Chicago, New York, Silicon Valley

[marthachick]

If you have lung issues, Charlotte may not be a great choice because of humidity in summers.

 

[amberpi]

If you have lung issues, Charlotte may not be a great choice because of humidity in summers.

I'm ok overall, until the grass starts up. I'm betting Charlotte wouldn't be much better than Nashville in that regard, huh?

 

[Bilberry]

in my minds eye, central California is the place to be. I loved living there. I have fond memories of the Napa Valley area, and further south in San Jose with the weather and the people that live there. San Francisco, with China town, the chocolate factory, and the theater was amazing. My mom was a big fan of the Nut Cracker musical I recall, and other musical plays she would take us kids to see. With that said I'm not sure my childhood home area is the same as it used to be.

I somewhat lived in Chicago for awhile. it was a fun city, one of the nicer large towns I felt, but it is brutally cold in winter.

Denver and the state of Colorado sounds like an enjoyable place. I have a nephew with bad grass allergies and breathing issues in general. He's been in and out of hospitals over the years dealing with it. My sister worries about him. Somewhat as a result of my nephews allergies, my sister bought a second home outside of Denver, high up in the mountains. There my nephew's allergy problems go away. My sister's family has a great time skiing in the winter time on holidays, and during the summer months they spend time in the mountains and in the city of Denver.

I've not been to the Colorado home, but a small family reunion is happening next week. I wish I could attend. I guess though I just decorated the place up, with a donation of rugs, car and furnishing from a place I recently sold. So in some senses I'll be making my presence known at the gathering.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

in my minds eye, central California is the place to be. I loved living there. I have fond memories of the Napa Valley area, and further south in San Jose with the weather and the people that live there. San Francisco, with China town, the chocolate factory, and the theater was amazing. My mom was a big fan of the Nut Cracker musical I recall, and other musical plays she would take us kids to see. With that said I'm not sure my childhood home area is the same as it used to be.

I somewhat lived in Chicago for awhile. it was a fun city, one of the nicer large towns I felt, but it is brutally cold in winter.

Denver and the state of Colorado sounds like an enjoyable place. I have a nephew with bad grass allergies and breathing issues in general. He's been in and out of hospitals over the years dealing with it. My sister worries about him. Somewhat as a result of my nephews allergies, my sister bought a second home outside of Denver, high up in the mountains. There my nephew's allergy problems go away. My sister's family has a great time skiing in the winter time on holidays, and during the summer months they spend time in the mountains and in the city of Denver.

I've not been to the Colorado home, but a small family reunion is happening next week. I wish I could attend. I guess though I just decorated the place up, with a donation of rugs, car and furnishing from a place I recently sold. So in some senses I'll be making my presence known at the gathering.

Denver was the first place I thought of when I read the part about the allergies & difficulty breathing. As a child, my grandfather had a lot of issues with pollen & dust in the Midwest & he was sent to Colorado to live for many years. Then again, the elevation might cause issues for you as well.

 

[amberpi]

Denver was the first place I thought of when I read the part about the allergies & difficulty breathing. As a child, my grandfather had a lot of issues with pollen & dust in the Midwest & he was sent to Colorado to live for many years. Then again, the elevation might cause issues for you as well.

Denver was suggested to me, and I do really enjoy it. It's not a great option professionally, but not terrible and certainly not outside of the realm of possibilities. Vegas should probably be on the board too. I like visiting, can't imagine living there, but if I wanted to go into the gambling side of my expertise, that could be cool.

Nothing that has job opportunities, low grass (would love to move back to ATL, but grass...), and is a city (which ties to the job thing, and for me, not everyone of course, general happiness) is off the table. I'm very open minded and a broad cross section like the Dis is a great forum for lots of disparate opinions.

I appreciate you guys!

 

[FINFAN]

I was also gong to suggest Denver but am unsure of the *walkability* part as we always have the jeep when we head there. It is certainly a great foodie city and lots of entertainment, and the views to the west! A little more centrally located too vs either coast. I love CO.

 

[amberpi]

Denver and the state of Colorado sounds like an enjoyable place. I have a nephew with bad grass allergies and breathing issues in general.

As I said to Gumbo, that's a good suggestion actually. Its not one I immediately think of, but it does have job opportunities for me. The outsdoor situation, which I'm obviously missing in life right now, in Denver would be great, and I could breath, and breathing without trouble is really nice.

Thanks for the good thought on that one.

 

[mamacatnv]

I'm from the Silicon Valley and while the costs and congestion make me crazy to the point I would not want to live there, San Francisco has a certain allure. if I didn't have to commute, I could see myself enjoying living in that city BUT its just stupid expensive.

 

[bookgirl]

I actually follow two vloggers who lived in Chicago and have visited there, and I really like the variety of activities and the fact that's in the middle of the country and a major airport hub. Easy to get lot's of places. I also was very impressed with their transits system while I was there (7 days). I was able to get everywhere I needed, efficiently and with very little fuss. Lot's of art/theatre/museums/activities/sports to go hang out at.

That being said I wouldn't want to drive there if you paid me. LOL And I'm not the fan of snow and ice so not really my climate.

I haven't been to the other two areas but again I wouldn't want to drive in New York and the weather.

Silicon Valley might be more my preference weather wise but being from a flat state I hate driving in mountains and Valley kind of makes me think mountains.

So I choose.....none of the above. Sorry.

 

[amberpi]

I was also gong to suggest Denver but am unsure of the *walkability* part as we always have the jeep when we head there. It is certainly a great foodie city and lots of entertainment, and the views to the west! A little more centrally located too vs either coast. I love CO.

I'd think I could live downtown in Denver. I have cars (including a Jeep), I just really don't enjoy driving at all and just won't do a long commute. The clients I've had in Denver, with one exception, were downtown. Any insight on living downtown?

 

[FINFAN]

I'd think I could live downtown in Denver. I have cars (including a Jeep), I just really don't enjoy driving at all and just won't do a long commute. The clients I've had in Denver, with one exception, were downtown. Any insight on living downtown?

sadly no to downtown living, but I have friends in Evergreen , Littleton & Broomfield, all have moved from Chicago. My DS (23) has friends who have also moved there in the last 2 years and all love it. I guess because we/they all are used to Chicago grey and disgusting winters, CO one's are embraced because they usually have sunshine shortly there after. Many from here are heading there or to AZ. I also love AZ and so much easier to get there from CO than IL, lol. It is getting pricier to move there and rentals are not cheap, but compared to NYC or the Bay area, far more affordable. My DD lived in the financial district of San Francisco and after 2 years they moved to San Mateo. The gloomy, chilly grey just took it's toll and the expense. 3 grand for a 1 bedroom was/is the norm and no rent control. Dodging cyclists was also getting to her, lol. She is now an avid skateboarder tho, to get from the train to her studio. She's an Animator and casual dress allows for that. They did not have their cars when living there..but did send for them once they moved. My DD takes the CalTrain in now, says it's worth it to have better weather. She had also lived in Orlando for about 18 mo's and does miss the lushness of FL a LOT, but she and her BF do head out most weekends for day hikes etc along the coast. Chicago has tons to offer but you DO have to be hearty to take on the winters, or have 2-3 tips planned to sunshine to get you through it. Not having your car here in the winter can be a huge plus as parkingrestrction for plowing are in effect from 12/1 though April 1 regardless of if there is snow or not. I think summers here can be awesome tho. One of the most walkable cities and the PT options are also pretty awesome. Taxes can be brutal, but to me rents can be had at decent prices for a major city, you just have to be able to pounce. Lots of free activities and the lakefront is so pretty and tons of places to eat, concerts, bands etc. If we could just get rid of winter or limit it to say, 90 days, even I could like it here lol.

 

[amberpi]

sadly no to downtown living, but I have friends in Evergreen , Littleton & Broomfield, all have moved from Chicago. My DS (23) has friends who have also moved there in the last 2 years and all love it. I guess because we/they all are used to Chicago grey and disgusting winters, CO one's are embraced because they usually have sunshine shortly there after. Many from here are heading there or to AZ. I also love AZ and so much easier to get there from CO than IL, lol. It is getting pricier to move there and rentals are not cheap, but compared to NYC or the Bay area, far more affordable. My DD lived in the financial district of San Francisco and after 2 years they moved to San Mateo. The gloomy, chilly grey just took it's toll and the expense. 3 grand for a 1 bedroom was/is the norm and no rent control. Dodging cyclists was also getting to her, lol. She is now an avid skateboarder tho, to get from the train to her studio. She's an Animator and casual dress allows for that. They did not have their cars when living there..but did send for them once they moved. My DD takes the CalTrain in now, says it's worth it to have better weather. She had also lived in Orlando for about 18 mo's and does miss the lushness of FL a LOT, but she and her BF do head out most weekends for day hikes etc along the coast. Chicago has tons to offer but you DO have to be hearty to take on the winters, or have 2-3 tips planned to sunshine to get you through it. Not having your car here in the winter can be a huge plus as parkingrestrction for plowing are in effect from 12/1 though April 1 regardless of if there is snow or not. I think summers here can be awesome tho. One of the most walkable cities and the PT options are also pretty awesome. Taxes can be brutal, but to me rents can be had at decent prices for a major city, you just have to be able to pounce. Lots of free activities and the lakefront is so pretty and tons of places to eat, concerts, bands etc. If we could just get rid of winter or limit it to say, 90 days, even I could like it here lol.

That's all good intel thanks for taking the time to share. I have a really healthy budget so that doesn't scare me wherever I end up...or not too much
Some of it will also be what job seems the most interesting vs. how desirable the city is. It's pretty exciting!

 

[bcla]

I'm concerned about being bored there, however, weekend possibilities would be great. My grass allergy now keeps me inside a lot more than I'd like and it would be great in that regard.

I say it as someone who grew up in the burbs, did grad school in Silicon Valley, have relatives who lived in Silicon Valley, and even bought a house in Silicon Valley - it's not much different than middle America with sprawl, strip malls, and sameness. Well, maybe not quite the sprawl since undeveloped land isn't that common, but it feels like it. Here's a better description than I could ever give of someone trying to do a walking tour of Silicon. Valley:

http://gawker.com/heart-of-blandness-a-walking-tour-of-silicon-valley-1531745028

But as a human landscape, it's a crushingly boring sunny suburban slab of freeways, fast food, traffic, and long smoggy boulevards of faded retail sprawling out to endless housing developments of sand-colored stucco boxes. It's Phoenix with milder weather, Orlando minus the mosquitos.

Tech-loving travelers come from around the world to see Silicon Valley, but there's nothing to see—no Times Square, no French Quarter, just low-rise office parks and security guards circling the parking lots. Could anything be gained by walking from corporate landmark to corporate landmark? Maybe not, but two days of walking always beats two days of looking at a computer, even if I'd be walking from technology company to technology company.​

Silicon Valley is remarkably decentralized. Years ago there were still fruit orchards with lots of single family housing. San Jose really feels like a big, spread-out suburb, although it might have the closest thing to a real downtown in the area. Palo Alto has a small downtown. Santa Clara might have an NFL stadium, a large amusement park, and well-known employers, but otherwise it's a bland bedroom community. There is a busy hub of activity along Great America Parkway though.

It's not like there's nothing to do on the weekend though, but mostly you'd need to be willing to drive. Public transportation can work depending on where you live and/or work, but that's not something that works for everyone. There is this strange debate as to whether or not San Francisco is now part of Silicon Valley because of a lot of software jobs that popped up there and the startup culture. I don't think it is, but it's kind of a cultural twin. And one of the really odd things is people working in Silicon Valley and living in San Francisco. They're not doing it to save money, as San Francisco rents are higher. It's a lot of transplants who want something that's not so bland when they get home and the sense of living a real city. Many of the big companies like Google, Apple, Yahoo, and Facebook operate shuttle buses that take their employees to their jobs. So they can work in a big coach bus with good WiFi. There have been protests in the street with people blocking these buses. They see it as jacking up rents, especially since the rents at apartments and homes near the shuttle pickup sites has gone up beyond the prices for the rest of San Francisco.

 

[gillep]

NYC 100%.

I have visited Chicago, and it is nice, but it doesn't have the same appeal as NYC.

I currently live in Silicon Valley and I hate it. I love being able to drive to the beach, redwoods, or wine country, but that's about it. I hate the lack of efficient/readily available public transportation, and the traffic is insane. I basically agree with everything that @bcla wrote, it is a very unremarkable area, and if it wasn't for my husband's job we would flee in a heartbeat. I also really dislike a lot about SF, I enjoy visiting, but couldn't live there.

I will say that the lack of mosquitoes here is a huge plus though, as they tend to seek me out with a laser focus!!!!

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I did about a 10 month gig in London - they put us up at the Intercontinental on Hyde Park - I'll have a pretty decent budget, but I'm not thinking it's going to be a Hyde Park budget...lol!

Is that the InterContinental Park Lane? I stayed there last year, I loved the property and the location. Ate at the Italian restaurant in the hotel which was delicious.

As for your question, my answer unfortunately has to be none of the above. I live in Chicago and it sucks honestly. The good aspects are the food scene, the bar scene, the sports scene. All of those make it a world class city. However, the negatives far outweigh the positives. Those include a corrupt state beyond belief who have decided that the way to fix their problems is to simply tax their residents more instead of addressing the underlying issues. Other negatives are the winter weather. You mentioned soul crushing well that's what February is after you've been dealing with it for 3 months and realize you're only halfway through. It sucks! Also, I've got a friend who lives in the absolute best part of downtown Chicago (at the Ritz towers). Just a few weeks ago he was out with his wife and baby (in that best area). He was inside a restaurant picking up food while his wife and babies were waiting outside. A thug walked up to the wife and flasher her his gun and was apparently using very threatening behavior. My friend comes out and gets in a very heated argument with them and he was very scared. He's thinking about leaving as he doesn't want to deal with that. This happens regularly. It seems there are no safe areas in the city anymore.

NYC is nice to visit, I would never live there. Not really walkable, have to uber or subway everywhere. Not really my cup of tea.

Silicon Valley seems rather boring although beautiful.

Cities I really love in the U.S. are Denver, Scottsdale, Austin, and San Diego. Let me know if any of those intrigue you.

On the European side, London would be a huge win. I love that city! Barcelona would be a nice place to live for a while as well.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

NYC is nice to visit, I would never live there. Not really walkable, have to uber or subway everywhere. Not really my cup of tea.

Wait, what? NYC is easily the most walkable city in the US.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Wait, what? NYC is easily the most walkable city in the US.

We must have different definitions of walkable. The city is too large/too massive to be walkable. Sure you can walk if you stay in one specific area but to get from Point A to Point B normally requires Uber or Subway.

 

[rlk]

Is that the InterContinental Park Lane? I stayed there last year, I loved the property and the location. Ate at the Italian restaurant in the hotel which was delicious.

NYC is nice to visit, I would never live there. Not really walkable, have to uber or subway everywhere. Not really my cup of tea.

NYC is a walking city! My family walks everywhere we can; Central Park, downtown, uptown, even to Costco. Of course we use Uber, mass transit and taxis when necessary.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

We must have different definitions of walkable. The city is too large/too massive to be walkable. Sure you can walk if you stay in one specific area but to get from Point A to Point B normally requires Uber or Subway.

I guess. But wouldn't that be the case in any city unless you lived right in the middle of a small downtown? Personally I'd rather have to utilize public transit in a larger city than living in a smaller one just to be able to walk most places.

From my last apartment, I could walk to Central Park, the museums on either side, Times Square... I usually chose to take a bus around or subway to save time, but it's doable. And the little daily errands were within a few blocks.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I guess. But wouldn't that be the case in any city unless you lived right in the middle of a small downtown? Personally I'd rather have to utilize public transit in a larger city than living in a smaller one just to be able to walk most places.

From my last apartment, I could walk to Central Park, the museums on either side, Times Square... I usually chose to take a bus around or subway to save time, but it's doable. And the little daily errands were within a few blocks.

You raise a valid point. And I have a strong preference for medium sized cities. I don't want a super small city but I also don't want a massive city that is hard to get around. I'm not really a public transportation guy, I'd rather Uber. But in a city like NYC, that presents issues with having to deal with traffic. Just not my cup of tea.

As a walkable city example, I was just in San Antonio and pretty much walked everywhere. It was great!!!