It sounds dramatic. And—to some extent—it is.
But, after 49.5 years in the United States—the final 25 or so in California—I escaped.
At the time it mostly didn’t feel like escape. It felt like an upgrade on daily life that my wife and I were in the position—that we were lucky enough—to make.
After nearly two years in Spain, it still feels like an economy-to-premium cabin upgrade, but escape describes the move better now than it did before.
I’ve spent enough time living in Valencia and seeing other European cities to more completely understand just how much American cities lack on infrastructure, social policy, public space, proximity, convenience, vibrancy—which, taken together, is quality of life.
Even against this backdrop, I can’t shake a few key points about America.