For the rest of you: What is it about big cities that you like?

I don’t need a car. The savings on that subsidizes the extra rent.

Great, rich histories; diverse people; theater everywhere; fantastic views from high, high floors; the convenience of going from the bar to the grocery store to the bar to the park to the bar; great professional opportunities; and my friends come to me.

Different people everywhere. All creeds, nationality, beliefs, styles, genres, cultures. Plenty of awesome stores, places to see, things to do. Adventures to have.

Sure beats my small hamlet where the only people who don’t freak at the sight of a Goth are bikers, haha.

The small-town ambiance. Really! I know my neighbors better than I ever did in the suburbs. I know the mail carrier. I can walk to the grocery store (two actually), movie theater, hardware store, library, barber, salon, pet store, bank and Sears. Plus more restaurants than I can count, from the $3 burrito place on my block to some locally acclaimed pricey places. At least three dozen religious denominations are within a few blocks in case I were a churchgoer.

Venturing out of my neighborhood, I am 10 to 30 minutes from beaches, world-class theaters, and some of the most visited museums on Earth.

The architecture and parks are inspiring, in beauty and sheer immensity and density. People did amazing work here, from the architects and city planners to the bricklayers, and I feel I should work hard and maintain the head-start they gave us.

Any weekend I can go on some new adventure without leaving town. The size of the place means there is always something new to me.

Airfares are cheap when I travel elsewhere.

Big cities are the most efficient way for people to live. Living in cities creates the least greenhouse gasses. Transportation is more efficient; people have to drive smaller distances, or they don’t have to drive at all.

In addition, you have access to a wider variety of everything: food, restaurants, entertainment and on and on.

Cities can foster very close relationships with neighbors and other networks that are spread out more widely across the city. There is more to do in cities. Cities are kind of a real world analog of the internet. If you want it, we got it. Even green space and hiking and horseback riding and so on.

Being a part of something big,
sittin on the hill and taking a swig,
of an imported beer, enjoying the view,
always new things to see and do.

You can always find yourself a place,
No limitations of background or race,
Opportunities abound, limitless potential,
Scale makes your mistakes seem inconsequential.

Living life in the global community,
Greet total strangers, with a strange sense of unity,
Exist at the forefront of civilization,
Facilitate cultural desegregation.

I like the anonymity it allows. I am invisible and can just watch people.
At night the sounds of the city have a pulse.

There are tons of cultrural activities at hand. Concerts with the Boston Philharmonic and the Boston Pops. Jazz and new genre at Berklee College of Music and the local clubs. There are museums that are constantly bringing in new exhibits from all around the world. Just to name a few, there’s The Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Art, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Children’s Museum, USS Constitution Museum, Museum Of Afro American History and John F Kennedy Library to name a few. There are over 40 here.

I can live here with a very low carbon footprint. There’s lots of public transportation, everything I need for life (except occasional wide-open spaces) is right here. I can get terrific values on fresh fruits and vegetables at our Haymarket. Not only do they offer and incredible varieties of produce. The bargains can be phenomenal if you know how and when to shop. Stuff like a 25 pound box of oranges or grapefruits for $5, a 5 pound flat of tomatoes for $1. Three heads of Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce for a buck. A big bag of red chard for a buck. You just have to know how to wait till the vendor is almost ready to go home and wants to clear out the last of the stuff at a loss rather than pack it up and watch it spoil. :-)

I love being close to everything.
I love people. Lots of people. All the time.
I love being able to walk to most places, or just get a taxi. Plus I’m not a fan of driving anyways.
I like noise.
I love being able to experiences lots of different cultures in a small area. Think Little Italy, Chinatown, etc.
I love being around tourist attractions. I don’t know why.
I like having lots of options for everything and not having to go far to get them. Food, shopping, activities, etc.
I love knowing that there is always something to do or see.
I could really go on forever :)

the best is the view of them from my rear view mirror….beautiful

I live about 20 minutes from downtown Nashville.
I live close enough to our international airport, that i can watch the planes take off and land, withouth all the noise.
I have all the services of a Metropolitan form of government.
I have many big universities and colleges within 10 miles of my home and big city.
And, my city is big, but not too big. lots of friendly folks in Nashville.

There’s always something going on in a big city; things are always changing.

You’re closer to a wider variety of shops, which are open longer and later. Things are cheaper when there’s plenty of competition nearby.

Emergency services are not as far away.

Public transport.

More people. Especially with the internet these days, you’re more likely to find someone with similar interests nearby if you live in a well-populated area. Besides, I enjoy having lots of people around: it’s comforting and interesting.

This is quite specific to my interests, but the presence of a professional theatre scene is a huge drawcard. Big cities are also more likely to attract touring acts. I don’t mean to say that creative self-expression is impossible in a small town, but larger cities are far more open, even encouraging, and if you want to make a career out of it there’s nowhere else to be.

I think the only reason i like cities is because everything is relatively close by – any shop, restaurant (or anything really!) you need is within a few kilometres from where’re you’re at at any given time. In SA we can’t get by without a car even in cities though, things are not THAT close together and public transport is, well, not so good.

Big city means big events…big awesome events like Taste of Chicago and huge Lollapallooza Concerts. It also means some of the best Museums, zoos and aquariums in the world.

Having a choice of interesting things to do and places to go no matter what time of day or evening.

More choice of shops, restaurants etc and more variety within walking distance.

Being able to travel around on public transport without having to rely on other people to take me in a car. Public transport that runs late so I can go to events in the evening and not worry about how I’m going to get home.

Major music & sporting events locally.