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Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

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Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#171

Post by sb8244 »

ajkjk wrote: post #30
dvcrn wrote: post #13

Seoul. The city is so damn modern and the energy of Korea is amazing. It's so easy to get dragged into the fast-paced, high-energy lifestyle just by being exposed to other people long enough. Transportation is cheap, it's very easy to reach other places in Asia and Korean people are very friendly (IMO). If you like technology and shiny new things, Korea is definitely the place to be.

Do you know the language? Is it necessary to in order to feel that life is as fast-paced as you mention?

Once you can read/speak (not necessarily understanding much) then you can get around pretty well. The translation apps are really good and I didn't find myself using them often. I found young Korean people to be pretty good at English with decreasing ability up through the ages.

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#172

Post by ido »

DyslexicAtheist wrote: post #125

Vienna. In the heart of Europe and just short drive away from every one of these: Italy Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland. ranked best place to live [1] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/23/vienna-name... I'm not saying that the best thing about Vienna is the highway that get away from it (LOL), but as a foreigner it's the perfect "beach head" to explore the contin…

Lived in Vienna for 8 years, now in Berlin for the past 3. Vienna the city is great but I'd definitely say the biggest downside are the Viennese (I know this is ironically the most Viennese thing I could say).

Basically everywhere in the German speaking world it's considered kinda weird to talk to strangers and people are quite...Shy, I guess? It's always the thing I appreciate most on visits to Canada, the US or the UK, just how talkative and nice people are.

This applies more to Austrians than to (north) Germans, and the Viennese are additionaly also grumpy and complain about everything, despite living in one of the cities with fewest things to complain about.

Also personally felt a lot less accepting of foreigners than Berlin. I far more often felt like a curious attraction and "obviously" you're not really Austrian if you're not ethnically Austrian, even if you speak German and have lived in Vienna your whole life.

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#173

Post by ThomPete »

Xcelerate wrote: post #168
ThomPete wrote: post #162

Already here. New York. If you like urban life, as long as you can pay your bills it's the best and most interesting city in the world. It also helps with a good view :) http://000fff.org/uploads/PH6.jpg

Okay, I'm jealous of that view... that's literally my ideal apartment. And you've provided a great counterargument for everyone who says you can't have children in a city. As someone who just finished grad school, there's no way I could afford that though haha

It's not cheap thats for sure and my wife isn't working.

But New York although expensive is surprisingly child friendly and have experienced a surge in the number of people with kids (think like 30% in the last 5 years.)

Once they hit Kindergarten there is plenty of good schools for free. I am hoping to be able to stay here for many years and have my boys be real New Yorkers.

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#174

Post by mlvljr »

dmichulke wrote: post #127
bevax wrote: post #84

One place? I could limit my choice down to three for different reasons. * Kazan, Russia. A big city with a great architecture, interesting people and a broad mix of cultures. Also, part of family is not too far away. * Finland, mostly because I am interested in their education system and my child gets into that age… Otherwise it's also a tech hot spot, plenty great people and projects originated there. * Crete, Greec…

I advise Kazan (here pronounced caution ) though: Average low in Jan/Feb: -13 deg. C (~ 8 F) Record low: -47 deg C (~ -52 F) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan#Climate

Come on, these records are more of a joke, practically speaking :)

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#175

Post by dasboth »

rsoto wrote: post #32

Hiroshima, I just love the city. Although I would certainly not work there, as the working conditions are a bit stressful. I'll try to focus on my SaaS and have a nice, steady income to turn my dream true.

Out of all the places I visited in Japan earlier this year, Hiroshima is the one where I'd happily live. Well, if we forget about the working culture and the language barrier... :)

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#176

Post by zahllos »

StavrosK wrote: post #88
alinalex wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for your answer, @sawmurai. For me, the western part would be a better fit since I already have some working experience with french language. I would have to move with my girlfriend who is in the insurance business, so I guess Geneva would be a good fit for her as well

Apparently the costs are very, very high, though, and renting a flat is really hard (owners want your bank balance/history). At least that's what some friends who moved to Geneva told me.

I live in the western part of Switzerland, not far from Geneva.

I think you've possibly misunderstood what you have been told by your friends - you don't need to show your bank balance to a landlord. However, it is true that you have to apply with a dossier of files as specified by the agency or landlord and you can expect these to contain a copy of your contract (and so your salary) and also a statement from the local debt/claims agency (best English approximation I can think of for "office de poursuites/Betreibungs- und Konkursämtern") attesting to the fact you do not have any outstanding claims against you. It is unlikely as a foreigner that you will.

However the essence of what you were told is correct - there is a lot of demand for apartments in Geneva and Zürich. The occupancy rate is well over 99%. It is less a case of searching for the flat you like and applying than applying for many apartments and hoping you are chosen by the landlord.

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#177

Post by kelvin0 »

carlob wrote: post #78
jraby3 wrote: post #8

Tel Aviv, Israel. Perfect weather and beaches. Beautiful girls. Amazing tech companies and funding. Unbelievable nightlife.

What about the politics?

I hear the settlements are beautiful this time of the year. Seriously though, it looks like an interesting place and quite polarized in many ways, I might be wrong.

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#178

Post by rockyj »

Berlin. Live here and love it. Reasonably big, multicultural city with excellent public transport. You can go anywhere within 1 hour by public transport (average 25 mins). Eat any cuisine anytime, tons of startups, meetups and social events. All backed by excellent German education, innovation + social support.

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#179

Post by dasboth »

dijit wrote: post #106
rajathagasthya wrote: post #62

London. A great city with amazing history and culture, tons of things to do, other European cities are hours away if you want to travel and has a good tech scene. Add to that, it has a fantastic public transport system and no language barrier. And of course, you can watch Premier League games every weekend!

I don't know if you've lived there or not, but I'm going to assume you haven't and give you my experience over 3 years. 1) Public transport is good, when it works. It often doesn't. 2) Public transport is good, until you have a job that has structured hours- which is most jobs, as evidenced by the INSANE rush hour. 20 minutes in some guys armpit feels like multiple hours. 3) You can't afford to live somewhere nice. I…

That's a fair account of the reality of life in London. Of course the abundance of jobs, great tech scene and endless things to do are all true, but it's not all as good as it sounds.

I'd add one more:

5) Forget going to Premier League games every weekend, it's near impossible to get a ticket if you don't know a season ticket holder!

Re: Ask HN: If you could live and work somewhere, where would it be?

#180

Post by dasboth »

kchoudhu wrote: post #20

Granada or Cordoba in Spain. Would need central air conditioning in summer though.

+1 for Granada. Probably my favourite place I've visited to date, but the job market doesn't sound great. If you can get a remote gig though, what a place to live.
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