Big Cities with Small-Town Heart

It has been entirely too long since the last time I blogged, so I thought I'd check in and keep this thing going. E (my moniker for the fiance) and I are on our respective couches, listening to the Kentucky Derby in the background. Actually, we're listening to all the lead-up to the Derby. The Derby itself is just about a minute long. Even so, I find myself mesmerized by all these giant hats. I have told E (and many others) that I would love to check "go to the Kentucky Derby wearing a large hat" off my list of Things to do Before I Die.

Oh! Here goes the Derby (6:29). Aaaaaaaand it's over (6:31). Mine That Bird is the winner. Jockey seems like a nice guy. Underdog, apparently, which is always nice.

Lately, E and I have discussed where to go whenever we finally leave Gainesville. This will probably happen sometime in the next 2 years, after he gets his Masters in Special Education. We've pretty much decided we want to move to a big city... but one with soul. I don't want to live in Miami, Orlando, or Jax. This isn't about horrible traffic and way too many people, all of which are rude and in a rush. This is about finding a great community with most things either at walking distance or just a subway or bus ride away. We'll probably still have a car, but I want to be able to survive without it. We also need a place that can offer plenty of eco-friendly shopping options (farmer's markets, large co-op, etc.), festivals and fairs, great dining, dynamic (yet friendly) people, and is culturally diverse. These are our main requirements. Looking at it now, I feel like we're asking too much of one city, but there are quite a few places that boast these very qualities.

So far, our list includes Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and New York. South Florida is out of the question. Having both grown up there, we decided early on to rule it out as a potential place to live. We both hated it there. The only place I would consider moving to in SoFla is Key West, to live out the rest of my days as a hot beach bum that is occasionally employed yet manages to live a lush and fulfilling life on the sand. *sigh*

We have also heard Boston is a great city, but that the people there aren't very nice. No judgements here, it is only what I've heard. I know a few nice people from Boston so I'm sure it's not that bad. When I break down our other options, I come up with this:

NY- Scary. It would be awesome to live there, but I never want to be a newbie there. I want to somehow move there knowing where everything is and all the back alleys I need to know. I never want to have to ask someone for directions in NY, especially if I'm on foot. I don't want to look lost to any potential robbers.

Chicago- Some people love the downtown area and hate the rest of the city. Some people love the rest of the city and hate the downtown area. I only got a chance to see the downtown, which was very cool and had nice people, but way too rich for my blood. I'm sure it's a more affordable city when you move away from the downtown, but how much fun will I have if I can't afford to set foot where all the action is? The food festivals are amazing, though. I would totally go back there just for that.

Portland- I almost typed "Potland." That is probably accurate. Portland seems like a great place for farmer's markets, great food, and a culturally diverse (and quirky) community. But how's the public transportation? How far is everything from everything else? Is there enough shopping and fashion to satisfy the part of me that desperately wants to be on the Sex and the City set - just to steal everyone's clothes? Actually, it may be best for my wallet if this aspect of Portland doesn't exist. I simply do not know enough about this place. Also far away.

Seattle- I have heard the most hype about Seattle (some of it in conjunction with Portland). It's apparently everything on my list, except for the transportation part. I guess you still have to drive around to be efficient. I really don't want to live that far away from my family, though.

If I live clear across the country, I will definitely only see them for Christmas. I don't know if I can handle that. I'd like to see them more often than I see them now - about 3-4 times a year. E feels like it's a non-issue, but Hispanic families are very close. He sees no problem with being that far away from each other, but I need those hugs from my mom. (Sorry.) On the other hand, I need to live my life the way I want to live it.

When I decided to move from Homestead to Gainesville for college, my grandmother tried to convince my mom to forbid me from moving. She said my mother can't let me go so far away. I should stay home like everyone else in my family, until I got married. Then I could move out of my mom's house and into my own house somewhere in the same city or, at the very most, in a neighboring city. This is my family. While I have been the most outgoing, I still find it hard to move so far that I'll only see my mom and everyone else once a year.

At this point, I think I've decided that distance will have to be a side effect of our move, not a limiting factor. I will just have to spend all my disposable income on plane tickets. Period. I don't want to neglect myself from finding a great city to spend my first few married years in (and a potential place to eventually settle). I love my family and, hopefully, they wont see my distance from them as a measure of that love.