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Spiffor
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CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Nov 2001
time: 06:24
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Well, two others :
Bordeaux
Located in Southwestern France, along the Gironde river, just before it gets in the Atlantic Ocean. ca. 700.000 inhab. Capital of Aquitaine region.
The good
Pretty beautiful city and architecture. Huge contrast between the left and the right shore of the Gironde river though.
Most regular houses are pretty old, so you may find an interesting architecture everywhere, not only by the monuments.
Rue Sainte Catherine is the longest pedestrian street in Europe, and is very lively.
Many students = some nightlife, but don't expect too much.
Correct cultural life for a French city far from Paris (which tends to monopolize all culture). Some museums, alternative theaters, big opera.
It's near to the Atlantic, and you can get to beautiful beaches nearby. The campaign nearby is also pretty cool, and you can find many varieties of wine (Bordeaux wines aren't my favorite though)
The climate can be pretty good, but it's pretty wet (it's located in an former swamp), so winter is worse than in most places along the Atlantic.
The bad
The city grew way too fast these latest decades, and the transporation system doesn't fit the population. Roads are always crowded, and mass transit sucks (only buses for now = they'retaken in the jam as well, and they suck even when there is no jam). The utter horror that is transportation in Bordeaux really ruined the 2 years I've spent there.
There are now massive constructions everywhere on the streets to build the tram. It blocks circulation even more than before, but should be worth it in the end.
The city is dirty, and many buildings seem to have never been cleaned, and are full of black pollution's dust.
I don't recommend Bordeaux to anyone. It basically sucks for students, who have to work far away from the center in a dead campus, it sucks for people who work far from their homes, and it sucks for tourists because what there is to see isn't worth the jams. I don't exaggerate how bad the traffic is, it really ruins the day.
Stuttgart
Located in southwestern Germany. ca. 500.000 inhab. Capital of land Baden-Württemberg.
The good
Room. It's the least crowded city I lived in. The complete agglomeration spans on a huge surface for its pop., and there is even agriculture in the territory of Stuttgart itself (not a far fetched suburbs).
There are plenty small-sized hospitals, schools, supermarkts etc. which help feeling a sense of community.
There is a relatively small but cute Christmas Market. Probably not the best in Germany, but impressive for the ignorant French I am.
The transportation system is top notch. I've yet to see a jam, and buses / subways are never late 
There are many forests very nearby (you can access them by walking from the city center), which make good Sunday-walks when the weather allows it.
Southern Germany obviously means good beer  Besides, it's 2 hours away from Munich, which means you can go to Oktoberfest from there (the local beerfests don't even near Munich's Oktoberfest, but aren't dull either)
City of Mercedes, Porsche and Bosch, which means the city has tons of money to invest. These can provide well paid jobs, even for workers (a friend used to be worker at Mercedes, and got about $3000 a month).
The bad
Provincial. You wont find many things to shop : once you've exhausted the semi-malls of the center, and know all the Kebap dealers, you won't have anything to buy. Theatres mostly show American or French crap, and they are very rarely in original version.
The locals don't speak German, but the local dialect. It's sometimes extremely hard to understand them when you're stranger (i.e from anywhere in the world except Schwabenland), but I've seen people from the countryside are much worse.
Not much to do on the cultural level. Some museums, including a big one, and some concerts, but nothing particular.
The city is ugly, and I don't know more than 3 buildings that aren't cubic. It has been razed by allied bombs during WW2, and that's obvious whenever you walk in the streets.
The locals aren't very open to unknown people. But once you made an acquaintance, it will last long.
Germany means much paperwork. If you come, make sure to bring everything : ID pictures like crazy, passport and ID, bank papers, social security papers, and everything you could grab here.
I really recommand Stuttgart for anyone who wants to discover Germany, whether you're student or employee. There is everything you might want, from well paid jobs to a fairly good environment. The edges largely outweight the flaws.
However, if you're a tourist, I recommand you don't even enter Stuttgart. There is almost nothing to see, except for the big Staatsmuseum. You might find something interesting in the suburbian Baroque city of Ludwigsburg (home of Schiller)
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Worthingtons
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Pride Park,Derby
Jan 2002
time: 05:24
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Calc, I'd love to live in NYC for some time, but it's getting there, how on earth does one GET IN? , What are the propery prices & rent like there?
Cheers
Matt
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Inverse Icarus
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flying too low to the ground
May 2001
time: 00:24
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I lived in five places so far (some only for summers), all in New York State:
NYC: crowded, dirty, diverse, blah blah blah you know about NYC.
Nowhere Upstate: Somewhere between NYC and Albany, 12 acres of land, corn, and stuff. Mor of a summer house. wouldn't recommend it.
Long Island - Nassau County: Suburbs. We have some of the cleanest water and some of the best police officers in the country, and the taxes relfect that. lots of stuff to do, a little diversity, blah blah blah. It's a great place to live if you have a car.
Long Island - Suffolk County - The Hamptons: Summer house. Nice beaches, quiet, you know, all sorts of good stuff. I'd love to live there but for some reason i think it would get boring in the middle of the winter. beautiful, yes, but boring.
Troy, NY (close to Albany) - I live @ a uni, so i'm not really a judge of the surrounding area i guess. the houses areound the uni itself are pretty crappy, but a few blocks from campus the houses are pretty damn nice. one frat here has a 1.4 million dollar house. Again, this place is pretty cool if you have a car, which i dont. My friend just got one though, yeeha.
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Lars-E
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What's so nice about those churches, Franit? You must be there for every Sunday mass by the sound of it.
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Felch
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Germantown, Maryland
Sep 2001
time: 00:24
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Germantown, Maryland, USA
Large, unincorporated suburb (no city government) of DC, in Montgomery County.
Pros
Lots of new stores, housing, and places to eat are built all the time. The population has jumped from around 5,000 in 1980 to roughly 80,000 today, IIRC.
Primary industry (government) is always growing. The economy is well insulated from market pressures, since most people either work for the government, for a government contractor, or provide services to people who work for the government or government contractors. In other words, the economy of DC and its suburbs is subsidized by the rest of the US.
Crime is low, and mostly limited to a fantastic array of drugs. There are only a few murders and rapes per year. The snipers never came to Germantown.
Excellent school system, and a diverse community of filthy rich white people, and the El Salvadoreans who mow their lawns.
Cons
Prices are generally high - especially for housing. 1200 dollars a month will get you a two bedroom apartment in an okay neighborhood. 180 grand can buy you a townhouse in an equally okay neighborhood. Living in the nice places starts in the 200s.
Most of the cute girls are jailbait.
The police have too much free time, and love setting up speed traps and drug busts.
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Worthingtons
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Pride Park,Derby
Jan 2002
time: 05:24
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Yes, Hull is indeed a very poor city to say it's from Yorkshire, that's why we tried to disown it :/
Grimsby has many fishermen
Cheers
Matt
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MRT144
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Seattle Washington
Oct 2002
time: 21:24
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pho is god!
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Lord Merciless
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Palo Alto, California
I'm going to school at Stanford so my stay may only be temporary. But so far I really like this place, and will stay if I find the right job.
The Good:
- The heartland of Silicon Valley, has an almost unlimited career opportunities. People are still optimistic despite unemployment rate hitting 8%.
- Great weather: not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, and not too dry. Sunshine for most of the year.
- Interesting place to live: SF is not too far away, and cultural diversity is excellent.
The Bad:
- Exorbitant real estate prices. A sh1tty house can cost up to $800,000. 1 Bedroom rent usually costs around $1000.
- All bad things related to overcrowding: traffic, open spaces, etc...
- Ever-present danger of earthquakes.
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ThePantaloonDog
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Baltimore, Maryland but currently in dirty, dirty New London CT
Feb 2001
time: 00:24
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Baltimore, MD
Good-Pretty good nightlife at Fells Point. Damn nice baseball stadium. Lots of good restaurants when you get away from the Inner Harbor. SOme nice neighborhoods if you know where to go. One of the most diverse places I've lived in with Arabs, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Indians.
The really bad-Heroin capital of the country. Irritating tourists in the Inner Harbor. Lots of crime. Some really really bad neighborhoods. Traffic is miserable with worthless mass transit.
I would recommend it but probably because its my hometown. If you do visit make sure you have somebody from the city to show you around or you'll end up eating at the shiity tourist spots.
Portland, ME
Good-Quiet relatively green and crime free. Pretty good schools when I was up there. Not crowded. Close to Boston for easy access to civilization. PLenty of hiking, skiing, and camping around.
Bad-Damn cold. The people and the weather. Pace of life is extremely slow. Very provincial.
This is one of the nicest cities I've been too but the pace of the life was too slow for me.
New York City
Good-I think everybody knows about NYC
Bad-Everybody knows about this too
If you like living in an interesting city this is it. There's always something fun to do. I would love to go back.
Norfolk, VA
Good-Generally warm weather. CLose to the beach. Cheap.
Bad-Very provincial I don't think I've ever had so many people take offense to me being a (non-practising) Catholic. There is absolutely nothing to do in the winter. The lack of hills is very creepy.
I hated this place. If you enjoy living in a hot humid swamp filled with lots of "country-folk" then this is a great city.
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01-12-2002 00:56
mecca? Church?? 
[Zkribbler's brain tries to take in this mixed metaphor...but can't...and explodes 
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