I have been living out in the country 4 most of my life until recently,I moved into town and i must say it sux! sure ur closer to stores and restaurants but it isnt that great. The police sirens go off everyday here,i had no idea my town had so much crime. The neighbors across the street like to sit on their front porch and just stare,they may or may not be lookin at me but it still bothers me. Plus people like to ride by at like 3am with the music REAL LOUD and the neighbors dog barks a lot. Good news is i am movin back to the country in a few months....so how is it where u live?

Well, officially I live in Bangkok, but thankfully we're not in the centre of the city or anywhere really that close to it. We're in the suburbs and it's still just about a village-like atmosphere, but the traffic's building up and the buildings are getting taller. Plus they're tunneling the subway right past here and it shakes the house quite a bit. I don't think the city sucks, but it would suck to live right in amongst it, with all the noise and pollution and traffic.

>I live there are many years in a port city of average dimension
>in this moment, I am very tired of the scale, it liked to return for a larger city; but I believe that to the end of one week would be full!
>from where, tends me now possibilities to oscillate among the field and this small city where I live, i will try to lose the phobias of the trips, and to do at least once a month a trip until Lisbon, to update the cultural life and to recover some urban rhythm, and to be with the friends.

dance4me3121 said:

The sirens going off everyday need not necessarily b for crime all the time!! Could b for medical emergencies or things like house fires, or whatever!!!!

My parents live in a small country town called Verwood, which is about 15 miles north of Bournemouth, Dorset, UK and they tell me that its getting more and more like New York everyday with constant sirens, but it need not necessarily b crime-related!!! Yet Bournemouth itself and neighbouring Poole is like Mini- New York with constant sirens blaring, plus the multiracial and multi-ethnic population(due to the University and other satelite Colleges and Language Schools). Then, there is all the traffic congestion(U dont drive here, its just stop, start, stop start!!!LOLOL)

But give me cities anyday!!!

I love the city. I don't think I'd enjoy living in the country.

I much much preferred the tropical urban setting of downtown Tampa to the suburbs that I lived in.

But I'm very outdorsy, and like to spend a lot of time in nature. There would have been no cheap way for me to store my kayak and other things in a high rise condo in the downtown--and the few houses near Ybor were in neighborhoods that were gentrified enough to be very expensive but not enough to have decreased crime by much.

If there was an easy way to get my kayak on the road and to a nearby ocean or river, the urban setting would be ideal. I guess I just need to find a way to make oodles of money

On the verge of 40, the clubbing scene is coming to a low ebb, but even so it would be nice to hop on a trolly and get to a condo if and when I do go out rather than plan to have a designated driver, etc. etc.

When I find my way back to Tampa, I vow to be making quite a bit of money so I can afford the lifestyle that I want. I love the urban setting, and even more so when it's in a tropical type city like Tampa. I find cold, urban areas a bit depressing, and can understand why everybody stays huddled in pubs and cofeeshops there


I love the countryside but the only convenience of living in the country to me is the amount of space you can have for the price, and the ability to keep all manner of 'outdoor' toys. Eventually, I want to have 20 ft boat for weekend activities...

Fauxie said:

The thing for me is I don't know where Bangkok ends and where the suburbs begin. Out in Maung Ake, the residents see themselves as being part of a suburban college town via Mo Rangsit. But to me, it's just one of many arms of Bangkok. I can be in Mo chit in roughly 10 or 15 minutes by suicidal taxi, and I'm told the BTS Skytrain is going to be going by Future Park which is right by my aunt's place.

Bangkok is massively sprawling. The only difference I can tell from the 'outskirts' and the actual inner city other than the buildings not being as tall, is there is much less noise pollution. I have never been in a city quite as loud as Bangkok. It's deafening.

I could live in Bangkok, definitely because of how fun and upbeat it is. But I'd need an apartment well above 5 or 6 floors from the street so I don't have to hear it. The higher the better I think, because of the pollution as well.

I'd love to see Aksel do a breakdown of Amsterdam vs. Bangkok--he seems so enamored by Thailand, and I find that shocking considering how fascinating I am with Europe and Amsterdam.

I enjoy visits to the country but I could never live there long term. I need the diversity and the anonymity and the restaurants and the coffee shops and art and the theatre and the convenience of everything in walking distance or a short ride away on some form of public transportation.

I suppose I'm lucky in that we have lots and lots of lakes and greenspace in Minneapolis too. It's the best of both worlds.

I love it all

city ~ nowheresville and everything inbetween them

Oh ... I lived in the city for the 1st 1/2 of my life - now I live in nowheresville

Imago said:

I just couldn't stay in the centre at all, not even 20 floors up.

The thing is, it gets busy where we are now. There's a lot of traffic at the market around 5pm. We have (and have always had) train tracks running past our house only 100m away. That's very noisy! Right now they're building the subway right next to it. Trains run past every 30 minutes or so, there's traffic at the market, dogs bark at night most nights, yet I still consider it quiet here. It's not constant, that's the thing. And it's green. There are so many places like this too, often even towards the centre of town. It's a few turns off a main road and you're in another world, with trees and flowers and a village atmosphere. We took a look at a house with a friend and it was surreal how we came off a busy expressway and underneath all the busy traffic and constant drone made a few turns and were in this quiet, charming neighbourhood that felt really homely and welcoming.

Even though it's changed, and gets busy at certain times, I still love Suanphak. I can walk here. Just walk around with the sun on my face, to get some food or whatever, just taking a stroll down the road. Or go to the swimming pool, less than 300m from home.

Fauxie said:

I couldn't be your neighbor. Watching your tan, glistening body emerge from a swimming pool would make me spooge !

Imago said:

This body needs a LOT of work! I weigh about as much as a chopstick at the moment. I'm loving the swimming though. Basically, in this pic if you walk to the end of the street and turn left the pool is just 50m away.

dance4me3121 said:

You've got to learn to pick your neighbourhood better. I've lived in cities of varying size my entire life and I've never been in a place that bad. And by better, I don't mean more upwardly mobile. Some poorer areas can be nice too.

Before you rent or buy your place, scope out the 'hood first. Are there schools nearby? Then it's a family block and you won't get a lot of late-night partying neighbours. If it's close to or on a busy road, check to see what the public transit situation is like. Even if you don't ride the bus yourself that obviously effects the noise and business of an area so it's good to know. Check if it's a major route for delivery trucks or emergency vehicles, for the same reasons.