In defense of small city/suburban life
As I was driving from Sacramento to San Francisco this morning, I thought "I'm so excited to get out of boring Sac." My plans to visit SF MoMa (Museum of Modern Art), however, were derailed since I gave up after being rerouted multiple times due to road closures from the "Walk for life" anti-abortion rally. The trip was still worth it since I got to spend time with my friends Jocelyn, Jean, and Abby, but also affirmed that for everyday life, I'm content not living in a big city.
I've experienced both small town suburban life and living in 2 of the 20 largest cities in the world. I grew up in Pismo Beach (population: 8,198 (2016)), went to college and worked in Los Angeles (population: 3,792,621 (2010)), and studied abroad for a semester in Shanghai (population: 23,019,148 (2010)). Big city life is definitely more exciting: more restaurants, events, and things to do. But with more people in a big city, there is more traffic, more problems, and more stress.
I literally wasted hours of my life today because of traffic, and that is the #1 thing I don't miss about living in a major city. I also spent over $10 on parking (which isn't terrible for 3 hours of parking but still more than I spend parking in Sac), and also had to pay for the bridge toll ($5 each way), and have yet to account for gas. I've generally spent more money in cities; food and drink are more expensive (I paid $6 for a single pancake at brunch and gawked at the $16 cocktails while sipping on my perfectly fine still water), and the cost of living is higher in cities.
I guess these problems can be remedied by taking public transportation, splitting rideshares with friends to make it affordable, and also finding filling cheap eats (they do exist even in San Francisco!)
I've experienced both small town suburban life and living in 2 of the 20 largest cities in the world. I grew up in Pismo Beach (population: 8,198 (2016)), went to college and worked in Los Angeles (population: 3,792,621 (2010)), and studied abroad for a semester in Shanghai (population: 23,019,148 (2010)). Big city life is definitely more exciting: more restaurants, events, and things to do. But with more people in a big city, there is more traffic, more problems, and more stress.
I literally wasted hours of my life today because of traffic, and that is the #1 thing I don't miss about living in a major city. I also spent over $10 on parking (which isn't terrible for 3 hours of parking but still more than I spend parking in Sac), and also had to pay for the bridge toll ($5 each way), and have yet to account for gas. I've generally spent more money in cities; food and drink are more expensive (I paid $6 for a single pancake at brunch and gawked at the $16 cocktails while sipping on my perfectly fine still water), and the cost of living is higher in cities.
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| At least the pancake was pretty. |
I guess these problems can be remedied by taking public transportation, splitting rideshares with friends to make it affordable, and also finding filling cheap eats (they do exist even in San Francisco!)
But there's something nice about not having to worry about events that may block the road and not shifting your plans due to forces outside of your control. Although small town life can be boring, I love not being surrounded by hundreds of cars as I inch across a bridge, waiting less than 10 minutes in line at Costco [on a weekday], and FREE parking (nothing is sexier than saving). While I am a LA guy at heart and will visit LA and SF once a month or every other month, for now I'm content with my small city work life and not letting other people dictate my plans as much as I can.
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