In which of the 20 largest cities you'd agree to live? Multi-answer poll. - Page 3

MosesPresley · January 18, 2003, 03:22

San Francisco, San Diego, New Orleans: French Quarter, Shanghai, Hong Kong, NYC, Rome, Paris, London, Barcelona

Zero · January 18, 2003, 04:09

wherever there is beautiful ladies.... ill try to be there.
(i know i am shameless womanizer if someone didnt realize it already....

)

Dis · January 18, 2003, 04:16

Ok my response is based on the ability to make a decent living. I.E. having sufficient wages to live in Tokyo.

Lord Merciless · January 18, 2003, 04:35

New York because of its economy and entertainment,
Paris because of its culture and entertainment,
Shanghai because of its economy and culture.

I would never ever live in Beijing, a city filled with incompetent bureaucrats, and a place where you can never see the blue sky.

Dis · January 18, 2003, 04:40

I did not vote for New York.

I did vote for Tokyo. But that would be more of a temporary thing. I couldn't see living there for the rest of my life.

I voted for Paris, but I don't know why.

I also voted for Rio De Janeiro for the women

. I voted Cairo too because they seem to be one of the more liberal muslim cities (although they did recently have a crack down on gay clubs or something like that

)

Oerdin · January 18, 2003, 04:56

San Diego, London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Singapore, New York, Prague, and Vienna all made my list.

Alinestra Covelia · January 18, 2003, 05:43

Quote:

I would never ever live in Beijing, a city filled with incompetent bureaucrats, and a place where you can never see the blue sky.

From this statement, it is indeed clear that you have evidently "never ever lived" in Beijing.

If you had, you would know that atmospheric conditions make nearly every day a clear one.

As for the "incompetent bureaucrats" (all 11.3 million, to "fill" the city) are you saying that you'd really prefer Paris? Or London? Hey, both are socialist countries with administrations that all too often feel they're above the law.

I've seen two types of first-time foreigners in Beijing. There are some who can hardly believe their eyes and who jump right in and have fun in the rough and tumble of the place. There are others who come and who refuse to give up their preconceptions, grudgingly grumbling about everything for a semester and then going home to nurse their sour grapes (not a euphemism for haemorrhoids, I promise).

Each time I go back, the city has new things to show me. I don't think another city exists on earth with such a mix of history and modernity, where the pace of change really is breakneck.

Just think - 15 years ago, Western-made baby clothes were considered a fitting gift for a cadre party member. Nowadays, everybody has a cell phone and the broadband internet connections are more advanced than what you'd get in most of America. (More on a par with South Korea's ADSL service, though not universal.)

Plus, potstickers.

You haven't lived if you've never eaten a potsticker. And Beijing's the best city to go to for losing your potsticking virginity.

Wernazuma III · January 18, 2003, 06:00

NY, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Paris

East Asian cities are too different for me, I wouldn't feel comfortable among those Orientals (don't get me wrong, I have a North Korean/Japanese commuter and like her, but I think living there as Europpean must be a bit like being freak in the freak show. Mentality is too different for my taste.
Brazilian cities and Los Angeles have too little flair for me, I know that especially for Rio most people will see that differently. They're kind of no-culture areas for me (no, I don't regard Hollywood being a center of quality culture)
Pakistan and Nigeria are some of the most dagerous spots I can think of, esp. Lagos is nothing but a huge crime I've been told by a priest and teacher who had to live there for a few years.

Cairo, Delhi and Kalkutta are interesting, yet they too are dangerous, Cairo maybe less, don't know. To live there - impossible. Nothing but a huge chaos.

KrazyHorse · January 18, 2003, 06:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Sonic
Well, in which of those cities (20 largest (by population) in the world) you'd agree to live if someone offered you to do so? Please check ones you'd like to live and don't check ones you wouldn't like to live.

New York, Tokyo, Paris

Lancer · January 18, 2003, 07:54

Buenos Airies! WooHoo!

I thought I'd be the only one to pick this city. I'd guess it must be pretty nice, plus even w/ the limited resourses we have Dolores and I could live well there.(I think...)

Manila should be on the list, but I wouldn't pick it.

Dr. Nick · January 18, 2003, 09:39

Buenos Aires is great. But you need to act local above all.

Al'Kimiya · January 18, 2003, 09:54

None of the listed cities, and I can think of millions of reasons why.

Wraith · January 18, 2003, 10:21

Tokyo or Osaka would be nice, simply because I'd like to spend a couple years in Japan at some point. The problem, of course, is paying for it. Those aren't cheap places to live (nor, I suspect, will any of the others be).

That said, there are tons of places I'd rather live than any of the places on the list.

Wraith
Strange attractors - getting there is half the fun

Spiffor · January 18, 2003, 11:35

Wow, I didn't expect so many people to vote for Paris. I feel flattered

(If you actually go to Paris, ask a local you know first where to go. There are tons of crap for tourists, which make a bad name of the city

)

Urban Ranger · January 18, 2003, 12:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Buck Birdseed
All of those with reasonably democratic values, ie. all except the ones in china.

Including Lagos? Gotta check your brain.

Urban Ranger · January 18, 2003, 12:46

I hope those voted for Tokyo and Osaka are willing to pay for it.

Dis · January 18, 2003, 14:11

Beijing is communist. 'nuff said

they go against my beliefs

Zero · January 18, 2003, 15:49

For those who havent voted for new york (city, i assume)... Theres nothing really bad i can think of here. City becomes kinda dull once you get used to the freaks, but im guessing novelties wear out on other cities as well if you live there long enough. At least we have plenty of things to do here though

OneFootInTheGrave · January 18, 2003, 15:54

None!

Cities suck, bigger they are worse it is.

Unless you are a millionaire, and you can go away whenever you wish which I am not so... clearly none.

Thud · January 18, 2003, 15:56

I agree, I am shocked and dismayed at London's lack of attention here.

Everyone loves New York

TheBirdMan · January 18, 2003, 16:27

None. Absolutely none of above choices.

Even the "little" local city of Copenhagen is too big.

Viking Berserk · January 18, 2003, 17:45

NONE!

Fiera · January 19, 2003, 02:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Thud

Everyone loves New York

... not!

As a matter of a fact, I've met three people already who moved to LA from New York because they couldn't stand living there (too crowded, they'd say), so there.

Fiera · January 19, 2003, 02:41

Oops, double post!

Dis · January 19, 2003, 03:49

someone should find the world's smallest 20 cities and post them. See which one of those we would live in.

MRT144 · January 19, 2003, 04:09

moving from new york to LA because new york was too crowded...out of the pan and in to the fire.

Worthingtons · January 19, 2003, 05:41

I dont understand the population estimates over here, the big cities are made to seem to tiny, and towns look massive. Manchester is MASSIVE but i think the official pop is about 600000. Rotherham, where i come from, has a pop of 250k , but there arent that many live there at all. it's wierd.

Of the counted cities i chose the popular ones, New York,LA,Paris and Bananabad.

Not looking at the chosen cities, I'd like to Live in London,New York,Paris,Milan,Rome,Los Angeles,Florence,Vienna,Perth or Naples and I'd love to live in Chicago, how many people live there??

cpp · January 19, 2003, 15:09

http://www.citypopulation.de/Country.html?E+World
from http://www.citypopulation.de/cities.html

Lord Merciless · January 19, 2003, 22:11

Quote:

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia

From this statement, it is indeed clear that you have evidently "never ever lived" in Beijing.

If you had, you would know that atmospheric conditions make nearly every day a clear one.

As for the "incompetent bureaucrats" (all 11.3 million, to "fill" the city) are you saying that you'd really prefer Paris? Or London? Hey, both are socialist countries with administrations that all too often feel they're above the law.

I've seen two types of first-time foreigners in Beijing. There are some who can hardly believe their eyes and who jump right in and have fun in the rough and tumble of the place. There are others who come and who refuse to give up their preconceptions, grudgingly grumbling about everything for a semester and then going home to nurse their sour grapes (not a euphemism for haemorrhoids, I promise).

Each time I go back, the city has new things to show me. I don't think another city exists on earth with such a mix of history and modernity, where the pace of change really is breakneck.

Just think - 15 years ago, Western-made baby clothes were considered a fitting gift for a cadre party member. Nowadays, everybody has a cell phone and the broadband internet connections are more advanced than what you'd get in most of America. (More on a par with South Korea's ADSL service, though not universal.)

Plus, potstickers.

You haven't lived if you've never eaten a potsticker. And Beijing's the best city to go to for losing your potsticking virginity.

I had been to Beijing as recently as May 2002. I spent there for 2 weeks and had not seen the blue sky a single time, and the Sun was supposed to shine every day. If I remember correctly, the CCTV news always broadcast air quality of major Chinese cities in their evening news, and Beijing ranked worse than even Shenyang.

As for why Beijing is bureaucrats's paradise, that conclusion came after talking with many Beijing residents, most noticeably the taxi drivers. This city leeches off tax subsidies like no other places in China, and yet its economy flounders well behind that of Shanghai. Why? One explanation is that the mentality of the city is too bureaucratic. For example our hotel, the Lanqing Hotel, was a very nice looking building. But unfortunately, it was run by the government like many others, and everything was broken inside. They close their fax rooms at 9PM, basically chasing away anyone with business needs. The hotel's restaurant has more workers than customers, but it took 15 minutes for them to serve a single bowl of cold "Doujiang".

And I forgot the horrendous service industry, and the bad attitudes of service workers in general. Where as I was met with friendly servers all over the place in Shanghai, I often ran into people with strange attitudes in Beijing. Those guys, who took pictures for tourists in historical costumes in front of the Forbidden Palace, were completely jerks.

My only bright spots in Beijing were the low ticket prices at famous historical sites, and the Uighur run restaurant Afanti.