Your hometown and why you enjoy living there.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

But if you come to Southern Germany [in other words Bavaria] you have to check out Regensburg.

No kidding! My cousin goes to university there!

[Justiciar]

I spent the first three years of my life in York. I've only been back there around eight times since, though I've yet to fall out of love with the place. Like Chester they tend to go a bit far with the whole Viking/Roman connection, but they're so tacky about it that it's quite endearing. The Minster, Walls, and ruins of St Mary's Abbey are all pretty darn groovy. One of the great historical towns of Europe, I dare say.

Stockport on the other hand is.. umm.. different.

Amersfoort and Regensburg look bleedin' gorgeous.

[Martok]

I consider myself to have two hometowns -- Willmar, MN and Spicer, MN. They're okay, but neither place is worth writing home about either.

Wonderful to see the places everyone lives. I love and am envious of the history in Europe -- I was born wrong side of the atlantic in that regard, but what can one do about one's parents, eh?

At any rate, in the town I mostly call home we have 50 million year old mountains (QTVR link)...

You live in Montana? Then why did I think you were a Wisconsinite?

[Tamur]

I'm here near Madison as of last summer, but it doesn't feel like somewhere that we'll stay for too long. Absolutely gorgeous with all the green, and the gardener in me is thrilled, but the lack of snow-capped mountains is strangely stifling.

I've heard the opposite from people who grew up here and moved to the Rockies, that they felt claustrophobic there, and moved back. I guess it all depends what you're used to, this hometown thing

[Samurai Waki]

Wonderful to see the places everyone lives. I love and am envious of the history in Europe -- I was born wrong side of the atlantic in that regard, but what can one do about one's parents, eh?

At any rate, in the town I mostly call home we have 50 million year old mountains (QTVR link)...

Mah man. We need to hang out some time! I actually posted Helena as my Hometown, but I live in Missoula.

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
I like my town because I enjoy getting almost hit by a car with the green light on my side, sworn and beaten up after responding.
.

[Spartan198]

My hometown sucks! It's a drug-infested craphole where even honest, law-abiding citizens like me are treated like criminals by arrogant police officers (in place of the far more offensive term I usually use) whose job it is to protect and serve us!

[naut]

Sydney, but North Sydney, near Manly, the best beach in Sydney. But I hate the CBD, it's so boring and dull. I need trees, soil and air. My original hometowns are Islington (I'm a Gooner, go figure ), then here (village with the oldest still standing church in England IIRC).

Regensburg!! That's the town that they used/mentioned so often in my German Textbooks back in school.

[Adrian II]

Welcome to the ugly post-industrial wasteland I call home.

Ugly aerial view



Ugly train station



Ugly postal distribution



Depressing outskirts




Can anyone guess what town it is?

[Banquo's Ghost]

Can anyone guess what town it is?

Looks like Slough.

[Fragony]

AdrianII can be so mean at times

[Adrian II]

AdrianII can be so mean at times

Yup.

It's true by the way, I live there too.


P.S. I have been to Helsinki may years ago, 1975-ish. Still remember it. A beautiful city!

[TinCow]

I don't really consider the place I live to be my 'hometown' since I have moved many times in my life, but I've been here for 5 years now and I'm not moving again anytime soon, so I suppose it is home for a while. This is my 'town':



Washington DC is definitely a place to have mixed feelings about. It's got some of the worst traffic problems in the entire nation. This is partly due to an incredibly inadequate and poorly funded public transportation system and partly due to a massive population explosion over the previous 20 years that has overloaded the existing infrastructure. This same population explosion has also made real estate prices absurdly high.

Despite that, the city itself is very clean, well-maintained, and looks good. There is an enormous amount of stuff to do here, and some of the best museums and cultural attractions in the entire country. The food scene has also exploded in the past 5 to 10 years, and there are numerous world-class restaurants, wine bars, and other foodie attractions in the area to sate my appetite for gluttony. On top of it all, you can fly directly to most places in the world, and it's got easy access to all of North America and Europe.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with Washington DC. The main disadvantages to living here can be alleviated if you have a high enough income, and fortunately things have been moving in my favor in that area for a while now. I think it would be a lot harder to live a 'nice' life here on the typical income, even harder than in New York City. I'll enjoy being here for as long as I'm here, though I don't think I'll miss it when I eventually move.

[Ser Clegane]

Currently living in Frankfurt - the city itself is OK (probably a bit better than its image). It misses a certain charme but certainly has some nice corners.

On the plus side are the great logistics (at least you get away from Frankfurt pretty quckly - be it by car, train or plane ), and the nice surrounding area (e.g. Taunus - added the German Wikipedia link as it offers more pics)

This summer we will actually move to Eppstein, a small town in the Taunus (longer way to work - but the nice vicinity is worth it )

But my "hometown" (i.e. where I was born and where I lived for 25 years) would actually be Göttingen - very nice university city (~20% of the residents are actually students at the University) - I always love to visit the city again.

[Fragony]

It's true by the way, I live there too.
:

Don't feel bad, this is where we all end up.

[Adrian II]

Don't feel bad, this is where we all end up.

Just to be sure: you did recognize my place? Could you say the name please?

[Vladimir]

Just to be sure: you did recognize my place? Could you say the name please?

Hell? But then what level.

[Fragony]

Trainstation is amersfoort

[Adrian II]

Hell? But then what level.

I believe that somewhere a coin is still waiting to drop.

Trainstation is amersfoort

Clunk!

[drone]

I don't really consider the place I live to be my 'hometown' since I have moved many times in my life, but I've been here for 5 years now and I'm not moving again anytime soon, so I suppose it is home for a while. This is my 'town':

I've been in the area for 16 years, and I still don't consider it my hometown. I suppose it's as good as it can get when the area has 3 separate governments, all at odds with the others, and one of which is broke and reliant on the federal government for handouts.

Lisa Simpson said it best:

The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some two hundred years ago and very little has changed; it stank then and it stinks now.

[Louis VI the Fat]

[Louis VI the Fat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena,_Montana

I think Helena looks neat. (No, I'm not being sarcastic) It's foreign and exotic through my eyes. A bit isolated, but not a bad place to live, surely?

What's up with all the non-Euro's thinking their towns lack charm? I think smalltown America is romantic.
Never been to Australia or New Zealand, but there too I can imagine myself living well.

My hometown sucks! It's a drug-infested craphole where even honest, law-abiding citizens like me are treated like criminals by arrogant police officers

Which arrondissement do you live in?

[TinCow]

I've been in the area for 16 years, and I still don't consider it my hometown. I suppose it's as good as it can get when the area has 3 separate governments, all at odds with the others, and one of which is broke and reliant on the federal government for handouts.

Lisa Simpson said it best:

The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some two hundred years ago and very little has changed; it stank then and it stinks now.

Ah, yes, how could I have forgotten the weather? Hot and sweaty in the summer, and an almost complete lack of snow in the winter. Yet there's always some brief snowstorms and the city never manages to prepare for them very well. Still, I do like the place overall. For all its flaws, there's a lot of stuff to do and it IS a pretty city in my opinion. I've seen many national capitals, and ours is definitely sprinkled with enough monuments, great structures, and museums to compete with any of them. It's a surprising showing for a city that was at best third tier 20+ years ago.

[Tribesman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHdFJJ63Id8
Galway 300 pubs in walking distance , seemingly continuous festivals one after the other , wide choice of music every night of the week , the sea the river the lake . Pity about the weather and the traffic though .

There's nothing to enjoy about living in Basingstoke.

You don't live in basingstoke , you live in one of them nice villages outside it .
Anyhow basingstoke is fine its a major junction , just get down the station jump on the next train that pulls in and see where it takes ya , thats always an enjoyable thing to do in basingstoke .

[Samurai Waki]

I think Helena looks neat. (No, I'm not being sarcastic) It's foreign and exotic through my eyes. A bit isolated, but not a bad place to live, surely?

Is beautiful, like much of western Montana as the few orgahs who have been or lived here can attest. Helena is quaint, very little crime, and a good place to raise a family. the townspeople themselves are a little introverted, but once you are accepted you are considered to be a part of their family, and they will literally do anything for you. As far as history goes, if you want to look at the area in Western eyes, yes there is very little history, about 140 years worth, but in the natives eyes, this place is ancient, some stories date back as far as 4000 BC so europe and much of North Africa has relatively little on us (and much of America for that matter). Its just adjusting, I've heard that being 3,500 ft above sea level can be a little exhausting for someone not used to it.

Edit: and as weird as it may sound coming from an American, many Montanans feel partial to our French Forefathers who were the true bringers of both Catholicism and cultural acceptance to our fair land. More so than the British, or even white American settlers who came much later.

[Ice]

I don't really consider the place I live to be my 'hometown' since I have moved many times in my life, but I've been here for 5 years now and I'm not moving again anytime soon, so I suppose it is home for a while. This is my 'town':



Washington DC is definitely a place to have mixed feelings about. It's got some of the worst traffic problems in the entire nation. This is partly due to an incredibly inadequate and poorly funded public transportation system and partly due to a massive population explosion over the previous 20 years that has overloaded the existing infrastructure. This same population explosion has also made real estate prices absurdly high.

Despite that, the city itself is very clean, well-maintained, and looks good. There is an enormous amount of stuff to do here, and some of the best museums and cultural attractions in the entire country. The food scene has also exploded in the past 5 to 10 years, and there are numerous world-class restaurants, wine bars, and other foodie attractions in the area to sate my appetite for gluttony. On top of it all, you can fly directly to most places in the world, and it's got easy access to all of North America and Europe.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with Washington DC. The main disadvantages to living here can be alleviated if you have a high enough income, and fortunately things have been moving in my favor in that area for a while now. I think it would be a lot harder to live a 'nice' life here on the typical income, even harder than in New York City. I'll enjoy being here for as long as I'm here, though I don't think I'll miss it when I eventually move.

I was about born 20 minutes south of here in Fairifax, Virginia. I grew up as this place was exploding in Herndon (Known Today as Oak Hill). When my parents moved here in the early 80s, there was practically nothing. I went back 5 years and the place had exploded. None of my childhood forests where I build tree forts and played with my friends remained. i was a bit depressed by it really. I have so many found early childhood memories there. It's probably even grown more since I've been back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfax,_Virginia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Hil...y%2C_Virginia- Ah the wiki article even has my childhood park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frying_Pan_Park

Man, I'm getting really nostalgic here.

[Adrian II]

Is beautiful, like much of western Montana as the few orgahs who have been or lived here can attest.

Good thread, like Frag said you guys are giving me ideas. I already told you I would love to see Montana, but how on earth?.. How about if you create some outrageous news item. So I can casually walk into my chief editor's office at the right moment, to hear him say 'Um, Adrian, I've been toying with this funny idea. Since you pretend you're the only one in Europe with sensible ideas about the U.S., how would you like to.. ' and then, after feigning complete surprise and a long moment's hesitation, I could say 'Well, if I have to.. '

As far as history goes, if you want to look at the area in Western eyes, yes there is very little history

Can we stop this historic pissing contest? AFAIK the Indians have it, despite bogus Chinese claims, and none of us gets even close to the age of their Indus civilization, nor do we care to. Injuns and Injun history is just fine with me.

Helsinki, where Kagemusha lives, is another option. As I remember it, Helsinki is spaceous, very elegant, totally relaxed, a bit like Lisbon on a crystal-clear fjord. And the thought of those big yachts and historic frigates smack in the middle of it makes my mouth water.

[Martok]

What's up with all the non-Euro's thinking their towns lack charm? I think smalltown America is romantic.

You wouldn't say that if you grew up in a small town. Trust me.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that growing up in rural small-town America was truly bad per se -- it does have its advantages. But it's definitely not all that and a bag of chips. There's a reason I moved from Willmar to Minneapolis....and the universe willing, I don't intend to return anytime soon (except to visit friends & family, of course).

[Samurai Waki]

Good thread, like Frag said you guys are giving me ideas. I already told you I would love to see Montana, but how on earth?.. How about if you create some outrageous news item. So I can casually walk into my chief editor's office at the right moment, to hear him say 'Um, Adrian, I've been toying with this funny idea. Since you pretend you're the only one in Europe with sensible ideas about the U.S., how would you like to.. ' and then, after feigning complete surprise and a long moment's hesitation, I could say 'Well, if I have to..

http://www.helenair.com/

Well, unfortunately this is about all I can give you. We live life I little slower around here. Although I'm sure the Cracked Bell...thingy in the mines is a reeeaaalllll travesty.

[Craterus]

You don't live in basingstoke , you live in one of them nice villages outside it .
Anyhow basingstoke is fine its a major junction , just get down the station jump on the next train that pulls in and see where it takes ya , thats always an enjoyable thing to do in basingstoke .

Easy, someone might track me down

And yes, I've tried that.