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Post by Fuzznuts on Mar 1, 2006 9:39:08 GMT -5
If anybody's planning on going tourist in Florida, I would highly recommend St. Augustine. Sure, parts of it are a tourist trap, but there's actual history and soul there. The town's about 500 years old, and you can see some amazing stuff there. I think I posted some pics of me and my wife there on the Friends and Family board a while back.
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Post by Paul on Mar 1, 2006 9:39:59 GMT -5
If anybody's planning on going tourist in Florida, I would highly recommend St. Augustine. Sure, parts of it are a tourist trap, but there's actual history and soul there. The town's about 500 years old, and you can see some amazing stuff there. I think I posted some pics of me and my wife there on the Friends and Family board a while back. That's the oldest city in the U.S., right? |
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Post by Galactus on Mar 1, 2006 10:25:30 GMT -5
Arkansas, whichever city is located directly across the Miss from Memphis smells like feet.
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Post by Fuzznuts on Mar 1, 2006 10:31:30 GMT -5
That would be West Memphis.
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Post by Fuzznuts on Mar 1, 2006 10:36:17 GMT -5
That's the oldest city in the U.S., right? Yep. Here's a shot of Flagler College:  |
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Post by Fuzznuts on Mar 1, 2006 10:38:37 GMT -5
And part of the old Castillo de San Marcos, with fucking CANNONS!  |
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Post by Fuzznuts on Mar 1, 2006 10:54:04 GMT -5
I think the worst city I've ever been to and lived in was Decatur, IL. I lived there for the three longest years of my life when I worked for Caterpillar. This is a city in a constant downward spiral. Smack in the middle of (nowhere) the state, there is nothing but decay and garbage. It's also the home to Archer-Daniels-Midland and Staley Manufacturing, the largest grain processing facility in the country, maybe the world. The smells that belch out of that place 24-7 and permeate the whole city range from hot ass to rotten dog food to rancid fried potatoes to mystery stank. The crime and drugs have migrated down I-55 from the south side of Chicago, and if you wanted to do anything worth a damn, you'd have to drive an hour to Champaign or Bloomington or Springfield. Damn I'm glad I'm out of that shithole.
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Post by Mary on Mar 1, 2006 13:54:26 GMT -5
Ouch fuzznuts, Decatur sounds like an absolute nightmare!! Yeah Rocky, I was definitely going to put up Grand Rapids, but then I started thinking about how limited my experience of the city really was - most of my hatred derived from a couple of bizarre comments from a taxicab driver and a waitress, and from the fact that I was staying at a "Christian hotel" on the campus of Calvin College which made me feel like a total alien. I had no car, and it was pretty cold while I was there, so I had to go on a ridiculously endless walk to get to the main drag from my hotel, so by the time I got there I was so fucking cold that I grabbed dinner and basically immediately went back to the hotel. So I decided, in fairness to Grand Rapids, I don't really have enough information to judge it... I looked it up on the Wikipedia and was surprised to find that the city itself (NOT the metro area which includes suburbs) went for both Gore and Kerry in the last two presidential elections, and by pretty solid margins. The city's mayor is also listed as "left of center" on Wikipedia. The place still felt ultraconservative and scary-fundamentalist to me, but I started to wonder if maybe I was being unfair. re: Orlando - my poor brother actually just moved to Orlando a few months - a victim of the academic job market, like myself. But of course, when you HAVE to move somewhere, you TRY to find some good in it - so he points out that the city is putting serious effort into downtown revitalization right now, and that it is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with large numbers of young professionals moving in, so he hopes this migration will start to affect the character of the city. Good fuckin luck, though... Now, if anyone was going to post how much they hated Memphis, please please please bite your lip! I can't hear that right before I move there, you'll make me miserable.... be kind...  Cheers, M |
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Post by rockysigman on Mar 1, 2006 14:19:46 GMT -5
I looked it up on the Wikipedia and was surprised to find that the city itself (NOT the metro area which includes suburbs) went for both Gore and Kerry in the last two presidential elections, and by pretty solid margins. The city's mayor is also listed as "left of center" on Wikipedia. The place still felt ultraconservative and scary-fundamentalist to me, but I started to wonder if maybe I was being unfair. Grand Rapids certainly has a reputation within the state of Michigan of being ultraconservative (or at least, in metro Detroit and especially Ann Arbor). But I suppose that could be because, to a lot of people on the east side of the state, all of west Michigan is viewed that way (except for Kalamazoo), so Grand Rapids, being the biggest city on the west side of the state, might just be assumed to fall into that category. I'm pretty certain that suburban Grand Rapids is pretty ultraconservative Christian though. I had a friend in college from Rockford (which is just outside of Grand Rapids) who definately described it that way, as well as a good friend from Grand Haven, which is a little bit further away, but close enough that Grand Rapids is considered to the closest real city to there, and she certainly always viewed that area to be like that. It was mainly the comments from your cabbie that I had in mind, by the way. |
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Post by Galactus on Mar 1, 2006 14:19:59 GMT -5
No, no I loved Memphis...just don't cross the river.
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Post by Mary on Mar 1, 2006 14:40:13 GMT -5
No, no I loved Memphis...just don't cross the river. Oh, I knew you didn't mean Memphis specifically - but I was just pre-empting anyone who might be inclined to rant against Memphis... though I'm kinda excited to explore Mississippi and Arkansas. I know that sounds crazy, but.... these are states I never imagined I'd set foot in, and now they're both right in my backyard, and I think it will be culturally...interesting. I never wanted to move there, but, eh.... I did always want to do a road trip across the South, at any rate. rocky - yeah, I'm sure the Grand Rapids burbs are indeed crazy bastions of the religious right. I mean, the city itself, if I remember correctly, has like 3 or 4 private Christian colleges and not a single secular university or college, except maybe a small college of art (?). And the city will no doubt reflect its atmosphere and be relatively conservative - at the same time, though, almost any city is invariably more liberal than its surrounding burbs - cities just tend to be relatively liberal. I've been reading a lot about Tennessee lately and I gather western Michigan is kinda comparable in its reputation within the state to eastern Tennessee..... which I think I'm planning on avoiding entirely!!! Cheers, M |
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Post by Mary on Mar 1, 2006 14:40:53 GMT -5
I was just reminded of one thing I don't particularly like about SF....
EARTHQUAKES
Yes, ladies and gents, we just had one.
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Post by luke on Mar 1, 2006 14:41:19 GMT -5
Memphis is one of my favorite cities. It's like a miniature New Orleans. Probably the most exciting city in the most exciting city in the South right now.
Speaking of N.O...drove around for HOURS through the Wards and other such desolation this weekend...suppose I'll rant on it later.
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Post by rockysigman on Mar 1, 2006 14:45:36 GMT -5
I was just reminded of one thing I don't particularly like about SF.... EARTHQUAKESYes, ladies and gents, we just had one. I would imagine it must have been a relatively small one if you're still online? Probably still scary nonetheless. I've never experienced one, but the thought it scares the shit out of me. You all right over there, Mary? Everyone safe? |
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Post by Mary on Mar 1, 2006 15:11:16 GMT -5
I was just reminded of one thing I don't particularly like about SF.... EARTHQUAKESYes, ladies and gents, we just had one. I would imagine it must have been a relatively small one if you're still online? Probably still scary nonetheless. I've never experienced one, but the thought it scares the shit out of me. You all right over there, Mary? Everyone safe? Oh, totally fine, yeah - it was a pretty miniature one, such that we get maybe once a year. About 3 seconds of everything shaking. Weird feeling, but I'm used to it! Glad luke like memphis....good sign.... one thing that I'm learning about TN is how much meaning is loaded into whether you're a 'memphis person' or a 'nashville person' - defintely cities with distinct personalities... though nashville does seem to have the leg up in most peoples' preferences, but fuck most people, right? Cheers, M |
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