Okay, Jeremiah. Name the top ten places you could see yourself living in the next ten years. You can’t include Los Angeles, since that is where you currently live. These should be places that appeal to you on an emotional basis, or would have benefits for your career, or would be a comfortable compromise between the two.
10. Washington D.C. – Believe it or not, I rather like the DC/Beltway/Arlington area. I’m not a fan of Northern Virginia, which skirts pretty close to DC. Despite the humid summers and fatcat politics, I think cherry blossoms in Spring and Georgetown brownstones are quite appealing.
9. Boston – I love New England, I like the Red Sox, I tolerate liberals. What’s not appealing about this trifecta of high-gloss lifestyle mixed with homegrown, colonial appeal?
8. Denver – The Rockies, despite being great places to commit cannibalism, are also great for driving and skiing. Denver real estate seems to be worth checking into, and the city is picturesque, yet doesn’t carry the stench of hippie/New Age culture that Boulder has.
7. New York – I would love to live in New York, but only if I was super wealthy and had publishing connections. Since my window for living there is quickly running out due to my girlfriend Emily finishing school and wanting to move away forever, I don’t see this happening anytime soon.
6. San Juan – It’s a charming town marked each year by the passing of swallows of Capistrano. It’s got an old-school Spanish feel that translates well for an uppercrust yuppie type. I could see myself in that mode twenty years from now.
5. Savannah – Who can resist hanging moss, four hundred year old trees, southern accents that defy normal mockery, and Confederate ideals, without the slavery? This guy, that’s who.
4. Seattle – It rains here. A lot. I have about an 85% tolerance for extended rains, so it would be a bit of a stretch to live here year round, but the quality lifestyle, the under-the-surface conservative movement, and West Coast laid-back lifestyle is a pleasure not easily dismissed.
3. Madison – Wisconsin, that is. Living inside the city might be fun, though I would actually enjoy living in a smaller town outside Madison more. The university there makes for a fun college environment, and with family and a first-rate coffee company operating right in town, there isn’t too much I can say against this option.
2. Asheville, NC – A small town, quaint, energetic, and folksy, but not “My mother named me Moonstone because I have a healing aura of Mother Earth and the song of the tides” folksy. Decent music scene, believe it or not, and nestled in the hills of North Carolina. Rustic, far from the madding crowds, and sometimes, that seems the most appealing.
1. San Francisco – Believe it or not, I think this city’s got a lot of things going for it. I like the art and design culture, the big city vibe mixed with the small town wharf appeal, its proximity to the water, the street trolley thing and the giant hills (making for great movie chase scene settings), and Dirty Harry love are only the beginnings of this city’s appeal.
Well, there you have it. I know the list could be refined if I had the moxie, but I just finished reflections on death. I’m not sure a list like this requires too much introspection.