Well, what say you? Where would you move tomorrow if given the opportunity?
It’s something I think about and often discuss with friends – where else could you live? Some people I know are all about their current city with no plans to go anywhere else. And that’s all well and good, but I know I’m not one of those people, at all.
In the last few years, I’ve started doing this thing... When I travel to a place, I like to see how people live and where people live (sometimes, not all the time). Where do they grocery shop and go out to eat? What does their day-to-day life look like?
I have lived in New York for 15 years. Sometimes it feels like 50, sometimes like five.
Then, I want to understand the cost of living. For 20 and 30-somethings, are they renting or are they homeowners? If they’re renting, do they pay rent weekly, monthly, or some other timeframe? How much do they pay on average per month? I am that person who will ask a local all of these questions and more. Partly because of plain curiosity and partly because I’m wondering if I could see myself living in that place.
I have lived in New York for 15 years. Sometimes it feels like 50, sometimes like five. The beauty of New York is that it’s always changing, so I don’t think one could ever get bored. That said, other cities have grown in their appeal to me, and I know with certainty that I won’t be in New York forever.
So where would I go if I could move tomorrow? There are a few places that immediately come to mind:
London
This is an easy one. I would move back to London in a heartbeat. It’s funny to think that when I first went to London for grad school, I wasn’t a big fan. I compared it to the vibrancy of New York and found it lacking. But, as time went on, it grew on me slowly but surely. And now that I’m older and have slowed down somewhat, I appreciate that London is still a very bustling place but not quite as crazy as New York (and certainly not as gritty).
Los Angeles
I HATE driving…yes, HATE. Also, I’m not a good driver, so there’s that. But, if I could get away with not having to drive very often, or at all, I would live in Los Angeles. I love the outdoorsy lifestyle and being able to go from the mountains to the beach (not that I’m a huge beach person, but I love anything by water). I love certain neighborhoods (Manhattan Beach is my future home…somehow…some way), and though it’s sprawling, it still has great cultural activities all over the place. Though I do think that California has a big homelessness, mental health and substance abuse problem that I hope it addresses (I noticed this a lot during my last trip to LA).
Montreal
I have been to Montreal about 4-5 times now, and I love it. BUT… I’ve never been there in the winter. In fact, Canada in the winter scares me. So, I would gladly move to Montreal between roughly May and October, but after that I think I’d need to be a snowbird and live elsewhere when things got rough in Montreal (and by rough I mean cold).
Hong Kong
There’s obviously a lot going on in Hong Kong right now in terms of the protests, and now a recession, so moving there tomorrow would perhaps be a bit tricky. That said, I think it’s, generally speaking, an incredible place where I’ve always felt so comfortable. I rarely see anyone who looks like me when I’m there, but it doesn’t bother me, nor do I ever feel like I’m on display like I might in other places that don’t typically have many black people. Every time I’m there, it’s just easy, though cost of living is admittedly crazy.
Mexico City
I know I’ve only been to Mexico City once (well, technically twice in one trip), BUT I feel like I could definitely live in Condesa or Roma Norte and eat all the tacos and get myself a dog and live my best life. I wrote earlier in the year about why it’s my new favorite place, and I still stand by all of that. Granted, I know approximately five words in Spanish so I might have a tough time communicating on a more regular basis, but that’s okay! I’d work my way through it, the same way I’d work my way through all the tacos.
Lisbon
I’ve only visited twice, but it only took me about two hours in this city before I thought to myself, “yeah, I could live here.” Again, language would probably be an issue since I don’t speak any Portuguese whatsoever, but I did find it easy to navigate around Lisbon as a non-Portuguese speaker. Also, the city is just so vibrant and much more affordable than the rest of Western Europe. The other thing I found really fascinating about Lisbon is that I saw way more people of color (i.e., black people) than I thought I would. I have no idea what race relations are like in Lisbon (probably the same as in many other parts of Western Europe (and the world), if I had to guess), but I did overall feel fine being there.
So, that’s the list – it certainly evolves over time as some cities lost their luster to me while others become more appealing. When I do eventually leave NYC, we’ll see where I go next!
Where would you go if you could move tomorrow?
