Clair Dickson and I live 90 minutes apart yet our lives are very different or so I surmise from her MTM blogs. We both spend a lot of time in front of our computers and our weather's similar, but when we walk out the door, there's an entirely different vista awaiting.Although I often complain about Detroit, I can't imagine not living in a city. Or near one. My husband grew up in the country and could easily reinsert himself, but me....I don't settle in easily. What would I do there?
The reasons I like city life: arthouse movies on a regular basis, and the Detroit area has four venues showing them; major cultural institutions: a symphony, museums, theaters, an opera house, etc; access to sports teams for my husband and son if not myself; public transportation to get to work. I barely drive. (Although Detroit is pretty poor in this regard); live music. Bookstores: new ones, used ones, specialty ones.
I am a pretty voracious consumer of these sorts of things, leaving my carbon footprint, size 6, all over the place. I like diverse restaurants and the people who come with them. Give me an Arab/Thai dive any day.
I guess I've
never built up the inner resources to entertain myself very well in pristine surroundings. I need stimuli and plenty of it. I admire those who can forge a life without needing so much...much, but I think you have to be born to it. Or be "saved" from cultural neediness.When I go on vacation, I go to other cities. I just don't "get" country life. Cows scare me, for one thing. Hate the smell of skunks and manure. All those stars in the country sky are pretty horrific too. It's supposed to be dark at night.
Where is the sound of gunfire and ambulances in the country? Where is the smell of garbage and asphalt? Where is the feel of cement beneath my feet?
I may end up in a retirement village in the bucolic confines of the country. But since I'll probably never leave the facility, I'll never know the difference.
Take it away, Clair. Persuade me that country life is the way to go.
Check out more My Town Monday posts at the wonderful Travis Erwin's blog: http://traviserwin.blogspot.com
14 comments:
Give me skunks over smog!
As long as more people like the city, the country will stay empty for me and the cows. ;-)
To each their own, right?
How interesting. I'm a city girl, and I married a country guy.
A person is either a city person or a country person; although I was born in a city, I have always preferred the country life. Yes, country life means no cars driving all hours past your house, no street lights (except for a yard light), needing to drive or walk a couple of miles to a grocery store. This is where one becomes self-sufficient and grows their own food, then stockpiles it away, either in a freezer or by canning. I've been there, done that and now want to go back to that life. I'm very tired of Toronto.
Oh, to remind you Patti, I will be doing the Banned Book thing on Friday, October 3rd with 'Lady Chatterly's Lover'.
I spent three weeks in Ketchum, Idaho this Summer and was clawing at the walls to get back to civilization AKA San Diego.
Miles and miles of NOTHING. Seriously, how do people not shoot themselves in the head with so little to do?
Sorry Patti, but I'm with Clair on this one. Big cities are nice places to visit for the reasons you describe but I would never want to live in one.
I am a happy mixture, I like the country as long as its not too far from town!!!
I could live with that.
Recently I needed to replace a broken coiled spring on a piece of old but still very usable furniture. I found a shop in Detroit that had an exact match. What I like about living in the Detroit area is that pretty much what ever I want or need, it is readily available. I can also look across the Detroit River and see Canada which qualifies me to be a candidate for Vice President.
You have my vote, Chuck.
I like being close to both. I can drive into Cleveland or Akron, see friends, do city stuff, and then come home to my quiet. Works for me :-)
You citizens of Ohio have a mid-size to large city every 50 miles.
My tiny little burb is much closer to the country than the city, but I do love driving into Cleveland.
I was born in a small, rural town, but I prefer the conveniences of being in a suburb. Not quite the city, but close.
Actually I am about six blocks from Detroit. A suburb but not.
Post a Comment