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Sounds like my experience living in Houston. Of course I'd hate living here without a car, I did it for a few months and it's ridiculous. But compared to Montre

Sounds like my experience living in Houston. Of course I'd hate living here without a car, I did it for a few months and it's ridiculous. But compared to Montreal, Sydney, Toronto, or even Philadelphia (my points of reference), this is far and away the worst living experience. My commute to work is 15 minutes, which isn't too bad. It used to be a 10-minute bike ride or 20-minute walk, which was both healthier and more enjoyable, not to mention more environmentally friendly and free. I enjoyed getting groceries every few days: picking up some produce and bread on the way home from one of the dozens of businesses on the way was delightful, and meant I could always have fresh food. Living in suburban America (it's hard to call Houston a city in the same sense as the ones I mentioned above) is emotionally draining. Yes, there are positives: good food, good beer, cheap cost of living. However, I don't feel like I'm part of a community. I feel like I live on a small island in an archipelago of disconnected islands. It feels like everybody here who hasn't lived in a walkable dense urban city doesn't know what they're missing, there are intangible psychological benefits. Of course, these are just the thoughts of an east-coaster.

jimmaswell 8y ago
I lived on a college campus for two years, which I think was like a microsm of walkable city. Food, academic clubs, classes, everything in walking distance of the dorm. The social aspect didn't work out for me that great, walking was tiresome. I didn't mind eating out all the time with the meal plan but groceries would've been healthier. I really enjoyed the setting with the nice streams/ponds/wildlife but that's where it deviates from the standard city experience unless you go to a park. It was great being able to sit in the grass and watch a great blue heron catch a fish after slowly staking out the area for a while. In comparison to my experience walking 10 minutes to my farthest class some days, I much prefer driving for 10 or even 15 minutes. I just really prefer living in a setting like the house being surrounded by forest on at least 3 sides and having enjoyable countryside drives to stores. Can't speak for everyone but I'd only tolerate living in a city for a job ot something if I didn't have to do a lot of walking/NYC-style transit (I've used the MTA subways a few times and they are efficient, but too crowded/jerky/it's stressful running around between connections)
rootusrootus 8y ago
Different strokes for different folks. My suburban neighborhood is very socially active, we all know each other very well. I know their kids and vice versa, etc. What I find draining is all the noise when I go downtown, and being around so many strangers. I visit friends who live in condos downtown and they don't know their shared-wall neighbors as well as I know mine in the next house over. Everyone just retreats back to their personal cave once they're done dealing with the crowds.
- jakeinspace 8y ago
  I'm sure my experience is partly due to my own learned preferences, as well as the specifics of my neighborhood. I know there are nice suburban and rural areas to live, and I hope that with time I develop a greater appreciation for what's here.

jimmaswell 8y ago

I lived on a college campus for two years, which I think was like a microsm of walkable city. Food, academic clubs, classes, everything in walking distance of the dorm. The social aspect didn't work out for me that great, walking was tiresome. I didn't mind eating out all the time with the meal plan but groceries would've been healthier. I really enjoyed the setting with the nice streams/ponds/wildlife but that's where it deviates from the standard city experience unless you go to a park. It was great being able to sit in the grass and watch a great blue heron catch a fish after slowly staking out the area for a while. In comparison to my experience walking 10 minutes to my farthest class some days, I much prefer driving for 10 or even 15 minutes. I just really prefer living in a setting like the house being surrounded by forest on at least 3 sides and having enjoyable countryside drives to stores. Can't speak for everyone but I'd only tolerate living in a city for a job ot something if I didn't have to do a lot of walking/NYC-style transit (I've used the MTA subways a few times and they are efficient, but too crowded/jerky/it's stressful running around between connections)

rootusrootus 8y ago

Different strokes for different folks. My suburban neighborhood is very socially active, we all know each other very well. I know their kids and vice versa, etc. What I find draining is all the noise when I go downtown, and being around so many strangers. I visit friends who live in condos downtown and they don't know their shared-wall neighbors as well as I know mine in the next house over. Everyone just retreats back to their personal cave once they're done dealing with the crowds.

jakeinspace 8y ago
I'm sure my experience is partly due to my own learned preferences, as well as the specifics of my neighborhood. I know there are nice suburban and rural areas to live, and I hope that with time I develop a greater appreciation for what's here.