Pros and Cons of your city [Archive]

Sasaki Kojiro

09-20-2006, 04:11

(7,000th thread in tavern, woo!)

Tell me the pros and cons of your city, or any city you've lived in/know about.

Born in

Cincinnati, OH:

https://img132.imageshack.us/img132/76/622005scincinnatiskylineoo0.jpg

Pros:

Good library, zoo, art museum
Some good schools, my high school kicked ass
Not a small city, big enough for a baseball team and a football team
Decent traffic, drivers, parking
a reasonable variety of restaurants and stores
plenty of parks nearby. In cinci or an hour or two away.
the suspension bridge makes a nifty noise when you drive over it
the river is fairly cool, and there's some nice history with steamboats and the like, there are restaurants and playhouses on boats.
best icecream
good weather. Doesn't stay hot for too long, doesn't stay cold for to long, thunderstorms.

Cons:

our airport isn't in Cincinnati. It's not even in Ohio. It's in Kentucky (god knows why)
Not much to do, not much to see
Not a big city.
No subway, you need a car

It's a decent place to grow up or raise kids but there's no way I'd want to live there.

At college in

Worcester, MA

*as far as I can tell no one has bothered to take a picture*

Pros:

train to Boston is easy to use
cheap housing
one of the best lakes in the world for rowing (was nice when I did crew)
My college is here

Cons:

dead boring
lots of colleges = lots of crappy drivers
poor
small city

No way I'd live here

So how about you?

Strike For The South

09-20-2006, 04:41

SAN ANTONIO TEXAS BABY!!!!!!!!!!1

https://img178.imageshack.us/img178/56/texaspridexi0.th.jpg (https://img178.imageshack.us/my.php?image=texaspridexi0.jpg)

Pros
-Its in TEXAS
-Great food Mexion B-B-Q Burgers its all here
-Military city U.S.A I think it adds a nice touch
-10 min from teh hill country GODS COUNTRY
-Teh women are nice
-Many Mexions oh how they entertain me
-Driving is easy
Cons
-Ohio and people from there pushing the border of the city in to the hill country
-Ummmm none

IrishArmenian

09-20-2006, 05:29

Family farm:
Pros:
My wife...meow
Seclushun
Quiet
Cons:
No people
Still on and off war
Far Away from me friends and the stores.
Bed Ridden.
I cannot wait until I get back to the city.

Kanamori

09-20-2006, 05:30

Madison

A refreshing laid-back place of education and culture. It's a lot like other small cities with big colleges in them.

London

...If only it weren't so busy and full of tourists -- maybe I belong in this group, eh? People may curse you under their breath but you can smoke just about anywhere.:bounce: The tube is usually pretty cool in the winter months and you can get around anywhere quickly; during the day, faster than you could with a car. It has a dirty river with whales in it, history, and culture. Not to mention how easy it is to go pub crawling after class 'til they close.:2thumbsup:

Tribesman

09-20-2006, 07:27

Galway , 300 bars in staggering distance .
River , sea and lake .

Traffic can be a bugger though .

Ser Clegane

09-20-2006, 09:19

Frankfurt am Main (where I am currently living)
https://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8022/frankfurtdq4.jpg

pros:
- Perfect logistics (very centrally located in Germany with excellent train and Autobahn connections and the largest airport in Germany)
- Nice surrounding area (Taunus, lots of nice woods, castles, little towns, etc)
- City with a lot of international touch while maintaining a small-town atmosphere in a lot of places

cons:
- outrageously expensive if you want to buy real estate (at least for German standards)
- the nearby airport affects the quality of living a quite some areas (noise!)
- too many "yuppies" for my personal taste (this is the "banking city" of Germany)

Göttingen (where I lived my first 27 years)
https://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7033/gttingenyu7.jpg

pros:
- nice medium-sized city that is very much influenced by its university (students account for ca. 25% of the inhabitants), meaning a rather relaxed atmosphere and lots of nice little bars ~:)
- relatively low cost of living

cons:
- not a lot of jobs, except for university-related jobs
- the city-center seems to slowly die currently (a lot of the nice little shops have closed and are replaced by faceless "junk-sellers")

Ronin

09-20-2006, 10:20

Lisbon where I lived all my life

http://www.poesia.de/esta%20noite%20em%20Lisboa%20(pensamentos%20nocturnos)A.jpg

Pros
-nice people
-close to the sea and the river Tagus...good beaches just outside the city
-Good subway system
-Airport near the city (inside the city actually)...extremely convenient
-Lots of green areas
-Good jobs in some areas.....specially computers and information systems
- good weather
-good food and night life
-cool arquitecture
-come on ...I live here....what more can you want? :laugh4:

Cons
-the Proximity to the Airport causes noise problems in a couple of neighbourhoods
-Traffic
-The Bus System is a joke
-buying a house is expensive
-the center of town is becoming kinda abandoned....just businesses...no homes

- we have a bridge that is a copy of the san francisco bay bridge.......i´m not sure if that´s a pro or a con..lool

Beirut

09-20-2006, 11:38

Montreal

25 years there before moving to the woods.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/MontrealSkyline3.jpg

Pros
-It's Canadian.
-Hottest women in North America
-Best strippers anywhere
-It's an island. Islands are cool
-Tons of fantastic restaurants
-Best smoked meat on Earth. (Shwartz's)
-Great European/North American atmospheric mix
-Old Montreal. Gorgeous architecture and old buildings
-The metro (subway)

Cons
-That stupid Olympic stadium
-High taxes
-Constant French/English bickering
-Lots of organized crime and biker gangs
-East end of city is bleak

Husar

09-20-2006, 12:04

Hmmm, when I was young my parents moved around a lot but I will focus on those three cities that were/are important for me.

Düren(pic shows city centre with christmas market)
http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschland.de/bilder/dueren-weihnachtsmarkt.jpg

Pros:
- medium sized city
- nice stores for almost everything you need
- Buses go everywhere
- some nice parks

Cons:
- city centre was completely bombed in WW2, before it was a rich city(paper industry) and had an opera.
- trams were abandoned somewhen in the 60ies or 70ies

I lived there until last year of primary school, but went to high school there as well.

Nörvenich(pic shows castle)
http://www.europaeische-kultur-stiftung.org/inhalt/noervhofgross.jpg

Pros:
- my parents have their own house there
- military airport
- fuel station

Cons:
- might get nuked early in a war because of the airport~;)
- my personal experience with the youth there ranges from neutral to negative
- buses to Düren are extremely expensive
- small village, not much to do or see except some military airplanes
- the airplanes can be noisy(Tornados are loooouuuud)

I lived there from the end of primary school until I started studying and still visit my parents usually every second weekend.

Essen(first pic is view down from the RWE tower, second is Kennedyplace at christmas)
http://www.meinestadt.de/x/images.php/id=22392/type=picture
http://www.weihnachtsstadt.de/Bilder/Fotos/essen1.jpg

Pros:
- biggest city I ever lived in
- subway and trams
- lots of shops
- people seem to be somewhat nicer here in general(my personal experience so far)
- university
- some interesting places like the old mining buildings
- in the middle of the Ruhrgebiet, lots of cities around

Cons:
- I think pollution is high in some places

Been living here for a year and some days now and I really like it.

I also want to add that it was hard to find some pics of a ll three, but I think in such a thread pics are important so I tried to find somewhat nice pics. If I could afford a helicopter and a camera, I'd make some better ones.:2thumbsup:

Uesugi Kenshin

09-20-2006, 14:59

Frankfurt am Main (where I am currently living)
https://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8022/frankfurtdq4.jpg

pros:
- Perfect logistics (very centrally located in Germany with excellent train and Autobahn connections and the largest airport in Germany)
- Nice surrounding area (Taunus, lots of nice woods, castles, little towns, etc)
- City with a lot of international touch while maintaining a small-town atmosphere in a lot of places

cons:
- outrageously expensive if you want to buy real estate (at least for German standards)
- the nearby airport affects the quality of living a quite some areas (noise!)
- too many "yuppies" for my personal taste (this is the "banking city" of Germany)

Huh, that was where I flew in. The airport was pretty nice, and connected to a very large train station somewhere nearby iirc. I didn't really get to see the city though, we mostly just waited around in the airport for 4.5 hours. I wouldn't trust anything I said about the city too much anyway because I knew even less German then and had been up for over 24 hours.

English assassin

09-20-2006, 15:09

London:

Pros

2000 years of commerce, debauchery, politicing, culture and general villainy, all in the one place. Dr Johnson said it all: when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. You want it, we got it.

Cons:

Transport's a bit rubbish. Housing pretty overpriced. State schooling largely pants. Bad location if outdoor sports are your thing. I know the rest of the world would put "Londoners' attitude" as a con but (1) hey, it IS the best city in the world and (2) compared to Noo Yawk (second best city in world) we are pussycats. ;-)

Papewaio

09-20-2006, 15:18

Sydney, Australia

Pros
Harbour city
Decent beaches (a city without ocean beaches is to a city with them, is the equivalent comparison of a transgender woman with a real one. It might look the part but it is missing something vital.)
Fairly good train system
Good range of foods
Nice Zoo
Nice warm weather

Con
Spread out.
Bad bus system.
Expensive housing near to the city center compared with other Australia cities.

Silver Rusher

09-20-2006, 15:35

LONDON BABYYYY!!!!

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/albums/userpics/10001/londonskyline.jpg

Pros:
Lots of very high quality museums
Very pretty riverside (see above picture)
Extremely multicultural (could be a con depending on your opinion but in mine it's a pro)
Very old city, despite not being very big at all until the early modern era
Capital of the UK and also of the British Commonwealth
Lots of nice historical sites such as the Tower of London
Fairly good underground system (although nothing compared to Paris or Moscow, don't know about any other cities)
Bus service is absolutely top knotch, which brings me onto my next point...
Has a lot of cool stereotypes associated with it, such as red double decker buses, red phone boxes, red post boxes, black cabs etc.
Home of Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the 2012 Olympics

Cons:
Huge portions of the city are quite dirty
High crime rate
Some areas contain dangerous ghettos, gangs, etc.
Chavs, as ever

Duke Malcolm

09-20-2006, 17:00

Has a lot of cool stereotypes associated with it, such as red double decker buses, red phone boxes, red post boxes, black cabs etc.

I might point out that red pillar boxes and telephone boxes are found the length and breadth of the United Kingdom...

But nonetheless:
Dundee
http://www.dundee-internationals.org.uk/images/taypanorama.jpg
This is most of the city. I live somewhere underneath the hill on the far left of the image, in the West End of the City.

Pros:
Most bus services are punctual, cheap and friendly (the ones owned by Stagecoach).
Not too big, only around 140,000+ people live here.
Certain parts of the city are nice, friendly, with nice buildings and tourist attractions and beaches and suchlike.
One of the city's universities is at the forefront of biochemical and cancer research
Many notable achievements and people:
the adhesive postage stamp
RRS Discovery (yes, it failed...)
Aspirin
The first British Ring-road.
There are more, under "Local Information" at the top, then "Dundee Fact File" from the list (http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/)
Many many public parks donated by rich people, including Camperdown Country park from the Viscount Camperdown, Admiral Adam Duncan, who defeated the Dutch fleet at the Battle of Camperdown.

Cons:
It is full of delinquents and neds.
It is home to RRS Discovery.
The Other University is baaaaaad.
A plethora of bad architecture everywhere.
A terrible City Council.
And far too many others to mention.

Silver Rusher

09-20-2006, 17:03

I might point out that red pillar boxes and telephone boxes are found the length and breadth of the United Kingdom...
However, it is stereotypically associated with London, wouldn't you agree?

Duke Malcolm

09-20-2006, 17:18

I would say more with the UK...

Sasaki Kojiro

09-20-2006, 17:20

I would say more with the UK...

But London IS the uk.

Reenk Roink

09-20-2006, 18:19

Ann Arbor, Michigan:

https://img206.imageshack.us/img206/5529/annarborlguo5.jpg (https://imageshack.us)

Pros:

Reenkmeister
Ice
Many trees (stay away Beirut :grin:)
A good college
Many different kinds of food (I still usually just go to Wendys though :tongue2:)
Very lenient weed laws (welcome Zorba :grin:)
Quite a lot to do :2thumbsup:

Cons:

No parking
Smelly dorms
Weather is gloomy in Fall/Winter (more so than other places in Michigan)
People always asking you to vote

Ianofsmeg16

09-20-2006, 18:56

Castletown, Isle of Man

https://img112.imageshack.us/img112/9020/placescastletownsl6.jpg (https://imageshack.us)
(you cant see my house in this picture :2thumbsup: )

Pro's;
Although one of the largest towns, it is still a pretty small community, so almost no traffic.
Right on the southern 100 motorcycle race course (in fact my hosue is right next to the start...tis awesome)
Good people. Period.
The castle, it's beautiful.
Next to the beach.
20 mins from the Main town, Douglas, with it's shops and Sea Terminal.
Has the airport just 5 minutes walk from the town center.

Con's;
Large-ish estate just been built that has brought some of the scum chavs down from Douglas.
Not much to do.
Expensive.
Public Transport is Expensive.

All in all, a pretty good place to grow up

Masy

09-20-2006, 19:04

GLASGOW

Couldn't find a decent pic, so here is a lovely one of the science centre.
http://i9.tinypic.com/30w2hdd.jpg

Pros:
Culture, festivals etc
West end is very nice
Plenty of mass transport (circular subway - leads to the "sub crawl", that is getting off at each stop and visiting the nearest pub)
Largest city in Scotland
Great local football teams
A historic Uni which rates quite highly over the whole of the UK.
Good shops and the like
AWESOME CURRIES, BEST IN UK IMHO

Cons:

Idiots like this populate some of it:
http://i10.tinypic.com/333fk75.jpg
It is full of delinquents and neds, as Malcom said about Dundee (to see more visit http://www.glasgowsurvival.co.uk/)
Quite a bit of poverty/unemployment in areas

Tachikaze

09-20-2006, 19:18

I agree with Beirut about the women in Montreal, they are the best in North America, at least north of Mexico.

San Diego
Pros

A world-famous, state-of-the-art zoo. I'm not a fan of zoos, however.
Relatively good parking. I've been to cities which are impossible to park in. Parking is not a huge challenge here.
The restaurant choices are pretty good. This follows San Diego's character as a tourist town with an international population.
For the same reason, shopping is pretty eclectic. There are far, far too many women's fashoin stores, but there are some nice, obscure little shops that are not found in smaller towns.
Very good parks, especially Balboa park, but including many others. There is even an underwater scuba diving park in La Jolla.
With some exceptions, the best Mexican food in the world is here. Argue all you want to, but I'm the expert. There is food from all over the world. Since I don't care for "American food", I relish the international cuisines here.
Between the bays, oceans, mountains, parks, deserts, estuaries, and revitalized downtown, there is always plenty to do.
The women are fat (see Cons), but the foreign women that haven't been here long enough to adopt American eating habits are beautiful.
Mexican people and culture.
The deserts, about 90 minutes east, are fantastic.
San Diego is best known for its climate, which is incredibly mild. I can't argue, although I love to visit places that have rain, snow, autumn leaves, etc. But the predictable weather makes outdoor activities easy to plan.

Cons

San Diego used to be a nice, small city. I think back on those times with nostalgia. Today, it has become too large and crowded.
The government is quite corrupt.
It sucks that San Diego has professional sports teams. I wish they'd go elsewhere.
Traffic has been getting worse with the population growth. It's not as bad as other cities, but I'm comparing it to the Old Days.
Tied to that is the lack of public transportation. I love the transportation systems in other cities, and here it is almost useless for most destinations. You must have a car.
The airport is a joke. It's only safe to land there because pilots are extra cautious when they make their approach.
One of the worst problems here is the cost of housing. It saps my income horribly.
San Diego has the largest naval base in the US. The marines are here as well. Go away.
The numerous, equally obnoxious yuppies can go with them. In this city, you are either a poor Mexican-American or white trash, or a white yuppie with a huge credit card debt of materialism. There's little in between.
The women, and men, are obese.

In the Middle

San Diego drivers are average. Arizona drivers are the worst.
The nightlife has improved in recent years. I don't care much, except it's good business for my musical band.

Scurvy

09-20-2006, 19:59

London

Pros:

Loads to do - clubs, pubs, all over the place
Culture - Theatres in West End, Cinemas
Sigts to see - Buckingham palace etc.
Diversity - loads of different nationallities in one place, makes very interesting.
Sport - loads of good teams to support
Shops - all the best shops are in london
Transport - i actually think its quite good (bus, tube and mainline)
Security - despite having high crime rate, i have neverbeen mugged etc.
History - Nice historical sites / things of interest

Cons

Noisy
Busy - streets too crowded etc.
Expensive - housing, and even shops are more costly in London
Tourists - Get all over the place
Cars - hate the things, but they everywhere

JimBob

09-20-2006, 22:36

Pros
Not New York
Mayor Daley
The Blues
Best Skyline in the World
Great Museums, Parks
Quality Public Transportation
Sear's
Carson's
Carl Sandburg
Al Capone
Berghoff's
Best Pizza in the World
Best Hot Dogs in the World
Sears Tower
Miles of Beaches

Cons
Mayor Daley
Traffic
Some of the worst drivers
Crime in some areas
Poverty in areas
Sprawling
Corruption, Cronyism, and General Crap Politics makes the city go round

Louis VI the Fat

09-20-2006, 23:37

https://img57.imageshack.us/img57/8493/doisneaukissin7.jpg

https://img60.imageshack.us/img60/7083/rdo52wx8.jpg

https://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9310/doisneaumr4.jpg
https://img60.imageshack.us/img60/9425/doisneauante200x266zo3.jpg

https://img473.imageshack.us/img473/1760/valeryzj6.jpg

Ajoutez deux lettres à Paris..c'est le Paradis.

Louis VI the Fat

09-20-2006, 23:38

Pros:

The centre of the universe.

Cons:

Some trouble convincing the rest of the universe of that.

Robert Doisneau (1912-1994):

https://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9018/doisneau6bfw0.jpg

https://img60.imageshack.us/img60/6674/eberls7.jpg

https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7518/doisneau20r1948ps1.jpg

https://img391.imageshack.us/img391/1593/doisneau061jx.png

https://img60.imageshack.us/img60/3032/simonzi5.jpg

https://img57.imageshack.us/img57/6625/musicianintherainprintc10288130te3.jpg

Strike For The South

09-21-2006, 00:48

you are talking about london, yes?

Husar

09-21-2006, 00:49

About convincing the rest of the universe, maybe if there were some coloured photos that are not more than 50 years old...~;)

Papewaio

09-21-2006, 00:53

About convincing the rest of the universe, maybe if there were some coloured photos that are not more than 50 years old...~;)

And that a lot of the ones involving kissing were staged shots, hence pure propaganda of the fifth estate. :laugh4:

I do think I need convincing and will have to travel abroad and study the location... and bring my wife to kiss.

GeneralHankerchief

09-21-2006, 01:00

Philadelphia

Find your own stinkin' picture, if it means that much to you.

Pros:
- Cheesesteaks. They own everything.
- Culture, with the Art Museum and Franklin Institute.
- We claim ownership to Rocky. :2thumbsup:
- Lot of good schools nearby.
- The place is about as historic as you can get in the Americas.

Cons:
- The attitude (see above with me talking about finding a pic yourself) can turn a lot of people off.
- Our sports teams can't friggin' win championships! :cry: :furious:
- Pretty corrupt local government.
- Out of America's ten largest cities, Philly's the most violent. And it's a bridge away from Camden, which is the most dangerous city, period.
- Our sports teams can't friggin' win championships! :cry: :furious:

Fragony

09-21-2006, 09:08

More a village where I live.

pros, amazing medieval architecture, many many manyyyyy retaurants, over 20 in my street alone, lots of festivals.

cons, not that many, it's a small place so not really much nightlife going on.

http://www.carfree.com/cpix/2arf0118.jpg

my street,

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/Fragony/2005.jpg

InsaneApache

09-21-2006, 09:45

But London IS the uk.

About 2% of the area and 8% of the total population.

That a lot of visitors who come to our shores say that they love the UK when in reality they have only been to that toilet called London is a never ending source of irritation to the rest of the 92% of the population.

For some reason Imageshack won't host my piccys....so here's a link.

http://www.city-of-bradford.com/welcome.html

Pros:

Very close to the moors and the Yorkshire Dales, some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. :2thumbsup:

Best curries in the UK. :2thumbsup:

Fantastic beer (cheap as in £ 1.40 a pint) in 'olde worlde pubs'. :2thumbsup:

Site of the world renowned Alhambra theatre, I believe Chaplin once walked on it's stage.

Home of the National Museum of Film and Television. And it's free to enter.

Affordable housing.

5 Miles from that metropolis called Leeds for the best nightclubs in England.

Hosts an international market every August.

Cons:

5 Miles from that metropolis called Leeds. :laugh4:

Some rough areas I wouldn't like to walk around in after dusk.

Shops are usual ubiquitous pants.

Bradford City football club. :sweatdrop:

-------------------------------------------------------------

All in all though a step up from mucky Manchester, my birthplace. :2thumbsup:

Banquo's Ghost

09-21-2006, 10:44

Pros:

The centre of the universe.

:2thumbsup:

Cons:

Some trouble convincing the rest of the universe of that.

Convinced me more than twenty years ago. :sweetheart:

Idaho

09-21-2006, 16:31

Exeter

http://p.vtourist.com/575562-Christmas_Shopping-Exeter.jpg

Pros

Small ancient city (pre-Roman)
Comfortable and safe
Friendly people
All good ammenities
Very close to beaches and wilderness areas
Clean air
Sparsely populated part of the country
Some positive signs of improvement going on

Cons

Was one of the most beautiful cities in England until the Luftwaffe flattened it
And what the Luftwaffe missed 1960s Townplanners finished off
One of the worst 'Clone Zone' high streets in the UK (just characterless chain stores)
Quite a gap between rich and poor
Poor wages
Relatively Expensive
Herion Problem
Some small mindedness
Terrible traffic

Fragony

09-21-2006, 17:41

http://p.vtourist.com/575562-Christmas_Shopping-Exeter.jpg

Gorgeous. I love old towns, especially if nobody decides to pollute the view with these horrible skyscrapers. At least Bin Laden got that right.

Just sneaking this in because it's beautifull, a beautifull chruch in Amersfoort in the midst of winter.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/Fragony/dehof.jpg

Silver Rusher

09-21-2006, 18:57

About 2% of the area and 8% of the total population.

That a lot of visitors who come to our shores say that they love the UK when in reality they have only been to that toilet called London is a never ending source of irritation to the rest of the 92% of the population.
You have offended my honour sir! I challenge you to a duel! (glove slap) EA can join in too.

EDIT: Btw, you live in Bradford and you call London a toilet? :inquisitive:

yesdachi

09-21-2006, 19:10

Grand Rapids (http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/)

My wife and I came here back in the early 90’s to go to college with the desire to move once we finished, well I graduated 10 years ago and were still here. We have no real reason for staying, family is not from here and we have switched jobs several times but the city is very welcoming and has changed dramatically since the early 90’s.

Pros
Very close to the “big lake”
Traffic is great; I can be anywhere in 20 minutes.
Good arena with lots of minor league sports and big name concerts
Huge new convention center
K-12 Schools are good (relatively speaking)
Many decent colleges
A progressive medical industry
Da Vinci’s horse (http://images.google.com/images?svnum=100&hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=da+vinci+horse+grand+rapids&spell=1)– that thing is sweet!
4 great museums (art, children’s, regular and a presidential)
Nice golf courses
Lots and lots of money which has allowed a lot of philanthropy
3 malls and hundreds of places to eat – people here love to eat
We usually get a great fall season
Amway
Very conservative but not as bad as it was 10 years ago
A church on every corner

Cons
The massive unemployment rate – the area has been very involved in manufacturing and much of that has gone away leaving a 15%ish unemployment rate for several years
All the money has created a bit of a division between the classes
Winter is sometimes pretty cold and summer is sometimes pretty hot we definitely get the extremes
Crappy zoo
Amway
Very conservative but not as bad as it was 10 years ago
A church on every corner

King Henry V

09-21-2006, 19:21

You have offended my honour sir! I challenge you to a duel! (glove slap) EA can join in too.

EDIT: Btw, you live in Bradford and you call London a toilet? :inquisitive:
Come on, you have to admit that Loondon is indeed filthy.

Pindar

09-21-2006, 19:41

Laguna Beach, California

http://www.ochomesbytrish.com/dynamic/content/1132/laguna.jpg

http://www.photobird.com/davidroy/Sunrise__sunset/Laguna%20Beach%20cove%203,640-480.jpg

http://radified.com/25feb/HTML/img_0278_std.jpg

Pros

Perfect Weather
Very Pretty
Clean
Easy access to great surfing
Artsy Town: lots of gallerys, museums etc.
Far enough removed, but not too far away from L.A.
Ethnically diverse

Cons

The Left Coast attracts the odd
Always a danger of over development (fools who build in landslide zones)
Too expensive for most

Silver Rusher

09-21-2006, 19:49

Come on, you have to admit that Loondon is indeed filthy.
Parts of it are, sure, but parts of it are very nice. Ever been to Birmingham? I haven't, and I don't intend to for good reason.

Home of the National Museum of Film and Television. And it's free to enter.
Wow, London is full of museums and guess what- They're all free to enter too!

King Henry V

09-21-2006, 20:21

I think I shall be blessed if I never have to visit any of our "great Northern cities". Some exceptions though, such as Chester or York.

Idaho

09-21-2006, 20:58

Gorgeous. I love old towns, especially if nobody decides to pollute the view with these horrible skyscrapers.
The centre was largely destroyed on one night. However little patches remain.

This site seems to manage to only photograph the good:
http://www.edwardianexeter.co.uk/exeter-tourist-information.html

However this shows the modernised side of the centre in it's 80s heyday
http://www.photo-transport.co.uk/buses/exeter/fdv832v-a261mta.JPG
:laugh4:

Devastatin Dave

09-21-2006, 21:07

Belleville IL...
Pros: DevDav lives there...
Con: DevDav lives there...

:2thumbsup:

Scurvy

09-21-2006, 21:13

Come on, you have to admit that Loondon is indeed filthy.

come on, you have to admit that Bradford is indeed more filthy than London :)

Red Peasant

09-21-2006, 22:55

I think I shall be blessed if I never have to visit any of our "great Northern cities". Some exceptions though, such as Chester or York.

I'm sure you won't be missed. ~;)

Duke of Gloucester

09-21-2006, 22:56

No. Bradford is considerably cleaner than London. It is duller than London. You can drive through the city centre on a week night and not see anyone, but it is cleaner. It has Saltaire (world heritage site), Thornton, where the Bronte's were born. JB Priestley and Delius were born here. As well as the Yorkshire dales being fairly close there is some pretty impressive countryside much closer - Ilkley Moor and Baildon Moor. It is much cheaper than London, and the people are much nicer (or to be fair, the people I have met in Bradford are nicer than the ones I have met in London). IA is right the curries are fantastic and the beer is great but the Alhambra and the Museum of Film and Photography are over-rated.

The worst thing about Bradford is, of course, being so close to Leeds. If Leeds was destroyed overnight (and there was a tornado there last week, so we can but dream) all those night clubs and decent shops would re-locate here. As well as suffering from Bradford City (a poor club with a terrible stadium) we are cursed with Rugby League, a senseless perversion of the true sport and I suffer from the fact that a few Yorkshiremen don't like southerners. The second worst thing about Bradford is the traffic. I am amazed IA didn't mention this. Too many cars, not enough roads, and they all run along the valley or parallel to it. The congestion is terrible, although I understand traffic can be bad in London too.

As regards London v Bradford, the capital is a great place to visit, but I would not want to live there, and as for bringing up a family, never. Neither IA nor myself are natives of Bradford, but we both choose to live here, so it must have something going for it. (Either that or we are both mad)

Red Peasant

09-21-2006, 23:29

As well as suffering from Bradford City (a poor club with a terrible stadium) we are cursed with Rugby League

Rugby League is one of the few redeeming features of Bradford, except when they play St Helens of course. The national sports of Yorkshire, as you should know, are Cricket and Rugby League, so just why some of you persist in your perverse adherence to the dull, laughable slog that is Rugby Union is a mystery.

edit: Sorry, just noticed your statement about being non-native. Explains your ignorance. ~;)

Scurvy

09-22-2006, 16:57

As regards London v Bradford, the capital is a great place to visit, but I would not want to live there, and as for bringing up a family, never. Neither IA nor myself are natives of Bradford, but we both choose to live here, so it must have something going for it. (Either that or we are both mad)

I honestly think the opposite, to visit i'd like to go to Bradford (or in honesty the yorkshire dales - iv been there a few times and enjoyed the walking) but living in london is unbeatable - always something to do, and there are plenty of nice people from all over the world (although i admit there are some less nice people too) :2thumbsup:

Fragony

09-22-2006, 17:03

The centre was largely destroyed on one night. However little patches remain.

Same with Rotterdam here, just about completily destroyed. But that street you posted has many old buildings, in Rotterdam everything is new, by far our ugliest town.

http://www.bigfoto.com/europe/netherlands/rotterdam/rotterdam-photo_23.jpg

InsaneApache

09-22-2006, 17:47

ooohhh....I seem to have touched on a raw nerve for our London brethren. :laugh4:

Apart from 'up west' and Hampstead/Chelsea, the place is one huge urinal. Haringay and Southall anyone?

Ok, it does have one or two places that are ok, but what view do you 'cockerney' types :laugh4: have from your room window. My bet is it's a brick wall or rows of terraced roofs. I know, my best mate, who BTW is a scouser, lived in Ealing for 20 years. Want to know the view I have?

Looking straight across the city towards Top Withins (http://www.walkingenglishman.com/westyorkshire04.htm) to the NW, to the N, the Aire valley (http://www.yorkshire-dales.com/aire-gap.html) towards Skipton (http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/ll41.htm) and to the NE Baildon moor. Living in an elevated position means I can see roughly 1/3 of the city, bonfire night is a joy to behold as I can just sit here with a beer and herbal cigarettes and relax and enjoy the show.

Great countryside and lots of fresh air, not something that a minute ago was inside someone elses lungs.

@ DoG The traffics not that bad, only at rush hour on the ring road and Aire valley road.

Justiciar

09-22-2006, 17:53

InsaneApache

09-22-2006, 17:57

Marple Bridge is nice. :embarassed:

You think that's bad mate, I was born in Blackley. :sweatdrop:

Justiciar

09-22-2006, 18:03

Marple Bridge is nice. :embarassed:
Funny you should say that. I live just up the hill from Marple Bridge (in Marple itself). I still class it as Stockport though. I mean it's only a 30 minute walk away.

You think that's bad mate, I was born in Blackley.
You have my sincerest sympathies!

I was born in York, myself. We only lived there for about five years, so I don't feel any kind of connection to it. It's still a nice little city though.

macsen rufus

09-22-2006, 18:21

London? Ugh. Lived there six months, I was SOOOO happy to get a job back up north. Never again.

My place is a wee village, been inhabited 3000+ years, in Domesday etc etc

Pros:
* history!
* countryside on my doorstep
* fine pubs within walking distance
* relatively quiet and crime-free
* good stout red clay underfoot

cons
* can be too quiet
* a few chavs
* have to drive to work
* church bell ringing practice every Friday night (aaagh the bells, the bells)

Tachikaze

09-22-2006, 18:49

InsaneApache

09-22-2006, 18:56

Interesting to see the British, in particular, come out in force to describe their cities. Even more interesting for me becuase I have visited some of the places mentioned.

I wasn't in Exeter long enough to get a complete impression. I remember that the region around it was fanstastic, though.

Well it's such a small island and there's 60 odd million of us perched on it that we feel ~:grouphug: :laugh4:

BTW Tachi which parts of the UK did you visit? I'd love to hear your impression of the place, especially London. :eyebrows:

Kanamori

09-22-2006, 19:13

Apart from 'up west' and Hampstead/Chelsea, the place is one huge urinal.

And the areas that are in the west and north... if you shut your eyes to the upper-middle class conformity, it's great. Clubs all over, girls that aren't either anorexic or fat, and there's more than enough to do in that portion of the city alone to occupy yourself for at least a few years.:balloon2:

Duke of Gloucester

09-22-2006, 19:16

@ DoG The traffics not that bad, only at rush hour on the ring road and Aire valley road.

Those are the about only roads in the city:laugh4: I disagree about the rush hour bit too. I have driven home from work at 7:30 pm and been caught in dreadful traffic, but on another nights driven home at the same time or earlier and come across no traffic at all. At the weekends the traffic is pretty terrible too. Don't tell me you don't queue for ages at the Saltaire roundabout on your way to work!

InsaneApache

09-22-2006, 19:23

No I don't. I work in Wibsey and live about a mile away. I do, however concur with your statements about Saltaire, all they've done is move the congestion down the road a mile or two from Bingley.

I drove a council van in the early 80s 'round the city, so I know all the shortcuts. :2thumbsup: If your coming into the city from that end I would suggest a re-route past Cottingley and onto Toller lane. You know up where the Ripper used to live. :skull:

Scurvy

09-22-2006, 22:58

Eugene, Oregon... what can I say? Best city in the world.

apart from London :2thumbsup:

InsaneApache

09-22-2006, 23:45

:help:

Crazed Rabbit

09-23-2006, 05:28

I live in a tiny city between Seattle and Canada.

Pros:
Small city.
In a extremely beautiful corner of the world. Within a day's travel is the Olympic penninsula's rainforest, the many islands of Puget Sound, and beautiful mountains in the cascade range.
Between Seattle and Vancouver.
Great Mexican restuarants.

Cons:
Traffic ain't so good at rush hour, due to poor planning.
Sometimes the rain can be a bit much.
Not a lot to do; no cinema, museum, theater, etc.
Mayor is obessed with bringing a big shopping center into town, which would destroy the structure of the town and cause terrible traffic.

Crazed Rabbit

San Diego has the largest naval base in the US. The marines are here as well. Go away.

Wth? What have they ever done to you? Not the grateful type, I guess.

Beirut

09-23-2006, 12:04

Uesugi Kenshin

09-23-2006, 14:03

2nd post. I grew up in Montreal, but this is where I live now.

My Small Town.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/horsesass/home.jpg

Pros:
-You know everyone
-Very friendly
-Lots of trees to cut
-Strong artistic community
-Lots of breathing room
-After 6PM, you might as well be on the moon it's so quiet.
-English & French get along very well
-Small enough so one person can affect real change

Cons:
-Stupid ski hill brings horrid tourists
-Rich people buying all the land
-Undrinkable town water
-Moronic local politics
-High amount of habitual drunk drivers

That sounds a lot like my small town in the USA. Let me add a few things though.

Pros:
-College brings in some good student teachers and nice summer jobs.
-It's in Vermont, but on the border with NY and MA so you are not as far from the cities as you would be if you were up in Montpelier, or near the Canadian border.
-Very good AP track teachers at the High School.
-New Middle School.

Cons:
-The new Middle School was debated for 13+ years because of stupid small towns v. slightly bigger small town politics.
-Leaves and skiing bring in loads of stupid tourists.
-On a bit of a road nexus, but the new bypass has removed most of the big trucks, we still get horrid traffic occasionally though.
-Lots of rednecks, who are generally more tolerant than many rednecks can still be very intolerant and idiotic.
-Stupid college happens to be one of the most liberal institutions ever conceived, and doesn't get along as well as it could with the town, though that is changing.

Vladimir

09-24-2006, 03:11

I don't like DC

InsaneApache

09-24-2006, 12:46

Why? What has Don Corleone done to you? :laugh4:

Patriarch of Constantinople

09-24-2006, 19:41

Athens, Greece

Pros:
Center of Western Civilization
Its in Greece
Democratic
Wine
Culture
History
The Parthenon
Acropolis
Olympics

Cons:
Heat
Tourism

Thessaliniki (Birthplace)

Pros:
Food
Wine
Similatiries with Athens imo

Cons:
Communism

Sorry i havent been to Thessaliniki in a while

InsaneApache

09-24-2006, 19:48

Well you can fall back onto the raki/chipero.......:sweatdrop:

Louis VI the Fat

09-24-2006, 20:55

Athens, Greece

Pros:
Center of Western Civilization
Its in Greece
Democratic
Wine
Culture
History
The Parthenon
Acropolis
Olympics
Wait, you meant to post this in the monastery, right? :sweatdrop:

Strike For The South

03-04-2009, 21:38

Necromancy but I have a new city so its not spam!

Lubbock Texas
https://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5876/lubbock.th.jpg (https://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lubbock.jpg)

Pros:
-Nicest people you will ever meet
-15 minutes and you can be anywhere
-Texas Tech
-Im a sucker for cowboys
-More churches per capita than anywhere in the USA
-German immigrants+Deep south migrants=5'10 blondes with a twang mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Cons
-More churches per capita than anywhere in the USA
-Very socially conservative
-Its a "dry county" meaning you need to drive 5 min to the strip which is suitatied on a highway with no lights. Deaths abound
-Very White bread no diversity
-300 miles to Dallas/Ft.Worth, 400 to San Antonio and 600 Houston and for the duration all you see is farms cows and oil derricks
-"high class" here is drinking beer in a glass. I'm no European but culture is a foreign word here~;)

Overall a nice town with very nice people but I long for my San Antonio.

Fragony

03-05-2009, 00:16

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/Fragony/Koppelpoort-Amersfoort-1.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/Fragony/DSC02387.jpg

Need I say more.

seireikhaan

03-05-2009, 00:42

Cedar Falls

Pros:

- People are very nice.
- Amazing sports bar
- Pretty much any store you'll need is here.
- Good UNI.
- Mild enough party atmosphere than you're not suffocated, but have plenty of options to go out on weekends.
- Top 4 (1AA) football team.
- Can get anywhere within a half hour walk.

Cons:

- Fairly quiet, sans a One Republic concert and Jeff Dunham show.
- Probably even less diverse than Lubbock- we have more Chinese exchange students than hispanics/blacks combined.
- 500 miles to Kansas City, 400 to Chicago, and 550 to Minneapolis(roughly). Lots of wasteland called Iowa in between.
- Until very, very recently, roads were deadly to vehicles. I'm fairly sure that not even Manhattan has as many holes in the road. Convinced they literally killed my father's vehicle when I came up for a visit last year during my senior year in high school. Should be noted, they are doing road construction as I type, so not sure how this'll turn out in the end.

Strike For The South

03-05-2009, 01:09

Tech itself is very diverse but in Lubbock everyone is kinda the same

tibilicus

03-05-2009, 01:33

Stockport:

https://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1331/cn20rubblelm7.jpg

:laugh4:

There's not much to be said in it's favour...
Has the largest brick structure in western Europe.
Has a few charming little villages scattered around it.
Home to the best Greek takeaway on earth.
Home to the Adshead family for a rather remarkable length of time.
Very nearly situated at the centre of Britain.
Close to Manchester.. yes, that is a good thing.

There's too much against it to even begin listing... :shame:

I sympathise with you.

I grew up near that area although luckily I was more in the Cheshire area. Although consider yourself lucky when you consider what's beyond Manchester and towards the west..

Birkenhead.. :sick:

woad&fangs

03-05-2009, 04:53

Madison (I basically live in a suburb of it)

Pros:

Awsome food
State street
Badger sports
Badger band
Amazing theatre community
Small amount of unempoyment
Lots of performing and fine arts venues
One of the best free zoos in the nation
Farmer's market
Arboretum

Cons:

2 seasons, OMFG its COLD!!!, and Road construction season
Hippies
Insanely liberal government. I consider myself to be fairly progressive and they STILL manage to scare me:sweatdrop:

Furunculus

03-05-2009, 09:22

Pro's
Buried deep inside rural wales
University Town
By the sea
Zero Crime

Cons
Welsh nationalist idiocy
Welsh language idiocy
Chippy left-wing politics
Never be a Tory local Gov't here

Jolt

03-05-2009, 14:01

Espinho

https://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu150/Joltie/POR-Espinho-wsvitor1071.jpg

Pros:
- Small town (circa 30,000 people), you get everywhere fast (20-30 min tops) on foot
- Nice beaches (That's what tourists say, I hate our beaches, icy water and strong winds)
- Casino, for those who like to throw their money away
- Nice night activity, with many bars seaside.
- Friendly people (Most of us anyway)
- Clean, compared to other Portuguese cities (Fortunatly, the grafiti problem here isn't that great. I hate random grafitis they ruin a city. I'd put the death penalty for any youth who grafited a national monument, as I've seen to often)
- One of the best voleyball teams in teh world (Sporting de Espinho)
- Largest sports pavillion of the Iberian Peninsula
- Largest fair in Portugal (Or is it the Iberian Peninsula as well? Don't recall)
- Really organized city (e.g. Parallel and perpendicular streets and street numbers instead of street names)
- A nice city park

Cons:

- Casino is very powerful in interfering with the politics of the city. Thus we don't have much to do (Compared to where I am studying, which is Lisbon)
- A lot of gypsies (They are quite a problem here)
- Changed some of the streets from the typical "Calçada Portuguesa" to ugly orange bricks.

Yeah, that's it. It's a beautiful city, overall.

TinCow

03-05-2009, 14:45

Major Robert Dump

03-06-2009, 02:24

Washington, DC

http://www.socialtimes.com/images/washington-dc.gif

Pros:
Great museums
Great food of all kinds (restaurants and groceries)
Convenient for travel anywhere domestically or internationally
Suffers far less than most other cities from the economic crisis
Very clean

Cons:
Horrendous traffic and inadequate public transportation system
High house prices, even after the housing collapse
Tourists who don't know that you stand on the right of the escalator and WALK on the the left
Stupid weather - 1 month each of Spring and Autumn, not enough snow in winter, way too hot in summer

Cons: "representatives" who won't listen to their own constituents, accuse them from being from another district, and know whats best for the public despite overwhelming evidence that they are wrong. Takes the Supreme Court, Republicans and @ 25 blue dogs to set them straight (last weeks vote)

Meneldil

03-08-2009, 01:39

Where I was born, and where I've lived for most of my life :

Montpellier (France):
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/PlaceDeLaComedie.jpg
http://www.lafrancedunordausud.fr/photos/FRANCE/Montpellier/station/Montpellier4.jpg
http://www.photos-voyage.com/photos-france/montpellier-20.jpg

Pros:
- Many universities, lots of students, nationals or foreigners
- A really living town culture-wise: art exhibitions, theaters, concerts, lectures, street artists, etc. There's always something to do, see and learn in Montpellier.
- An overall beautiful city. Part of it kept its 19th century look (cf picture #1 & 2), while the most modern parts of it have a classical-greece feeling, accordingly to our -megalomaniac- mayor's wish.
- Awesome public transports, thanks to the 2 tramway lines. I think these are the only ones that actually make some benefits in France.
- You can pretty much find everything you want.

Cons:
- Overall, the city knows high unemployement and criminality rates. It's not the Bronx, but last time I checked, the unemployement rate was around 12%, and you can quickly feel unsecure in some places.
- Lot of homeless people, which probably doesn't help with the criminality issue.
- There's no real 'Montpellierains'. People study or get a job there, then they move on to another place. You won't find many people claiming with pride that they're from Montpellier, because well, we don't really care, we live/study/work here, and that's about it. Not really sure it's a con though. I'm not really fan of chauvinistic 'My town is so awesome' discussions.

Where I live and study now, up till April:

Sudbury (Ontario):
http://www.mysudbury.ca/NR/rdonlyres/FF3EC805-9CEC-4F20-B598-2DF6A88843A6/0/Postcard_5.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/451402122_0f4fd6c9e8.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2298/2350168102_a42b172fa5.jpg

Pros:
- People are really friendly there. Much more than in France. And the fact I'm French grants me instant popularity among Franco-Ontarians.
- The Campus is really nice. My students residence is ten times better than anything you could find in France.
- Landscape (might be) awesome, especially in summer.
- The whole English/French billingualism is awesome. You can speak french with some dude and then switch to (broken) english with another guy.

Cons:
- Actually, the city itself is fugly. The whole downtown looks like a French highway stop. It gets worse with snow (from late september to late march), because the snow turns black wsith the pollution.
-Don't be fooled by the two first pictures. The area is not some preserved landscape: lakes are polluted, and so is the soil, thanks to the mining companies. From what I've been told, the whole area looked like a lunar landscape in the 70's, and all the forests and what not have been created since then. And wherever you go, you can see the huge chimney (sp?) seen in pic #3, endlessly releasing smoke in the sky (note that the chimney is that high so the smoke doesn't end up polluting Canada but the US).
- Kind of a redneckish area. Anti-abortion (or 'pro-life') advertising are common. Culture on the other hand, is not.
- The city is huge. Only 150K inhabitants, but its so spread out that doing anything takes hours. It's made even worse by the poor public transport system.
- People are so antiamerican, they make us french look like beginners in that department. And the pointless nationalism is sometimes annoying ('Oh yeah, we in Canada have the best healthcare system EVER!' 'You mean, like, outside of Western Europe right?', or 'Our beer is the best ******* beer in the world' and other 'Tim Horton's is teh awesome')

rasoforos

03-08-2009, 11:26

Where I live:

Athens <-- Population about 5 million. Capital of Greece

-Pros

https://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2207/parthenonatnightq.jpg

-Cons

The rest

Where I come from:

Thessaloniki <-- Second largest city in Greece. Population 1.2 million.

-Pros

https://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7483/aristotelous.jpg

https://img3.imageshack.us/img3/729/thessalonikif.jpg

-Nice town by the Aegean.
-Maybe the best cuisine in Greece.
-Good nightlife.
-Quite nice people.
-Amazing sea resorts are a stone's throw away.
-Great museums and monuments. Great history.
-Aris Basketball Club :2thumbsup:

- Cons

-Government investment is nonexistent (all the money goes to Athens)
-Traffic problems (our metro is under planing/construction for 20 years now. See above)

I have also lived in: Hull (3 years), Lancaster(1 year), London (1 year) and Nottingham (1.5 year) England, and they all have a special place in my heart.

gaijinalways

03-13-2009, 03:42

Tokyo, Japan (going on 12 years this June)

Pros

Great transport, you can actually often set your watch by the trains and subways

Lots of restaurants, quite a few of them good ones

available work in the educational field, though it is getting tougher, good income possibilities in IT and education

Cons

expensive groceries

small houses/apartments

a tough language to learn (coming from English as a first language)

people who are a bit insular

not much green, only 18% is open areas such as parks, etc..

Evil_Maniac From Mars

03-13-2009, 03:56

[B]Sudbury (Ontario)

:sweatdrop:

- Kind of a redneckish area. Anti-abortion (or 'pro-life') advertising are common. Culture on the other hand, is not.

Sudbury hasn't elected a Conservative MP since what, 1949? The current MP is in the NDP, if I recall correctly.

EDIT: Then again, I'm not surprised. The areas that vote for the NDP tend to be...well, look at the ridings they win yourself. I'd rather not explain. ~;)

- People are so antiamerican, they make us french look like beginners in that department. And the pointless nationalism is sometimes annoying ('Oh yeah, we in Canada have the best healthcare system EVER!' 'You mean, like, outside of Western Europe right?', or 'Our beer is the best ******* beer in the world' and other 'Tim Horton's is teh awesome')

:yes:

If there was one thing that always frustrated me in Canada, it was that.

On the pro side, if you're in Sudbury, you're [on a relative basis] not far away from a nicer place, like Muskoka. ~;)

Louis VI the Fat

03-26-2009, 14:37

Where I was born, and where I've lived for most of my life :

[B]Montpellier (France). I thought you were from Toulouse? ~:confused:

Meneldil

03-26-2009, 16:41

Sudbury hasn't elected a Conservative MP since what, 1949? The current MP is in the NDP, if I recall correctly.

EDIT: Then again, I'm not surprised. The areas that vote for the NDP tend to be...well, look at the ridings they win yourself. I'd rather not explain. ~;)

Yeah, people I meet are usually somewhat well-educated, progressive and liberals, but that's only because I hang out with other students and their parents.
When you go out and wander around in Downtown, Sudbury sure feels redneckish, with its churches everywhere, and its people. Most people are poorly dressed, drive truck, go to the Church. And everybody seems sad.

On the pro side, if you're in Sudbury, you're [on a relative basis] not far away from a nicer place, like Muskoka. ~;)

Never been there, but happilly, Sudbury is not far from all the big cities in Ontario, aswell as Niagara and Quebec. Never went farther North or West though.

I thought you were from Toulouse? ~:confused:

You thought wrong old pal :p