background)


Southbank - the 'other' side of the city, over the Yarra River.


Botanic Gardens

[DekuDekuplex]

Originally posted by spiky_dog:
whoa, calm down there. i, too, am japanese. and agree that japanese tourist groups have a particular, funny look about them. why? the ubiquitous slr around every neck. the funny flag and/or folded umbrella held up by the jacketed and hat-clad tour guide. er, can't think of any others now.

IMHO, none of that warrants a "funny look." I think that the look is quite trendy, actually. It's quite fashionable.

IMHO, it's really the Milanese tourist groups here in New York that have a particular, funny look about them.

Why?

FYI, I don't usually go about commenting on tourists. Unless, of course, somebody starts commenting on Japanese tourists.

Okay, since you started getting into specifics about Japanese tourists, here is a specific story that I think clearly illustrates the reason that Milanese tourists have their own "particular, funny" way of doing things:

Borrowed and adapted from an anonymous Manhattan greeting card:
First, I go to za Italian restaurant. I aska fora soma pasta, wara, anna piss of toast. Za waita bringa me pasta, wara, but no piss of toast. I say, "Scuze me, I wanna piss." He say, "You go to za corner, zere you can piss." I say, "No, I wanna piss on za table." He say, "You bedder notta piss on za table, you sonna ma bicchi." I just met za guy, anna he already calla me a sonna ma bicchi!

So, I go to anaza restaurant. Za waitress bringa me a spoon, knife, but no fok. I say, "Scuze me, I wanna fok." She say, "Everybody wanna fok." I say, "No, I wanna fok on za table." She say, "You bedda notta fok on za table, you sonna ma bicchi!" I just met za lady, anna she already calla me a sonna ma bicchi!

Finally, I go to za hotel to check out. Za guy say, "Piss to you." I say, "Piss onma you too, you sonna ma bicchi!"

I go back to Italy!

I don't know about Milanese tourists, but Japanese tourists certainly don't speak like that!

--DekuDekuplex

[Funny Bugga]

Originally posted by DekuDekuplex:
IMHO, none of that warrants a "funny look." I think that the look is quite trendy, actually. It's quite fashionable.

IMHO, it's really the Milanese tourist groups here in New York that have a particular, funny look about them.

Why?

FYI, I don't usually go about commenting on tourists. Unless, of course, somebody starts commenting on Japanese tourists

Okay okay, all tourists have their idiosyncrasies. A lot of tourists are funny to others in their own way. We get it. Japanese tourists are funny to some people, Millanese tourists are funny to others. No need to become so defensive.


As for my location, I live in Sydney. I used to live in Melbourne, but had to move for business reasons at the start of this year. I really enjoy Sydney, but I must say I did prefer Melbourne. I often find Sydneysiders a bit too 'try-hard', in that they all try to wear the "in" fashion, do the "right things" to be doing - whereas Melbournians seem to have some kind of genuine fashion sense of their own, and have their own style. Sydney drivers are the angriest drivers I have come across in Australia also - a big change from the generally friendly nature of Melbourne drivers.

[Scotttheking]

The Depths of Hell

Pro:

• No cold weather

Cons:

• People here suck
• IT'S HOT!
• No one wants to be here
• No worthwhile public transportation
• No nightlife

I plan on moving to either Chicago, upstate New York, somewhere within about 20 mins of DC, somewhere in CT, Boston, or some other nice place. My sentence here should be over in August (I hope).

[mac-at-kearsarge]

New London, NH, United States.

Pros:
- No sales tax
- Beautiful surroundings
- Clean
- Peaceful
- Modern Services (Broadband both Cable and DSL)
- Safe
- College (Colby Sawyer, which shares its rescources with the public)
- Easy Highway Access (Insterstate 89: exits 12A, 12, and 11)
- Plenty of Golf, Skiing, hiking, sailing, ect oppurtunities
- 20 mins from Lebanon (Dartmouth); 30 mins from Concord (Capital); 55 mins from Manchester (Largest State City), 90 mins from Boston (Largest Regional City); and 2 hrs to Canada.

Cons

- Mesquitos in summer, ice in winter.
- Tourist