Hear, hear!
You hear a lot of static about Chicago being the murder capital of the US. Well, in raw numbers, it is. But it’s a pretty large city. In per-capita terms, Chicago is *thirteenth *in the USA for murders. And the vast majority of those are gang-on-gang killings in a small part of the south side. Most of the city is pretty darn safe.
But still, stay away. We have too many tourists as it is.
I thought murder capitol of the US was DC?
Feh. Pikers.
That hasn’t been true for years.
The water in Cleveland isn’t going to catch fire anymore. The Cuyahoga is drinking and recreation water now. And you have our unfortunate past to thank for your OWN clean water. You’re welcome!
We also have the Cuyahoga to thank for Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale (or at least the name).
Yeah but do you still see pink flamingos in Parma?
When I tell someone from the USA that we live in Angola, the response is usually a blank stare ( unless they are from Louisiana ). When I elaborate with a bit of geography the next response is “That must be dangerous.” I tell them that malaria and food poisoning are the two biggest threats to expats and local people.
And that’s reassuring, how?
Stockholm:
Not everyone is blonde.
A large portion of those that are blonde are bottle blondes.
Not everyone is beautiful.
People don’t shag all the time. Being open about sex isn’t the same as having lots of sex.
We don’t have 24 hour sun here in summer. Similarly we don’t have 24 hour darkness in winter. You have to go quite a bit further north for that.
ETA:
Sorry, just realised none of those are actual fears, just misunderstood things. I got it all wrong. IGNORE THIS POST. ABORT. ABORT.
nm
Texas.
Love it here. Love the heat. Love the people. Love the wide open spaces. Love the economy. Love the roads. Love the lack of snow. Love the Hispanic culture. Love the ease of life here. Love the cost of living (I bought a 1,500sf home with a pool, hardwood floors, fireplace, etc for less than $130k.) Love the fact that we escaped the worst of the Great Recession (70% of the jobs created in 2009 were created in Tejas.) Hell, I even love the fact that my religion (Catholic) is actually the main religion out here (wasn’t that way in GA or TN.)
Can’t stand the conservatives, but I live in the blue-est part of the state (the Austin-San Antonio corridor), so the crazy is muted.
" (70% of the jobs created in 2009 were created in Tejas.)"
That’s “70% of the jobs created in the US in 2009…”
Both are easily avoided.
That’s a bit “if.” In reality, Nike is not that big a think in Seattle, maybe Oregon. Microsoft and Starbucks are important, but we could get by without them if necessary.
Ha.
That’s actually true.
The Stockholm Tourist Board does not wish to thank you.
Yeah, there’s a song that begins:
Some of the buildings of the old mission were knocked over, but most had been repurposed before the Daughters of the Republic of Texas turned it into a “shrine.” The city grew up around it & Joseh Menger opened his hotel, almost next door, about 23 years after the Battle.
There are lots of guns in the state but most people I knew who died of gunshot were suicides. A few others got into bad situations–but random shootings are rare.
Houston does has serious humidity–which means it’s lusher than the Hill Country. Most of our cities are Democratic oases, with museumst & theaters & diverse cuisines. (More than Barbecue & Tex Mex.)
You’re right, but the West end of Richmond is starting to remind me of NoVa. And the I-95 traffic jams continue to creep south, they are past Fredericksburg now.
Indeed. I know people who don’t even have working locks on their front door. Fewer people = fewer problems, to a certain extent.
I quickly tire of “I want a cool X, but I don’t want to leave Manhattan.” Well, if you’re in the Union Square area, Junior’s and the original Mile End* are pretty close, whether by crow, car, or subway, but since you don’t want to leave Manhattan, I suggest Sylvia’s (which, yes, fun and vibrant neighborhood – I lived around the corner a relationship ago – but more than 100 blocks away).
I thin people don’t so much fear the subway as fail to realize that it’s how people actually get around. I think New Yorkers, and people in the urban Northeast generally, use public transportation further up the socioeconomic ladder than people do in (many, though not all) other parts of America.
*I had most of these conversations before Mile End opened, but the point still stands.