Places I've Lived
Places Lived
New York City, USA
August 2006 ~ Present
New York, New York... city of lights, Gotham, the Big Apple, Metropolis, the city that never sleeps. So many names can only mean that the city has at least as many facets. And it does: it's not a single city, but several towns smashed together into one huge urban mishmash of cosmopolitanism, immigrants, mild suburbia, and obviously NYU students.
To be honest, I didn't like New York when I first got here. I found it overwhelming, expensive, overcrowded; I hated the traffic, the noise, and the distances. I was nonplussed by the amenities; as a poor, overbusy grad student, I found no redeeming qualities in the often prohibitively expensive, usually overcrowded, and always noisy venues the city has to offer.
But New York, it grows on you. After a while of getting used to it, and after suddenly pulling away, you begin to miss the fact that you can walk to the grocery store, or the restaurant, or the computer lab. You begin to miss that sense of urban camaraderie that is somehow inexplicably everpresent on the streets, especially on weekend nights.
So do I like New York? I grudgingly suppose I do. One thing, however, that makes my continued existence here impossible is the weather. The northeast has notoriously foul weather, and New York is no exception; so, as much as the creature comforts of this giant, modern city are appreciated, my health comes first. I will be happy if I never have to withstand another New York winter again.
Below I have documented some of people's favourite pastimes in New York, with any restrictions in parentheses.
- Buying unnecessary stuff
- Hooking up
- Walking quickly, sometimes pointlessly so. People call this last phenomena "jogging"
- Jaywalking incessantly, but civilly
- Working way too much and then complaining about it
- Going random places
- Running into people you know on occasion, less than in college but more than, probably, LA
- Driving around aimlessly (people with cars)
- Complaining about the warm in the summer and about the cold in the winter. Whining about something or other. Whining in general is endemic to New Yorkers
- Running into celebrities on occasion and being either jaded or star-struck
- Going to places that are supposed to be famous and being either jaded or star-struck
- Being jaded, in general
- Taking subways
- Talking about politics
- Playing chess on sidewalks and parks
- Going to parks and beaches and barbecues and being overly outdoorsy to compensate for the fact that they live in the most urbanised place in America
New York is the largest city I have lived in besides Mexico DF, which I left at the age of 5. It's very big. Unnaturally large; I can ride on the subway for an hour and still not leave New York. And yet, it's strange, you can still run into people you know if you live within the same vicinity. I've even run into people I haven't seen in years on the streets of New York. It's quite the mindjob.
Vital Statistics
- Weather: D+
- Friendliness of Populace: A
- Stuff to do: A
- Natural beauty: B
- Food: A
- Average basic expense: D
- Value for Money: B
- Rule of Law: A
- Bonus points for: Modernity & Cosmopolitanism
- Would I want to live here: Not more than 5 years
- Overall score: B-
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Dili, Timor-Leste
June 2005 ~ May 2006
Dili is the capital of Timor-Leste, the newest country in the world (edit: at time of writing in 2006, but no longer since the independence of Kosovo). I lived there for one year. Actually, 11 months and a half, but who's counting?
Timor-Leste is quite beautiful. The main complaint malaes (foreigners) have with Dili is that there is absolutely nothing to do. In a way this is true. There are no theatres, no cineplexes, no malls, no ice-skating rinks, no Six Flags amusement parks, no Timordisney, no bowling alleys, no circuses (or circii, if you prefer), no casinos, and no brothels. Okay, there might be a brothel or two, not that I would know. But you get my drift.
To this I say, pshaw! Donut be so demanding and I won't be so lackadaisical. Because there's still lots to do, just not as much as most are used to; then again most people are superspoilt. There's still the beach, though, and a couple gyms, and of course the art of eating food! Timor is also famous for its amazing sunsets. These are best during the dry season; monsoon tends to mess things up by exacerbating cloud cover. But with so little things to do, it is much easier to enjoy a good sunset with its pinks and greens and rainbows and shit.
Below I have documented some of people's favourite pastimes in Timor, with any restrictions in parentheses.
- Swatting flies
- Political infighting (government only)
- Dodging potholes, poultry, swine and motorcycle drivers (car drivers only)
- Cutting off cars, driving ridiculously slowly, and fucking traffic up in general (motorcycle and taxi drivers only)
- Running through the streets barefoot when raining (nationals only)
- Staring at the wall
- Bathing in ocean (all), doing so while fully clothed (women only)
- Spitting (nationals only)
- Running into people you know, everywhere
- Driving around aimlessly
- Sweating like pigs (malaes only)
- Running oft to the foho [mountains] (nationals) or back home (americans and australians, especially Peace Corps.)
In addition, Dili is the smallest place i've ever lived: 200k souls. You run into everybody, all the time. I have a theory that if you stayed in the Lita store for long enough, you would eventually run into every single one of your Timor acquaintances.
Vital Statistics
- Weather: A-
- Friendliness of Populace: A
- Stuff to do: B
- Natural beauty: A
- Food: B-
- Average basic expense: B-
- Value for Money: C+
- Rule of Law: D-
- Bonus points for: Beachside
- Would I want to live here: Yes, but not forever
- Overall score: B+
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Philadelphia, USA
August 2000 ~ June 2005
Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love. Indeed, I found many great friends and fell in love for the first time here, and for that reason alone I'll always have a special attachment to this city.
I always found Philadelphia to be a great combination of urban amenities with restrained growth. There are a set number of things to do--and not that many--but it lacks many of the evils of urban overdevelopment, such as lots of traffic, and the concomitant noise and dirt and stress. It's possible to walk the streets slowly without getting run over by pedestrians, and it's also possible to walk quickly without having to dodge people. And yet it's a large city with every amenity you could expect of a large city. Perfectly sized. And fairly cheap, too, if you know where to park.
Of course, the city also has its drawbacks. The subway system is underdeveloped--although the city is so small, it's sometimes hard to care. The weather is horrible, typical of the east coast, and the wind can be very strong and unbelievably annoying. Also, I'm only talking about West Philly and Center City; I've got no idea what it's like to live in North or South Philly, nor do I particularly want to. To me, «Philly» is West and Center, that's it.
My favourite parts of Philly are the Penn campus, for obvious reasons; South Street, for its random assortment of weird people and products; the area around Penn's Landing on weekend nights, one of the only times and places Philly resembles New York in any way; Chinatown, for the food; and the Vietnamese restaurants in South Philly, also for the food.
Below I have documented some of people's favourite pastimes in Philadelphia, with any restrictions in parentheses.
- Going to parks or museums
- Studying at Penn, sometimes Temple
- Walking pointlessly around South Street
- Drinking coffee on sidewalks in spring and fall
- Going to First Street on the weekends
- Drinking unhealthy amounts of alcohol
As I said before, Philly is the perfect size: 1.5 million people in 350 square kilometres. Small enough that all your friends live within a reasonable distance, but large enough that you don't have to run into people you'd rather not.
Vital Statistics
- Weather: D+
- Friendliness of Populace: A
- Stuff to do: B
- Natural beauty: A-
- Food: A-
- Average basic expense: B-
- Value for Money: A-
- Rule of Law: A
- Bonus points for: Memories & Size
- Would I want to live here: If the weather was better--Yes.
- Overall score: A-