I’m in London.
I’ve always considered myself a city person. To be happy, I need people around, and access to quirky events and cultural activities. I don’t need mountains, forests or oceans, or even lakes, unlike my partner B., who needs a quick route to Nature, and more than just a nice park. I’m content with some trees here and there, myself. What I really need is a bit of a buzz, some bookshops, organic grocers, activist demonstrations from time to time…
When I first moved to Ann Arbor, MI (population: 114, 024, of which about 37,000 are University of Michigan students), I swore (repeatedly), “This is the smallest place I am ever going to live!” And that may be true. Before Ann Arbor I had lived in cities such as Boston, Kyoto, Madrid, and yes, briefly London as well…
But in Ann Arbor I learned to love small. Small doesn’t necessarily mean dull. Ann Arbor has great music, lots of bookstores and literary events, decent food (and some excellent food), the best used CD store I’ve ever patronized. It also has good vibes, is close to a major city with interesting history (Detroit), and also has recreational opportunities with lakes and forested parks not too far away. Ann Arbor has a thriving queer scene, a deep history of activism, and all sorts of quirky groups and events. And when I lived in Ann Arbor, I could roll out of bed and be at work/school in 10 minutes. I could walk anywhere I wanted to be within 25 minutes. It was easy to go home for dinner and then go out to a movie or the theater or to meet friends or attend a lecture. Small in size, large (enough) in scale.
After Ann Arbor, I moved to Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver has a lot to offer, but it takes forever to get from one place to another. My commute to work averages 45 minutes, which bites a huge chunk out of my day. I could live closer to where I work, but I prefer to live in a more vibrant, energetic part of town. Once I get home for dinner, though, it takes a lot to get out again. I hardly ever listen to live music, largely because the shows I want to go to start late and end late, and also because I don’t want to trek halfway across town again. Even though Vancouver has lots more going on than Ann Arbor, I don’t take advantage of it because it is all so spread out.
London is a different thing altogether. This place is HUGE. The buildings are enormous. I’ve been to New York and I’ve been to Tokyo, and it’s a similar energy: everything moving fast and living large. I don’t know that I’d want to live so large. I’ve come to appreciate some things about small.
That said, the tube here is so efficient. Maybe I’d be motivated to go halfway across the city for an event because it really doesn’t take too long to get around. Or maybe I’m just an enthusiastic tourist.
And I am! We’re about to go to the Tate Modern, to the Borough Market, and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
