A Change of Scenery-- City Lights
It's funny how easily we seem to forget things.
Mrs. Denmarkguy and I are in Seattle for a couple of days... and I had pretty much forgotten what it's like to be in the city.
I'm afraid this post isn't quite up to my usual "visual" standards-- trying to post from a mobile device for the first time... sorry about that!
Anyway...
When I last moved-- some 11 years ago-- it was from a larger city (Austin, Texas) to our small town of less than 10,000 people. Although the city of Seattle-- and its 3+ million people-- is less than 90 minutes away, we almost never go here... except this week happens to be my birthday, and we're borrowing a friend's apartment for a couple of days.
The above-- slightly shaky photo, sorry-- is a shot of our view from the balcony.
OK, so maybe "apartment" is an understatement. It's a 15th floor waterfront penthouse with a view of Elliot Bay and the harbor... what $4000 a month currently gets you in Seattle.
But I digress... I'd forgotten how "noisy" cities are.
Seattle's Space Needle in the late afternoon sun... from the ferry, on the way in.
There's the constant backdrop of traffic... and then trains coming by, every now and then. Add then there's the eternal sound of sirens from fire trucks and ambulances. Not to mention the eternal background rumble of various mechanical equipment that never stops.
Add to that, she sheer energetic turmoil of so many people living close to each other... and it's quite an "energetic soup." I didn't realize how much I had come to appreciate the stillness of living in a smaller place.
I'll post something prettier tomorrow... just wanted to toss these rather... "unfiltered"... impressions out there.
How about YOU? Are you a city dweller? Or more of a small town person? Do you like the hustle and bustle-- and high energy of cities? Leave a comment - share your experiences - be part of the conversation!
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Posted at 20170830 00:55 PDT
Big cities are amazing, diverse ... and great for a week-end diversion. NYC in particular is an awesome, almost life-changing experience and if I were triplets, I might want to spend one of my lives there -- with frequent trips into the wonderland of New Orleans. But not as the only place to be -- as reality now stands.
I lived in Seattle for a couple of years decades back. I really didn't enjoy it. All the rain was dreary and annoying. But then I moved there from Phoenix / Tucson and the culture shock after so many years in the desert was just too much. I was glad to leave. Overjoyed to get back to the desert ....
I started out in a small town -- back when Lubbock, Texas was a small town and Texas Tech was still an agricultural college, not the university it is today. 63rd Street was the absolute edge of civilization then -- to give you some idea how tiny and compact it was, comparatively.
I miss the neighborliness that was part of the culture then. People knew each other ... and helped each other. But they also gossiped about each other ... and to some extent everybody was all up in everybody else's business. Now that indoor / online occupations in the evenings have replaced front-porch conversations with people from up and down the block as you'd all enjoy the cool-night breeze ... that culture, too, has changed. When people say you can't go home again, that's part of what they mean.
Today, my husband and I live in a very remote part of New Mexico. Without some effort, you can't even see another house. The quiet is broken only by the occasional hoot of an owl, or the barking yip of a coyote. We wouldn't go back to "town life," let alone city life for anything in the world. The fact that we can now see another house without much trouble has us talking about where we might move next to regain our isolation.
I can -- and have -- gone months without speaking to another human being. (But I gotta have dogs. That's not negotiable.) I lived here alone without even a phone for the first nine years, knowing if I got in bad trouble or hurt, it was me and my wits that would have to get me out again. Today, I marvel at my own bravado doing that. I'd think about it long and hard before doing it today. But that kind of tells you who I am ... and why I live the way I do. And finding someone who feels and wants to live that way, too, was something of a small miracle -- in a life frequently touched by those.
Thanks for the thorough and thoughtful reply!
Even Austin was at the edge of being a "small town" when I moved there in 1981... small city; college town. Remove UT Austin, and there wasn't all that much there. I remember the airport had 8 gates when I first arrived, and it was the smallest commercial airport I'd ever seen. Now the Austin metro area has passed 2 million...
Cities are fascinating, but my fascination has reached a point of not lasting beyond an initial 7-day window of curiosity. I like to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. And I especially wouldn't want to live there on our budget... I think cities tend to be kinder to the very wealthy.
Our small town of about 10,000 is a pretty comfortable middle ground. We can get everything we need here; there are "facilities" enough that we don't have to travel much if we need something; we have one of the best small city hospitals in the state... and yet, we're pretty much "at the end of the world." And that works pretty well, all in all.
Thank you so much! I was surprised at the memories your questions brought up ... and how putting hands to keyboard, the comment just wrote itself. I haven't been on Steemit long, but I found your blog pretty quickly. You're one of my regular stops and I enjoy your take on life. Scraping together a few extra minutes to comment is sometimes its own challenge, but your thought-provoking pieces make the effort worthwhile.
(I also UVd you back, FWIW -- which ain't much at the moment. As I said, I just got here, and don't have much traction yet, but that will change. As with you, writing is a passion. I see you've been busy. I need to catch up. Meanwhile, have a lovely afternoon.)
Never been into big cities and large crowded areas. Just too much motion, smell and sound pollution.
Large cities are always in a rush to get somewhere. I doubt any of them really know where they are going just that they have to get “somewhere.”
I would prefer to one day retire near a mountain in the middle of the woods alone! Just me and the backdrop of nature. A lake view as well would be nice.
For now I will just settle for being in a small town. With a little bit of woods around but slowly over time as the city grows so does its influence in our own neck of the woods.
I stood outside on the balcony... and couldn't see but the brightest stars. And realized that we live in a place with almost no light pollution. So... instead... I watched the giant horseshoe pattern of one aircraft after another doing a big loop to reach their final glide path into SeaTac airport; ships in the harbor, coming and going.
We live in an established (50+ years) neighborhood at the outskirts of our town. We know what's there, and there will be no more building... the houses sit on 1/2 acre lots or larger and there are mature trees. And it works. Will we move elsewhere? Possibly, but not likely...
Sounds really nice. You guys happy with size and maintenance of your house? Or will that be a reason to move one day if you choose to?
Ah, the enchantment of the Emerald City. One of those cities that never sleeps. I knew from the first photo that the apartment was not just an apartment as they don't exist at that viewpoint.
I'm a small town boy at heart, but always come back. Like they say. It's a nice place to visit, but wouldn't want to live there. Steem On Brother!
It's fun to visit here, for sure... and we do, from time to time because two of our adult kids live in the city. But being here also underscores how I don't care much for the whole "stacked cube living."
Unless the cubes are stacked like this one...
I'm a small town person. I appreciate being able to see the stars at night and finding plenty of free on-street parking, hearing nothing at night except perhaps the wind on a windy day. I grew up in a big city, but I love suburbia.
It's funny... I spent many years in cities, but don't actually want to live in one... I like the idea of all the facilities and cultural events of a city being nearby (and we're only 90 minutes from Seattle), but we hardly ever use them... it's just nice to know "it's there."
Absolutely my thoughts as well. I love being outside the city limits but still close enough to use the facilities of a big city when you need it. I grew up in Vancouver and watched it grow into the over-crowded concrete jungle it is now. The house I first lived in is still standing, but just try and find a parking spot close to the house now! When I was a child, there might have been 4 to 6 cars parked along the entire city block on both sides of the street. Most people (that had cars) parked in their garage, so there were few cars actually left out on the street. Now the street is full of cars and when anyone leaves, the spot is immediately taken by someone else! I'm reluctant to even go visit the old neighbourhood now. It's just too crowded for me. I moved out to the suburb about 36 years ago and love it here.
Both, big cities and small towns have some pros and cons when it comes to choose a place for living. For me it's a difficult subject. I used to be a huge city bug. Taking all the energy from dozens of people that surround me, from all of that noise, tumult, lights. But more and more I feel the need to be closer to the nature, to my beloved ones, to appreciate little things. So, I haven't decided yet.
This little city excursion is definitely fun... and "a change"... but it also serves as a reminder that we made a wise choice in moving to a smaller place. Maybe some of it also has to do with age... cities are more appealing when you're younger. At least that has held true for me.
probably I'm on a fence.
I lived 40 years in a pretty busy city and then I came to the small US city.
Now I prefer to live in small quiet place but from time to time visit busy places and get some drive from
Finding balance is a good thing... I like that we are only 90 minutes from a major city, but we still don't go very often... but having the choice is nice.
Oh we got plenty of noise in small town lake living. Why the crickets, frogs and geese stir up quite a ruckus ;)
That's the kind of ruckus I can deal with... one of our issues in our local town are the deer holding up traffic when they cross the road... very SLOWly.
Oh yes the problem here is the turtles. I have pulled over too many times to "persuade" the buggers to get a move on for their own good. Some of the large snappers can be a bit ornery though!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Enjoy the little vacation!
Thank you-- and definitely will!
Big places carry with them a bigger rush of life, I agree!
Very true... I used to live with it, and I don't think I miss it.
Great city and beautiful photos.
Thank to share it
Thank you for coming by and commenting.
You're welcome.