Elsewhere

[quasigeostrophy]

There's a feeling I get when traveling that I associate with certain cities to varying degrees. I was trying to describe the concept to mac_arthur_park the other day, and she thinks it's just me. Having grown up and lived my entire life in the 1.2 million population Indianapolis metro area, and knowing the personality of the city quite well, I can tell when traveling to other cities fairly quickly if the personality is different. No judgments on quality or whether one city is better or worse than another, just different. I don't really feel elsewhere in Columbus, OH; Chicago (which I can tell is much larger, but just feels to me like Indianapolis would if it was that large); or even Louisville, KY. The elsewhere feeling is very strong in Boston (which I love and am very acclimated to and familiar with), San Francisco (ditto), and even Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Minneapolis, which are both Midwestern similarly-sized (especially to Indianapolis) metro areas. Am I nuts or is this a reasonable characteristic I'm describing, at least from personal perception?

Comments

[lysana.livejournal.com]

I have similar perceptions. San Francisco and San Jose feel different on levels not explainable by simple architecture. Ditto Seattle and what I've seen of Portland, OR. And Boston. And LA (which, gods help me, came across like a giant soap bubble to me). I'm most comfortable in San Jose and SF, with Seattle a close third.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Hoo yeah. I can definitely tell a difference between San Jose and San Francisco. Seattle pings waaaay over on my "elsewhere meter". Portland gives me a similar feel to Seattle, but less extreme. I like visiting both cities, but don't think I could live there without serious adjustment. That may actually be one of the underlying/subconscious factors for me, and I wonder if it's from having lived in one place for so long but being fairly well-traveled. Haven't experienced LA yet.

[asetwoman.livejournal.com]

Not nuts, though Indianapolis felt a lot different to me than Chicago does. There are certainly different feelings I associate with different cities.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I could see if someone is more familiar with Chicago, that coming to Indy would feel more differently than going the other way does to me. So many more resources - like a semi-decent mass transit system for one.

I made a comment to Al, I think, the other day, sitting in rush hour traffic here, that Indianapolis may take a long time to get anywhere close to Chicago's size, population, and diversity, but it's certainly trying to approximate the traffic as quickly as possible. :-)

[catzen.livejournal.com]

Am I nuts

Hardly. Different places have different vibes, some just more different than others (that has a familiar, Animal Farm ring, doesn't it?). The vibes have been merging a lot, especially over the past several decades, but they still vary.

Speech differs in vocabulary, pronunciation of individual phonemes, musicality, etc. Clothing can differ. Food and other smells drifting from restaurants, parks, etc. vary.

All I can say is...

Thank. Fucking. God.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Thank. Fucking. God.

No argument there. :-)

[elmegil.livejournal.com]

There's a feeling I get...

When I look to the west
and my spirit is crying for
leave
ing

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

*snerk*

babbly reply, I know.

[karenthecroccy.livejournal.com]

Some cities just bristle with an undercurrent, like there's stuff going on that you want to know about and if you found the right person, they'd tell you about it. Other cities have a busy feel, but it's an empty feeling.

Cleveland feels similar to Buffalo. So does Brooklyn (I know it's *part* of a city...). I felt so odd in Boston (but it was a good odd). My father swears that Philly feels like a huge Buffalo. Nothing felt more foreign to me than Tampa.

It's not something I can easily explain. It's a mixture of sights, sounds, smells and the way the locals interact that makes me *feel* a certain way. Sometimes it's lethargy, sometimes it's sadness, sometimes it's excitement and sometimes it just feels right.

Lots of my friends liked the feel of Buffalo when they came and visited for more than a day or two.

Re: babbly reply, I know.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I think you're hitting what I was having trouble explaining too - the sights, sounds, mood, etc.

Lots of my friends liked the feel of Buffalo when they came and visited for more than a day or two.

I've only passed through a couple of times. May have to change that sometime. :-)