If you had no ties and money wasn’t an issue, where would you move to?

[sidpost]

Wyoming is nice but, the influx of rich people isn't doing the state any favors. Any of the oil boom states in that part of the USA have some issues with costs. Sure, if I was a billionaire it wouldn't matter but, that isn't realistic for most people.

If money is truly not an issue, Singapore and Monaco become viable along with the Scandinavian nations and Switzerland.

If money really isn't an issue, Miami, Florida has a lot to offer with great access to the Caribbean, the Gulf, and an awesome city life with easy access to most of the Southeast for your fix away from the water for mountains, forests, etc.

 

[C_Claycomb]

@sidpost
When visiting Jackson Wyoming in 2016, I was told the local joke was that it was getting too expensive, the millionaires getting forced out by the billionaires.

 

[Ahjno]

I’d buy a Catalina 425 sailboat and sail the Caribbean

 

[Tengu]

Lets face it; most folk have ties and money issues.

 

[sidpost]

@sidpost
When visiting Jackson Wyoming in 2016, I was told the local joke was that it was getting too expensive, the millionaires getting forced our by the billionaires.

On a serious note, people like Starbucks baristas and similar people really can't afford to live there anymore.

I lived in a similar situation in Tucson, Arizona with no middle class. There were the daily wage earners working from a job center and the people making well above median incomes but, not many in the middle.

This created odd effects like lots of fast food and high end restaurants but, almost none of the classic middle class options like Ruby Tuesday, Chillis, etc. This was ~15 years ago.

Places like this are a hard place to live because the "rich" and their children don't want to do manual labor, work retail, etc. and the poor can't afford to shop or live there.

 

[British Red]

On a serious note, people like Starbucks baristas and similar people really can't afford to live there anymore.

I must have misunderstood the premise of this thread. I thought that

"If you had no ties and money wasn’t an issue, where would you move to?"​

Meant


"If you had no ties and money wasn’t an issue, where would you move to?"

If we are to debate the cost of living in different places, is that not an entirely different thread?

 

[sidpost]

I must have misunderstood the premise of this thread. I thought that

"If you had no ties and money wasn’t an issue, where would you move to?"​

Meant


"If you had no ties and money wasn’t an issue, where would you move to?"

If we are to debate the cost of living in different places, is that not an entirely different thread?

Why would I want to move somewhere, even if I have lots of money, where the underlying economy is so messed up I cannot go to a Starbucks, Tim Horton's, etc. and buy a cup of coffee and my only dining options away from home are a 'heart attack special' at a fast food place or a formal sit down high dollar restaurant. Sometimes it isn't about cost but, access!

Some of my best experiences in Europe were eating lunch or dinner in a small restaurant on the first floor of some immigrant apartment building or at the weekend market at the church (the Green Herring run was a highlight for me in the Netherlands!). Or, instead of spending Christmas in a 5-star hotel in Brussels to take cold showers in a Monastery in an old castle in the middle of nowhere.

Just because I have lots of money to live anywhere I want means I want to live in an area that is skewed toward the economic elites only. IMHO, to be happy, I need to be in an area where all segments of society have a good quality of life and access to the normal things in life whether it is a football/soccer match, opera, good steak, or a Big Mac!

 

[British Red]

Why would I want to move somewhere, even if I have lots of money, where the underlying economy is so messed up I cannot go to a Starbuck, Tim Horton's, etc. and buy a cup of coffee and my only dining option away from home are a 'heart attack special' at a fast food place or a formal sit down high dollar restaurant.

Some of my best experience in Europe were eating lunch or dinner in a small restaurant on the first floor of some immigrant apartment building. Or, instead of spending Christmas in a 5-star hotel in Brussels to take cold showers in a Monastery.

Just because I have lots of money to live anywhere I want means I want to live in an area that is skewed toward the economic elites only. IMHO, to be happy, I need to be an area where all segments of society have a good quality of life and access to the normal things in life whether it is a football/soccer match, opera, good steak, or a Big Mac!

I find it fascinating that access to Starbucks is the benchmark for a "messed up economy". There isn't one anywhere near here. We are simple working folk who roast our own coffee beans, and often brew them on a wood burning stove.

Your priorities are very different to mine.

I hope that you always live close to a Starbucks for your coffee.

 

[sidpost]

I find it fascinating that access to Starbucks is the benchmark for a "messed up economy". There isn't one anywhere near here. We are simple working folk who roast our own coffee beans, and often brew them on a wood burning stove.

Your priorities are very different to mine.

I hope that you always live close to a Starbucks for your coffee.

I'm not the biggest Starbucks fan, in fact I don't particularly like their coffee that much but, the people that make society work generally are Starbucks addicts. For me, it is more of a benchmark. I generally look for good middle-class restaurants and common chain coffee places to judge whether it is a place for me to spend the night on the road.

I don't want to stay in a tourist trap, yuppie town, or someplace without a good spread of public business options. Echo chambers are rarely a good place for me so, a good mix of society generally makes me happiest where I stay.

Just because I am not a Muslim or a Buddhist does not mean I won't be better for listening to or living around them! Again, is my religion so fragile I need to live in an echo chamber and can't listen to alternate views? If my faith is that weak, perhaps I need to move on!

So yes, with unlimited wealth and the option to go anywhere and do anything, I want to be in a diverse area with all segments of society assuming basic things like no war, terrorism, high crime rates, and similar things.

 

[British Red]

I'm not the biggest Starbucks fan, in fact I don't particularly like their coffee that much but, the people that make society work generally are Starbucks addicts. For me, it is more of a benchmark. I generally look for good middle-class restaurants and common chain coffee places to judge whether it is a place for me to spend the night on the road.

I don't want to stay in a tourist trap, yuppie town, or someplace without a good spread of public business options. Echo chambers are rarely a good place for me so, a good mix of society generally makes me happiest where I stay.

Just because I am not a Muslim or a Buddhist does not mean I won't be better for listening to or living around them! Again, is my religion so fragile I need to live in an echo chamber and can't listen to alternate views? If my faith is that weak, perhaps I need to move on!

So yes, with unlimited wealth and the option to go anywhere and do anything, I want to be in a diverse area with all segments of society assuming basic things like no war, terrorism, high crime rates, and similar things.

That's fine, you do you. For me, Starbucks represents very, very inferior coffee, produced by people with no stake in the company and no interest in making a decent cup of coffee. But that is probably because they are paid minimum wage and all the profits siphoned off too some "head office" thousands of miles away.

Here we have some fabulous cafe's owned locally. They produce fantastic coffee (and breakfasts) and the money stays local.

I totally understand that some people are comfortable with international chains where things are done to a formula. If that is what works for you, have at it. This part of rural England would not be comfortable for you - but that's okay.

 

[sidpost]

That's fine, you do you. For me, Starbucks represents very, very inferior coffee, produced by people with no stake in the company and no interest in making a decent cup of coffee. But that is probably because they are paid minimum wage and all the profits siphoned off too some "head office" thousands of miles away.

Here we have some fabulous cafe's owned locally. They produce fantastic coffee (and breakfasts) and the money stays local.

I totally understand that some people are comfortable with international chains where things are done to a formula. If that is what works for you, have at it. This part of rural England would not be comfortable for you - but that's okay.

The problem I have where I live is that we don't have a restaurant and bar culture present I see in most of Europe. If I had a local coffee shop that made good coffee and pastries, I would be super happy to patronize it. However, in the USA if you can't drink your coffee and eat your pastry while you drive, they generally don't exist. In the Netherlands, I personally enjoyed going to a local coffee shop for a nice cup of coffee or a local restaurant bar for a beer. However, that doesn't really exist where I live. I should also note that were I drank my coffee or beer was on a street that did not allow cars! A real cultural difference.

I try to enjoy the best of whatever is available locally. Starbucks ain't it for me. I must say the Tim Horton's in the UAE has some awesome fruit slushy drinks so sometimes, the local "chain" has a real winner for someone like myself.

These days, I tend to order tea instead of coffee when I am out because diners tend to have terrible coffee but, for whatever reason they can boil water and provide a fresh tea bag!

I grew up in a rural area without the modern city life so, I bet I would "settle in" to life in rural England well once I figured out the lay of the land. Not having a 9-to-5 job means I now have the time to sit on a park bench and watch the birds or go to a diner and linger over a good cup of coffee or tea or hit a pub and enjoy a local beer.

 

[British Red]

The problem I have where I live is that we don't have a restaurant and bar culture present I see in most of Europe. .

Oh we see lots of that. In many places we have words for them. Grockles, Emits & blow-ins. It's really not meant to be rude nor is it about nationality, race, money or birth. We've a guy here. All designer brands and flash cars. Born ten miles away. A figure of fun. Another lady moved in from London. Hired local fencers, builders and buys her spuds at the market & coffee at the cafe. One of us. We moved in 13 years ago. In the pandemic we gave away all our eggs and produce. Not to suck up, but because our lovely neighbors needed them. They absolutely inundated us with meat, veg, fruit and more left by the gate or on the fence in return. It's entirely unspoken & subtle in the countryside around here. If you think MaccyDs is food, we wish you well. If you eat in the local cafe with food from local farms, served by local school kids and putting money in local pockets, we take you in to our community. It's totally your choice.

 

[Broch]

Whereas I agree with the sentimentality of what you're describing British Red that kind of attitude in rural areas can't be taken for granted

A friend and local farming neighbour puts eggs out for sale. He sells most to local supermarkets, but outside the farm he sells them at £1/half dozen - a bargain. Last Sunday 3 trays of 18 went and £7.50 was put in the tin! I'll leave you do the maths but basically, to continue, he'd have to be prepared to give them away.

People aren't all supportive, and life in rural Britain isn't all cosy and friendly unfortunately

 

[Tengu]

Coffee is vile so I assume that means half the world is off limits to me.

I love tea of all kinds...with no milk.

 

[British Red]

Whereas I agree with the sentimentality of what you're describing British Red that kind of attitude in rural areas can't be taken for granted

A friend and local farming neighbour puts eggs out for sale. He sells most to local supermarkets, but outside the farm he sells them at £1/half dozen - a bargain. Last Sunday 3 trays of 18 went and £7.50 was put in the tin! I'll leave you do the maths but basically, to continue, he'd have to be prepared to give them away.

People aren't all supportive, and life in rural Britain isn't all cosy and friendly unfortunately

I'm sure that's very true, and there are certainly scum everywhere. We all sell at the gate here. Occassional stuff goes missing (although Ring cameras have minimised that), but my farmer buddy tells me that if half what he puts out is stolen, he is far better off than selling to supermarkets. Which does beg the question as to who the real thieves are?

 

[Nice65]

Interesting thread, this. Several replies strike a chord with me. No one place ticks all the boxes. Like Billy -o in the post above, we fit into that bohemian culture bracket but also like the natural world. That's why a village just outside Oxford suits when combined with a small town on the Mediterranean within easy reach of the Pyrenees.

What many of us want seems to be the kind of flexibility that a more nomadic lifestyle brings. Of course most nomadic people don't just wander about, but live in different parts of a given territory according to season to a regular pattern. I realise that we fit that pattern by moving between two countries. It wouldn't surprise me to find that many following this thread agree with me, although the territorial range may vary.

I’m thoroughly hacked off with it here at the moment, I’m looking at dog passports, having a break from what was supposed to be 3 months of vanlife and is now 6 months, and actually taking the van off abroad. I’m doing crappy work in a pub kitchen so I don’t break into any more of our cash, and I can do that pretty much anywhere.

 

[sidpost]

Whereas I agree with the sentimentality of what you're describing British Red that kind of attitude in rural areas can't be taken for granted

A friend and local farming neighbour puts eggs out for sale. He sells most to local supermarkets, but outside the farm he sells them at £1/half dozen - a bargain. Last Sunday 3 trays of 18 went and £7.50 was put in the tin! I'll leave you do the maths but basically, to continue, he'd have to be prepared to give them away.

People aren't all supportive, and life in rural Britain isn't all cosy and friendly unfortunately

An "honor box" by my gate that is supported by good folks would only end up going to the THIEF that empties it. Unfortunately, all it takes is "one bad apple" to spoil it for everyone else.

The guy that was evicted out of the rent farm house down the road apparently burned it to the ground the weekend I was away. He was never prosecuted for arson either. At least he did not push some old lady onto the railroad tracks or hit some old man in the head with a baseball bat. You can argue racial politics all you want but, what excuse is there for hitting an elderly person in the head with a baseball bat, shoving grandma down the stairs, or knocking her into the path of an oncoming train/subway.

I personally have had my mailbox blown up, and yes I mean explosives which was a poor choice because that is a Federal offense! Of course nothing came of the investigation. We can't have FedEx or UPS deliver out here because "porch pirates' follow the trucks and pick up packages behind them. The Post Office can't deliver mail to me either due to theft so, I have to drive into town and get my mail in person at the post office just like I do for my packages via FedEx and UPS.

Coffee is vile so I assume that means half the world is off limits to me.

I love tea of all kinds...with no milk.

I never understood milk in tea until I had a good strong cup of British tea once and put some milk in it. I was shocked at how good it was!

When you say "vile" coffee, I assume you mean bitter. Personally, I don't generally like really dark roasts. Coffee beans and roasting matter a lot. I find I like Cold Brews a lot too!

I'm sure that's very true, and there are certainly scum everywhere. We all sell at the gate here. Occassional stuff goes missing (although Ring cameras have minimised that), but my farmer buddy tells me that if half what he puts out is stolen, he is far better off than selling to supermarkets. Which does beg the question as to who the real thieves are?

People here in the USA bitch about farmers raising the price of bread but, they ignore the fact the bag costs more than the grain used to make it.

In the retail trade, SHRINK is the term used to describe all the loss. Food waste and food loss in the USA is horrendous without including shoplifting. In that perspective, you could have 2/3rds of your "honor basket" stolen and still come out ahead especially without all the middlemen and transportation costs.

 

[oldtimer]

An "honor box" by my gate that is supported by good folks would only end up going to the THIEF that empties it. Unfortunately, all it takes is "one bad apple" to spoil it for everyone else.

The guy that was evicted out of the rent farm house down the road apparently burned it to the ground the weekend I was away. He was never prosecuted for arson either. At least he did not push some old lady onto the railroad tracks or hit some old man in the head with a baseball bat. You can argue racial politics all you want but, what excuse is there for hitting an elderly person in the head with a baseball bat, shoving grandma down the stairs, or knocking her into the path of an oncoming train/subway.

I personally have had my mailbox blown up, and yes I mean explosives which was a poor choice because that is a Federal offense! Of course nothing came of the investigation. We can't have FedEx or UPS deliver out here because "porch pirates' follow the trucks and pick up packages behind them. The Post Office can't deliver mail to me either due to theft so, I have to drive into town and get my mail in person at the post office just like I do for my packages via FedEx and UPS.



I never understood milk in tea until I had a good strong cup of British tea once and put some milk in it. I was shocked at how good it was!

When you say "vile" coffee, I assume you mean bitter. Personally, I don't generally like really dark roasts. Coffee beans and roasting matter a lot. I find I like Cold Brews a lot too!



People here in the USA bitch about farmers raising the price of bread but, they ignore the fact the bag costs more than the grain used to make it.

In the retail trade, SHRINK is the term used to describe all the loss. Food waste and food loss in the USA is horrendous without including shoplifting. In that perspective, you could have 2/3rds of your "honor basket" stolen and still come out ahead especially without all the middlemen and transportation costs.

What a sad picture of modern USA. We did a road trip across the US from Miami to San Francisco and back with two young boys in the 1980s and encountered much warmth and friendliness. Hospitality in Texas was memorable.

 

[mikehill]

Maybe go back to the thread title ?

 

[Woody girl]

Hmm, I'm thinking a desert island might be the way to go after the last few posts.