If You Could Live ANYWHERE in The World . . .

[iLander]

Where would you live? I thought this would be a fun thread, we can all fantasize about where we would live if we weren't shackled to jobs or relatives or schools, etc. In this thread, you're magically wealthy enough not to work, and all your loved ones live nearby.

Please give 2 answers; one choice has to be someplace you've actually been to, either on vacation or visiting or whatever. The second can be anywhere you want, even if you've never been there. Then tell us why you chose your two.

So, here's mine:

1) I think I would like to live right here, actually. I know, it's a cop out, but I like it here. It's warm, it's a small town, it's comfortable and easy going. I can go to the grocery store and pick out who lives here and who is a "visitor". The library ladies order books they think I might like, and call me up when they come in, so I can be the first to read them. Without me even mentioning anything, they just do it out of the kindness of their hearts. Sadly, DH says my time here could be expiring, as he wants to go back to the big city. . . (Somebody cue the "Green Acres" theme song.

2) Paris! Never actually been there, but the pictures are SO pretty! I love a place with gorgeous architecture and great art, where they let you bring your dog to the restaurant, and there's an interesting aesthetic in even mundane everyday objects. I could do that. I don't care if they're supposed to be snotty, I'll just learn a few curses in French, and mutter under my breath when they're rude.

So, where would you live?

 

[Haven]

1) An Daingean (Dingle) Ireland
I love it there. I fell in love the moment we arrived, and I was very sad to leave. I felt inspired to create while I was there, and I've wanted to go back ever since we left.

2) In a sprawling ranch with lots of land and animals around me, anywhere, Earth
I would love to live in a beautiful place with milder seasons than Chicago, surrounded by nature and animals. I don't even care where it is.

 

[Dancing Fire]

go Hong Kong to eat "junk foods" but live in the U.S.

 

[VapidLapid]

1 Big Sur, Ca

2 craggy Maine coast, just past Acadia

 

[iheartscience]

Barcelona or Prague...I think. Hard question!

 

[Skippy123]

Kauai, it is so lush, and gorgeous. I also love the laid back feel of this particular Hawaii Island. I would want a little garden where I could grow lots of my own produce.

I also think it would be fun to live somewhere in either the Italian or French Countryside close to a little town. I love the food in both those countries. everything is so fresh and it is just beautiful. The only problem I would have is talking to the locals; I guess I would just have to learn.

 

[E B]

A sweet little coastal city (Carmel?) in California. Overlooking the ocean, of course. This would be our primary home.

And we'd want a vacation flat in Manhattan for Spring and Fall visits.

 

[iLander]

Hey!

You guys are supposed to tell me Why you chose your cities . . . that's the best part . . .

 

[iheartscience]

Oops, sorry! Okay one more try:

Prague-this was the first city I went to when I was 17 and I backpacked around Europe for 2 months. The trip was seriously life-changing and Prague was my favorite place. The cobblestone streets, the architecture, the food, the pubs, the dance clubs, the friends I met, everything.

Barcelona-I went there several years ago with my then-boyfriend, now husband. We had a great time traveling around Spain (we also went to Madrid, Bilbao and Sevilla) but we didn't want to leave Barcelona! Again, I loved the architecture (all that Gaudi!),the weather, the food, the chocolat, La Boqueria market, everything.

This thread makes me want to go on vacation now!

 

[packrat]

I've never really *been* anywhere, so I'd have a hard time choosing. I liked the Bahamas, was there for like..1 day. Wouldn't want to live there b/c I need the seasons. I've been to some of the southern states, Texas, NM, AZ, and again, pretty, but I need the seasons. Florida just isn't for me either. So, I guess I have to choose here. Well, I guess I could pick Minnesota, I've been there and it's pretty similar to Iowa.

Someplace I've not been (which is pretty much everywhere haha) that I think I would like to reside would be Montana/Wyoming. It's beautiful..tho winters would last longer and that sucks..but whatever I guess if I were rich I wouldn't care I'd just hang out in my awesome log home and watch the wildlife. Colorado maybe.

 

[iugurl]

1. Hmmm. I guess Zurich, Switzerland. It was so beautiful there. I like it because it is a city with so many things to do. It is also near quaint towns/villages. I could travel to Germany often, since it is pretty close to the border. I also liked a small town in Germany (Lindau). However, it was quite small. It also had less choices of food, which seems minor, but I really don't like German food. Zurich has hundreds, thousands? of restaurants, so I could avoid German/Swiss food easier.

2. Italy. I don't know where in Italy. I really don't know why either. It just seems so... romantic and idyllic. I like Italian food, well at least Americanized Italian food . I hope to travel there sometime in the nearish future. We will see!!

OR

California. It would be nice to live in the U.S. I wouldn't have to learn a different language. I could eat American junky food I am scared of the earthquakes though. I guess that could happen anywhere though!

 

[PinkTower]

I would live where I am. It is warm, the ocean is not rough, and we have seasons, but the winter is mild. This is a small island, and we have friends, a caring church community, and good schools. I like my work, and there is no traffic to speak of.

It is hard to choose a second place. I think St. Andrews, Scotland wins. I love the roses there, and the shops, and the people are kind. There is beautiful countryside nearby, and they have the prettiest grass I have ever seen.

 

[TravelingGal]

I've been to enough places to honestly say I would choose where I live now...coastal Los Angeles. I just love it here. But playing the game and assuming I could live in the style I would want to live...

London. I love the history, the convenience, but not the weather.

Positano, Italy. Beautiful scenery, lots of good food.

Boston. I don't know. But I just love Boston.

Carmel, CA. I love that town. Upscale, gorgeous, and plenty to do.

I am a city girl at heart, so while I loved places like Dingle, Kauai, etc, I just need a bit faster pace and easy access to lots of great restaurants.

ETA, sorry I gave 4 answers instead of 2. If I had to pick out to the 4, it would be London and Carmel. Italy, while I love it, realistically speaking, for a place I live, I'd want the primary language to be English.

 

[LAJennifer]

This is a really fun question.

1) The Big Island of Hawaii - love the water, pineapple, slow pace, snow at the top of Mauna Kea, an active volcano, lush landscape, black sand beaches, country rural roads, and star gazing.

2) Somewhere in Outer Space - ah, the lure of the great unknown. I often have dreams of space travel. The ultimate star gazing experience!

 

[Trekkie]

1. Perth, Australia. Seriously, I've travelled all over the world and have been to so many different countries, but something about Australia (and Perth in particular) just makes me feel at home. You know that feeling you get when you know there's nowhere else you'd rather be, that you are meant to be in that particular place? Well, that's how I felt in Western Australia.

It's a lot like South Africa - beautiful scenery, wide open spaces, friendly people, cosmopolitan, great food. The only thing we have that they don't is crime - there is no crime in WA!

And they have kangaroos! Fluffy ones!

 

[zoebartlett]

No strings attached? There are so many places! No matter where I'd choose, it would have to be near a lake or the ocean.

1. Some place tropical, right near or on the water. I've been to Bermuda and I loved it. The colors of the houses, flowers, and water are amazing. My DREAM is to see Hawaii someday, so I may choose to live there (although it's SO FAR from where friends and family are).

2. Ireland. My husband and I traveled around Ireland a few years ago and it's a very magical place. We fell in love with the Galway area during our visit.

 

[marymm]

1. Barcelona - DH and I spent a summer there a few years ago and loved everything about it - the walkability, the art and architecture, the people, the food, the weather, the coast.

2. Huge sprawling compound on prime coastal property in California - probably Encinitas-ish but maybe more north near Carmel - love California's coastline and the Pacific Ocean, love the coast-scapes in each of these locations - Encinitas has the easy-going 'tude and the food places I prefer, but Carmel has the trees and the charm and a bit more "weather" if you know what I mean.

 

[Pandora II]

1) London where I live now - love the shops, museums, history and ease of having everything on my doorstep.

2) Where I would like to live is a tricky one as I've lived in so many places:

I think I would actually pick somewhere in the Middle East like Qatar - I would like to live there for a couple of years for one purpose only: to make disgusting amounts of tax-free money (DH worked for the oil industry for many years so jobs would be not too impossible) and put it all away so we could afford a 3 bedroom flat on the Thames in London and private school fees for my daughter when we got back!

 

[JewelFreak]

Almost anywhere in England, but England as it was until about 10 yrs ago, before you could get arrested for insulting the wrong group, before they put cameras on every streetcorner in the land & before electronic spies were mandated for your trash can to be sure you weren't tossing out stuff the gov't disapproves of. I LOVE London, also the villages all over the country, felt like I was "home" the first minute in Yorkshire. Copenhagen is a close 2nd.

My dream is a house in the country in Virginia within an hour of DC and/or Richmond. It's beautiful, full of history, has 4 seasons but winter isn't too horrid.

--- Laurie

 

[princesss]

I don't like that I can only pick two. So I'm not going to play by the rules. I'm going to say I'd keep living like I am now - moving every few years until I find *the* spot that my heart desires.

So I would live in the following cities that I've visited, all for the same reason - I love the architecture, the culture, the food, and the landscape:

Paris
Barcelona
Florence
Madrid
Singapore (again)
Vienna
Marrakech
London
Dubai (okay, maybe I don't love the landscape)
Dingle
New York City
Dublin


And I'd love to live in the following cities for no other reason than they just seem cool:

Prague
Cape Town
Tunis
Edinburgh
Johannesburg
Athens
Nice
Sydney
Perth
Auckland
Lima
Buenos Aires

 

[Pandora II]

Almost anywhere in England, but England as it was until about 10 yrs ago, before you could get arrested for insulting the wrong group, before they put cameras on every streetcorner in the land & before electronic spies were mandated for your trash can to be sure you weren't tossing out stuff the gov't disapproves of. I LOVE London, also the villages all over the country, felt like I was "home" the first minute in Yorkshire. Copenhagen is a close 2nd.

My dream is a house in the country in Virginia within an hour of DC and/or Richmond. It's beautiful, full of history, has 4 seasons but winter isn't too horrid.

--- Laurie

LOL! It's not that bad - even in London - and the CCTV is rather necessary these days sadly. The area where I was a politician we had so many requests from local residents for the cameras you wouldn't believe it.

Intrigued about the electronic spies for dustbins, I've never seen one. Are they inside?

 

[dragonfly411]

Here are my two.

1) St. Augustine Florida - IF horses weren't in the picture, I would live here. Actually I've considered the move several times and may just do it someday. I mean this quite seriously when I say that as soon as I cross the bridge onto the island part of St. Augustine, my entire body relaxes. My mind relaxes. It's like a complete relief to me. Like I've reached my destination. I'm there. I don't need anything else anymore. It's the most therapeutic place on this earth for me. Traffic no longer makes me antzy, time flows easily and life is ok. I sometimes wonder if I'm meant to be there because I love it so much and because of that feeling of relief. Truly it is like pure relief, like I've been running away and it's the safest place in the world to be, and I just need to be there to be safe from everything.

2) I think the UK. The food is amazing. There are awesome things to see. I'd never stop learning. They have great horses. The land is beautiful. And it's just a hop skip to head to Italy to putz around.

 

[somethingshiny]

Right here.

I love living in small town, nowhere. I've been to the see the ocean, I've been to huge cities, I've been to a tropical paradise. None of them can compare to right where I am.

However, I do love to travel and see new places. I may not want to LIVE in any of those places, but I haven't seen them all yet either!

 

[Asu]

My ultimate dream is to live in a little chalet,in a little village,on the top of a mountain,either here in Italy or in Switzerland.
Think Livigno,something that style.
Or Japan.I just love,love,love Japan.People are so kind,and everywere is beautiful.I would love to live in Kyoto.

 

[bee*]

I do love living in Dublin but if I had to live elsewhere, my number 1 spot would be New York. I absolutely adore it and could see myself living there in a second. We go over once a year and I'd love to stay permanently.
My second spot would be Barcelona. I love the culture, the city is beautiful and the food is to die for. I could eat tapas all day long.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

In terms of places I've been, I'd probably say London. Realistically, it has everything I would love--history, great food, so many things to do that I'd never get bored. Plus I could take lots of long weekends to European cities I love as well as some European cities I'd still love to see.

As for places I've never been, I'd say rural Montana. I grew up on a farm and have recently started loving the idea of owning a working ranch. I know the work would be back-breaking, but I know what it takes and I think I could really do it. I think I'd love it.

 

[Cehrabehra]

well I'd like to think I could spend the rest of my life in spain - but I haven't been there.

I do think I could spend a lot of years living in Bali - LOVED IT THERE!!!!!

 

[Astra]

Boston - I would have definitely continued my education overthere

Oahu - urban enough but still peaceful

 

[kenny]

1. Right here in a Southern California beach city.
The mild Mediterranean climate means I don't really need AC or even a heater.
It is green all year.
You can go snow skiing in the mountains, then drive down to the beach to go surfing - all in the same day!!!

There is a wide diversity of people, restaurants, entertainment, cultural stuff, jobs and being near the beach means relatively clean cool air.
The great diversity means there is more tolerance of diversity - I couldn't live where everyone looked and thought the same way.

You can garden all year.
I do miss nature though so I also love getting out of the city.
Traffic can suck, but some of us can design our work day to avoid the most congested hours.

2. New Zealand.
Everything I hear about it appeals to me.
I hear it is very green, scenic and has low population density.
I also love the accent in the English language there.

 

[kama_s]

Hmmm...interesting question.

I think I'd like to live in Brussels. I love the city, and love the food, beer, chocolate, shopping. I can make do with my little french and live happily ever after.

I'd also love to live in a big city in California. I DIE for warm, sunny weather. My hubby's head office is in San Jose, so I've travelled with him several times. He can relocate in an instant if he chose to, but sadly, he doesn't want to live outside Canada. Plus, yummy food and wine - I'm in heaven!

And finally, Boston. I've only been once last year, but it's just so beautiful. LOVED Harvard's campus, I'd quit my job just to go to Harvard if I had the chance.