[Steely Dan]

........for not living in your city's downtown?

this thread is obviously not directed at anyone already living in their city's downtown (CBD, uptown, city center, whatever), but for those of us that live in the regular city neighborhoods, do you ever feel like maybe you should move downtwon, to be a part of that revitalizing wave?

i live in lakeview, roughly 5 miles north of downtwon chicago, and while it is a very urban hood that affords me all the wonderful aspects of living life without the stranglehold of automobile ownership, there are times when i pine for living in the middle of it all. i love living where i do, i really do, my hood has all of the conveniences of life just a few steps away from my stoop, but sometimes i fantasize about being able to live in some highrise in downtown chicago, you know, being a part of the solution to the problem of dead downtowns that most american cities suffer from.

but then i realize that i have a job in north suburban evanston, and where i live right now is kind of like splitting the difference between evanston and downtown. i don't know, i guess i am just drunk and rambling, but sometimes i just sit back and wish that i lived high up in the sky in the middle of it all.

how about you?

[jordanb]

I don't really think the Loop needs you. I'd be better to live in a neighborhood on the edge like Bronzeville.

[Chicago103]

Oh yes, I know how you feel. I live on the fringes of downtown already at Halsted and Roosevelt in a UIC apartment building. I do however want to live downtown eventually, my goal is to actually rent a studio in the Hancock building, that will probably be after I get a full-time job though. In May when my UIC contract expires I am thinking of moving to an apartment building at 1030 North Dearborn because I found a pretty good deal there. It was always my dream to live in the middle of downtown Chicago, and I intend to make that dream a reality. The higher above the ground the better for me.

[hauntedheadnc]

No, because to live in my city's downtown, I'd have to either sleep like kittens in a pile with a dozen dirty hippies in a VW microbus, or else I'd have to sell kidneys and corneas and I don't have any to spare at the moment.

Now, would I feel guilty if I could pony up the half-million it takes to buy a comfortable place in downtown Asheville? Would I feel guilty if I could easily toss away upwards of $1000/month for rent in downtown Asheville? You bet. I'd be first in line if an apartment above the Grove Arcade Public Market came open.

But til then... One makes do with what one has. And I'm making do with a couple of roommates in a house built in the 1920's surrounded on two sides by historic neighborhoods and on the other two sides by sprawl. So, it's not as bad as it could be, I guess.

[Enzo]

Not now but........

I felt a lot of guilt when I lived (briefly, back in the day) in S. Phoenix. Big, brand-spanking new house, pool, yard. And right over the back wall was the desert (an Indian Reservation). And in my brief stay I watched it get swallowed up in all directions by endless, ugly, homogenous development. No regard at all for the ecosystem, animals or vibe of the desert. I felt guilt everytime I heard the sprinklers come on to water the lawn I shouldn't have had. Guilt each time I had to kill a scorpion or snake. Guilt as each of my cats disappeared, probably food for a hungry coyote.

I'm serious, the whole thing got to me deep. It wasn't pleasant living on the frontier of boomtown SW, the desert's struggle was palpable. I was very happy to leave.

But I grew up for a time near Hauntedhead in a rural area. That never bothered me because the land was respected, not raped.

[alex1]

no. I currently live about 14 blocks from dowtown and that's close enough for me.

[Segun]

Being that I'm making roughly 150 a week, hell naw! I feel dissapointed that my mother didn't buy one of those flippin homes off Wabash when they were dirt cheap.

[fflint]

No.

For one thing, I once *did* live downtown--in 1992, when downtown living was unusual--just two blocks from Union Square.

For another, downtown no longer needs me--it's now a popular area in which to live. And you know what that means--even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford to live there, these days.

[mind field]

I would love to live in my cities downtown, especially because it is struggling to find it's niche amongst America's great cities. But big city downtowns demand you earn a certain income, and for downtown Detroit that would probably be at least $40k. I once investigated it, but I'd have to pay at least $40/month for parking, outrageously high car insurance rates, and the city income tax! My income just couldn't handle all those extra financial penalties. I don't feel guilty because I go to extreme lengths to spend as much of my money as I can at Detroit businesses.

[Dampyre]

Absolutely not.

[chicagoguy1]

I live downtown Chicago at Superior & Dearborn, but really want a larger apartment. So I am trying to decide over location(in which I love) or bigger place in a more affordable neighborhood. I have already lived in Roger's Park and Edgewater and liked both areas, but downtown is really exciting to me.

[DayOh47]

Nope, no guilt from me.

[miketoronto]

Why would you have to feel guilty?

A downtown can not house everyone.

And there is no problem with living in a house, in a nice city neighbourhood.

I think it is the sprawl that is the thing that bugs most of us.

But many inner city neighbourhoods or streetcar suburban neighbourhoods are fine.

Just support your downtown by shopping there, etc.

You don't have to live in it.

I love my downtown so much. But I also love the other areas of my city, like the east end beaches neighbourhood. Or the waterfront. Or the greek area.

A city is made up of tons of great neighbourhoods. And downtown is one of them, and the central one, that everyone should use. But it does not mean you have to live right in the centre of downtown.

[EastSideHBG]

No, I don't feel guilty. And it's still semi-affordable (for now) so I could live there if I wanted to. I kick the idea around from time to time...

But what does *kind of* bug me is that many of my friends and I frequented downtown during the times when it wasn't the cool thing to do, and when it was downright unsafe at night. Now that DT Harrisburg is happening, people who would've never set foot in DT years ago are going there now, and acting like they always were. Many of them even live there now!!! Funny how times change, isn't it?

I'm happy to see the support nowadays, but it's still funny. I guess it's like a team that no one likes or pays attention to...until they start winning. Then the fans come out of the woodwork. ;)

Not now but........

I felt a lot of guilt when I lived (briefly, back in the day) in S. Phoenix. Big, brand-spanking new house, pool, yard. And right over the back wall was the desert (an Indian Reservation). And in my brief stay I watched it get swallowed up in all directions by endless, ugly, homogenous development. No regard at all for the ecosystem, animals or vibe of the desert. I felt guilt everytime I heard the sprinklers come on to water the lawn I shouldn't have had. Guilt each time I had to kill a scorpion or snake. Guilt as each of my cats disappeared, probably food for a hungry coyote.

I'm serious, the whole thing got to me deep. It wasn't pleasant living on the frontier of boomtown SW, the desert's struggle was palpable. I was very happy to leave.

But I grew up for a time near Hauntedhead in a rural area. That never bothered me because the land was respected, not raped.
I just made similar comments to GRID in a recent Phoenix thread, Enzo. I LOVE the Sonoran Desert, but I hate witnessing what metro Phoneix is doing to it. :( :mad:

That never bothered me because the land was respected, not raped.

They need to learn that out there. That beautiful, one-of-a-kind ecosystem is quickly being destroyed by stucco houses and strip malls, and then replaced with "Disney Desert." :(

[HurricaneHugo]

naw, i live close to DT, and it's expensive to live there

[volguus zildrohar]

If anything, I'd prefer to live on the fringe of Center City - not in any of the apartment towers or condos downtown. An area like Fairmount would do fine.

[Dan]

Nope! I live in an apartment and my car gets around 28 MPG. Not everyone can live in the city and use mass transit all the time.

I go to the city every once in a while though. :D

[Stanzmastertron3000]

no, i like the suburbs