Maybe we should just have a thread of things we swear we will never do again and then go back in a few years and see how wrong we ended up being….like me with tequila.

I’m a firm no on suburbia as well. I can do large, walkable city or rural. There’s really no in between for me.

I suppose I could see the appeal of a small city/suburb if I lived close to a walkable downtown area and there were local cafes, bars and restaurants. The thought of driving around to strip mall after strip mall shopping at big box stores and being surrounded by chain restaurants is my worst nightmare. And rationally, I know that’s not all suburbs and only a small portion of suburb living. Still. Gives me anxiety thinking about it. I also loathe driving. I’m not a good driver. It’s better for everyone that I don’t.

Living a secluded, rural life appeals to me as long as I had the means to travel. My mom’s family were farmer’s. Maybe it’s that side of me coming out?

I’m pretty much the same way, ktfran.

I grew up in the burbs and spent almost the whole time I was there trying to get out. It seems close to a larger city, but I ended up not going downtown much because traffic is bad and there’s versions of city life close to you so you have to really want to go to something to make that effort. Then you have to get a group (because my parents would never let me go to the city on my own) and it was almost always a ordeal to get there and back. So to me it was so close and yet too far.

I’m also not a huge fan of rural life, but I enjoy growing things, I’d have plenty of space for pottery, and small town life is somewhat interesting to me (I got to know a bit about it through my fieldwork). It wouldn’t be high up there, though.

Yeah, driving everywhere also doesn’t appeal to me, either. I hated commuting by car when I lived in my home state. I think I could happily live in my city for a good, long time. But I also think I could happily live in one of my city’s suburbs, provided it had the right feel, because the commuter trains seem pretty reliable and would provide easy access to the city for commutes and fun.

One of my cousins started dating her now-husband when they were in grad school (so pretty young, maybe 23-24?). She moved to the city I’m in now when she graduated because city life appeals to her. He’s from rural Indiana, that’s what appeals to him. They dated for close to a decade before finally getting married, and the main point of contention was where they’d live. She agreed to move to Indiana once they have kids. They bought a house in Indiana maybe last year, but still rent her apartment here in the city. They’re still splitting the time between the two, but hearing her talk about finalizing that move, it seems pretty clear she’s reluctant. She’ll have to leave her job eventually and doesn’t thinks she’ll find (what she refers to as) a “fascinating finance job” where they’ll eventually be permanently. So she’s now plotting her second career opening a barre studio. He’s a great guy and he’s been around the family for a long time now, but that would’ve been a deal-breaker for me.

LOL MG. I don’t play the lottery, but the husband does occasinally. I told him he needs to buy tickets in small town USA. He’ll never win in our city.

Boy, I’d love to retire. And one of the first things I’d do for myself is have a driver on staff. Just saying.