If you could live ANYWHERE in the world

Originally Posted By Mr X

where would it be?

Not necessarily looking for just a country or region, but a specific city or place. And this is a "money is no object" sort of deal, if you had the means to live anywhere you want, where would it be?

And please provide details as to WHY the place is so cool.

As for me, I'm torn at the moment between Vancouver (for the vibe and the scenery and the laid back, friendly nature of the place), and somewhere in Hawaii (well, duh. tropical paradise).

For the "I like where I am, thank you very much" types, where would your SECOND home be? (obviously if money were no object, you'd have at least 2 homes right?)

Feel free to list a couple or a few, but please try to keep away from a "wish list" sort of thing. Just 1 (or 2 places) and the reasons why.

Discuss...

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

Well, I been fortunate enough to lived in a few of them already, at least for a little while (San Francisco, Tokyo as you know, and Sydney, Australia). But, I would say if I could live anywhere ELSE I havent yet, I would say Hong Kong as one of them!

I dont know why, but I guess A. Its A LITTLE similar to Tokyo, but as you know, not exactly of course the same. But I love the vibe there, its a 24 hour kind of city like Tokyo and I just love the environment: Crowded, dirty and busy, but exciting ;D. I just love the fact its east-meets-west, compact to get anywhere within 30 mins and its the heart of Asia, which I love and I can be in Japan, S.E.A, China, etc all within 5 hours and its cheaaap to fly from there. And yes, they have their own DL, but we both know its not really a motivator .

I admit, it has lost its luster somewhat and NO I wouldnt want to live there forever or a permanent basis, but if I had a beautiful apartment in Central overlooking the harbour, that would be beautiful...and incredibly expensive .

I would say #2 place, maybe Malaysia actually. One because UNLIKE Hong Kong, its more tropical, VERY beautiful place, especially the east coast. The place has a lot of cool beaches, nice people, good food and its westernized enough where you could have everything there, but still quite cheap compared to places like U.S., Japan and Europe. And the girls arent bad to look at either ;D. YES, it is a Muslim country, but its a secular one and its quite diverse there as well. And I got Thailand to the north one hour by plane and Singapore and Indonesia to the south. As you can tell I like Asia lol.

But at this point, its not many places I HAVE to live anymore, I'm pretty happy anywhere I go, except my hometown of L.A. . It has its good points obviously and California in general is very beautiful (and yeah, DL!!), but its still just L.A., where people are very into themselves, me-me-me and no one seems to think about anything beyound the city borders, so yeah.

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***if I had a beautiful apartment in Central overlooking the harbour, that would be beautiful...and incredibly expensive .***

That'd be PHAT, no doubt.

I can definitely see living in Hong Kong, the city rocks hardcore. Personally, I'm looking for something a little more low key but I can DEFINITELY dig it. (I'd put Hong Kong on my short list for "places you want to spend a lot of time in", for sure)

Malaysia sounds interesting, all though your "quite cheap compared to..." argument doesn't matter here since you're super rich in this hypothetical.

Personally, I thought about Southern California for my short list (particularly a luxury home maybe in San Diego?), if for nothing else but the spectacular scenery (Vancouver won out by a nose because theirs is just as spectacular, with a somewhat cooler vibe imho).

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

Sorry Mr. X, I see my second one was more general which you said not to put. To be honest though, I dont know WHERE exactly in Malaysia, I been a few times but never drawn any place specific I have to be (but NOT its capital city Kuala Lampur) probably in a more tropical area or even one of the islands .

Oh yeah, also like Hong Kong, maybe more so, English is widely spoken in Malaysia. Its an official language there.

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

LOL, I forgot you said money is no object ;D.

<<Personally, I thought about Southern California for my short list (particularly a luxury home maybe in San Diego?), if for nothing else but the spectacular scenery (Vancouver won out by a nose because theirs is just as spectacular, with a somewhat cooler vibe imho).>>

Dont get me wrong, I been spoiled living in Asia as long as I did, but OF COURSE I would tell anyone SoCal would be an amazing place to live. I mean yeah, it does have it all: beaches, mountains, forest, dessert. Beautiful cities, EVERYTHING you can imagine doing, great shopping areas and landmarks. Hell, it sounds so good maybe Disney should build a theme park around it .

I guess its just the 'grass is greener' mentality. Also true though, I grew up in Compton, not Malibu, its the only place I ever lived in L.A., so my outlook is a little skewed lol. But yeah, SoCal is very beautiful, especially between Santa Monica and Santa Barbarbra. You cant go wrong living in your dream house there...maybe someday if I'm stuck in this hellhole forever I can move there ;0.

And yeah, San Diego is amazing too! It seems to get overlooked alot because of big, behemoth L.A. and its a little TOO bland, straight and narrow and Republican for me, but its definitely a beautiful place to live.

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

I been to Vancouver only once and it was only for a few days, but I dont know it just did nothing for me for some reason (part of it was because it was winter and since I had only lived in California at the time, it was the coldest weather I ever experienced lol).

It seems like a great city, but I dont know, there was nothing about it that made me want to go again. That said, first time I went to places like Tokyo and Sydney I automatically fell in loved with them and wanted to move there (and I did ) and both based on brief vacation visits. I just love both of those cities alot even though they are night and day.

But Sydney and Vancouver are pretty similar in terms of vibe, culture and environment, so I think if I went back, I would probably like it more .

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***Sorry Mr. X, I see my second one was more general which you said not to put.***

No worries.

I just gave some general guidelines to explain what I was going for, not a big deal.

Thanks for all the input! Knowing that you're a guy who's been to a LOT of places, I really appreciate reading your comments.

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***Oh yeah, also like Hong Kong, maybe more so, English is widely spoken in Malaysia. Its an official language there.***

GREAT point!

I must admit, the lack of English in Japan does get frustrating sometimes (my level of Japanese is functional, but not really conversational if that makes sense...plus sometimes I just wanna speak my language and there aren't that many opportunities here to say the least).

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***I been to Vancouver only once and it was only for a few days, but I dont know it just did nothing for me for some reason (part of it was because it was winter and since I had only lived in California at the time, it was the coldest weather I ever experienced lol).

It seems like a great city, but I dont know, there was nothing about it that made me want to go again.***

It's not the kind of place that you go to for a few days or even a couple of weeks, that's very true (save your money for New York or Hong Kong for that!).

I don't know...it's the daily life vibe that I really fell in love with (I was there for an entire 3 months so I really got into the pace of the place). PLUS, it's not just the city proper but the surroundings are awesome too. The mountains, Stanley Park, the people (Canadians are really cool folks, even if they don't like Americans much lol), the countryside, English Bay, the free flowing mary jane, gastown, the cruise ships heading out for Alaska, taking a ferry over to Vancouver Island (amazing in itself as a bit of jolly old England in North America!), seeing Orcas swim by...I dunno.

I can't really put my finger on it, but that just seems like such a HAPPY place to live, for me.

The climate does detract, though. Ugh. (why do all the COOL cities have to be so COLD!!??) I was there for a summer, so I didn't experience anything but nice, cool weather.

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

Well luckily their lack of English is what got me a job there .

But sure I hear you, which is why I know UNLESS I can speak fluent Japanese it would be hard to live there and do anything on a full time basis (and waaay more easier to pick up on the girls too ). And you know how my Japanese was lol.

But I must admit, living in an English speaking country like America and Australia, you suddenly realize how EASY everything is lol. Yeah, Asia is great, but even in those countries where English is spoken more highly, you still sometimes lack a lot of cultural tools that even straight verbal communication fails you on. You're both speaking the same language and then not at the same time . Not so in western places (or not as much I should say).

Thats the beauty of living in a culture so different from your own though, everyday can still be an adventure .

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

<<It's not the kind of place that you go to for a few days or even a couple of weeks, that's very true (save your money for New York or Hong Kong for that!).

I don't know...it's the daily life vibe that I really fell in love with (I was there for an entire 3 months so I really got into the pace of the place). PLUS, it's not just the city proper but the surroundings are awesome too. The mountains, Stanley Park, the people (Canadians are really cool folks, even if they don't like Americans much lol), the countryside, English Bay, the free flowing mary jane, gastown, the cruise ships heading out for Alaska, taking a ferry over to Vancouver Island (amazing in itself as a bit of jolly old England in North America!), seeing Orcas swim by...I dunno.>>

Its funny because it really does sound similar to Sydney . I mean, the beautiful harbour and ferries to take to Manly beach or North Sydney, whale watching too, lots of beautiful scenery and camping not too far from the city, blue mountains, looots of drinking holes (that i spent alooot of time in lol), laid back, lots of cool and friendly people (most Aussies really do fit the 'no worries' stereotype, much more than I thought) and unlike Vancouver, generally good weather all year round like SoCal .

Yeah, I would say Sydney would be on top of my list of places to live forever...problem is its so far away from a proper Disney theme park . But yeah, a very nice place for most I think. I met lots of people who hated it lol, but for me its great .

And I think Australia in general was recently voted the 2nd best country to live in the world. Norway was number one IIRC, but I have ZERO interest to live there lol, I dont care how nice the social services are there. I would shoot myself from the boredom and weather alone .

 

Originally Posted By friendofdd

What a treat it is to eavesdrop on a conversation between two of my favorite people.

I will give some thought as to where I would like to live and post it later.

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

For me, I'd say Hong Kong, and for many of the reasons already mentioned. Tremendous city, huge mix of cultures, yet a Western legal system and English as an official language so you can actually get around and get things done as a resident (without everything being "weird" like it is in Japan ) I have a huge print of the skyline on my office wall that I'm looking at right now - what a sight.

Mr X, if you missed Vancouver in the winter, then you missed Whistler. Best skiing in North America, many would say, and Whistler Village has a great atmosphere.

 

Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie

I would choose either Victoria, BC because I love the city, the people and the weather or Caye Caulker, Belize again because I love the people, the weather and who would not want to live in a tropical paradise. Only problem there would be the occasional hurricane.

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

***Mr X, if you missed Vancouver in the winter, then you missed Whistler. Best skiing in North America, many would say, and Whistler Village has a great atmosphere.***

This is true, and Whistler was oft talked about around those parts with pride.

 

Originally Posted By friendofdd

I love living in SoCal, so this would have to be a second home for me.

I would like to have a manor house in the English Cotswolds.

 

Originally Posted By bobbelee9

Ok, I'm of retirement age, but not retired yet. I love the seasonal changes of New England, but I have come to hate the cold and especially the ice. So for me, it's retire to 4 rooms at the Poly, converted into an apartment. I'd like a part-time job at WDW in finance.
When I was a kid we lived it Florida, and every October, we spent a couple weeks at Lake Lure, NC. That was beautiful country. It's probably all built up now, but I'd like it the way it was in the mid-50's. That could be my summer home.

 

Originally Posted By WilliamK99

I have found the perfect place to live, Vilseck Germany, located in the heart of Bavaria. A small town, but with everything you need. About 2 hours from Prague, 3 hours from Austria, 4 hours from Berlin, and 7 hours from Paris and Southern Italy.

I have already been here 3 years, and probably going to stay here for at least the next 6 to 10 years... Who knows, I may never move back to the States...

 

Originally Posted By Mr X

I have never had the pleasure of experiencing Europe, but I have the feeling that my perspectives might change if I have the chance to get over there sometime.

I'm particularly drawn to Germany, actually, since I'm a big fan of German food and beer.

Just out of curiosity, can you remain as long as you like, or is it contingent on remaining on active duty or something? It'd be so nice to pick and choose countries (for example, to relocate to Vancouver), but figuring out how to be there logistically is so tough! (fortunately I have Japan in the bag, now I just need permanent visas in a few other countries to keep my options open lol).

Anyway, sounds like you're in an ideal place William. Happy to hear it! How's the weather there?

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

I'd like to have a few smaller places around the world, as opposed to one big place. I love Tokyo and London. I wouldn't necessarily want to live in the city, but nearby...I guess I'm so used to suburban living that I'd feel more comfortable with that. I was born in California, and my mom lives there when she's not with me. I love it there too, there being SoCal, mostly it's the weather, and being close to Disneyland.