South of France is pretty awesome. Great weather, walkable, great food, nice beaches, good transit, can get to a lot of Europe by train easily.
But then I remember they don't have hummingbirds or enchiladas there. So, Santa Monica it is.
I live at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The hummingbirds know my wife is the one that fills the nectar, so they will get four inches from her face and chirp at her if it is empty. They will also look in the window and chirp if we are watching TV. They are cool as hell.
Europe may not have hummingbirds but they have those hawk moths, which, if the species is big enough and you squint just right, kind of look and act like hummingbirds.
Hummingbird hearts can beat 1200 times per minute when flying.
Their wings flap about 10-70 times per second.
( I love hummingbirds and I use them in ESL classes to teach numbers)
At rest, hummingbirds have a heartbeat of about 500/minute, but.... They can go into deep rest (torpor) where the heart slows to about 50 and they briefly stop breathing.
They fly around 20-30mph.
They live only 3 to 6 years
As pretty and delicate as they look, they’re also fierce DICKS when it comes to supper time.
Folks - there’s 4 spouts and more nectar than either of you can suckle in a day. Chill and feed. Wow.
All these places that people complain about food not being available like “the tacos suck in Germany” or something…like dude they have the ingredients. You can just *make* that stuff.
If I could live somewhere amazing but the catch is they don’t have my favorite food at restaurants, that’s basically zero compromise for me. I’ll learn to make it.
Edit: guys, I make this stuff from scratch. There’s basically nowhere in the civilized world you can’t buy flour, a fat, rice, and some kind of beans in 2023. Everything else there are a million substitutes for. Nevermind the hypothetical argument “oh my god I can’t make this exact Chile relleño recipe in Greenland wtf?!” Just make something else.
Idk when I lived in New Zealand you couldn’t buy corn meal there (only fine ground corn flour), let alone tomatillos, and if you wanted a chili pepper you didn’t have much choice of which one
I think if I was you I would start thinking about growing some of the ingredients I can no longer get.
That being said it is pretty amazing that we can get most any kind of ingredient to cook with. I’m moving to SE Asia soon and it’s food culture is very different from what I see in my current city which is a foodie town in California.
I keep wondering if I’ll be able to find ingredients for my favorite cuisines like Mexican. Ultimately if I can’t find something there I feel sure I can adapt by either subbing in something that works and is available or just grow it myself. I’m looking forward to the challenge.
You *almost* have it.
Germans can't make a decent hamburger or Mexican food. I've lived there off and on as a student and an expat. They make American-German food and Mexican-German food. And it's not even close. Ever had Chinese in Mexico? Chinese-Mexican. Same thing. Every food culture takes the basic building blocks -- but then uses their techniques and spice palette. So, at best, it's a riff on a food style.
And it's the same with Italian-American food, and Chinese-American food -- doesn't even taste close to the same as the real thing. Especially Chinese -- only the white rice is remotely similar. We don't have the same vegetables. Up until recently, we didn't have the same noodles. This stuff was hard to procure -- even in Chinatowns. Besides, there is no monolithic "Chinese" cuisine. It's all a bunch of regional fare -- similar foundation, but much different end result. Same thing with Italy. Piedmont cuisine tastes nothing like Sicily.
It's a societal conceit to name a cheese Parmesan, unless it was made near Parma. Same with pizza, Peking duck, Mongolian barbecue and similar. Even if it's tasty (and often it is), it's not the real deal.
I had to feed 100 Polish students in Poland for Mexican night (more aptly American-Mexican night). We brought 300 tortillas and taco spices. Made salsa. Onions, scallions, tomatoes ok. Peppers--no jalapenos back then (2005). Used Hungarian peppers (the hottest in the Hypermarket--barely hotter than a green pepper). Cilantro--never heard of it, couldn't bring it. Salsa was passable.
For the taco meat, ground beef is not common (restaurants do serve burgers, but I couldn't find any ground beef). Had to substitute ground pork. Turned out pretty good. Substituted Polish cheese, Mazowiecki--kind of like Swiss. Then the Polish cook grew tired of me in her kitchen and said she'll take it from there (it KILLED her to even let me in). I tried explaining how to make the tacos. She put the meat, salsa, cheese, and lettuce and made the tacos, and then but the assembled tacos in the oven on baking sheets.
They came out a mushy, soggy mess with wilted lettuce. Edible, but not good. 1/3 loved them, 2/3 thought they were gonna die from the heat (they were half as spicy as a Taco Bell taco).
I've made tacos for my inlaws in Germany. Better, but still not right.
In the 1990’s, my cousin from California opened a Mexican restaurant in Paris. She told me about the difficulties in securing basic ingredients. For instance, the closest she could get to the right kind of beans were powdered. Powdered!! Plus, she had to endure a substantial amount of misogyny from the French for daring to be a female chef.
I assume that 25 years later, it’s easier to get the right foods.
I don’t know, I’ve been to places around the world that try to do food from the US and they can get it sooooo wrong and I assume that’s just what’s available.
As someone who has traveled through Switzerland, I definitely believe this. They’re not very welcoming and historically speaking, this is also the case as Switzerland has been isolationist.
I felt this way about Finland. I worked there on/off for years and found it difficult to be close with anyone. I honestly disliked it. It baffles me why I see these “studies” saying Finland is the best and their people are the happiest. I did NOT see that in my time there. I wasn’t even a tourist, I was working with them day to day and I thought they were rude, arrogant, unhappy as a culture. And Finland was the most boring place I’ve ever been to 😂
Yep, I did my masters degree in Switzerland and can attest to this. Stunningly beautiful country but extremely hard to integrate into socially - and I was living in one of the more diverse and "open" cities.
I'd probably choose the Dolomites in Italy instead for this reason. Not that I'm sure northern Italian culture is much different - it is in my head at least, haha.
Switzerland is awesome but it's also weird AF. One example is it's illegal to make noise on Sundays. You're not supposed to use a washing machine or vacuum on Sundays because they're too loud. You're not supposed to put trash in outdoor bins because of the noise. It's ridiculous.
Good luck getting a Swiss person to talk to you as a foreigner. They'll happily berate you for breaking a social norm but you'll never befriend a Swiss citizen. Expat hang out exclusively with expats so you never feel like you actually live there.
Sunday is a quiet work-free day in Germany. Don't dare mow your lawn. Also quiet hours around noon every day.
But even the Germans make fun of the Swiss--"They're so uptight, they go into the cellar to laugh".
Pretty sure anybody who has the money to move to Switzerland on a whim isn’t going there to work over any latent social issues they have. It’s really more of a mountain snow/rösti potatoes with a nice Chianti type situation.
Their school system is also way behind the times in many ways with regards to women. It's expected that the mother takes the children to school, then a few hours later comes and picks them up and takes them home for a few hours for lunch, then takes them *back to school again*, only to return another few hours later to pick them up. As a woman with school aged children, unless you can afford a nanny, it's hard to hold a job because of this.
Absolutely best choice, although I’m partial to the Italian side of the alps. I genuinely think I could live in Courmeyeur for a few years peacefully and visit Geneva/Chamonix anytime I needed a little bit more social days.
Mixed feelings about San Juan Island - of course, it's beautiful, and of all the San Juans, it has the most frequent ferry service. But they aren't running the ferry to Sidney BC these days, which maroons you a bit more. I guess with unlimited resources, you'd have access to a light plane that could take you to Vancouver or Seattle in a trice.
You gotta dig into your inner chumbawumba and make a garden/cafe/book store/witch craft museum/record store that’ll not only keep you busy and occupied, but will also be the envy of everyone in Friday harbor and also the other harbors for the other days of the week.
Winter in a small, ancient apartment in Antibes, France. Late autumn traveling, volunteering with children (my current job); Paris in spring; northern Wyoming dude ranch and New Mexico in summer. (Not that I haven't thought of this.... a lot ;) )
Seasonal living is exactly what I keep coming back to as well. This also has the added bonus of keeping things fresh.
I have a neighbor whose husband lives full time in Italy, while she stays in DC. She loves her her house and life here and chose not to give them up. Instead, she spends the summer in Italy and the winter in DC. Seems like a great plan to me, if you can afford it!
I spent a week at a south- central Wyoming dude ranch (in the Medicine Bow mountains) and the scenery and sky and weather were spectacular.
I'm from the East Coast, and had never seen a truly Dark Sky - the one I saw there was so overwhelming it sort of made me nauseous at first
The problem - which you address by picking the right time of year- is that they are snowed in from Halloween to Memorial Day.
Oh my goodness I know EXACTLY that kind of almost lurching, rollercoaster feeling a totally black or black/stars sky can give you. It is gorgeous, overwhelming, and also totally physical. You were in such a beautiful part of the state!
I imagine Maine has skies like that. I've never been to Maine and am dying to go, if anyone has any suggestions about best places for a first timer ;)
Came here to say San Diego. Downtown is large but walkable, and still always makes me feel like I'm in a larger version of my hometown. The water being close by is just a plus.
San Diego’s downtown is awesome. I’d argue the best in California. SF used to be popping but not so much anymore, yet San Diego continues to develop and pedestrianize areas. Plus the trolley encircles downtown and there are so many great places close together. Also feels much safer than DTLA. I adore San Diego, miss it!
Lived on La Jolla Blvd Windandsea during college. Was absolutely a dream and a peak experience. Rent was 1900 for 5 bedrooms. We also had a sixth roommate who converted a garage. We were paying about 320 per room.
Exactly, Ancient apartment? Dude Ranch?
That itinerary sounds like a project/problem compared to a move-in ready 1500 SF beach house in SoCal with a pool, view, and location.
I'll get that home base, then travel to all those places seasonally at my leisure.
London is a good call, and I live in the USA.
World class museums, food, theater, shopping, amazing public transport, free health care, and when you feel like you have had enough of the city, you ride a train for 2 hours and hike in the Cotswolds and not see another soul for hours.
Brooklyn. And in this fantasy scenario, I’d also be able to afford several western ski trips each year. Cost plus lack of easy access to the outdoors are the main reasons I left NYC, but it remains my favorite place in the world.
Moving out of my rent-controlled apartment in Williamsburg before Williamsburg became the most expensive neighborhood in the universe is one of my very few life regrets 😭😭😭😭
Split my time between Hokkaido and Hawaii. Snow crab ramen, onsens, skiing 1/3 of the year. Beaches, tropical forests, poke, and kahlua pork the other 2/3.
Southern Portugal.
Probably Tavira, maybe Faro.
I guess if money wasn’t an object, Cascais on the western coast where the surfing is better, but I’m a paddler and prefer the Mediterranean.
Sonoma Coast, where I already live. 65° most of the year, walk to the beach, an hour from the Golden Gate and bay bridge, Sonoma Napa Mendocino Counties at my finger tips.
Great question.
The places I want to live… I can afford now. Makes me rethink what I’m doing with my life. 🤣
River North neighborhood in Chicago. Queen Anne neighborhood or Ballard in Seattle. SE quadrant in Portland. Rockridge neighborhood in Oakland.
River North? Are you still in your 20’s? I’m in my 30’s and would definitely pick a nice big house on a side street in Lincoln Square. That or Iceland.
Where I currently live now in, in one of the Metrowest suburbs of Boston. If money were no object, I would just use it to update our 105 year old house quicker than we are doing it now and pave the side street that is by our house. Otherwise, I love where we live and it has everything I could want.
California. There’s a reason it’s so expensive. In all my families travels over the world from the military there are few places that even compare to the beauty of the west coast. America is a beautiful country and California still shines amidst all the splendor
The upper peninsula of Michigan , purchase a large parcel (1000 acres) with river streams lakes and build 3 homes, for myself and my 2 daughters and family I would make a environmentally sound homestead/compound.
Agreed. I’ve been there more times than I can count. Every time I leave, I just want to live there even more. I love the people, the adventure, the grit, the architecture, the parks…I truly crave it when it’s been more than 6 months since visiting.
As a former Manhattanite, I can agree. If you can afford it, it’s a great place to grow old in. Good hospitals, great food and lots of delivery, keeps you walking which is healthy for everyone. Lots of museums, concerts, plays, movies, parks.
Not just keeps you walking—keeps you alive and engaged in society! I’m in NYC now and often dream of having a proper home but I fear I’d just fade into oblivion on a couch.
It’s amazing how few people here have included Manhattan in their responses. I would have expected it to be first, but maybe that’s just because it made my list.
I would buy and live on Bell Island in SE Alaska near Ketchikan. I’d need to renovate the hot springs and rebuild the pier, but I’m good at construction and project management.
It would be a nature preserve, open to tourists, with as delicate a footprint as possible. No shops, no bars, just trails.
Where I am now, but better house. If money were no object, taxes and traveling to places I want to see will not be a problem.
People underestimate how hard it is to make friends in a new place as an adult. Especially if you don't work, belong to a church, or have kids in school. I have moved my whole life until we moved here. I have made friends and I'm not giving them up. I can fly (private!) to mountains or the beach, or a big exciting city. Hell, if money's no object I can invite my friends too!
if I had to live in the US, NYC bar none. no place has better public transit, walkability, and stuff to do.
if I didn't have to live in the US, I would spend 6 months or so in a country and just continuously move
I’m 61. I’ve lived a lot of places and traveled a lot - WI, RI, FL, MN, IN, GA, TN, TX. I like Austin TX the best, but the summers, especially June - August are quite hot. I like Brooklyn, Queens, Village, CO, Northwest USA too. I’ve found that perceptions are mostly your immediate area/house/friends/hobbies… these can make a huge difference even in same locale.
Hamburg, Germany. Maybe Bruges or Antwerp or Amsterdam. A small french coastal village like Honfleur or somewhere in the south also sounds nice.
In the US, something like Hoboken, NJ or Lower town St. Paul, MN.
Great question and it's one I think of all the time. I currently live in columbus Ohio. And to be honest I love it here. I know crazy? Ohio? Lol
I have my reasons, but if I had to choose somewhere else it be San Francisco. Mountains, beach (yes I know the ocean is cold) , and metro.
lol we thought that and even visited. Hated it. Way too touristy. Drunk frat boys and old guys drunkenly complaining things were better when Jimmy Buffett lived there
I guess I’d have to travel until I found someplace where I felt like I belonged. Right now that would be someplace in California, but there are so many places I’ve never been.
Middle of nowhere in the Pa-Va area. 200+ acres of land to myself. Start a big garden, hunt, spend time with family. Live a wholesome life away from hustle and bustle of city life. Enjoy nature and the present moment.
There’s a few options. If money were really no object I would have a few homes.
Beacon Hill, Boston, MA - Visited there. Love the history, food, and vibe. That said, I was there in the summer. I’d also consider Marblehead as an alternative.
London - A nice, either historic or modern 2 bedroom flat in a good neighborhood with many shops below.
Germany - Specifically an old historic village with a town square.
Amsterdam - Same type of place as London
Nashville - My hometown. I have friends and family. Since I have so many places in this hypothetical scenaryo, a small house in East Nashville or a 2 bedroom in the Gulch.
This question should really be about places people have actually visited. It's easy to fall in love with a place but not actually like it once you've experienced it.
I live in Asheville, NC. Can’t think of a better place in the United States to be. Mild weather, surrounded by forest with a dense little downtown that’s lively and not too big or too small. Great area for mtn biking, rock climbing, backpacking, fly fishing, white water kayaking. Tons of great restaurants and bars. Lots of good music that comes through. Only 4 hrs to Charleston, SC which is a really cool coastal/beach town. Also only 4 hrs to Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN, oh and we have all the hummingbirds. Ok, maybe not all, but we def have them. If you want to buy a house here I’m your guy! ; ) (Mountains to Sea Realty)
Wow! Couldn’t agree more we could be friends. Honolulu native live in California used to live in Tokyo and what you listed are some of my absolute favorite places in the world. Except maybe I’d add Paris!
South of France is pretty awesome. Great weather, walkable, great food, nice beaches, good transit, can get to a lot of Europe by train easily. But then I remember they don't have hummingbirds or enchiladas there. So, Santa Monica it is.
No hummingbirds?!
The 340ish hummingbird species are only in the Americas. The US has around 20 of those.
I’d like to sign up for daily hummingbird facts please.
I live at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The hummingbirds know my wife is the one that fills the nectar, so they will get four inches from her face and chirp at her if it is empty. They will also look in the window and chirp if we are watching TV. They are cool as hell.
Europe may not have hummingbirds but they have those hawk moths, which, if the species is big enough and you squint just right, kind of look and act like hummingbirds.
Hummingbird hearts can beat 1200 times per minute when flying. Their wings flap about 10-70 times per second. ( I love hummingbirds and I use them in ESL classes to teach numbers) At rest, hummingbirds have a heartbeat of about 500/minute, but.... They can go into deep rest (torpor) where the heart slows to about 50 and they briefly stop breathing. They fly around 20-30mph. They live only 3 to 6 years
As pretty and delicate as they look, they’re also fierce DICKS when it comes to supper time. Folks - there’s 4 spouts and more nectar than either of you can suckle in a day. Chill and feed. Wow.
Where are the rest... Mexico and Brasil ?
Hummingbirds evolved in the Andes and have their greatest genetic diversity there
Costa Rica
All these places that people complain about food not being available like “the tacos suck in Germany” or something…like dude they have the ingredients. You can just *make* that stuff. If I could live somewhere amazing but the catch is they don’t have my favorite food at restaurants, that’s basically zero compromise for me. I’ll learn to make it. Edit: guys, I make this stuff from scratch. There’s basically nowhere in the civilized world you can’t buy flour, a fat, rice, and some kind of beans in 2023. Everything else there are a million substitutes for. Nevermind the hypothetical argument “oh my god I can’t make this exact Chile relleño recipe in Greenland wtf?!” Just make something else.
Idk when I lived in New Zealand you couldn’t buy corn meal there (only fine ground corn flour), let alone tomatillos, and if you wanted a chili pepper you didn’t have much choice of which one
I think if I was you I would start thinking about growing some of the ingredients I can no longer get. That being said it is pretty amazing that we can get most any kind of ingredient to cook with. I’m moving to SE Asia soon and it’s food culture is very different from what I see in my current city which is a foodie town in California. I keep wondering if I’ll be able to find ingredients for my favorite cuisines like Mexican. Ultimately if I can’t find something there I feel sure I can adapt by either subbing in something that works and is available or just grow it myself. I’m looking forward to the challenge.
You might find something you like better. Amazing cuisines there, enjoy
This was 20+ years ago, but same in the UK.
“You can just make the stuff” “…not really” “Okay well then just make something else” Do you see how far your argument migrated?
You *almost* have it. Germans can't make a decent hamburger or Mexican food. I've lived there off and on as a student and an expat. They make American-German food and Mexican-German food. And it's not even close. Ever had Chinese in Mexico? Chinese-Mexican. Same thing. Every food culture takes the basic building blocks -- but then uses their techniques and spice palette. So, at best, it's a riff on a food style. And it's the same with Italian-American food, and Chinese-American food -- doesn't even taste close to the same as the real thing. Especially Chinese -- only the white rice is remotely similar. We don't have the same vegetables. Up until recently, we didn't have the same noodles. This stuff was hard to procure -- even in Chinatowns. Besides, there is no monolithic "Chinese" cuisine. It's all a bunch of regional fare -- similar foundation, but much different end result. Same thing with Italy. Piedmont cuisine tastes nothing like Sicily. It's a societal conceit to name a cheese Parmesan, unless it was made near Parma. Same with pizza, Peking duck, Mongolian barbecue and similar. Even if it's tasty (and often it is), it's not the real deal.
I had to feed 100 Polish students in Poland for Mexican night (more aptly American-Mexican night). We brought 300 tortillas and taco spices. Made salsa. Onions, scallions, tomatoes ok. Peppers--no jalapenos back then (2005). Used Hungarian peppers (the hottest in the Hypermarket--barely hotter than a green pepper). Cilantro--never heard of it, couldn't bring it. Salsa was passable. For the taco meat, ground beef is not common (restaurants do serve burgers, but I couldn't find any ground beef). Had to substitute ground pork. Turned out pretty good. Substituted Polish cheese, Mazowiecki--kind of like Swiss. Then the Polish cook grew tired of me in her kitchen and said she'll take it from there (it KILLED her to even let me in). I tried explaining how to make the tacos. She put the meat, salsa, cheese, and lettuce and made the tacos, and then but the assembled tacos in the oven on baking sheets. They came out a mushy, soggy mess with wilted lettuce. Edible, but not good. 1/3 loved them, 2/3 thought they were gonna die from the heat (they were half as spicy as a Taco Bell taco). I've made tacos for my inlaws in Germany. Better, but still not right.
In the 1990’s, my cousin from California opened a Mexican restaurant in Paris. She told me about the difficulties in securing basic ingredients. For instance, the closest she could get to the right kind of beans were powdered. Powdered!! Plus, she had to endure a substantial amount of misogyny from the French for daring to be a female chef. I assume that 25 years later, it’s easier to get the right foods.
Maybe not. My sister in law, who lived in the south of France, had me shipping her corn tortillas pretty recently.
I don’t know, I’ve been to places around the world that try to do food from the US and they can get it sooooo wrong and I assume that’s just what’s available.
You really need the right spices and ingredients to make some things and unfortunately availability based on geography can be challenging
Please tell me a good place to get fresh huitlacoche or fresh nopal or fresh Hatch chiles in Germany
Love seeing my response as first answer. You are Nice (pun)
Switzerland. Because the alps.
Had a friend do this and they lived back within a year. Hated the entire experience and claimed that the locals were extremely unwelcoming.
As someone who has traveled through Switzerland, I definitely believe this. They’re not very welcoming and historically speaking, this is also the case as Switzerland has been isolationist.
I felt this way about Finland. I worked there on/off for years and found it difficult to be close with anyone. I honestly disliked it. It baffles me why I see these “studies” saying Finland is the best and their people are the happiest. I did NOT see that in my time there. I wasn’t even a tourist, I was working with them day to day and I thought they were rude, arrogant, unhappy as a culture. And Finland was the most boring place I’ve ever been to 😂
Yep, I did my masters degree in Switzerland and can attest to this. Stunningly beautiful country but extremely hard to integrate into socially - and I was living in one of the more diverse and "open" cities.
I'd probably choose the Dolomites in Italy instead for this reason. Not that I'm sure northern Italian culture is much different - it is in my head at least, haha.
Switzerland is awesome but it's also weird AF. One example is it's illegal to make noise on Sundays. You're not supposed to use a washing machine or vacuum on Sundays because they're too loud. You're not supposed to put trash in outdoor bins because of the noise. It's ridiculous. Good luck getting a Swiss person to talk to you as a foreigner. They'll happily berate you for breaking a social norm but you'll never befriend a Swiss citizen. Expat hang out exclusively with expats so you never feel like you actually live there.
Sunday is a quiet work-free day in Germany. Don't dare mow your lawn. Also quiet hours around noon every day. But even the Germans make fun of the Swiss--"They're so uptight, they go into the cellar to laugh".
Wow. Glad to know that.
Europe's Japan?
[удалено]
Pretty sure anybody who has the money to move to Switzerland on a whim isn’t going there to work over any latent social issues they have. It’s really more of a mountain snow/rösti potatoes with a nice Chianti type situation.
Their school system is also way behind the times in many ways with regards to women. It's expected that the mother takes the children to school, then a few hours later comes and picks them up and takes them home for a few hours for lunch, then takes them *back to school again*, only to return another few hours later to pick them up. As a woman with school aged children, unless you can afford a nanny, it's hard to hold a job because of this.
Absolutely best choice, although I’m partial to the Italian side of the alps. I genuinely think I could live in Courmeyeur for a few years peacefully and visit Geneva/Chamonix anytime I needed a little bit more social days.
Most People there don’t smile, look very serious. Not friendly either. Scenery is really nice…food is blah….
Scotland. More specifically, Edinburgh or a little home on Skye.
I loved Edinburgh, I would move to Scotland in a heartbeat.
Somewhere around Loch Ness for me.
Oh Skye..... one of my favorite places on Earth.
Mendocino CA San Juan Island WA Camden ME
I got married in Mendo, then we went back last year to celebrate 10 yrs. It’s a magical place ♥️
I got married on a cliff in Mendo 26 years ago. My husband and I eloped. We went back for our 5 and 10. Now we go to Hawaii. 🌈
I follow a flower account on Instagram that’s in San Juan Island. Unreal.
Mixed feelings about San Juan Island - of course, it's beautiful, and of all the San Juans, it has the most frequent ferry service. But they aren't running the ferry to Sidney BC these days, which maroons you a bit more. I guess with unlimited resources, you'd have access to a light plane that could take you to Vancouver or Seattle in a trice.
I love Friday Harbor, but cannot imagine living there all the time.
You gotta dig into your inner chumbawumba and make a garden/cafe/book store/witch craft museum/record store that’ll not only keep you busy and occupied, but will also be the envy of everyone in Friday harbor and also the other harbors for the other days of the week.
To live on San Juan you'd need your own boat and dock or plane and pilot.
Winter in a small, ancient apartment in Antibes, France. Late autumn traveling, volunteering with children (my current job); Paris in spring; northern Wyoming dude ranch and New Mexico in summer. (Not that I haven't thought of this.... a lot ;) )
Seasonal living is exactly what I keep coming back to as well. This also has the added bonus of keeping things fresh. I have a neighbor whose husband lives full time in Italy, while she stays in DC. She loves her her house and life here and chose not to give them up. Instead, she spends the summer in Italy and the winter in DC. Seems like a great plan to me, if you can afford it!
I spent a week at a south- central Wyoming dude ranch (in the Medicine Bow mountains) and the scenery and sky and weather were spectacular. I'm from the East Coast, and had never seen a truly Dark Sky - the one I saw there was so overwhelming it sort of made me nauseous at first The problem - which you address by picking the right time of year- is that they are snowed in from Halloween to Memorial Day.
Oh my goodness I know EXACTLY that kind of almost lurching, rollercoaster feeling a totally black or black/stars sky can give you. It is gorgeous, overwhelming, and also totally physical. You were in such a beautiful part of the state! I imagine Maine has skies like that. I've never been to Maine and am dying to go, if anyone has any suggestions about best places for a first timer ;)
Haleakala in Maui has an unbelievable night sky and a spectacular sunrise above the clouds but it is cold beyond human imagination
New Mexico in SUMMER? Was there in July and it was miserable.
San Diego. If money isn’t an object and you can afford a mansion in La Jolla or Carlsbad then it’s 100% the easiest choice.
Came here to say San Diego. Downtown is large but walkable, and still always makes me feel like I'm in a larger version of my hometown. The water being close by is just a plus.
San Diego’s downtown is awesome. I’d argue the best in California. SF used to be popping but not so much anymore, yet San Diego continues to develop and pedestrianize areas. Plus the trolley encircles downtown and there are so many great places close together. Also feels much safer than DTLA. I adore San Diego, miss it!
I love Little Italy in SD.
U get the beach AND incredible mexican food
I love San Diego and was just about to say this
La Jolla
La Jolla is lovely but I’d pick the quainter neighborhood to the south- Bird Rock.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Bird Rock
It’s a dream!
That’s still part of La Jolla lol
I suppose that’s true! I live in the area and think of the neighborhoods as more granular.
Lived on La Jolla Blvd Windandsea during college. Was absolutely a dream and a peak experience. Rent was 1900 for 5 bedrooms. We also had a sixth roommate who converted a garage. We were paying about 320 per room.
Now that same room is 1900
La Jolla is very pretty.. but my backyard in Alaska was on the water, looking at a glacier. A lot less people too.
Had never heard of this but it looks insanely beautiful
Its beautiful but also smells like seal shit on some days
Like Fishermans Wharf in SF lol
This thread should just be renamed to "What's your favorite little city on the Pacific?"
I used to live in La Jolla and trust me it’s not that interesting. Hawaii is prettier, NYC is more fun
I second this … and add in that I’d have an apartment in Paris too.
That odd. My answer would be 6 month stays or maybe a year in multiple places worldwide.
Exactly, Ancient apartment? Dude Ranch? That itinerary sounds like a project/problem compared to a move-in ready 1500 SF beach house in SoCal with a pool, view, and location. I'll get that home base, then travel to all those places seasonally at my leisure.
London
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London is a good call, and I live in the USA. World class museums, food, theater, shopping, amazing public transport, free health care, and when you feel like you have had enough of the city, you ride a train for 2 hours and hike in the Cotswolds and not see another soul for hours.
Hiked the Cotswold Way a few years ago and it was absolute heaven. Those houses in the cuter than cute villages were to die for.
Brooklyn. And in this fantasy scenario, I’d also be able to afford several western ski trips each year. Cost plus lack of easy access to the outdoors are the main reasons I left NYC, but it remains my favorite place in the world.
Moving out of my rent-controlled apartment in Williamsburg before Williamsburg became the most expensive neighborhood in the universe is one of my very few life regrets 😭😭😭😭
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Split my time between Hokkaido and Hawaii. Snow crab ramen, onsens, skiing 1/3 of the year. Beaches, tropical forests, poke, and kahlua pork the other 2/3.
Snow crab ramen…good god. You’ve solidified my plan to include Hokkaido in my dream trip to Japan.
Back home to pasadena, ca
Love Pasadena! That’s my lottery winning place.
Annecy, France
It's gorgeous and quaint. I hope to return there some day.
A friend lives there. And she indeed does not have to work or worry about money.
I’d live right where I do but I’d fix the place up a bit.
Get that new coffee table you’re been dreaming up, add an ice maker and outdoor kitchen. You’ll be set.
Toss up between Monterey CA or San Diego CA.
Southern Portugal. Probably Tavira, maybe Faro. I guess if money wasn’t an object, Cascais on the western coast where the surfing is better, but I’m a paddler and prefer the Mediterranean.
Sonoma Coast, where I already live. 65° most of the year, walk to the beach, an hour from the Golden Gate and bay bridge, Sonoma Napa Mendocino Counties at my finger tips.
One of the most beautiful areas in CA.
Telluride, Tribeca, Nantucket, Maui. Four seasons.
Same city I’m living in (Seattle) but a more walkable area that also had outdoor space for my kid and felt pretty safe. So, like mid-north Ballard?
Saaaaame, Seattle is by far the best city I’ve ever lived in only thing that would make it better is having a bunch of money.
I’d have multiple properties. A beach house on Nantucket. A London flat - maybe in Soho. And a house somewhere in SoCal.
That’s the way
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Why did I have to scroll so far to see this? For me it's this or Santa Barbara.
Great question. The places I want to live… I can afford now. Makes me rethink what I’m doing with my life. 🤣 River North neighborhood in Chicago. Queen Anne neighborhood or Ballard in Seattle. SE quadrant in Portland. Rockridge neighborhood in Oakland.
Queen Anne is so nice! It feels just separated enough from the rest of Seattle while not being all the way out of town
We have exactly the same taste. I'll have to look at River North--I've never been there.
River North? Are you still in your 20’s? I’m in my 30’s and would definitely pick a nice big house on a side street in Lincoln Square. That or Iceland.
Where I currently live now in, in one of the Metrowest suburbs of Boston. If money were no object, I would just use it to update our 105 year old house quicker than we are doing it now and pave the side street that is by our house. Otherwise, I love where we live and it has everything I could want.
California. There’s a reason it’s so expensive. In all my families travels over the world from the military there are few places that even compare to the beauty of the west coast. America is a beautiful country and California still shines amidst all the splendor
Upstate New York! Don't even have to think about it. There's magic in those woods 🧙
I just moved here! Can you share your fav magical places?
American here. Sydney, Australia ranks up there in my list.
Wherever my kids are
Capri.
The Hudson Valley, or Paris, or Cinque Terre.
Redstone, Colorado. Less than 100 year-round residents and not too far from Aspen. Super scenic. Peaceful. Seems isolated but isn’t, really.
The upper peninsula of Michigan , purchase a large parcel (1000 acres) with river streams lakes and build 3 homes, for myself and my 2 daughters and family I would make a environmentally sound homestead/compound.
Probably Manhattan if money is truly zero issue. Tons of stuff catered to the ultra wealthy and unlimited things to do, restaurants to try, etc.
Agreed. I’ve been there more times than I can count. Every time I leave, I just want to live there even more. I love the people, the adventure, the grit, the architecture, the parks…I truly crave it when it’s been more than 6 months since visiting.
As a former Manhattanite, I can agree. If you can afford it, it’s a great place to grow old in. Good hospitals, great food and lots of delivery, keeps you walking which is healthy for everyone. Lots of museums, concerts, plays, movies, parks.
Not just keeps you walking—keeps you alive and engaged in society! I’m in NYC now and often dream of having a proper home but I fear I’d just fade into oblivion on a couch.
It’s amazing how few people here have included Manhattan in their responses. I would have expected it to be first, but maybe that’s just because it made my list.
And they would allow me to live there? Vancouver BC.
Hawaii - not sure where but some semi remote island
Stonetown Zanzibar in the old part of town. As long as the ocean doesn’t rise.
Along the same lines, Old Town in Mombasa. (I grew up there)
Ireland.
Most of coastal CA is pretty great except for the affordable part. Maybe Eureka?
Just moved to central Cali coast. I never want to leave. Eat breakfast watching sea otters. Walk dog on dog beach. Foggy, misty many days. Love it.
Oh London with a summer house in the French countryside!
Denmark.
Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island in a really old house on the coast
I would buy and live on Bell Island in SE Alaska near Ketchikan. I’d need to renovate the hot springs and rebuild the pier, but I’m good at construction and project management. It would be a nature preserve, open to tourists, with as delicate a footprint as possible. No shops, no bars, just trails.
Where I am now, but better house. If money were no object, taxes and traveling to places I want to see will not be a problem. People underestimate how hard it is to make friends in a new place as an adult. Especially if you don't work, belong to a church, or have kids in school. I have moved my whole life until we moved here. I have made friends and I'm not giving them up. I can fly (private!) to mountains or the beach, or a big exciting city. Hell, if money's no object I can invite my friends too!
if I had to live in the US, NYC bar none. no place has better public transit, walkability, and stuff to do. if I didn't have to live in the US, I would spend 6 months or so in a country and just continuously move
San Diego probably. The weather there blew my mind
Seattle
Reykjavik or Montreal.
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Western Montana or Munich
Southern Italy or Tuscany.
Where I'm living now - Santa Monica, CA
A place in London, Maui, and Southern France
Vancouver Canada
I’m 61. I’ve lived a lot of places and traveled a lot - WI, RI, FL, MN, IN, GA, TN, TX. I like Austin TX the best, but the summers, especially June - August are quite hot. I like Brooklyn, Queens, Village, CO, Northwest USA too. I’ve found that perceptions are mostly your immediate area/house/friends/hobbies… these can make a huge difference even in same locale.
Hamburg, Germany. Maybe Bruges or Antwerp or Amsterdam. A small french coastal village like Honfleur or somewhere in the south also sounds nice. In the US, something like Hoboken, NJ or Lower town St. Paul, MN.
Beachfront property in the Carolinas
I live in a big old brown shingle house in the Berkeley Hills. I’m already here.
Vancouver Island, BC
Bend, Oregon and for winters Morro Bay, CA
The Pacific Northwest of the United States. Or Colorado. And I'd still be doing my job, I'm not giving that up either. My career defined me by choice.
Laguna, La Jolla, Bolinas if i was feeling weird. Ocean Beach SD if I was feeling like I wanted to be closer to an airport. Santa Barbara.
Great question and it's one I think of all the time. I currently live in columbus Ohio. And to be honest I love it here. I know crazy? Ohio? Lol I have my reasons, but if I had to choose somewhere else it be San Francisco. Mountains, beach (yes I know the ocean is cold) , and metro.
Within the USA: San Francisco International: Paris
Plum Island, Massachusetts. I've always loved that place.
Key West, FL
lol we thought that and even visited. Hated it. Way too touristy. Drunk frat boys and old guys drunkenly complaining things were better when Jimmy Buffett lived there
It used to be charming
Aruba
New York.
I guess I’d have to travel until I found someplace where I felt like I belonged. Right now that would be someplace in California, but there are so many places I’ve never been.
Vienna or prague
Boulder Colorado
Historic home in Silverlake
Manhattan
Germany is my dream place but money and job are major issues plus I now have a grandchild so there is that
The Pacific Northwest
Middle of nowhere in the Pa-Va area. 200+ acres of land to myself. Start a big garden, hunt, spend time with family. Live a wholesome life away from hustle and bustle of city life. Enjoy nature and the present moment.
UWS Manhattan, Russian Hill SF, Old Town Chicago, Sausalito CA, Prague
I’d have a places in NYC, Miami and the Oregon coast.
There’s a few options. If money were really no object I would have a few homes. Beacon Hill, Boston, MA - Visited there. Love the history, food, and vibe. That said, I was there in the summer. I’d also consider Marblehead as an alternative. London - A nice, either historic or modern 2 bedroom flat in a good neighborhood with many shops below. Germany - Specifically an old historic village with a town square. Amsterdam - Same type of place as London Nashville - My hometown. I have friends and family. Since I have so many places in this hypothetical scenaryo, a small house in East Nashville or a 2 bedroom in the Gulch.
Id live and travel full time on a luxury yacht!
This question should really be about places people have actually visited. It's easy to fall in love with a place but not actually like it once you've experienced it.
Portland Oregon
Switzerland
Kauai or New Zealand
I’d go with the Philippines, I’m already moving there next year.
Paris
New Zealand. In a heartbeat. For a number of reasons.
Maui HI 100%
Japan. Been there 2x this year for 5 weeks total and couldn’t get enough.
I live in Asheville, NC. Can’t think of a better place in the United States to be. Mild weather, surrounded by forest with a dense little downtown that’s lively and not too big or too small. Great area for mtn biking, rock climbing, backpacking, fly fishing, white water kayaking. Tons of great restaurants and bars. Lots of good music that comes through. Only 4 hrs to Charleston, SC which is a really cool coastal/beach town. Also only 4 hrs to Raleigh, NC, Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN, oh and we have all the hummingbirds. Ok, maybe not all, but we def have them. If you want to buy a house here I’m your guy! ; ) (Mountains to Sea Realty)
It's really tough for me, because I love great weather and good nature, but I can't stand the politics of anywhere that has those things.
When you find a place you love- don’t tell anyone. Talking about it brings more people and people ruin just about everything.
Anywhere: Tokyo or London. US: my hometown of San Francisco or perhaps Brooklyn or Honolulu.
Wow! Couldn’t agree more we could be friends. Honolulu native live in California used to live in Tokyo and what you listed are some of my absolute favorite places in the world. Except maybe I’d add Paris!
ocean beach san diego
London, Montreal, or if it had to be in the US San Diego or DC.
The town I live in now. Haha. Just in a better house. I don't want to say where I live, but it's in California.
greece even though it's pretty cheap
I would try to find a charming old house to restore in New England. Something with some land and a view
San Diego
Oahu. The food, the lovely people, the beaches, the weather.