# Recurring dream about a seaside city - does this place exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888 "2012-03-06T03:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/1 "2012-03-06T03:12:31Z")
I realize the likelihood of this location being a real place is very slim, but what the heck… I’ve probably had six or so dreams about this …it’s a fairly populous, modern city on the water. It’s laid out primarily parallel to the coast, and the major roads run parallel as well, with the smaller cross roads running down on a decent incline to the water. I wouldn’t say it’s mountainous, but its far from flat. Almost all the roads and the coast itself are laid out in a grid - not very many winding roads. The busiest area of the city is at least two of these coast-parallel major roads up from the water - it’s a fairly metropolitan area. I just did a Google map search, and Brighton, UK appears to be laid out very similarly, although the dream city is more modern and the roads near the water are wider, from what I could tell from a street view. If you’re curious, the dreams usually involve driving around trying to find the best routes through the busy center, so I feel like I know it well each time they recur. Any world travelers care to offer up any cities that this sounds like? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/2 "2012-03-06T03:46:47Z")
[Shell Beach?](http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/Dark%20City%20Postcard.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/3 "2012-03-06T03:52:57Z")
How does [North Vancouver, CA](http://landscapephoto.us/Photos/NorthVancouverNight.html) strike you? [Map here.](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=49.301845,-123.079834&hl=en&ll=49.321206,-123.069191&spn=0.069597,0.168228&sll=49.301845,-123.079834&sspn=0.069624,0.168228&gl=us&t=m&z=13) ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/4 "2012-03-06T04:29:02Z")
[Surfer’s Paradise](http://img.dooyoo.co.uk/GB_EN/orig/0/7/8/3/5/783536.jpg) [{map}](http://www.gold-coast.net/maps/surfersparadisemap.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/5 "2012-03-06T05:12:43Z")
Bit of a stretch given your description, but perhaps. . . Honolulu Hawaii? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/6 "2012-03-06T05:32:46Z")
Your descriptions immediately made me think of coastal cities in the middle east, somewhere like Dubai. Look at this pic it has the grid you describe. [![](https://progressivetimes.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/dubai-coast.jpg) ](https://progressivetimes.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/dubai-coast.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/7 "2012-03-06T15:52:50Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > [Shell Beach?](http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/Dark%20City%20Postcard.jpg) Damn you. As soon as I read the thread title… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/8 "2012-03-06T16:03:55Z")
Some of the towns in the French Riviera, like Cannes and Nice. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/9 "2012-03-06T16:14:49Z")
I don’t have an answer to your question but I just wanted to say that I often have recurring dreams about locations, and one of them is sort of like what you described. I’ll have to look around for you next time I’m there… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/10 "2012-03-06T16:17:02Z")
Arlington, VA, specifically the Rosslyn neighborhood? It’s a community on the opposite side of the Potomac river from Washington, DC and it is VERY urban and is on the slope of a fairly significant and noticeable hill that slopes down to the river. One thing that may be different is that the water curves around the northeast quadrant, and the north/south streets are parallel to the water to the east but perpendicular to the water to the north. ---
**Author:** ![simsimian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@simsimian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simsimian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/11 "2012-03-06T17:36:03Z")
Insufficient data, capt. Many coastal cities are laid out “parallel to the coast” with a grid pattern and an incline. Please add differentiating detail. For what its worth, I thought of Katakalon on the Greek Coast, and Monterey, CA right away. ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/12 "2012-03-06T18:01:32Z")
Do you notice any vegetation when you have the dream? Any store, restaurant, bar or other landmark? Odd question, I know, but I have a recurring dream that occurs in a city that has a Safeway grocery store, so I know the dream takes place in the US. BTW, I live in Montreal, and have no idea what city is in my dream either, even though I own a house and have a lot of friends there. Dreams are weird. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/13 "2012-03-06T18:12:21Z")
Did you ever live by the sea as a child? Call your parents and ask. It could be echoes from an early childhood memory. ---
**Author:** ![LightWithoutHeattttttttttttttt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@LightWithoutHeattttttttttttttt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightWithoutHeattttttttttttttt)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/14 "2012-03-06T19:10:47Z")
Sounds a little like Carmel, CA. I was there this past summer and it sort of meets your description. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/15 "2012-03-08T04:57:36Z")
Reminds me of my SimCities. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/16 "2012-03-08T18:12:38Z")
Sounds fairly San Francisco-y to me. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/17 "2012-03-08T22:09:50Z")
Maybe it’s [this city](http://www.redwombatstudio.com/blog/?p=4007) ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recurring-dream-about-a-seaside-city-does-this-place-exist/614888/18 "2012-03-09T05:08:34Z")
Quote: Originally Posted by beowulff Shell Beach? * * * > [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Damn you. As soon as I read the thread title… Same here.