I feel the same lifestyle perks strongly here in Berkeley. We live literally blocks away from the best produce, restaurants and amenities you could ask for in California. We bike and take transit everywhere, and we have a close knit neighborhood and sense of community. And we are making excellent progress in expanding safe bike infrastructure. However… my impetus for considering a move stems primarily from the dangers posed (to my children) by exactly two factors: inexorable car culture and gun culture. Coincidentally the two leading factors in child mortality.
The final straw might be coming in October however, if the Supreme _Kangaroo_ Court overturns Californias (and 11 other states) long standing assault weapons ban: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-ar-15-bans/
Irrespective of all other benefits of a civilized society or community, if it cannot (or will not) consider the needs of the vulnerable, it ceases to be civilized.
There's no doubt, California sits among the best places to live in the United States, especially San Francisco and Berkeley.
But you're right—from cultural and societal standpoints even those places leave a lot to be desired. Just this last week I saw a story about a school shooting in the East Bay. Every morning when I open my phone, there's news of shootings (the garden variety and ICE), fights, car crashes, and other lunacy in the US considered abnormal elsewhere in the world.
After living someplace where it's all considered abnormal, I can't go back.
That said, if you have the right situation—and you love it—I can see why you'd bite the bullet and stay. Please forgive my horrible play on words.
Yes, living here is like living in an over-policed, over-priced but safe-ish bubble. Whenever we trek further east or north there is an ever present sense of unease among the obvious dysfunction on display in _other_ cities. It’s fine. For now. But it’s difficult, and necessary, to explain to my kids how/why these inequities exist. And it’s even more difficult imagining those problems resolving on timescales that would matter to them, despite our efforts.
We've talked about it before, but I really think everyone should move away from home, even if only for a little while. Even the kids from your block that immediately went back home can at least say they tried it out (whether they gave it a decent shot is another story).
The perspective you get is invaluable and, IMO, makes you a more well-rounded person. My TL is littered with people who literally never left our suburb and, almost without exception, have become the most incurious/bitter people I know.
"My TL is littered with people who literally never left our suburb and, almost without exception, have become the most incurious/bitter people I know."
I can relate. And it says a lot about the state of the country (the U.S.) and some of the movement toward the right we're seeing in places like Spain. We can trace so much of what's happening back to this subject, IMO.
I feel the same lifestyle perks strongly here in Berkeley. We live literally blocks away from the best produce, restaurants and amenities you could ask for in California. We bike and take transit everywhere, and we have a close knit neighborhood and sense of community. And we are making excellent progress in expanding safe bike infrastructure. However… my impetus for considering a move stems primarily from the dangers posed (to my children) by exactly two factors: inexorable car culture and gun culture. Coincidentally the two leading factors in child mortality.
The final straw might be coming in October however, if the Supreme _Kangaroo_ Court overturns Californias (and 11 other states) long standing assault weapons ban: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-ar-15-bans/
Irrespective of all other benefits of a civilized society or community, if it cannot (or will not) consider the needs of the vulnerable, it ceases to be civilized.
There's no doubt, California sits among the best places to live in the United States, especially San Francisco and Berkeley.
But you're right—from cultural and societal standpoints even those places leave a lot to be desired. Just this last week I saw a story about a school shooting in the East Bay. Every morning when I open my phone, there's news of shootings (the garden variety and ICE), fights, car crashes, and other lunacy in the US considered abnormal elsewhere in the world.
After living someplace where it's all considered abnormal, I can't go back.
That said, if you have the right situation—and you love it—I can see why you'd bite the bullet and stay. Please forgive my horrible play on words.
Yes, living here is like living in an over-policed, over-priced but safe-ish bubble. Whenever we trek further east or north there is an ever present sense of unease among the obvious dysfunction on display in _other_ cities. It’s fine. For now. But it’s difficult, and necessary, to explain to my kids how/why these inequities exist. And it’s even more difficult imagining those problems resolving on timescales that would matter to them, despite our efforts.
Thanks for the shoutout/link!
We've talked about it before, but I really think everyone should move away from home, even if only for a little while. Even the kids from your block that immediately went back home can at least say they tried it out (whether they gave it a decent shot is another story).
The perspective you get is invaluable and, IMO, makes you a more well-rounded person. My TL is littered with people who literally never left our suburb and, almost without exception, have become the most incurious/bitter people I know.
We have. And it bears repeating.
"My TL is littered with people who literally never left our suburb and, almost without exception, have become the most incurious/bitter people I know."
I can relate. And it says a lot about the state of the country (the U.S.) and some of the movement toward the right we're seeing in places like Spain. We can trace so much of what's happening back to this subject, IMO.
Seeing something else is part of growing up and developing. Even if you decide it’s not for you.