art, culture, weather, peace and quiet? work? chance?
having finally kicked the big bad (apple) for the west coast, i think about possible cities as temporary or ultimate destinations. my original criteria may be in the process of changing.
originally: density (horror vacuii), weather (oh please, no more winter), culture, an aspect of the temporary.
well i born and raised in Maexico City, then studied there as also NY and London, and now im living at Barcelona, and im so freaking happy here...so lets see how can i decide:
Mexico City: too crowded, polluted, and most of all insecure....but i still love my hometown.
NY: too intense, but also magical city, only problem places to rent/live
LONDON: freakin' expensive, i really like it but is ridicously expensive, and weather?? bummer
Barcelona: great mix of culture, alternative ways of life, good prices, good job, great weather, great ppl, quality of live, etc... so im happy right now here...thats how i concluded how, or choosed to live here (i first got here as a MArch student, and then stayed).
MADianito, I think you've convinced me to leave Paris. Of course you get the feeling that you are in a magnificient city here, but it's crowded, expensive and if you don't spend your time out, you don't enjoy all the opportunities the city has to offer. Soon or later I'll move to barcelona.
london: it doesn't get much more metropolitan than here. but the weather is absolutely totally undeniably shit. expensive, yes, but wages are high as well...
bologna: i was born here, out of chance, and managed somehow to return after living practically anywhere else in italy. is small, lively, a huge university...work sucks, but there are plenty of things to keep me from thinking about it.
naples: the description MAD gives of Mexico city applies to this city as well...
rome: it is such a strange place...is like a city living 3 lives, three different traditions, almost like it's urban fabric, is always rooted in what happened before. maybe a bit too much...
as i told mad many times, i'll be moving to barcellona as soon as i can...
Plymouth, UK - Student / Navy city with good links to outdoor pursuits. Good for Sailing and surfing, beautiful beaches on south coast or Cornwall. Better weather than any other city in Britain due to its South Devon location.
Wellington, NZ – Windy weather, unstable ground conditions, despite being the Capital it has an intimate feel. Nice people, nice culture. Rugby, hills and sheep in close proximity. If anything a bit isolated but that’s NZ generally.
Bath, UK – Expensive property, good pubs, nice architecture if you like Georgian, consistently too many tourists, a bit posh!
born and raised in a small town in the canadian prairies and take that with me wherever i go. love it but didn't choose it. so...
moved to london for the work. the weather is not an attraction but the working hours and the type of architecture i got to do was perfect. Even if it is a huge city it never feels like it. walked everywhere, culture on the street and in the buildings was damn fine, low brow to high brow. Best experience was visiting a regular pub in the early evening and watched it switch to hip hop-type club by the time i left. sorta sums up london for me, that unabashed mix of opposites. but wasn't the best place for raising kids.
so now am in tokyo which is surprisingly kid friendly. working hours are not for a happy life for most folk here, but i don't keep regular time and is fine for me. like any metropolis this is a place where you can make the life you want long as you can figure out how to get there. and that is very appealling. greenery is not so plentiful but my flat is in the middle of a wooded area and quiet, so i hear birds and insects when the windows are open. buy the mass produced stuff at the grocers but am lucky to have a proper outdoor vegetable shop, butcher and fish seller just down the road. incredibly lively, friendly and neighbourly. that is also appealling. what more could you want? community and opportunity. perfecto...
Rioja?? dude if u want to live in barcelona u should drink Cava then.... for Tapas try Ciudad Condal, right out of Paseig de Gracia METRO station, a lil' bit touristic, but one of the best tapas for the price places in BCN.... by the way, someone mention it about Bath before, but yeah i forgot to say that one of the turn offs of Barcelona is that is always packed full w/tourist.... on the other hand...that means u have a broader aspect of cultures/races/ppl to relate at every level possible to choose from, so doesnt matter what kind of ppl u like to get involved with...u will find it here for sure (i like to think is as cosmopolitan as NYC)
Everery European metropolis is packed with tourists anyway, Madianito. And I'm all for Cava and tapas, except I just got back from holydays and I should work my ass off to save as much as I can for the big move. Since you are already there MADianito, how is it for a foreigner? Is it not too hard when you only speak castellano? And since you are from mexico, I have a friend there that's from Argentina who told me that Catalan where a bit racist toward south and central american? Is it fat or fiction? And how about French? Do they still hate us since Napoleon tried to invade them?
This might turn into a thread about Barcelona, but how are the working conditions there? One always hears of low salaries, but perhaps the living costs are also less? I'm getting a bit tired of rainy, expensive and budget-cutting Holland...
Well I have family there, so keep the bad words for when i'm asleep Richard Ceccanti! Anyway, I agree with you, especially since I've been practicing their racism from the day I was born. I 'm just wandering how it is to be a foreign architect there (it seems like a hot topic today by the way). Madianito, are you done with school? Do you work in an office or do you have your own firm? And what about you Richard and BOTS, do you have any plans for when you go there?
I wanted
-to experience it for myself
-to escape winter at least for a while
-easy access to good surf
-decent easy access to good snow
-change of scenery and experience on the other coast
-a REALLY big city
-good design culture
- lifestyle
- run my own firm
- own a house
- nobody else in town does what I do
- strong local economy
- relatively good clients ( good taste, good budget )
- get out of the way too fashionable Vancouver.
- good place to raise a family
- have an impact on the community in which I chose to live
a-f there r 2 dutch already working at the office here...yes we earn less but yes life cost is cheaper...so u know its not about making u rich but enjoying life...if u have a family and need money this is not the place...if ur young eager and dont need too much in this life to b happy BCN is good option...
I live in New York because it is the city that I love and the city of my birth. After having lived elsewhere, other US cities feel too small, isolated, or just more boring. While NYC is bursting with culture and vitality, I don't find it overwhelming, but rather find the city greatly comforting. I love trying to get lost in neighborhoods I visit for the first time and somehow find myself in a familiar spot.
Granted, in NYC I can't afford to buy a decent apartment but I'm will to make some sacrifices to live here.
I spent my honeymoon in Barcelona last year and absolutely loved it.
FRENCH i did a huge post answering u...i dunno where it went too...maybe i closed the window accidentally or was open when 3dmax did the favor to crash my computer this afternoon... anyways, maybe i will write it again tomorrow...im too tired today
- family ties/business ties
- large metro area (3 million) but not massive - came from Chicago
- surprisingly good design culture
- good business climate (unemployment under 4%)
- well respected design firms
- good pay/little local poverty
- hub city airport with non-stop service to europe & asia
- moderately priced (can still afford a home)
- enjoy seeing seasonal change (winter could be shorter though)
- good schools/universities
I live(d) in Shanghai last year voluntarily (right now, I'm back in the Bay Area because of work). I didn't go for particular characteristics of the city (bc there isn't yet quite an urban archetype of "shanghai" yet) but rather, wanted to live in a place that was in the very act of extremely rapid change.
if you hear american architects' impressions living in shanghai, i believe they will generally have adjectives like "exhilirating," "contradictory," "bizarre." i belive things that are happening in China is something very unique to our time (a country entering "modernity" before our eyes). It's quite unlike anything you would see in any global city outside of Asia and perhaps South America. It comes with contrasting poverty and elite, new urbanism destroying the old, but also a enormous amount of openness to experimentation, preservation (and of course, the process of forging a distinctive modern chinese architectural identity).
The culture on the surface is a mixture of the incredibly long cultural legacy of china, mixed in with france, germany, and US. One of its biggest architectural ties is with Germany (many of their arch schools do joint projects). It'll be interesting to see where it is in a decade ...
If you want to design on several projects at once (resorts to retail to schools to high density housing to factories), and see them become built before the end of the year, get with a firm in China.
I was in Shanghai a couple of years ago and the ever-lasting image burned into my head was from the cab on my way to the airport to return home:
Traveling at about 80 miles an hour on an elevated highway that cut through the city, past hyper-modern sky-scrapers, I saw a family sitting on the roof of a beat up van as it too was traveling down the highway, albeit slower than my taxi.
Los Angeles - by default more or less - went to school here (UCLA for a year, then after 4 years in Paris came back for SCI-Arc), started working right away, family is all in CA, etc.
Appreciate some things about the city - diversity, amazing cheap food, decent culture (meaning I can see obscure foreign films and purchase design books with relative ease, not culture in any historic sense), proximity to family, weather, and we did manage to buy a house when it was affordable
Having lived in Paris (school), London (school), & NY (work), LA seems boring at times and mostly frustrating becuase you really can't walk or spend much of a spontaneous day here. On the other hand, there's so much space, relaxing weather and some interesting people...
These days though we're definitely considering moving elsewhere (having first child in 5 months, gulp), hoping to find a lower cost of living, more access to greenery, possibly more land (though in reality we'll probably be happiest close to a city center) and a less materialistic environment for the kids (imagine raising kids surrounded by Hollywood - I do know plenty of great smart people who grew up here, but I'm still scared...). Europe would be our first choice, but seems overly complicated, and our parents wouldn't be thrilled. Pacific northwest is more realistic, but I'm not sure how I'll do with the weather...
catalans are racists full stop.
ask any spaniard and he'll tell you what kind of assholes they ae considered to be!
what the fuck?!?!
.. its the first time in 3.5 years as an archinecter that not only me has been insulted and slandered -as a catalan- but also my whole family, co-workers, friends and companions at school, teachers, tram drivers, housewives, bankers, bakers, and 7 million of catalans twice in a single post...
I'm curious if these particular spaniards are the same ones who say that Richard Ceccanti is a racist and an asshole? a misinformed clueless prick who throws bullshit on entire communities of people (in this case catalans), slandering and accusing them of racists and calling them (us) assholes?
are they the same ones, you ignorant you? ever lived here? ever travelled deep Catalonia? do you know catalans personally? do you work at the COPE radio station? or for the ABC paper? or La Razón? .. remember that we're also been accused of nazis and terrorists (don't try to imagine what they think of the basques, though that would give you more bullshit to recreate with in internet public forums)
I'll have a laugh commenting your stupid message with the moroccans and equatorians that live and share my street in a city in Barcelona's metro area.. and they we'll have a laugh too, they may not be architects, nor have any kind of university or superior education, but they are pretty much respectful with others, specially with people and nationalities they don't know any shit about (like you don't know shit about catalans)
Richard Ceccanti:
Your comments are unacceptable. I hope you can make better assessed comments in the future because you sound like a bigot and a total idiot.
As a Catalan, Architect and part of the editorial crew here on Archinect I have to say that your comments are out of place and simply put: foolish and ignorant
albuquerque: my wife's family are all here, easy to afford a nice home (our priority with 2 children), we can just about swing having my wife stay home with the girls on one paycheck. we met here at UNM so we knew what we were getting ourselves into by moving back here. the arch & design scene here is virtually non-existent. I would not have moved here without the internet. period.
los angeles: my wife and i both went to SCI-Arc and lived there for about 10 years. we loved it there but, alas, could not afford a home in an area whose daily life wouldn't be much different than that lived in albuquerque. i didnt really haven reservations about raising kids in LA, until we went back for a visit last year when i was able to look at the city with the eyes of a father. i felt that we had made the right decision. i really want to move back to CA sometime (i miss the ocean).
san francisco bay area: grew up there so i didn't have a choice.
i am a total idiot.
delete the comment and be done with it.
it might be wrong, but i think this kind of political correctedness is a bit overstated.
anyway, i will formulate my post again.
catalans are not reputed to be the friendliest and most tollerant people of spain. catalunia has a century long history of considering itself detached from the motherland. it surely does not apply to all of the people living there, but it is a judgement shared by many peple i have met.
most people i have met in barcellona will tell you they are catalan not spanish.
my wish was not to offend anyone, simply because a comment made about a population CANNOT be intended to apply to all of that population.
i believe you indignation is out of proportion simply because it was not my intention to indignate (is that a word?) anyone. you have the power and the right to delete my post (all of them, for that matter).
just one thing: i think Architecture has nothing to do with this.
hold on people, it's getting nasty... I'm sure Richard wasn't being serious about his comment. If I had felt as bad as you do during the French bashing period I would have left this board! You guys have to admit that's it's not that easy to find help when you're not catalan in Barcelona, but from other foreigners. Medit, you and Francisco may be openned to other cultures, but you know that one of the strength of Catalunia is its sense of solidarity, which comes unfortunately with a strong dose of nationalism (regionalism to be precise). The fact that it comes back to the Franco period doesn't give one the right to forget about that.
Santa Fe, NM closed my eyes took a USonian map, and randomly chose a place for the wife and I to flee Florida.
By the way I like the word "USonian" a lot more than "American" for anything dealing with the US. I am Colombian born, US raised, and saying American for only the north has almost struck me as weird, and maybe even elitist?
Anyway....
As far as the Spaniards go, I backpacked through a big chunk of it. People were generally nice, but you do feel a bit of "colonialist thinking" still. But in all reality it even exists in south America itself. In Colombia you are treated better the more Spanish family you have. Europeans left us the gift of racism. elitism, as a general rule to North Central and South America.
Anyway, I remember havign a bit of an argument in Habana, Cuba with two Spaniards that kept on saying some stupid ass racist shit about Cubans. All these things are imbedded in the "Ibero-American" Latin culture.
Having said all that, I find the majority of Spaniards to be as nice as anyone else. I mena, we can't say that Americans or anyone else for that matter are truly welcoming to outsiders....
As far as I know there are 3 of us here you, el jeffe, kittykate, and I. Anyothers out there, dotn worry Im sure that the good people of archinect wont think any less of you for living in the land of entrapment.
And speaking of NM and colonialist thinking, this place is full of it. The spanish families still rule most of what goes on. It is a little more like a Ibero-American country... Care to comment el jeffe?
Anyways, taking this back on track.
I chose New York City. Came here for graduate school almost four years ago and plan to stay here for the long run.
Zoë Coombes and I are starting our practice here (Williamsburg) but prior to our final decision we discussed the possibility of settling in Barcelona or Los Angeles. After many months of endless scenarios, we decided this city makes the most sense because we can rely on great expertise, talent pool and it’s quite centric if you need to travel abroad. (For us this means Barcelona and Toronto)
well, its ok with me if you delete RC's post and then all of the off-topic responses it has generated (including my own furious, somewhat histrionic, message.. but I think RC deserved it...)
I'm sick and tired about catalan politic wars in my daily life, and when I go to Archinect to find some architectural relief and read bullshit like that, then it's just way too much...
anyway, apologies accepted, and RC, accept mine for the 'too-fast' response.. I'm sure you already knew pretty well that confucius #33 aphorism
French, I won't start here a political discussion about nationalisms and the particular case of Catalonia (which goes a long way back before Franco actually), but just so you know it: I'm a nationalist and an independentist, and the more I travel and the more I meet foreigners abroad or in my own town, the more nationalistic I become, precisely because seeing how other people are proud and happy about their cultures and identities (France and the USA being the epicentres of this attitude) one gets jealous and wants the same for their country, in my case Catalonia; and Catalonia as a separated part of Spain (or something like a federated consortium), as it was some time ago (think of Macià 's two-days short Second Republic and Catalan State in the thirties) or a long time ago (pre-1714).. my personal reasons would take a too-long post to explain -and have nothing to do with racism and shit like that.. in fact, I happen to know several Spanish born people, even an african immigrant, who live and work here that are also catalan independentists -so race is not an issue here- .. and after all this board is about architecture.
I'm all for keeping alive and breathing endangered minority cultures and languages, in Europe and elsewhere,.. and catalan is one of them (and, to top it all, it's my own), and nationalism, if you try to think about it as a survival value related to a particular identity not an imposing one, is more a virtue than a kind of historic evil sickness like some people think (though I know that the term 'nationalistic' nowadays is regarded unfortunately as some kind of anachronic, nazi-like, attittude).
Back to architecture and "why did you chose the city you live in?" thread, buildings and archistuff.
I belong in Halifax-Dartmouth because I was born here. I live about 3 miles down the road from where my great-great grandfather is buried. His name was also John Devlin. His son's name was also John Devlin. He had a son John Devlin who was my father's uncle. My father's name was also John Devlin. they were all in the British or Canadian army. this is what keeps me here.
too late... a fork, two way split. can't be undone. whoever said a thread didnt have split ends.
nationalism sucks, however pastel made out to be. i would burn my passport (already done my bra) as soon as a galactic committee issue 'child of the universe' papers. being local should merely be a matter of convenience. locale romanticism should be kept in its baby form,our childhood backyard, granny's vineyard, firecracker wars with neighbouring children.
then we grow up then we die. like moonflowers, momentary.
why did you chose the city you live in?
art, culture, weather, peace and quiet? work? chance?
having finally kicked the big bad (apple) for the west coast, i think about possible cities as temporary or ultimate destinations. my original criteria may be in the process of changing.
originally: density (horror vacuii), weather (oh please, no more winter), culture, an aspect of the temporary.
thinking about: change, history, inspiration.
i just got borned here
well i born and raised in Maexico City, then studied there as also NY and London, and now im living at Barcelona, and im so freaking happy here...so lets see how can i decide:
Mexico City: too crowded, polluted, and most of all insecure....but i still love my hometown.
NY: too intense, but also magical city, only problem places to rent/live
LONDON: freakin' expensive, i really like it but is ridicously expensive, and weather?? bummer
Barcelona: great mix of culture, alternative ways of life, good prices, good job, great weather, great ppl, quality of live, etc... so im happy right now here...thats how i concluded how, or choosed to live here (i first got here as a MArch student, and then stayed).
MADianito, I think you've convinced me to leave Paris. Of course you get the feeling that you are in a magnificient city here, but it's crowded, expensive and if you don't spend your time out, you don't enjoy all the opportunities the city has to offer. Soon or later I'll move to barcelona.
london: it doesn't get much more metropolitan than here. but the weather is absolutely totally undeniably shit. expensive, yes, but wages are high as well...
bologna: i was born here, out of chance, and managed somehow to return after living practically anywhere else in italy. is small, lively, a huge university...work sucks, but there are plenty of things to keep me from thinking about it.
naples: the description MAD gives of Mexico city applies to this city as well...
rome: it is such a strange place...is like a city living 3 lives, three different traditions, almost like it's urban fabric, is always rooted in what happened before. maybe a bit too much...
as i told mad many times, i'll be moving to barcellona as soon as i can...
Plymouth, UK - Student / Navy city with good links to outdoor pursuits. Good for Sailing and surfing, beautiful beaches on south coast or Cornwall. Better weather than any other city in Britain due to its South Devon location.
Wellington, NZ – Windy weather, unstable ground conditions, despite being the Capital it has an intimate feel. Nice people, nice culture. Rugby, hills and sheep in close proximity. If anything a bit isolated but that’s NZ generally.
Bath, UK – Expensive property, good pubs, nice architecture if you like Georgian, consistently too many tourists, a bit posh!
Cardiff -
Big up...
Back to NZ or Barcelona for the future.
Well I guess I'll plan my departure right now since it seems that there'll be no rooms left pretty soon...
born and raised in a small town in the canadian prairies and take that with me wherever i go. love it but didn't choose it. so...
moved to london for the work. the weather is not an attraction but the working hours and the type of architecture i got to do was perfect. Even if it is a huge city it never feels like it. walked everywhere, culture on the street and in the buildings was damn fine, low brow to high brow. Best experience was visiting a regular pub in the early evening and watched it switch to hip hop-type club by the time i left. sorta sums up london for me, that unabashed mix of opposites. but wasn't the best place for raising kids.
so now am in tokyo which is surprisingly kid friendly. working hours are not for a happy life for most folk here, but i don't keep regular time and is fine for me. like any metropolis this is a place where you can make the life you want long as you can figure out how to get there. and that is very appealling. greenery is not so plentiful but my flat is in the middle of a wooded area and quiet, so i hear birds and insects when the windows are open. buy the mass produced stuff at the grocers but am lucky to have a proper outdoor vegetable shop, butcher and fish seller just down the road. incredibly lively, friendly and neighbourly. that is also appealling. what more could you want? community and opportunity. perfecto...
French - get the Rioja in and I'll join you for Tapas
Rioja?? dude if u want to live in barcelona u should drink Cava then.... for Tapas try Ciudad Condal, right out of Paseig de Gracia METRO station, a lil' bit touristic, but one of the best tapas for the price places in BCN.... by the way, someone mention it about Bath before, but yeah i forgot to say that one of the turn offs of Barcelona is that is always packed full w/tourist.... on the other hand...that means u have a broader aspect of cultures/races/ppl to relate at every level possible to choose from, so doesnt matter what kind of ppl u like to get involved with...u will find it here for sure (i like to think is as cosmopolitan as NYC)
Everery European metropolis is packed with tourists anyway, Madianito. And I'm all for Cava and tapas, except I just got back from holydays and I should work my ass off to save as much as I can for the big move. Since you are already there MADianito, how is it for a foreigner? Is it not too hard when you only speak castellano? And since you are from mexico, I have a friend there that's from Argentina who told me that Catalan where a bit racist toward south and central american? Is it fat or fiction? And how about French? Do they still hate us since Napoleon tried to invade them?
catalans are racists full stop.
ask any spaniard and he'll tell you what kind of assholes they ae considered to be!
Um, Hello? New York.
Well, I only moved here because Vast Aire said it was gutter.
This might turn into a thread about Barcelona, but how are the working conditions there? One always hears of low salaries, but perhaps the living costs are also less? I'm getting a bit tired of rainy, expensive and budget-cutting Holland...
Well I have family there, so keep the bad words for when i'm asleep Richard Ceccanti! Anyway, I agree with you, especially since I've been practicing their racism from the day I was born. I 'm just wandering how it is to be a foreign architect there (it seems like a hot topic today by the way). Madianito, are you done with school? Do you work in an office or do you have your own firm? And what about you Richard and BOTS, do you have any plans for when you go there?
Yeah, this post is turning into Barcelona. Anyone with good experiences in Asia? China specifically?
LA
I wanted
-to experience it for myself
-to escape winter at least for a while
-easy access to good surf
-decent easy access to good snow
-change of scenery and experience on the other coast
-a REALLY big city
-good design culture
Whistler
- lifestyle
- run my own firm
- own a house
- nobody else in town does what I do
- strong local economy
- relatively good clients ( good taste, good budget )
- get out of the way too fashionable Vancouver.
- good place to raise a family
- have an impact on the community in which I chose to live
a-f there r 2 dutch already working at the office here...yes we earn less but yes life cost is cheaper...so u know its not about making u rich but enjoying life...if u have a family and need money this is not the place...if ur young eager and dont need too much in this life to b happy BCN is good option...
I live in New York because it is the city that I love and the city of my birth. After having lived elsewhere, other US cities feel too small, isolated, or just more boring. While NYC is bursting with culture and vitality, I don't find it overwhelming, but rather find the city greatly comforting. I love trying to get lost in neighborhoods I visit for the first time and somehow find myself in a familiar spot.
Granted, in NYC I can't afford to buy a decent apartment but I'm will to make some sacrifices to live here.
I spent my honeymoon in Barcelona last year and absolutely loved it.
FRENCH i did a huge post answering u...i dunno where it went too...maybe i closed the window accidentally or was open when 3dmax did the favor to crash my computer this afternoon... anyways, maybe i will write it again tomorrow...im too tired today
Minneapolis (why I came here at least)
- family ties/business ties
- large metro area (3 million) but not massive - came from Chicago
- surprisingly good design culture
- good business climate (unemployment under 4%)
- well respected design firms
- good pay/little local poverty
- hub city airport with non-stop service to europe & asia
- moderately priced (can still afford a home)
- enjoy seeing seasonal change (winter could be shorter though)
- good schools/universities
I moved here because my truck broke down. Here's 1000 words beginning to describe why I'm still here 8 years later:
In response to sewage:
I live(d) in Shanghai last year voluntarily (right now, I'm back in the Bay Area because of work). I didn't go for particular characteristics of the city (bc there isn't yet quite an urban archetype of "shanghai" yet) but rather, wanted to live in a place that was in the very act of extremely rapid change.
if you hear american architects' impressions living in shanghai, i believe they will generally have adjectives like "exhilirating," "contradictory," "bizarre." i belive things that are happening in China is something very unique to our time (a country entering "modernity" before our eyes). It's quite unlike anything you would see in any global city outside of Asia and perhaps South America. It comes with contrasting poverty and elite, new urbanism destroying the old, but also a enormous amount of openness to experimentation, preservation (and of course, the process of forging a distinctive modern chinese architectural identity).
The culture on the surface is a mixture of the incredibly long cultural legacy of china, mixed in with france, germany, and US. One of its biggest architectural ties is with Germany (many of their arch schools do joint projects). It'll be interesting to see where it is in a decade ...
If you want to design on several projects at once (resorts to retail to schools to high density housing to factories), and see them become built before the end of the year, get with a firm in China.
I was in Shanghai a couple of years ago and the ever-lasting image burned into my head was from the cab on my way to the airport to return home:
Traveling at about 80 miles an hour on an elevated highway that cut through the city, past hyper-modern sky-scrapers, I saw a family sitting on the roof of a beat up van as it too was traveling down the highway, albeit slower than my taxi.
Los Angeles - by default more or less - went to school here (UCLA for a year, then after 4 years in Paris came back for SCI-Arc), started working right away, family is all in CA, etc.
Appreciate some things about the city - diversity, amazing cheap food, decent culture (meaning I can see obscure foreign films and purchase design books with relative ease, not culture in any historic sense), proximity to family, weather, and we did manage to buy a house when it was affordable
Having lived in Paris (school), London (school), & NY (work), LA seems boring at times and mostly frustrating becuase you really can't walk or spend much of a spontaneous day here. On the other hand, there's so much space, relaxing weather and some interesting people...
These days though we're definitely considering moving elsewhere (having first child in 5 months, gulp), hoping to find a lower cost of living, more access to greenery, possibly more land (though in reality we'll probably be happiest close to a city center) and a less materialistic environment for the kids (imagine raising kids surrounded by Hollywood - I do know plenty of great smart people who grew up here, but I'm still scared...). Europe would be our first choice, but seems overly complicated, and our parents wouldn't be thrilled. Pacific northwest is more realistic, but I'm not sure how I'll do with the weather...
I live in Longview TX because of the Hands on a Hardbody contest
wait...we get to choose?!
Boston... till school is over. Then somewhere cheaper and less inbred.
ask any spaniard and he'll tell you what kind of assholes they ae considered to be!
what the fuck?!?!
.. its the first time in 3.5 years as an archinecter that not only me has been insulted and slandered -as a catalan- but also my whole family, co-workers, friends and companions at school, teachers, tram drivers, housewives, bankers, bakers, and 7 million of catalans twice in a single post...
I'm curious if these particular spaniards are the same ones who say that Richard Ceccanti is a racist and an asshole? a misinformed clueless prick who throws bullshit on entire communities of people (in this case catalans), slandering and accusing them of racists and calling them (us) assholes?
are they the same ones, you ignorant you? ever lived here? ever travelled deep Catalonia? do you know catalans personally? do you work at the COPE radio station? or for the ABC paper? or La Razón? .. remember that we're also been accused of nazis and terrorists (don't try to imagine what they think of the basques, though that would give you more bullshit to recreate with in internet public forums)
I'll have a laugh commenting your stupid message with the moroccans and equatorians that live and share my street in a city in Barcelona's metro area.. and they we'll have a laugh too, they may not be architects, nor have any kind of university or superior education, but they are pretty much respectful with others, specially with people and nationalities they don't know any shit about (like you don't know shit about catalans)
anyway, regards from a racist catalan asshole architect... hope to never see you around here... we, 8.668 licensed and registered catalan architects (including south americans and from other continents), don't need you at all.. in fact, we don't even want you here -and pretentious pricks like you- at all.. we already have Jiménez Losantos and his hordes of anti-catalanists and pseudo-fascists to deal with..
33. All generalisations are dangerous, even this one.
33. All generalisations are dangerous, even this one.
Richard Ceccanti:
Your comments are unacceptable. I hope you can make better assessed comments in the future because you sound like a bigot and a total idiot.
As a Catalan, Architect and part of the editorial crew here on Archinect I have to say that your comments are out of place and simply put: foolish and ignorant
albuquerque: my wife's family are all here, easy to afford a nice home (our priority with 2 children), we can just about swing having my wife stay home with the girls on one paycheck. we met here at UNM so we knew what we were getting ourselves into by moving back here. the arch & design scene here is virtually non-existent. I would not have moved here without the internet. period.
los angeles: my wife and i both went to SCI-Arc and lived there for about 10 years. we loved it there but, alas, could not afford a home in an area whose daily life wouldn't be much different than that lived in albuquerque. i didnt really haven reservations about raising kids in LA, until we went back for a visit last year when i was able to look at the city with the eyes of a father. i felt that we had made the right decision. i really want to move back to CA sometime (i miss the ocean).
san francisco bay area: grew up there so i didn't have a choice.
i am a total idiot.
delete the comment and be done with it.
it might be wrong, but i think this kind of political correctedness is a bit overstated.
anyway, i will formulate my post again.
catalans are not reputed to be the friendliest and most tollerant people of spain. catalunia has a century long history of considering itself detached from the motherland. it surely does not apply to all of the people living there, but it is a judgement shared by many peple i have met.
most people i have met in barcellona will tell you they are catalan not spanish.
my wish was not to offend anyone, simply because a comment made about a population CANNOT be intended to apply to all of that population.
i believe you indignation is out of proportion simply because it was not my intention to indignate (is that a word?) anyone. you have the power and the right to delete my post (all of them, for that matter).
just one thing: i think Architecture has nothing to do with this.
hold on people, it's getting nasty... I'm sure Richard wasn't being serious about his comment. If I had felt as bad as you do during the French bashing period I would have left this board! You guys have to admit that's it's not that easy to find help when you're not catalan in Barcelona, but from other foreigners. Medit, you and Francisco may be openned to other cultures, but you know that one of the strength of Catalunia is its sense of solidarity, which comes unfortunately with a strong dose of nationalism (regionalism to be precise). The fact that it comes back to the Franco period doesn't give one the right to forget about that.
medit, i hadn't read your post, but the reaction was similiar to that of mr boira, so the reply goes to you as well.
my apologies, nevertheless.
damn you people are intense.
i guess that's me not coming to the next archinect bash up in plaza real.
Santa Fe, NM closed my eyes took a USonian map, and randomly chose a place for the wife and I to flee Florida.
By the way I like the word "USonian" a lot more than "American" for anything dealing with the US. I am Colombian born, US raised, and saying American for only the north has almost struck me as weird, and maybe even elitist?
Anyway....
damn...a NM meetup isn't that far off maybe? and i'm sure it'll be just as successful as the meetups in other cities have been.
As far as the Spaniards go, I backpacked through a big chunk of it. People were generally nice, but you do feel a bit of "colonialist thinking" still. But in all reality it even exists in south America itself. In Colombia you are treated better the more Spanish family you have. Europeans left us the gift of racism. elitism, as a general rule to North Central and South America.
Anyway, I remember havign a bit of an argument in Habana, Cuba with two Spaniards that kept on saying some stupid ass racist shit about Cubans. All these things are imbedded in the "Ibero-American" Latin culture.
Having said all that, I find the majority of Spaniards to be as nice as anyone else. I mena, we can't say that Americans or anyone else for that matter are truly welcoming to outsiders....
For what is worth.....
505 in the house!!! Lets set it up!!!
As far as I know there are 3 of us here you, el jeffe, kittykate, and I. Anyothers out there, dotn worry Im sure that the good people of archinect wont think any less of you for living in the land of entrapment.
And speaking of NM and colonialist thinking, this place is full of it. The spanish families still rule most of what goes on. It is a little more like a Ibero-American country... Care to comment el jeffe?
Please no deleting!
Having the comments up and running is better, as archinecters and future readers can make their own intelligent conclusions.
oh man, how out of proportion is this...
ah!
Anyways, taking this back on track.
I chose New York City. Came here for graduate school almost four years ago and plan to stay here for the long run.
Zoë Coombes and I are starting our practice here (Williamsburg) but prior to our final decision we discussed the possibility of settling in Barcelona or Los Angeles. After many months of endless scenarios, we decided this city makes the most sense because we can rely on great expertise, talent pool and it’s quite centric if you need to travel abroad. (For us this means Barcelona and Toronto)
well, its ok with me if you delete RC's post and then all of the off-topic responses it has generated (including my own furious, somewhat histrionic, message.. but I think RC deserved it...)
I'm sick and tired about catalan politic wars in my daily life, and when I go to Archinect to find some architectural relief and read bullshit like that, then it's just way too much...
anyway, apologies accepted, and RC, accept mine for the 'too-fast' response.. I'm sure you already knew pretty well that confucius #33 aphorism
French, I won't start here a political discussion about nationalisms and the particular case of Catalonia (which goes a long way back before Franco actually), but just so you know it: I'm a nationalist and an independentist, and the more I travel and the more I meet foreigners abroad or in my own town, the more nationalistic I become, precisely because seeing how other people are proud and happy about their cultures and identities (France and the USA being the epicentres of this attitude) one gets jealous and wants the same for their country, in my case Catalonia; and Catalonia as a separated part of Spain (or something like a federated consortium), as it was some time ago (think of Macià 's two-days short Second Republic and Catalan State in the thirties) or a long time ago (pre-1714).. my personal reasons would take a too-long post to explain -and have nothing to do with racism and shit like that.. in fact, I happen to know several Spanish born people, even an african immigrant, who live and work here that are also catalan independentists -so race is not an issue here- .. and after all this board is about architecture.
I'm all for keeping alive and breathing endangered minority cultures and languages, in Europe and elsewhere,.. and catalan is one of them (and, to top it all, it's my own), and nationalism, if you try to think about it as a survival value related to a particular identity not an imposing one, is more a virtue than a kind of historic evil sickness like some people think (though I know that the term 'nationalistic' nowadays is regarded unfortunately as some kind of anachronic, nazi-like, attittude).
Back to architecture and "why did you chose the city you live in?" thread, buildings and archistuff.
I belong in Halifax-Dartmouth because I was born here. I live about 3 miles down the road from where my great-great grandfather is buried. His name was also John Devlin. His son's name was also John Devlin. He had a son John Devlin who was my father's uncle. My father's name was also John Devlin. they were all in the British or Canadian army. this is what keeps me here.
nice
too late... a fork, two way split. can't be undone. whoever said a thread didnt have split ends.
nationalism sucks, however pastel made out to be. i would burn my passport (already done my bra) as soon as a galactic committee issue 'child of the universe' papers. being local should merely be a matter of convenience. locale romanticism should be kept in its baby form,our childhood backyard, granny's vineyard, firecracker wars with neighbouring children.
then we grow up then we die. like moonflowers, momentary.
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