where would you live if you could live any where you wanted?
- Thread starter raggie33
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Aqua Alta! The occasional high water that floods Venice. They spent billions(mafia got their percentage) to make MOSE, the floating dykes/barricades? to control the flooding. Still doomed probably.
I guess those neck things are to keep their heads up in case they go overboard. Not something I'm buying soon on Alibaba! Btw, you can walk the entire city of Venice and keep your feet dry. You may get lost, but that's normal. There's no place like it. But don't go in the summer.
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raggie33
*the raggedier*
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clevland was my fav place to live was born there and lived there in my 20s. it is crazy how nice people are there . they would see you walking and they are complete stranger and they would ask if your ok. and if not feed you. plus cool radio stations and greatbus system i had 4 grocery store i could walk to . i cant think of one bad thing about cleveland
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I know someone who went to NYC for grad school and absolutely despises that place, esp in regards to people "not wanting to get involved." The Howard the Duck movie, by the way, was a complete flop.
This city is all about window-dressing and putting on a superficial facade.
raggie33
*the raggedier*
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i live in the deep south but a few months ago a coulpe from germany and long island newyork moved in . i knew they was great and fun even before i found out where they was from. .. ill be clear southerners are great . i just have zero in common with them. ... im sure its my fought but i get along with yankies easier
There's also the huge lack of morals and the diseased mentality of the public too. Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to visit for a couple of weeks as a tourist if you have each day planned out. Enjoy yourself, buy a couple of ridiculously overpriced souvenirs. (Especially one of those "I ❤️ NY" T-shirts that literally no New Yorker actually wears.)
Head home, tell the entire neighborhood about your fascinating trip. As for having all the best stuff in the world, well; no. But a lot of folks are convinced that's true. I've traveled for vacation to several spots. I found Las Vegas has better and fresher food than anything you'll find in NYC. Trip to Cleveland really opened my eyes. It competes surprisingly well with NYC in terms of museums and a lot of the attractions. Just everything packed in more densely due to that city's smaller size. Plus, the prices are actually reasonable, and the people genuinely friendlier. As far as luxury items, you get the very same Rolex throughout America as you do in NYC.
As you know, there's a lot more to NYC than tourist spots in Times Square and the Empire State Building. I've had family there for a few generations and you can see/eat the best examples of almost anything if you know where to look or if you are curious enough. Settling for what everybody likes or visits is not my idea of seeing or getting to know a city or country.
Regarding personality, morals, etc. New Yorkers have always had a bad rep and I wouldn't really know if it's true or not. Never lived there. But definitely not the friendliest city I've ever been to!! Seems like an intense and stressful place for most people.
Regarding personality, morals, etc. New Yorkers have always had a bad rep and I wouldn't really know if it's true or not. Never lived there. But definitely not the friendliest city I've ever been to!! Seems like an intense and stressful place for most people.
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Been here since 1979. NYC definitely bigger than just Manhattan.
I won't pretend that I know where all the best spots are for food.
But I've found a significant amount of those places over the decades.
Morals? Sadly I've seen too many examples to chalk it up as isolated incidents of horrendously bad behavior. I've met decent human-beings here and there. But the vast majority really aren't worth the trouble. I wish that wasn't the case.
I won't pretend that I know where all the best spots are for food.
But I've found a significant amount of those places over the decades.
Morals? Sadly I've seen too many examples to chalk it up as isolated incidents of horrendously bad behavior. I've met decent human-beings here and there. But the vast majority really aren't worth the trouble. I wish that wasn't the case.
Monocrom, Is the following video a true representation of daily NYC traffic and citizen behavior?
If so, I don't think I could cope with that much daily stress.
Yup, spot on. Though irony of ironies, despite city officials drooling all over themselves for well over a decade to make NYC more bike friendly (and waging a not-so-secret war against drivers); bicyclists are literally the most hated group in this city. Not even joking!
Think of any two groups that have legit violent hatred for each other. The one thing that unites all of them is their shared hatred of bicyclists. The vast majority of the messenger ones and the recreational ones, display an attitude that goes well beyond arrogant, obnoxious, and uncaring. And I mean well beyond what's acceptable even by NYC standards!
To clarify, I only mean the ones found in my city. when I was in Cleveland, I saw several bicyclists riding responsibly. Even to the point of actually stopping at STOP lights. And.... waiting for the light to turn green before riding into the intersection! It was literally shocking for me to see that. But yeah, unless you have a HUGE salary, White Collar job waiting for you here; don't move here. Even then, save up as much as you can, retire early, move to a better place. With the exception of the landmarks, Broadway shows, and museums (which you can see as a tourist), there's nothing about NYC to recommend. There goes my blatant honesty rearing its ugly head. Must be the New Yorker in me.
You have lots of fully segregated cycle lanes which is good but I saw atleast one in the door zone which happens a lot here in the uk.
You have the sidewalk, then markings for cars to park along side the kerb and then the cycle lane🙄. As any cyclist knows, riding Into the corner of an opening door is a real risk in the door zone. So many, myself included refuse to use the cycle lane when it runs along side a row of parked cars and instead give it a wide birth and ride in the road. This really annoys drivers as they are already annoyed that a portion of the road is given over to cyclist and then they see us not even using it without realising the reason why. I think all motorists should spend some time cycling on the roads and then they may show a little more understanding, and we could all get along a little more.
You have the sidewalk, then markings for cars to park along side the kerb and then the cycle lane🙄. As any cyclist knows, riding Into the corner of an opening door is a real risk in the door zone. So many, myself included refuse to use the cycle lane when it runs along side a row of parked cars and instead give it a wide birth and ride in the road. This really annoys drivers as they are already annoyed that a portion of the road is given over to cyclist and then they see us not even using it without realising the reason why. I think all motorists should spend some time cycling on the roads and then they may show a little more understanding, and we could all get along a little more.
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jtr1962
Flashaholic
I follow this pretty closely on Streetsblog NYC. The level of cyclist hate peaked a while back, and it's on a downward trend. Not steeply downward mind you, but not like 5 or 10 years ago. Why? Probably because a lot more people are riding bikes.
NYC has always been a lousy place to drive, even pre-bike lanes. There were plenty of traffic jams 30, 40, 50 years ago. If a person likes to own a car and drive, then NYC probably isn't for them. I couldn't care less about driving or owning a car. I get around walking, biking, taking the subway, or using Amtrak/commuter rail for going outside the city.
The commercial cyclists by far are the worst but you know who I blame for that? Their employers. Delivery people might only have 5 or 10 minutes to get a food order delivered a mile from the restaurant. Of course they have to ride like jerks to deliver on time. Maybe it's time places reduced their delivery radius, as well as had more realistic delivery schedules. The recreational cyclists dressed like they're in the Tour de France are the worst ones in my opinion. I'm a lifelong cyclist and I don't even like a lot of these people.
Also blame street design. We give the majority of space to the least space efficient mode (i.e. private autos). When pedestrians and cyclists fight over the scraps, of course there's going to be conflicts.
By the one, things are a lot more civilized regarding bikes in the outer boroughs. Manhattan is just a horrible place to bike most of the time. Maybe after midnight, but I couldn't deal with that stuff in the video which happens during the day. It raised my blood pressure just watching it.
Again, I put a lot of this on street design. When you have traffic signals every single block, timed for car speeds if they're even timed at all, cyclists and pedestrians will hit red lights every few blocks at best. And we have long red light cycles, at least 30 seconds, sometimes over a minute. Small wonder people on bikes and on foot treat reds like yields. I do it myself, both as a walker and a cyclist. But I always look, then yield to anyone already in the intersection. There are actually a few legislators trying to get NY an Idaho stop law. It makes more sense here than in Idaho actually.
To: jtr1962 ~
Traffic jams in NYC:
I agree with you regarding the situation going on decades now. Honestly, it doesn't help that large sections are being blocked off as outdoor cafes. Less than a handful of blocks up from 14st where I sometimes go for SureFire lights, giant section of the literal street converted into an outdoor park/cafe. Been that way for more years than I can count. It looks absolutely ridiculous. Street painted a different color. It's a street.... Definitely not helping to reduce the congestion problem. If it was the only such spot, it could be ignored as a one-off. But it's not. Limited street space in a heavily crowded city, and that's what they do with a public street??
Commercial cyclist employers:
Agree with you again. They are part of the problem. Unfortunately, people are disgustingly predictable. Only altering their selfish behavior once deprived of either their money or their freedom. Then they openly show the error of their ways. (At least in open court, in front of a judge.) But that's going to take the death of a pedestrian or an employee cyclist before that happens.
Street Design and private cars:
Can't really fault the grid layout. Simple design. Something different would probably be worse. Also, private cars are a universal mode of transport for everyone. People who are very elderly, crippled, and otherwise can't walk for long distances or perhaps can't bike at all; they need to be taken into account. Currently, there's no better system than private cars (perhaps modified for their handicap). My handicapped friends despise having to use public buses. The city bus drivers give them dirty looks for delaying their schedule.
Ignoring Traffic Signs:
I'm sorry, but I can't agree. I work nights at one of my two full-time jobs. Besides having to look out for other drivers, and pedestrians who stupidly dress all in black while running out in front of my car, I also have to watch out for Kamikaze bicycles who don't even pause for a second before flying across the road in front of me. Forget waiting 30 seconds or a minute. Apparently waiting 1 second is too long for them. They'd rather risk their lives to save that literal 1 second of waiting! When I was growing up, I was taught that if you didn't want to wait at a light, you got off the bike, carefully looked both ways and then walked across with your bike before riding off. But with the obnoxious and arrogant attitude so common in NYC today with many bicyclists, I guess it's laughable to expect them to do that much.
What really bothers me is that drivers are still automatically getting the blame if they hit a bicyclist who blew through a red light because they love to pretend that traffic laws don't apply to them. Then their attitude changes to that of a poor, defenseless victim who was simply trying to get in some exercise. When I was a younger man, I enjoyed bike riding. I'd go to the park and enjoy myself for a couple of hours on the bike trails. Riding there and back home, yes; I obeyed traffic laws. If I was in a hurry, I got off my bike and carefully walked it across the street.
Traffic jams in NYC:
I agree with you regarding the situation going on decades now. Honestly, it doesn't help that large sections are being blocked off as outdoor cafes. Less than a handful of blocks up from 14st where I sometimes go for SureFire lights, giant section of the literal street converted into an outdoor park/cafe. Been that way for more years than I can count. It looks absolutely ridiculous. Street painted a different color. It's a street.... Definitely not helping to reduce the congestion problem. If it was the only such spot, it could be ignored as a one-off. But it's not. Limited street space in a heavily crowded city, and that's what they do with a public street??
Commercial cyclist employers:
Agree with you again. They are part of the problem. Unfortunately, people are disgustingly predictable. Only altering their selfish behavior once deprived of either their money or their freedom. Then they openly show the error of their ways. (At least in open court, in front of a judge.) But that's going to take the death of a pedestrian or an employee cyclist before that happens.
Street Design and private cars:
Can't really fault the grid layout. Simple design. Something different would probably be worse. Also, private cars are a universal mode of transport for everyone. People who are very elderly, crippled, and otherwise can't walk for long distances or perhaps can't bike at all; they need to be taken into account. Currently, there's no better system than private cars (perhaps modified for their handicap). My handicapped friends despise having to use public buses. The city bus drivers give them dirty looks for delaying their schedule.
Ignoring Traffic Signs:
I'm sorry, but I can't agree. I work nights at one of my two full-time jobs. Besides having to look out for other drivers, and pedestrians who stupidly dress all in black while running out in front of my car, I also have to watch out for Kamikaze bicycles who don't even pause for a second before flying across the road in front of me. Forget waiting 30 seconds or a minute. Apparently waiting 1 second is too long for them. They'd rather risk their lives to save that literal 1 second of waiting! When I was growing up, I was taught that if you didn't want to wait at a light, you got off the bike, carefully looked both ways and then walked across with your bike before riding off. But with the obnoxious and arrogant attitude so common in NYC today with many bicyclists, I guess it's laughable to expect them to do that much.
What really bothers me is that drivers are still automatically getting the blame if they hit a bicyclist who blew through a red light because they love to pretend that traffic laws don't apply to them. Then their attitude changes to that of a poor, defenseless victim who was simply trying to get in some exercise. When I was a younger man, I enjoyed bike riding. I'd go to the park and enjoy myself for a couple of hours on the bike trails. Riding there and back home, yes; I obeyed traffic laws. If I was in a hurry, I got off my bike and carefully walked it across the street.
jtr1962
Flashaholic
Just to clarify, by street design I didn't mean the layout of the grid. I meant NYC's decision to have over 12,000 signalized intersections when a few hundred would be all it needs. Europe uses traffic signals far more sparingly than we do. They almost never use stop signs, preferring yields instead. And they use traffic circles a lot. NYC could adopt all these things. Traffic would flow smoother and more safely.
It's also worth a mention that most of NYC's bike infrastructure stinks. Bad infrastructure begets bad behavior. The Netherlands systematically removed traffic signals on bike routes, for example, because red lights negatively impact cycling in many ways. If they designed NYC's bike routes, they would largely do the same. Often they'll route cycle paths over or under particularly busy intersections. It's not just to save time waiting at signals. It makes cycling much safer by avoiding sharing space with motorists. On some routes you can go over 10 miles without seeing a red signal. In the Netherlands cyclists largely obey the rare red signals they encounter precisely because it doesn't happen often, plus they know the signal serves a real safety function. In NYC signals frequently go red even when nothing is crossing the intersection. That can easily be fixed with sensors and smart traffic signals, but we're stuck in the last century. Motorists would benefit from this also.
This should be enlightening:
BTW, walking the bike to pass a red light makes little sense because it places you in the danger zone of cross traffic for a lot longer than riding across. What I do is slow to about 10 mph, cover my brake, look both ways before entering the intersection. If something is coming, I slow or stop as needed to let it pass, then accelerate quickly back up to speed to clear the intersection as rapidly as possible. I can't say what's in the minds of the morons who blindly run red signals but that's not what I'm advocating.
On the commercial cyclists, their employers should get the fines. Maybe that'll force them to rethink their business model.
It's also worth a mention that most of NYC's bike infrastructure stinks. Bad infrastructure begets bad behavior. The Netherlands systematically removed traffic signals on bike routes, for example, because red lights negatively impact cycling in many ways. If they designed NYC's bike routes, they would largely do the same. Often they'll route cycle paths over or under particularly busy intersections. It's not just to save time waiting at signals. It makes cycling much safer by avoiding sharing space with motorists. On some routes you can go over 10 miles without seeing a red signal. In the Netherlands cyclists largely obey the rare red signals they encounter precisely because it doesn't happen often, plus they know the signal serves a real safety function. In NYC signals frequently go red even when nothing is crossing the intersection. That can easily be fixed with sensors and smart traffic signals, but we're stuck in the last century. Motorists would benefit from this also.
This should be enlightening:
BTW, walking the bike to pass a red light makes little sense because it places you in the danger zone of cross traffic for a lot longer than riding across. What I do is slow to about 10 mph, cover my brake, look both ways before entering the intersection. If something is coming, I slow or stop as needed to let it pass, then accelerate quickly back up to speed to clear the intersection as rapidly as possible. I can't say what's in the minds of the morons who blindly run red signals but that's not what I'm advocating.
On the commercial cyclists, their employers should get the fines. Maybe that'll force them to rethink their business model.
jtr1962
Flashaholic
I wanted to address this separately. It's off-topic for the thread, so perhaps if it generates a lot of responses those should be moved to another thread. Anyway, I can't emphasize this enough: Quit one of those full-time jobs. My late father tried this at age 50. He actually lasted a few years before he had a massive heart attack. The second one at age 71 killed him. The sad part is he spent most of the money on stuff he didn't need, most of which fills the basement to this day.
Here's a little fact. Most humans need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day. If you're working two full-time jobs that's already 16 hours a day working, plus time to travel between jobs, plus time to get to/from home. When all is said and done you're lucky to get 4 hours a night sleep. That's asking for long-term health problems. It's not really sustainable unless you're able to sleep a large portion of the shift on one of your jobs. My late father did that, and it still took its toll.
Financially keep in mind that second income is entirely taxed at the incremental tax rates of the first job. In NYC with an average income over 40% of that income from the second job is gone in taxes before you even see it. If you're going to work extra, better off trying to get some OT at your main job. At least you're getting time and half, even though it's all still taxed at your incremental rate.
Anyway, take this post as one of concern, not criticism. It's admirable what you're doing, but it'll do your family (if you have one) no good if you're not around to enjoy good times with them. I did the 4 hours sleep a night thing in high school and college. I had summers off to recover, but even then it took its toll eventually. I had to take a year off from college after my junior year from burnout. It really took me an entire year off to feel normal again. After that I vowed never to do this again.
To: jtr1962 ~
Apologies for the late reply. I honestly missed the notifications, and only saw them now. Thank you for clarifying about street designs. I agree with you that things definitely need improving with regards to all the individual points you brought up. Instead of trying for a proper symbiotic relationship of drivers and bicyclists, the city in its infinite wisdom decided that an adversarial design was best. No clue why. Unfortunately due to budgetary reasons (and just plain raw, naked, unadulterated GREED) those changes you mentioned are very unlikely to be implemented for at least a few decades in this city. Thank you for the video. I found it truly eye-opening.
Also, very sorry about your father's untimely passing. I realized immediately that your 2nd post was out of concern, and not criticism. (You're one of the long-time members on CPF I've always respected.) I genuinely appreciate the concern. I'm working towards transitioning out of one of those jobs. The morning one as a Medical Heath worker is far more important than my Graveyard shift security job. But the morning hours are fewer per week, despite technically higher pay. I'm happy to report that none of the elderly individuals under my care have gotten infected. Thanks to some very strict measures I realized early on had to be put in place. But yes, you're right. These types of hours just aren't sustainable over the long haul.
Apologies for the late reply. I honestly missed the notifications, and only saw them now. Thank you for clarifying about street designs. I agree with you that things definitely need improving with regards to all the individual points you brought up. Instead of trying for a proper symbiotic relationship of drivers and bicyclists, the city in its infinite wisdom decided that an adversarial design was best. No clue why. Unfortunately due to budgetary reasons (and just plain raw, naked, unadulterated GREED) those changes you mentioned are very unlikely to be implemented for at least a few decades in this city. Thank you for the video. I found it truly eye-opening.
Also, very sorry about your father's untimely passing. I realized immediately that your 2nd post was out of concern, and not criticism. (You're one of the long-time members on CPF I've always respected.) I genuinely appreciate the concern. I'm working towards transitioning out of one of those jobs. The morning one as a Medical Heath worker is far more important than my Graveyard shift security job. But the morning hours are fewer per week, despite technically higher pay. I'm happy to report that none of the elderly individuals under my care have gotten infected. Thanks to some very strict measures I realized early on had to be put in place. But yes, you're right. These types of hours just aren't sustainable over the long haul.
knucklegary
Flashlight Enthusiast
I knew a guy who was a teacher at Punahuo High School on O'ahu.. During Summer break he and his wife owned a cabin in Billings, MT where they vacationed from the Hawaiian islands.
