5 ms·

Have you ever lived in a dense, walkable city, especially one with decent mass transit and possibly bike sharing? If you live in downtown Boston (North End, Sou

Have you ever lived in a dense, walkable city, especially one with decent mass transit and possibly bike sharing? If you live in downtown Boston (North End, South End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Cambridge) and have to move away, you'll miss it for the rest of your life. And Boston is nothing special compared to Europe...

jacquesm 10y ago
I've lived in Amsterdam, which definitely satisfies the 'dense, walkable city' bit and I don't miss it one bit. Cities have advantages and disadvantages, just like everything else and just like not everything is great in the countryside so not everything is great in the city.
- clock_tower 10y ago
  What did you dislike about it? (My first guesses would be too many drugs, too much of the legacy of Calvinism, and possibly aggressive bicyclists...)
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    - noise - too little green - dogshit all over the place - traffic - price of accomodation - impossible to get in or out of the city at certain times of the day - measurably increasing street violence / drug trade while I lived there (28 years give or take) - not knowing your neighbors even after years of living next to each other My 'sweet spot' is just outside a major city. That way I get all the advantages without the disadvantages.
    - clock_tower 10y ago
      I'm not sure how to respond, but thanks for posting. I can't complain about moving away to avoid violence, nor moving away to avoid dog dung -- although I've always liked not knowing my neighbors. (If I wanted lifestyle police breathing down my neck, I'd move to Saudi Arabia where at least they're regulated!)
    - chrismealy 10y ago
      Dutch suburbs are the best surburbs in the world, I can't blame you. You can still ride your bike everywhere and kids can play in the street. I bet your even less than an hour from the Rijksmuseum.
      - jacquesm 10y ago
        > I bet your even less than an hour from the Rijksmuseum. 35 minutes :)

jacquesm 10y ago

I've lived in Amsterdam, which definitely satisfies the 'dense, walkable city' bit and I don't miss it one bit. Cities have advantages and disadvantages, just like everything else and just like not everything is great in the countryside so not everything is great in the city.

clock_tower 10y ago
What did you dislike about it? (My first guesses would be too many drugs, too much of the legacy of Calvinism, and possibly aggressive bicyclists...)
- jacquesm 10y ago
  - noise - too little green - dogshit all over the place - traffic - price of accomodation - impossible to get in or out of the city at certain times of the day - measurably increasing street violence / drug trade while I lived there (28 years give or take) - not knowing your neighbors even after years of living next to each other My 'sweet spot' is just outside a major city. That way I get all the advantages without the disadvantages.
  - clock_tower 10y ago
    I'm not sure how to respond, but thanks for posting. I can't complain about moving away to avoid violence, nor moving away to avoid dog dung -- although I've always liked not knowing my neighbors. (If I wanted lifestyle police breathing down my neck, I'd move to Saudi Arabia where at least they're regulated!)
  - chrismealy 10y ago
    Dutch suburbs are the best surburbs in the world, I can't blame you. You can still ride your bike everywhere and kids can play in the street. I bet your even less than an hour from the Rijksmuseum.
    - jacquesm 10y ago
      > I bet your even less than an hour from the Rijksmuseum. 35 minutes :)