This is a fantastic read Brian and I’m honored to be mentioned in it. I’ve experienced four major moves in my life and lived in three different states and can attest that place absolutely dictates so much of our lives. I wrote earlier this year about how visiting Mesa Verde inspired me to become an archaeologist:
Your piece also made me think a lot of one of my favorite book, Rebecca Solnit’s ‘Wanderlust: A History of Walking’ which gets into a discussion of place, how places change over time, and their relationship to our behaviors.
Appreciate the kudos Justin 🙌🏼 And great piece on Mesa Verda, so awesome how that trip changed the entire trajectory of your life. Will check out the book as well, sounds right up my alley!
I actually really appreciate NOT being in a city. I like having more space, more peace, more nature.
But reading your posts make me wish my suburban neighborhood were walkable or at least bikeable. Maybe one day there will be better options for getting around.
It would be amazing to have the convenience of a big city (interesting people, entertainment, food, etc) plus the benefits I'm currently enjoying too.
I hear you on this Ryan, I know some people prefer being away from the hustle and bustle of the city and that's why I tried to focus more on "place" instead of cities specifically.
The good news is I've been coming across a bunch of smaller scale projects in the U.S. trying to build more walkable/bikeable neighborhoods with a sense of community (Check out Serenbe, Town at Trillith, Culdesac Tempe)
learning another (very important) lesson: there is no such thing as the perfect place. it's always a matter of tradeoff and the challenges you prefer to face will also change overtime -depending on which phase you are in your life.
One change my husband and I have loved since moving to Barcelona from Phoenix is how easy it is to get together with our friends: In Phoenix, it took anywhere from days to a couple weeks to plan a meetup with friend(s), and often, we would have to schedule a month or two ahead. Here, in Barcelona, we never have to do that.... it's so easy to meet up with friends here, there's none of that ridiculous endless back-and-forth, and scheduling things so far in advance. I don't think it's as simple as "American culture" vs "Spanish culture", but it's largely due to the urban setting of Barcelona: easy, convenient access to excellent public transportation, and a more dense, compact development style. Phoenix is unlivable without a car, has no convenient, usable public transportation, and is massive, much like LA, so it is not a simple thing to meet up with friends. It's just not a huge hassle to simply go out here, like it can be in Phoenix.
Couldn't agree more. The amount of unplanned encounters and spontaneous hangouts I have with friends never ceases to amaze me. Plans develop more organically here, it doesn't take weeks of planning like you mentioned. I'm planning to host another Substack Meetup before the end of the year, hope you can join!
Before cell phones and etiquette , in the city , i loved walking or biking to a friends house as a kid and just “seeing what your doing “ , or going for a slice of pizza . I miss those days .
Wow! This post was exactly what I needed to read today, thank you. I've always felt places have personalities/ vibes too, just like people. Is it a coincidence I read this post this morning? Because tomorrow I leave on my Nomad experiment to date other countries. A few months here and there -to places calling my name.
This was a fantastic read. I’ve always loved living in Southern California it’s where I was born and raised, but there’s a part of me that feels that vibrational frequency match in some other cities… and I feel this pull to try something else at times
Thank you for touching on the car dependency aspect. So many people have asked why I moved to Europe, Portugal specially, often expecting me to list a job or a relationship, but when I tell them the biggest reason was I wanted to live a walkable, car-free life (and the few cities the U.S. where that’s possible priced me out), they are surprised as if that wasn’t good enough. I just feel so much more active and connected to my community when I can navigate it on foot (and by transit when the walk is too far). I’ve had so many spontaneous connections since we moved here, moments that wouldn’t have been possible if I was in a car. I’m just sad so many people in the US will never feel that freedom. Very few understand the true cost of car dependency.
Although I've gone back and forth on the impact of place in shaping a meaningful life. While it is absolutely possible to create a life by design in a place that isn't set up for it (i.e. I would hike regularly while living in Chicago, biked everywhere in lieu of driving my car, etc.) but to do so, it 1: takes effort, and 2: feels a little bit "against the grain". I loved how you touched so heavily on the fact that like minded people are drawn to a place, making the desired lifestyle so much more accessible, and connections more genuine and filled with ease. Lots to think about. Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE THIS!! I completely resonate with it, and wish more people knew this feeling. I've always felt like I'm not made for my hometown - it shrinks me down. I'm at my best whenever I'm somewhere new. Last year, I found my home in Goa, and I felt so aligned. Unfortunately, due to other responsibilities, I had to return to Kerala. Goa turned my life easy, simple and free. Less materialistic and more experiential. I cherished daily sunset walks on the beach, connections with the local art community, learning new skills, meeting new faces, short forest hikes, and waterfall/beach swims along with my freelance work. It's the complete opposite back in my hometown. I hope i return Goa soon!
This hits on all the points we talked about a month ago.
I can't stop thinking about this as I drive around the Bay Area (and in general). In these vehicle dominant cultures, we jerry-rig this sense of community together driving to hang out with friends, driving to your favorite coffee shop to hang out with friends, driving to jiujitsu to roll and see your friends, and on. It kinda serves as a "good enough" stand-in but we all know it's missing that soul and serendipity that we crave.
I'm coming around to the fact that "trying to make it work" and "appreciate what you have" might not be the right answer or the right optimization any longer.
This is a fantastic read Brian and I’m honored to be mentioned in it. I’ve experienced four major moves in my life and lived in three different states and can attest that place absolutely dictates so much of our lives. I wrote earlier this year about how visiting Mesa Verde inspired me to become an archaeologist:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thosewhowander/p/mesa-verde-and-the-power-of-a-place?r=2cmpys&utm_medium=ios
Your piece also made me think a lot of one of my favorite book, Rebecca Solnit’s ‘Wanderlust: A History of Walking’ which gets into a discussion of place, how places change over time, and their relationship to our behaviors.
Such a wonderful topic. Thanks again! Cheers!
Appreciate the kudos Justin 🙌🏼 And great piece on Mesa Verda, so awesome how that trip changed the entire trajectory of your life. Will check out the book as well, sounds right up my alley!
I actually really appreciate NOT being in a city. I like having more space, more peace, more nature.
But reading your posts make me wish my suburban neighborhood were walkable or at least bikeable. Maybe one day there will be better options for getting around.
It would be amazing to have the convenience of a big city (interesting people, entertainment, food, etc) plus the benefits I'm currently enjoying too.
I hear you on this Ryan, I know some people prefer being away from the hustle and bustle of the city and that's why I tried to focus more on "place" instead of cities specifically.
The good news is I've been coming across a bunch of smaller scale projects in the U.S. trying to build more walkable/bikeable neighborhoods with a sense of community (Check out Serenbe, Town at Trillith, Culdesac Tempe)
Yeah, I'm rooting for them and hope others start up everywhere! Plus the Live With Friends site you shared.
and this is how we ended up living on 4 continents over 15 years haha: https://open.substack.com/pub/objet/p/079-15-years-moving?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
learning another (very important) lesson: there is no such thing as the perfect place. it's always a matter of tradeoff and the challenges you prefer to face will also change overtime -depending on which phase you are in your life.
One change my husband and I have loved since moving to Barcelona from Phoenix is how easy it is to get together with our friends: In Phoenix, it took anywhere from days to a couple weeks to plan a meetup with friend(s), and often, we would have to schedule a month or two ahead. Here, in Barcelona, we never have to do that.... it's so easy to meet up with friends here, there's none of that ridiculous endless back-and-forth, and scheduling things so far in advance. I don't think it's as simple as "American culture" vs "Spanish culture", but it's largely due to the urban setting of Barcelona: easy, convenient access to excellent public transportation, and a more dense, compact development style. Phoenix is unlivable without a car, has no convenient, usable public transportation, and is massive, much like LA, so it is not a simple thing to meet up with friends. It's just not a huge hassle to simply go out here, like it can be in Phoenix.
Couldn't agree more. The amount of unplanned encounters and spontaneous hangouts I have with friends never ceases to amaze me. Plans develop more organically here, it doesn't take weeks of planning like you mentioned. I'm planning to host another Substack Meetup before the end of the year, hope you can join!
Before cell phones and etiquette , in the city , i loved walking or biking to a friends house as a kid and just “seeing what your doing “ , or going for a slice of pizza . I miss those days .
The "good old days"!
Brilliant Brian. Places and non-places 😎
Sending this post next time anyone questions my life choices 😂 awesome read!
Wow! This post was exactly what I needed to read today, thank you. I've always felt places have personalities/ vibes too, just like people. Is it a coincidence I read this post this morning? Because tomorrow I leave on my Nomad experiment to date other countries. A few months here and there -to places calling my name.
This was a fantastic read. I’ve always loved living in Southern California it’s where I was born and raised, but there’s a part of me that feels that vibrational frequency match in some other cities… and I feel this pull to try something else at times
Thank you for touching on the car dependency aspect. So many people have asked why I moved to Europe, Portugal specially, often expecting me to list a job or a relationship, but when I tell them the biggest reason was I wanted to live a walkable, car-free life (and the few cities the U.S. where that’s possible priced me out), they are surprised as if that wasn’t good enough. I just feel so much more active and connected to my community when I can navigate it on foot (and by transit when the walk is too far). I’ve had so many spontaneous connections since we moved here, moments that wouldn’t have been possible if I was in a car. I’m just sad so many people in the US will never feel that freedom. Very few understand the true cost of car dependency.
Although I've gone back and forth on the impact of place in shaping a meaningful life. While it is absolutely possible to create a life by design in a place that isn't set up for it (i.e. I would hike regularly while living in Chicago, biked everywhere in lieu of driving my car, etc.) but to do so, it 1: takes effort, and 2: feels a little bit "against the grain". I loved how you touched so heavily on the fact that like minded people are drawn to a place, making the desired lifestyle so much more accessible, and connections more genuine and filled with ease. Lots to think about. Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE THIS!! I completely resonate with it, and wish more people knew this feeling. I've always felt like I'm not made for my hometown - it shrinks me down. I'm at my best whenever I'm somewhere new. Last year, I found my home in Goa, and I felt so aligned. Unfortunately, due to other responsibilities, I had to return to Kerala. Goa turned my life easy, simple and free. Less materialistic and more experiential. I cherished daily sunset walks on the beach, connections with the local art community, learning new skills, meeting new faces, short forest hikes, and waterfall/beach swims along with my freelance work. It's the complete opposite back in my hometown. I hope i return Goa soon!
This share really made me feel at home! <3
Looking forward to more of your reads, Brian!
This hits on all the points we talked about a month ago.
I can't stop thinking about this as I drive around the Bay Area (and in general). In these vehicle dominant cultures, we jerry-rig this sense of community together driving to hang out with friends, driving to your favorite coffee shop to hang out with friends, driving to jiujitsu to roll and see your friends, and on. It kinda serves as a "good enough" stand-in but we all know it's missing that soul and serendipity that we crave.
I'm coming around to the fact that "trying to make it work" and "appreciate what you have" might not be the right answer or the right optimization any longer.
The colored graphs complements the reading amazingly. Thanks for sharing!