I need to get out of DC as soon as possible. The city's worn out its welcome. I don't mean to say that it sucks here or that I hate the city. It's just that I really, desperately need an entirely new change of scenery. Nothing new here. I've made this post before.
I've mentioned Austin before and that's number one on the board. But I'm not going to limit my options to that:
Atlanta - it's where I was born and I wouldn't mind returning there. I know it's a completely different city now but it might still be an interesting and positive change.
Charlotte - the family reunion on my Dad's side had our family reunion in Charlotte a couple of years ago and I really felt comfortable there. I don't even really know that much about Charlotte but it might be worth at least looking at.
Hopefully I can put up with this city for another year without goin' crazy.
Also, U-Turn is on and I have no idea why I'm watching it.
andrew [email] said at 2:26 AM 05-05-2006: I'm going to Austin tomorrow for my cousin's wedding, looking forward to it. I watched the Daniel Johnston movie tonite as a warm-up.
peter [email] said at 8:03 AM 05-05-2006: Isn't U-turn also the name of some crappy bougie DC cafe/bar?
I'm getting out of DC too, but I'm not doing anything as dramatic as moving to Austin - just Baltimore. I feel like there's not a whole lot going on here other than boozing and I want to buy a house within a year or two and there's no way I can do it in DC.
reggie [email] said at 9:21 AM 05-05-2006: I'd consider Baltimore but it would only feel like a pit stop. I mainly have only thought of B-more cuz it would make trips to Philly shorter and I'd still be within spittin' distance of my folks.
As for U-Turn, I don't know but aren't most cafe/bars in DC bougie anyway?
I just get sick of walking through Adams Morgan and seeing all these stupid drunken buffoons and bimbos who all look exactly the same, listen to the same crappy music. All the dudes dress like J. Crew catalogs and/or 50 Cent videos and all the ladies dress like hoochie mamas and/or hoochie mamas.
I really despise all of them. But I need the change in pace that the south presents as opposed to the northeast. That's why Baltimore wouldn't make sense for me. It's just another NE American city. B-more's still a lot more blue collar than DC but it's an East Coast city nonetheless.
myriam [email] said at 9:42 AM 05-05-2006: I hear ya. I'm so fucking sick of the East Coast. DC is one of the better areas on this side of the country, too.
Every time I go to Chicago I marvel at how nice everyone seems. People actually strike up random conversations with you at bus stops and stuff, and then they even say goodbye to you like 15 minutes later when they get off the bus! Here in Boston if you happen to have an awkward little chit chat with someone at a bus stop then when you get on the bus you have to concentrate real hard on not meeting their gaze again, because they are doing the same thing, and will look at you funny if you prolong the social interaction. If they have to walk by you when they get off the bus you can bet they will stare straight ahead and pretend they never chit chatted with you. It's insane, the kind of thing you don't really notice till you go somewhere else and are amazed at how much people smile.
rick [email] said at 4:53 PM 05-05-2006: I just get sick of walking through Adams Morgan and seeing all these stupid drunken buffoons and bimbos who all look exactly the same, listen to the same crappy music. All the dudes dress like J. Crew catalogs and/or 50 Cent videos and all the ladies dress like hoochie mamas and/or hoochie mamas.
The so-called smart set here is just a whiter, more hipster version of that; I don't see how any one version is better than the other but if you have different preferences that's cool. But you shouldn't despise people for everyday silliness; most people are silly about at least a few things, why not clothes? They're usually cheaper than crack and they have yet to spark any gang wars.
I have heard nice things about Providence, RI. Hotlanta, I do not know much about although I have to say that the drivers there are about as exasperating as those in DC so it would not be much of a change I guess. Also, I think you may have to get a car if you move out there as I have heard that the MARTA is not that great.
Have you ever thought about somewhere on the Left Coast?
crystal [email] said at 10:22 AM 05-05-2006: let me know when/if you visit atlanta reggie. I can tell you some cool places to go - good neighborhoods to look at. my sister lives there now and owns a pizza restaurant... good if you want a quick job right away too! :)
anthony [email] said at 10:44 AM 05-05-2006: Charlotte is ok, but it's super boring. I don't much care for Atlanta either. I'd rather live in Charlotte than ATL though.
ed [email] said at 12:15 PM 05-05-2006: Atlanta's too crowded. However, the place I want to live most in the world is close enough to Atlanta to be feasible for concerts, ballgames, and such. It's a bit farther (5 hours, if I recall) to Charlotte, but both are comparatively easy to get to.
myriam [email] said at 11:05 AM 05-05-2006: I hear Savannah is pretty and artistic but I have never been there. I have heard good things about Charleston too. I know there's a good art/design/arch. school in Savannah so it might have a more rich creative culture (compared to other cities).
kara [email] said at 11:12 AM 05-05-2006: yeah I know a girl who's moving back down there to finish her degree at SCAD.
She just posted a bunch of Savannah pics on flickr and it looks cool
anthony [email] said at 2:28 PM 05-05-2006: Savannah is a shithole. Other than SCAD, there's really not much else down there, although people like to go there to do touristy things. I don't think I'd want to live there.
Charleston is where most of my close high school friends live, and for the most part it's awesome, but if yer looking for a city with more than just Southern culture and hot college girls, you will be disapointed.
crystal [email] said at 11:20 AM 05-05-2006: I would agree with you all. I guess it depends on what you are looking for Reggie. Savannah can be kind of weird b/c it's this mix of rednecks, art school kids and men/women of the armed forces cause there's a huge base down there. so makes things interesting at times.
I have a couple of friends in Charlotte as well and they like it. I prefer a bigger city though. atlanta over charlotte.
and charleston is beautiful and totally laidback. I have no idea what kind of job prospects are there though.
what are you looking for in regards to that arena Reggie? I suppose it would be easy for you to get a job transfer with your current company now? I'm sure they have stores in all of these cities!
reggie [email] said at 7:39 PM 05-05-2006: E'rything I've heard about Austin is that it's entirely laid back too. Y'all know me, you don't get more laid back than me. So laid back is what I want.
Yeah it's pretty simple to transfer between stores, I've done it so many times now it's as easy as breathing for me.
andrew [email] said at 10:31 AM 05-08-2006: Austin was really, really nice. Good weather, good mix of a big city with the post-college crowd, and all the pretty girls. I didn't want to leave.
mike [email] said at 1:18 PM 05-06-2006: I lived in Savannah for 3 years before I moved to ATL where I live now. Savannah is kind of like what crystal described but its alot more too. It is definitely laid back. The downtown is accessible and historic. They say the crime per capita rate is high but I never had any problems. The islands, which are really just pieces of land seperated by streams, are cool. Tybee island is pretty much a beach bum colony. I loved it. I had alot of friends in bands, did a bunch of open mics. Definitely a wide mixture of people for a southern city. As far as ATL, I moved here because my daughter lives here and aside from that, didn't want to come. But I'm getting used to the traffic and congestion. We do get way more shows to go to, but the bigger bands are hard to get and expensive. Not much time to get into the local scene yet. Also about ATL for me, is just knowing your going to be delayed and knowing the best way to get there. It was a frustrating change for me. Its a hustle and bustle city to me, but I've never lived in such a big city. Athens Georgia is also very nice. Lived there 3 years. That might be a shock for you though. Slow college town, more my speed. Charleston, its nice, but only visited. A friend of mine who went to UT is going back to live in austin. He LOVES it, and it does seem cool.
christian [email] said at 12:02 PM 05-05-2006: apparently there are a lot of northern transplants in charlotte. a couple high school friends of mine just moved there (completely randomly from my perspective) and a couple more are thinking of following. all they could say was 'its cheaper' and 'there are some northerners here'
i feel you on DCness in general but anything northeastern about it is what i love and there's just not enough of it. whenever i'm finally done with this place i'm going to NYC
craig [email] said at 12:32 PM 05-05-2006: I felt much the same way about NYC, and after four years, I felt that I had enough. I'm not sure I'm digging Phoenix so much, though. It is too big and sprawling. I am thinking of mocing somewhere else, maybe to a smaller town somewhere, not sure where though. I think the lower east coast would be nice. Either that or somewhere on the west coast or Pacific Northwest, although where would it not be amazingly expensive?
I still wish I had enough money to buy an abandoned nuclear missile silo somewhere and make it into a home.
josh [email] said at 2:47 PM 05-05-2006: reggie, why don't you move to new york. big film scene there. you could get a place in brooklyn (with roommates) for what you are paying now, transfer to a borders up there and then start getting PA and lighting assistant gigs. learn shit and get paid some.
or do the same thing in austin or LA, but in NYC you wouldnt need a car so that saves money.
rick [email] said at 4:56 PM 05-05-2006: Yeah, I would not move to any place where I would have to buy a car unless I had some swollen stream of lucre already set up to flow into my coffers.
reggie [email] said at 7:32 PM 05-05-2006: I'm so not feelin' New York right now. That's the predictable thing to do really. Plus if I can barely afford DC how can I expect to afford NYC?
The whole point is I want to get AWAY from East Coast cities. I want to get AWAY from the hustle and bustle. I need a slower pace and frankly a friendlier attitude. I've done New York (for school) and I loved it. But I need the opposite of that right now.
josh [email] said at 10:39 AM 05-08-2006: Plus if I can barely afford DC how can I expect to afford NYC?
Well, I don't know if you are paying a car note or not, but not having a note and insurance would free my personal budget up immensely. NYC is the same price as DC to live, pretty much. But you need a card less.
If you want to get away from a big city but seriously want to get involved with the film scene, I would think Austin is basically your only choice, dude... unless you go abroad. The only cities for film in the USA are NYC, LA and Austin, or at least, so I've heard.
If the film thing isn't a priority, then look at other options, but if it is it seems like it's gotta be Austin.
reggie [email] said at 7:41 PM 05-12-2006: Every year MovieMaker magazine puts out a list of the Top Ten North American Cities to Live and Make Films in. Here's the 2006 list:
1. NYC
2. Austin, TX
3. Portland, OR
4. Chicago, IL
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Los Angeles, CA
7. Miami, FL
8. Baltimore, MD
9. Wilmington, NC (a place I would consider in place of Charlotte)
10. Memphis, TN
Charlottesville, VA and San Antonio, TX are on the "Cities on the Rise" list and Atlanta is among the Honorable Mentions. And I'm pretty sure Richmond, VA was on last year's honorable mentions list if not among the top ten proper.
As far as I know, DC has never even sniffed this list.
Bendependent [email] said at 2:51 PM 05-05-2006: I saw you the other day walking in Dupont Circle. You had headphones on and I was in a car. I yelled "Reggie! ReGGIE! REGGIEEE!!!" but you didn't hear me...
I moved to Baltimore about a month ago. I just realized I never really even mentioned this on killoggs. I still commute to DC 3 days a week, so I feel like I get to live in both cities which has been good. Baltimore does feel like a pit-stop in a lot of ways, but that isn't really a bad thing cos everything kinda seems like a pit-stop...
More than anything tho living here has given me a new appreciation of DC. It kind of reminds me of when I first moved to college in Baton Rouge from New Orleans. People in Baton Rouge were a lot different from people in New Orleans, and I liked them both, but I ended up with a new appreciation for New Orleans once I gained an outsider perspective of it. That's not to say living in Baton Rouge wasn't cool. Some of the time spent there were the best days of my life.
I've realized that I'm happy so long as I keep moving in general. There is no perfect place to live. I'd like to live a million different places all at once. Everything gets old if you spread it too thin. I'd say find the cheapest place to live with the most options...
saw you the other day walking in Dupont Circle. You had headphones on and I was in a car. I yelled "Reggie! ReGGIE! REGGIEEE!!!" but you didn't hear me
Ben you saw how big my headphones are, how am I gonna hear you yellin' at me?
kevin [email] said at 5:14 PM 05-05-2006: i like baltimore. but i really want to be surrounded by more trees. and maybe some animals that could kill you if you act like a dumbass.
Sirpants said at 4:40 PM 05-06-2006: Just went to Charlotte for a wedding. Was really nice with some great architecture downtown, but a touch boring, with a bunch of nice southern folks trying to imitate a larger city. I hit the bar scene and it went from open air christian rock concerts and a theatre crowd (before sundown) to more of an 18th street crowd crossed with an Ybor city (FL) drag strip scene in 2 hours. All in the financial district. Weird. Chapel Hill is more worth checking out. Definitely a land of the lotus eaters. Living outside of town is still affordable and it's a island of the progressive South in a sea of Jesse Helms supporters. Eccentricities are seemingly encouraged and people are friendly. Austin is great too.
reggie [email] said at 2:39 AM 05-07-2006: Thank you Sirpants. Your experience in Charlotte sounds a lot like mine. And I remember drivin' round Chapel Hill thinking how cool it was despite its relationship to a certain university that shall remain hated even though I've never even attended said university's archrival university whose lacrosse team I couldn't care less about.
