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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?

#311

Post by shostack »

avenoir wrote: post #244
dogismycopilot wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm here. It's not that awesome.

I moved to Denver about a year ago. It's all subjective of course, but I really struggle to understand the benefits of living in Boulder outside of a more vibrant tech scene and being a nice cozy town. The rent is ~$300-$400 more expensive. The trails are absolutely packed with people. There is beer pong and loud parties on every corner in the summer. Yes, it's a little closer to skiing resorts, but we're talking ext…

I've heard home prices are Bay Area level without similar salaries there, is that accurate? And how does that stack up against Denver?

The job market seems relatively weak in both areas compared to the Bay Area... Would you agree with that?

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

#312

Post by jaclaz »

joshvm wrote: post #289
vram22 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How's the Internet speed and cost and uptime there?

Internet is fine. The Canaries are a staging point for several transatlantic fibres. There is also an extremely active astrophysics group on both Tenerife and La Palma who shunt a lot of data around the world. You'll pay more for it, but that's because Spanish telcos are a monopoly. You might not get 100Mbit, but certainly 20M+ is normal. Tourism isn't really a problem because the tourists stick to the resorts. The u…

Actually gas is around 30 to 40% cheaper than - say - France or Germany: France 1.42:

https://gasoline-germany.com/international.phtml?kontinent=E...

Germany 1.35:

https://gasoline-germany.com/international.phtml?kontinent=E...

Canary Islands 0.89:

https://gasoline-germany.com/international.phtml?kontinent=E...

Generally speaking I would say that overall prices are 10-15% lower than continental Spain and 20-30% lower than other main EU countries (like the mentioned France and Germany).

Of course it depends on where you go and which specific city you want to compare with.

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

#313

Post by cylinder »

praneshp wrote: post #138
BigJono wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every few years I consider moving somewhere else, and then I remember I won't be able to go to the cricket and footy at the G anymore, or the tennis, or the formula one :( Melbourne has got to be one of the best cities in the world if you enjoy sports.

Ah, I forgot about tennis. I applied to UMelb and Monash back in 2011 when I was applying to grad school, but was scared off by some attacks on Indian students at the time. My sports watching life would've been so different if that had gone well. I'd put London slightly above Melbourne, it's got Tennis, Football and Cricket among others.

One thing to note is the accessibility and convenience of the events in Melbourne. The MCG and other stadiums/arenas are all in a big complex right in the heart of the city, with easy train, tram, bike, and walking access, and this includes the Australian Open tennis. The Grand Prix is in Albert Park, which is kind of like saying there's Formula 1 in Central Park NYC, kind of nuts.

Not sure about London, but in NYC, the sporting events are far away and a real drag to get to. US Open tennis is in Queens - take a subway for an hour from Grand Central, then walk a mile on a boardwalk to the stadium, and when I attended a couple of years ago the fan experience outside of the actual matches was pretty poor (and this being the US, all about promoting corporate sponsorships). NFL football is actually in New Jersey, you have to take a commuter train from Penn Station out there and back. Madison Square Garden for basketball is the exception, but the ticket prices are prohibitive. Baseball is in the Bronx, which is not so bad, but I haven't done it.

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

#314

Post by cylinder »

sumedh wrote: post #142
andrewhyde wrote: post #69

Melbourne, Australia needs to be on your list. Pros: Most livable city in the world. Great startup scene. Phenomenal transportation options. Great universities. Fantastic street art everywhere. Amazing food. USD vs. AUD is quite good for USD right now so it is pretty affordable. Cons: Internet not blazing fast. Beaches elsewhere in Australia are much better (it is on a bay = no waves).

Another con is that there is no Amazon here which was surprising to me, India has a better ecommerce services compared to Aus.

that's the biggest con, lack of Amazon Prime, but probably because Amazon couldn't get away with the way they treat workers if they built distribution centers there, there are high wages and strong labor laws and Amazon likes to abuse temps. However, there's eBay for third-party marketplace sellers. Amazon is coming, but likely testing the market with a limited Prime Now service. Costco came recently as well as many other global / US retailers.

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

#315

Post by blueline »

davidmr wrote: post #249
blueline wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

nobody who is posting on HN will be living in englewood or east garfield park, so the relative effect of crime increases in chicago is almost totally irrelevant to their decision. It's a problem I want desperately to be solved too, but not because I'm deluded into thinking it's going to affect me in any way. Other than the cold/hot weather, there's nothing more I could want out of chicago. As you said, the cost of li…

Maybe you and I have different interpretations of what affects us, but I'm still affected if I live in a city with a dramatically increasing murder rate, even if I'm not likely to be murdered. I have friends working in trauma care at hospitals, for the police and fire department, I volunteer my time in neighborhoods I don't live in, etc. More than that, I have a hard time saying that the problems of people just a few…

No, i'm on the same page as you completely, i just mean that the representation of the issue as if the shooting is indiscriminate or random and anyone is equally likely to be affected bothers me.

people that arent from chicago think it's a warzone. They're right, but it's only that way for the people unfortunate enough to be living in the small number of areas that are so disproportionately affected by it.

To me, it removes weight from the actual truth (that a proportionally smaller number of people are being horribly affected by the violence) to represent it as something that everyone is facing some comparable likelihood of being shot/hurt.

It is a Chicago problem, not just a south/west side problem, and I think everyone here should feel empathetic and responsible for helping us all get past the issue, but I guess I just don't like it being represented as if well-to-do people face anything even remotely comparable to those in austin or englewood etc.

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

#316

Post by adrianh »

Fifer82 wrote: post #295
mbrock wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing it's Broodje Bert.

This is the one! I don't even tend to go to small places, it was like a calling.

Thanks for the heads up. I've eaten at Broodje Bert before but haven't tried the BLT. Lunch tomorrow! :-)

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

#317

Post by uiri »

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

Not that much worse than Minneapolis:

Average low in Jan: 7.5 F (~ -13 C)

Record low: -41 F (~ -41 C)

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

#318

Post by cylinder »

varjag wrote: post #104
Apreche wrote: post #23

I'm already there. It's NYC. The only thing I would change is to give us some tropical weather.

Been there only once for a couple weeks, but it's the best city ever, hands down. A hub of many industries and the urbanite heaven. Having visited many of the usual suspects referred in this thread plus some, nothing compares really.

Believe me I don't mean this with any offense and condescension. But you do need to live in NYC for a few years to decide. Most who do this will end up leaving, but some really love it and give 100% effort to never leave it. I would say it really depends on your job/career here. Good place to try either way and it will open one's eyes and also help one figure out what they want in life.

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

#319

Post by cylinder »

swah wrote: post #75

While I would love to live on those places, I'm almost sure living close to either mine or my wife's parents is a better strategy for overall happiness and mental sanity... But maybe in 15 years?

Heh, yeah. It is hard enough to have a dog without family around, I don't know how people do it with kids. If grandparents are willing to help you save a ton on childcare and both parents can continue to work, which increases your income and savings. Fortunately my wife's family lives in a great city. Unfortunately, it's 17hrs flight from my family.

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

#320

Post by cylinder »

miguelrochefort wrote: post #262

New York or San Francisco. With their salaries, I could retire at 30 instead of 65.

Have you looked into the rent and taxes in NYC?

As a determined single person chasing FIRE you probably could pull off some arbitrage by renting a room somewhere far, but a more reasonable lifestyle and raising a family, I doubt it.

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