Discussion Question:
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?
Answer in the comments.
[For context, it has been a very stressful and shitty few days. Don’t bother asking for details because I’m not sharing. Distract me with your imaginative answers.]
Jewish Young Professional 
Not very imaginative, but very sincere: in order of importance, Jerusalem, Florence, Odessa. of course, first Russians have to start shelling my Odessa and altogether get the heck out of Ukraine.
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Funny enough, so while I love Jerusalem on like a Jewish soul level, it’s actually not one of my favorite cities to visit. I feel like whenever I’m in Jerusalem, I’m a magnet for obnoxious strangers of all stripes and I find going to Jerusalem a stressful experience more than an uplifting experience.
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I am so sorry you’ve had negative experience in Jerusalem. I’ve always had a special feeling there, a spirit, if you will, that I cannot even describe. And yes, I once got lost at the Shuk, wandered into the wrong quarter, and got spat on and cursed in a language I don’t know. My own fault!
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I’ve done the whole wandering into the wrong quarter thing too.
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It didn’t spoil the experience for me, though.
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Turn the time machine back to my twenties and bum around Europe for year or two. That is one of the major regrets of being too diligent in college and my twenties to really travel.
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Yeah, I also regret this. I wasn’t even that great a student nor that career-ambitious in those years! I should have just traveled.
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I was not particularly career oriented until I hit 30, but I didn’t travel and spread my wings when I had the time and youth.
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Yeah, same.
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If money was no object, it would be sweet to have a spread in Santa Barbara…
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*were
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I don’t know California that well. Santa Barbara is the expensive part? I thought San Francisco was the expensive part
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Almost anywhere in Coastal California is expensive. SF is particularly bad, LA, SB, and SD are also expensive–so if the Monterey Bay area.
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Gotcha. Lots of expensive parts, lol.
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Everything is expensive here! SF is a big crowded dirty city though, while SB is a slice of paradise. Too spendy for the middle class…
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Good point. Expensive paradise is better than expensive dirty city.
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I’ve often thought that. I was born in Santa Barbara, and I remember helping my grandfather rake around his avocado trees when I was a real little kid. Not sure that is my “official” answer here, though.
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It’s so gorgeous!
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I would live in Bali. I love the idea of living in a tropical place. Confession time I love the movie Eat Pray Love
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Ooh fun! Bali sounds like a dream. I didn’t see the movie but I read the book
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I loved the book. My daughter and I used to have a deal that if she read any book(within reason) I would watch the movie.
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A fun question! Hmm…. I’ve been captivated by Australia ever since I read The Thorn Birds many decades ago! And I love visiting Sonya in Prague! And Hawaii would be awesome. Never been there, but did you know that homeowners in Hawaii must purchase volcano insurance? Yikes! I guess it’s like robot insurance but probably more expensive.
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Mauna Loa just erupted, so volcano insurance is a definite must there! I’ve been to Hawaii and I remember being on Waikiki beach in Hawaii in October thinking every life decision I’d made was idiotic and why did I live in [Shitty State That Is Not Hawaii] instead of Hawaii. But dealing with volcanoes sounds terrifying.
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I agree!! Volcanoes are freakin’ scary!! I feel bizarrely grateful that I live in a place (Louisville, KY) where there are no disasters that can really happen here: no earthquakes, no hurricanes, no regular tornadoes, no forest fires, no tsunamis, etc. Well, we do get extreme weather on occasion: hurricane winds (that was awesome! Destructive, though), occasional hailstorms, occasional snowstorms, some flooding, etc.; but for the most part, we just feel immune here. I wish everyone had that sort of security. Like California is someplace I wouldn’t want to live because of the earthquakes and the forest fires, for example.
I’m sure your life decisions aren’t that idiotic!! Hmm… thinking… You’re awfully hard on yourself! I wonder if I’ve made any regretful life choices… hmm… oh yeah, there have been plenty. One thing, speaking of inclement weather, is that many years ago, my sister, my dad, and I were hanging out on the front porch during a thunderstorm. (What could possibly go wrong?!) [Facepalm.] Well, the telephone pole directly opposite our house got struck my lightning, and my dad’s hearing was shattered. And it hasn’t improved. His hearing aids are minimally helpful, but he usually mishears everything. 😦 Now, I would like to go back in time and convince him to come inside. Nothing bad happened to me or my sister (except that my modem was fried, but I think anyone would prefer a $100 modem bill to going deaf). So I definitely know what you mean about having regrets. 😦 But I have every faith in you that you can make better choices from here on out! Go you!! ❤
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I should clarify – it was more that Waikiki was so beautiful and amazing it made me question what I was doing not living there. The rational answer is that I had a job, family elsewhere and it makes sense to live where one has a job, family and friends. I wasn’t seriously beating myself up so much as indulging in a bit of imaginative “what if”.
Fair point about natural disasters and storms. Your story about your dad’s hearing after this thunderstorm is wild!
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I visited Hawaii once, years ago. It’s intoxicating, when you’re there, but at the moment I don’t think I’d want to live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean–not even counting the occasional eruption. As far as shitty states, I kind of think most of them have their definite negative aspects. California has good weather–or shall I say some parts do–but I think in reality it would be more difficult to live there than where I am. According to Marcello, the vegetable vendor over here at the City Market, when he worked in Sicily, he would go home for lunch, take a nap, go back to work later, work for awhile, go home, stay up until midnight. Sounds like my kind of place.
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Oh, for sure! No question, every state has its negative aspects. Granted I haven’t traveled to all of them, but I’m enough of a realist and pessimist to know that there’s no paradise state. Except maybe your vegetable market friend in Sicily.
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Somewhere in England’s West Country. I spent a week there once and loved it.
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Cool! I’ve never been to England actually. Any recommendations should I ever make it there?
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We stayed in this lovely little village called Chagford, which is in Dartmoor. Devon was nearby (clotted cream!) and the surrounding moors were just beautiful. I want to see Cornwall next if I go back.
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I will stay where I am in our little paradise. After living in Madrid, Spain for four years, I really appreciate where I live. If I had to choose another city in New Mexico, it would be Silver City. I could live in Tuscon, AZ. I spent quite a bit of time in Italy and France. If I had to choose a place I Europe, I would go for Paris based on experience. Although, I’ve heard Poland has some very livable cities.
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You do seem to have created a paradise where you are!
Never been to Spain myself. Your comment does not sound like a ringing endorsement.
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Even though there is a lot of old Spanish culture in New Mexico that I am very much a part of, modern Spanish fatalism got to me. Spaniards are polite, but they generally have a very closed society. I can’t say that the French or Italians are more open to foreigners, but they are culturally much more aligned the way I like from my experience. If I lived in France or Italy for a few years getting deep into the culture like I did in Spain, I might have the same issues or other issues.
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Interesting take. I haven’t spent enough time in France or Italy (and I have never been to Spain) to comment on the culture.
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The culture is a huge part of a place being livable. At least for me. Three Dog Night hadn’t been to Spain either: https://youtu.be/dm6qw_yeo6o
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Ha. Well, I’ve been to Oklahoma. No.
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Never been there but New Zealand appeals. Or, actually, I would be super curious to try a Scandinavian country.
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I’ve never been to NZ or a Scandinavian country. Or Australia either actually. These comments are giving me future trip ideas…
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🙂
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Discussion for distraction eh… well if I were to answer your question, that would be too easy, I wouldn’t have a chance to talk as much as I would if I were to instead write a block of words that ultimately go nowhere.
I know, I should leave this message on a cliffhanger so it looks like I meant to say more, but in actual reality I was only creating an illusion of more so it would come across more as a discussion.
… I am so sorry for being weird. Here is a log to help be distracted by 🪵 His name is
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I love this distracting comment. Thank you for sharing a log! Here is a plant of appreciation. 🪴
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In hindsight, I made an incredibly embarrassing comment. Let’s pretend it never happened…
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Let’s be honest, this is kind of a throwaway post because life was too bizarre to write about and I needed to write something. You fulfilled the brief of writing an imaginative comment, and I am pleased with the distraction. I mean it. Here’s another houseplant emoji. 🪴 How are you doing?
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I’m good thanks. Confident this is a throwaway type of post, I can relax in knowing this is a throwaway…or you could create a plot twist instead which leads me to go on some development arc to overcome the pain of betrayal.
Hope the days get better for you!
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It’s still been a bit of a roller coaster! Appreciate the well wishes!
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I would love to live in a city again. I have lived in Minneapolis, South Bend, Albuquerque, and a few others. I like city life. I know maybe not very original, but I could live in any city.
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Interesting! I think I have more of a non-city personality myself, but I definitely get the appeal of the city.
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Anywhere but Dante’s Inferno, especially that circle where there’s sh*t raining down. Oh and being buried “alive” in a sarcophagus. I hope that distracted you. You didn’t say the distraction had to be pleasant. Wait. Did you?!
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🤣You win for most imaginative comment! I did not say that the distraction had to be pleasant! Well played!!
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Wellington NZ or Perth, Australia oceanside havens – what more could anyone want?
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I’ve never been to either, but they sound heavenly!
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Perth is a wonderful beach city and Wellington is somewhat like a very friendly San Francisco with British-like accents. Loved both cities.
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I feel highly unqualified to answer this question, having only traveled to a handful of U.S. states in my lifetime, and having never been abroad. Based on my very limited knowledge of the world, I think I would love to live in VanCouver, British Columbia. It has everything within driving distance– big city, ocean, mountains, country– and it seems much more culturally and ethnically diverse than the podunk little town I’m stuck in for now 🙂
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Intriguing! I’ve never been to Vancouver and know almost nothing about it.
I’m not well-traveled at all. I’m from a deeply boring, podunk kind of town so I hear you!
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Honestly, with all its many, many, MANY problems, I would still live in the UK. Not much serious crimes, especially with guns or bombs. Reasonable climate most of the time. Speaks English (and not American English!). Family local. Free healthcare even with all the issues. Part of me would rather live in the country than the town though, but if I’m going to live in a city, London’s good. (Written from the long immigration queue at JFK Airport.)
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Yeah, those Americans with their shitty American English are the worst. 😋
Welcome to the USA!
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Money no object, some place with Mediterranean climate sounds good right about now. I don’t know enough to come up with a good answer. NY,NY would be fun, provided of course that money really was no object.
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Good point. Reality is it’s hard to really know a place that you don’t live in / have never lived in, and it’s very easy to assume that the grass is greener. Mediterranean climate sounds amazing right now. Money being no object also sounds really amazing.
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Vancouver, British Columbia or San Francisco, California–if only the cost of living in those cities was more reasonable.
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That’s the killer. If money were no object, there are some amazing places to live. But money is not no object…
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exactly
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Cornwall, Wales and England are so beautiful, but this also because there is so much rain. Would it be offering more dry weather and warmer temperatures with cheaper housing that would be my preferred place to live. Though because of the missing dry warm climate, I go for the south of France where I would not mind enjoying my days of retirement.
The only thing holding me back now is that in 2008, two banks ran away with all my pension money, and now I don’t have sufficient funds to enjoy the English countryside or stay at the south coast of France. (The Nice region)
Dream, dream, dream ….
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Oof, that’s awful about your pension!
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South of France sounds like a dream
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This makes me think of the saying, “Where ever you go, there you are.” It’s tempting to think that moving someplace new will solve our troubles. Then again, there’s the Yiddish saying, “Change your location, change your mazel.” I think I’d like to have a second home some place warm and then I could come back to Boston, which I do like very much, during its best seasons. I’m not a winter person.
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I hear ya. I think there’s truth to both sentiments, even though they contradict each other.
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I’d live in a very small house in a small town where people wave at one another as they drive or bicycle by. I guess it could be Anywhere, USA, but more southern, please, because I’m not fond of long, icy winters!
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Nice friendly neighbors really make a town.
I’ve never met anyone who said they were a fan of long icy winters!
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I just made up a planet but I forget it’s name… maybe something like Unimagnamous.. you asked.. lol
notice i didn’t say earth
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😂 you win for imaginative answer!!!
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Feng Shui experts say if you change 27 things in your house, your life will improve. Or the ch’i will start flowing, or something. I suppose if you own less than 27 things you couldn’t do this, but then, it would be very easy to move somewhere else if you wanted.
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Interesting. And I thought the meaning of life was 42.
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I’ve never traveled anymore, but I’d like to see English countryside.
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I’ve never seen the English countryside myself, but I’ve been hearing good things.
Are you doing a honeymoon? A “mini-moon” local getaway?
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Not right now. He’s a teacher and the new semester is starting, so I want him to have the best start to it.
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That makes sense
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