Do you talk about moving to a bigger, better city, with public transportation and a stronger arts community, with a pro sports team or a lot of movies filmed there?
And is this because you want to be able to better produce or better consume culture?
Because if the only reason you want to move to New York (or wherever you're moving) is to consume culture—see bigger plays, eat at fancier restaurants, live in cooler neighborhoods and hear more famous bands—I've got news for you: They don't want you there.
And if you want to move so that you can better produce—articles, novels, paintings, videos, afghans, whatever—first ask yourself, Why can't I do that where I am?
Your city needs you.
Why would you want to be a nobody in New York when you could be somebody right here?
If you're unsatisfied with your city's public transportation, local businesses, or arts scene, do something about it. Take the bus, even if it's less convenient than driving (which it will be). Start your own local business, or support existing ones. Contribute to the arts community, rather than expecting it to kowtow to your desires.
And if you don't feel equipped to do any of these things, use your money and resources to finance those who are.
Few things make me angrier than when people complain about all the things their city lacks. Do you realize how privileged and self-absorbed you sound when you say, "MARTA sucks"?
MARTA does suck. It sucks because people like you refuse to take it.
Is your vision for America one where New York is the only city—overcrowded, full of smog, and so expensive that only the elite class can afford it—and the rest of the country is suburbs?
If not, don't move there. Do something cool where you are, right now.
And watch this video where people in Portland tell you, "Don't move here."
Because if all the cool people in other cities move to Portland, 1) Portland will stop being cool, and 2) Other cities will never get cool.
Just like if all the cool people in Portland had moved to New York, Portland would still be some dry, boring town in a state that no one cares about.
This post is Part I. So before you freak out, read my post on Monday about the only good reason to move to a "better" city.
Image from rainking1978's photobucket.
5 comments:
Atlanta is awesome! I miss it! Augusta, now that place sucks :P
I only live in cool places, so I never have to worry about this.
Serially, though, this sounds like the beginning of a manifesto.
this has already been happening to Portland over the past couple of years (well, the past decade, but it's really started in earnest over the past couple of years)...the Williamsburg-ization of Portland. and it's making Portland less cool. i get to go home every ~6 months or so, so i get a good snapshot of the city twice a year, making the differences that much more extreme.
that being said, not everyone lives in a city they care that much about, anyway. i didn't move to Atlanta because i thought it was "cool", and i don't stay here because i'm particularly attached to the city all that much. if i could move all my friends to another city in an instant, i'd do it. Atlanta kinda fundamentally sucks -- it's just some of the people that are rad.
also: who am i to try to mold Atlanta to my liking? i'm not from here. it's not my city.
also also: MARTA doesn't suck because i don't use it often. MARTA sucks because it has basic problems (like funding) due to an apathetic city govt, disenfranchised ridership, and openly hostile state govt. it's unrealistic to expect people to use a public transportation system that doesn't serve their needs -- people don't use public transportation because they "believe in it", they use public transportation because it is the best (or their only) option for getting around the city. in this city, it currently is not. increased ridership is the goal, not the means to the goal. the means include state funding, denser in-city development, and making it much less convenient to drive a car. this is why i was probably the only person to get psyched about all the new parking meters, why i wish every freeway was a toll road, and why i would gladly take a lane off every multilane road in the city and use it for cyclists and pedestrians (including *real* sidewalks!). my current commute would take an hour and a half on MARTA. it takes me 11 min to drive, or 22 min to ride my bike. given the current ease of driving, why would i ever want to take MARTA? and i'm one of the ones that actually gives a shit. how could we possibly expect someone who just wants to get to work to take MARTA?
but as to your main point: i (mostly) agree. if everyone just bails on less-than-stellar cities, then problems never get solved. but on the other hand, this is the only life i've got. do i really want to spend it stressed out, beating my head against a wall, trying to live a [cyclist, vegan, skateboarder, etc] lifestyle in a city (not even my own) that is hostile/unaccommodating to that? gotta find that balance between happiness and "fighting the power", i guess.
You said it better, Ryan. (For the record, the comment I removed was just a duplicate.) I have to bite back a little about MARTA, though. You're right that one of the reasons it sucks is that its riders are disenfranchised. If everyone we knew—the relatively privileged and enfranchised—had to ride MARTA for a year, I think we'd see big changes in its structure and funding.
I'm actually happy about the parking meters, too. We need to be pushed into discomfort more often. I live within a mile or two of almost everything I need, but it's so damn convenient to drive that I haven't fixed the flat tire on my bike in over a month.
Emory is actually a decent example of how you can cultivate a pedestrian and bike-friendly community by jacking up parking prices and closing off roads to vehicles.
"if everyone just bails on less-than-stellar cities, then problems never get solved. but on the other hand, this is the only life i've got."
Sigh, you're right. That's why I live here and not Raleigh.
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