denise | (no subject)

I love living in the city, man.

Not quite as awesome as when I was living in Manhattan, but that's because nothing can be as awesome as living in Manhattan. But downtown Baltimore is a nice second.

I've only ever lived in San Francisco, and in Oakland near Lake Merritt and downtown, which had their own awesomesauce. Manhattan both tempts and scares me. But Baltimore, which I learned to love through Homicide:Life on the Streets (even though I'm sure it by no means showed everything, how could it?) and Seattle are the US cities that tempt me most.

The little bits I've spent in London were thrilling, too.

I never much liked SF, but I think a lot of it was that I was always there under stressful circumstances. Seattle, on the other hand, I've visited a bunch of times, and I've often said it's the only west coast city I could ever stand living in. (I am so an East Coast girl it isn't even funny.)

Do you know I've never seen Homicide? I've heard it's really good, but Best Beloved and I watched the pilot a while back and neither one of us was really interested much by it, so we never bothered to keep going. I've heard it's a really accurate picture of certain elements of life here in B'more, but I don't know enough to say one way or the other. I think my favorite thing about B'more is how diverse it is, and how quickly things change -- there are people who say that B'more is a city of neighborhoods, which is true, but more than that, it's a city of streets. Things go street by street, and you'll have burned-out rowhouses being used as drug central, then walk two blocks and there'll be $500,000 townhouses and kids playing in the yard.

It's very bizarre. But it's the one major city on the northeastern seaboard that's actually affordable, cost-of-livingwise, and it's got such an awesome combination of southern and northern culture, and it has the worst baseball team ever but tickets are cheap and the stadium is gorgeous, and the people are awesome, and you can stand out on the street corner and see humanity in all its glory, and whenever i'm out in my wheelchair people hold doors for me and don't do that thing where they pretend I don't exist, and I love my crazy wacky city so much!

SF is an odd city. I've lived there off and on and it's always been odd. Cold, in some way that I can't describe in just a few words. Oakland could be so gorgeous, but it's like Los Angeles in that it's just too big geographically for the resources it actually has, though if each of the people who live there took care of their little bit it'd be so wonderful.

Homicide- how did that catch my attention? I don't remember, but somehow it did, and that drew me to look at Baltimore, and that's kept me interested. I like that, a city of streets, and now I've put it on my list of places to see in the US when I take my cross-country trip, and it's on my list of places to try and stay for longer than a night, so I can get the sense of it.

Oh, I love me some local baseball, winning team or not, and local people with good manners. You've done so much in this little exchange to make Baltimore even more real to me... can we keep in touch a bit about this, so that when I get my stuff together for that trip, I can pick your brain and experience a bit?

Absolutely! When you're going to be in the area, let me know; I'll give you a list of things to see (our pathetic-yet-plucky little zoo! the aquarium! the science center! hampden! fells point! charles village! the awesome free museum!) at the very least, and if the stars align properly and I've got enough oompfh, I'd be happy to take you out to dinner/for a bit of a tour.

Thank you!

It'll be a couple of years, yet- this year's big event is getting back to Europe again, which takes all my spoons and some fancy organizing to pull off. But this cross-country trip's been in my dreams for over 50 years, and I'm gonna pull it off one way or another.

I'll take any sights and places you want to point out to me, and if it's even only to shake hands at the door, I'll be glad to meet you if you're up for it.

Blessings on your head, m'dear. This is a pleasure, meeting up here with the blues-man still playing in my thoughts.

Oooh, Europe. Best Beloved and I went to Italy two years back -- I decided that if I was turning thirty, I was by God going to do it in a city where they're still using things that are a thousand years old as though they were just built yesterday -- and we totally loved it. I'm looking forward to being able to get some more travel in while I can still travel relatively easily (before my body finishes breaking down entirely, heh!)

I did a cross-country US tour about six, seven years back, and it was great. You simply must add Yellowstone National Park to your list if it isn't there already; it's gorgeous.

It was a lucky fluke, and wouldn't have happened but for LJ friends who knew things about traveling, who offered concrete help (places to stay, etc.) or both. It went so well and was so lovely I went back again last summer, and am going this summer.

I've been up and down the Left Coast off and on all my life, down to the tip of Baja and as far south as Tepic, Nayarit, up to Anchorage, and up and down 101 & 5 more than I can count. But my East/West travel's been limited to coming out from Indiana on the train when I was 4, and taking my son to Prescott for University in 1992. I've got me some exploring coming, and Yellowstone's on the list (especially after watching the History Channel show on it. If I hadn't gone into Nursing, Geology might have grabbed me!)

Whereabouts were you in London, OOI? (I live in Bermondsey, east of London Bridge, although currently I'm over in Australia for a few months.)

Cities I've loved: London (born & brought up there, went back as an adult, so it is My City); New York (though wasn't there for long); SF (ditto); Sydney (where I'm living atm).

London was a bit of a gift, the first year, side effect of an unexpectedly lovely trip to attend my grandson's wedding in France in 2007. I went back last summer, and both times I stayed at The Generator near Russell Square because a friend I trusted recommended it. It was a good central location for what I needed, I got good treatment from staff and dorm-mates (kind of cute, really, considering I'm an old lady of 57 who books into mixed dorm rooms- I'd become the room 'auntie' and people would bring me tea and little presents from their days out. Very sweet!) and in 2007 the place was about 1/3 Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs because it was "Harry Potter Book Weekend". Madness, wonderful to be surrounded by people in full regalia. The hostel was close enough to a lot of places either walking or by tube for me to get a lot of London in for such short stays, and I had the benefit of friends to help me know where I might like to go.

This summer I'm staying there on my way over (eventually to Germany) and a few blocks away at the Montana Excel on the way back. Each time I come to London I learn a tiny bit more of it, and each time it's like paying ahead into a savings account for my return.

[um. what's OOI? lol, netspeak question.]

Edited 2009-04-19 03:59 (UTC)

OOI = out of interest :)

I don't know that hotel (living in London = know v little about places to stay there!), but Russell Square's a nice area to be in, central, and near to the British Museum which is always a good thing.

I hope you have a lovely time in London this time! It's a fantastic city. Have you been down to the South Bank? Walking along there (past the Eye, & the Royal Festival Hall, & the Tate Modern, and down to London Bridge) is one of my favourite things in London. If you're lucky & the tide's low enough there's even a little patch of slightly grey beach at Festival Pier ;) (you can walk on it but I wouldn't recommend sunbathing!)

The Generator's an 800 bed hostel- mad, but very well run in my limited experience.

The Montana I'm taking on faith from reviews on Booking.Com's website... the worst that can happen is, it doesn't live up and I don't come back there.

I was lucky enough in '07 to go up in the Eye- what a view! (but haven't done that whole walk- maybe this year) and last year to go by the boat to Greenwich, and to the Observatory. Saw a day of the Indian Dancing from the Ramayana at the British Library, and went by Friends House (I was raised in Quaker Meeting, though I'm not a member). I have made online friends who become RL friends who are incredibly generous with their time, showing me where they live, taking me to places they like.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll give it a try- i'm not much of a sunbather anymore, anyway, but little strips of beach are still a fondness.