Dream place to live. What is that for you?
 

Hello everyone! :)
I haven't found a similar thread on the forum thus decided to make a new one. Just wonder what is your dream place to live there on a permanent basis? Say, you have got all the money in the world and you can choose any state, any place, anything to move there. What would you pick?

I will start http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/i...es/biggrin.png
I would choose either Spain or Italy. I am more inclined to choose Spain. Great country in terms of education, real estate market, food quality etc. And I am a fan of Valencia as well but I don't want to live in a big city. I prefer some small resorts by the sea like Costa Calida, the approximately 250 km stretch of Mediterannean coastline of the Spanish province of Murcia. Something like that https://virtoproperty.com/property-f...e/costa-calidahttps://esprod.blob.core.windows.net...41f07/ad2d.jpg

The deepest forest in Maine in the United States, at least 15 miles from civilization from any angle, with 1 road in/out. I can deal with spiders, mosquitos, bears, wolves, moose. I can't deal with people anymore!

I'd love to be able to have my main house all set, but hand build a barn for car storage/work. It'll have a huge loft with skylights for a clay throwing / painting studio... Oh, and making my own snowmobile trail circuit

California, duh :bonk:

USA, somewhere in the northeastern mountains between central Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

...

Or here...
https://www.tripsavvy.com/thmb/xj2Q2...0001d442b1.jpg

Lol

"All the money in the world" may not be able to buy happiness, but it certainly solves a lot of problems. Even California.

This is totally me being honest - do people actually like California? I imagine the weather is nice, but there is nice weather in a lot of places.

California to me seems like the absolute last place besides New York City that I could live. Of course, that's just my opinion, but what do people like in California? Again, I'm being serious, I have no idea. Not judging anyone

I’m not a big city person but otherwise I have no problem with it. I like NorCal more then SoCal.

There are massive parts of the state that are actually pretty remote, and it has a variety of different geographic regions. Granted, a lot of the more forested places are likely to burn down once in a while or be susceptible to earthquakes. One thing about CA weather is it's nice every single day.

Right where I live this very moment.
But with a garage.
I would really like a garage.

Doesn't sun every single day get boring? I need some snowstorms and temperature variance

I liked my visits there. What people think of as "California" is more the product of movies and TV I think. Much of what I visited and drove through is not much different than here or any other largeish city, small town or rural area I have visited. Hide the palm trees and drop somebody most of the sate and they probably couldn't tell you if they were in the PNW, Main or The south.
Even the people are about the same. Go to Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver (BC) and you will probably find that the people are no better than LA or the other locations people like to critique so much.

Yeah I've never been so I can't really say, I guess. I've spent a few weeks in Arizona and Alabama; long enough for me to know that I'd miss snow for part of the year

Same here, I have come to appreciate having 4 distinguishable seasons.

I would NEVER miss snow.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AngelicCom...apig-small.gif

This sentiment is sort of exagerated. As others pointed out, California is a lot larger than just "the beach", which is what's most often portrayed.

We have mountainous areas with lakes and forests. We have desert regions. We even somewhat have flat farm land (not quite "plains" but similar, open landscape).

While the beach-y areas definitely are *mostly* sunny year round, you can definitely see stuff like leaves changing colors and snow depending on the mountains you visit or choose to live in.

Also, if you think summers are always sunny and warm in California, I'd encourage you to visit Daly City or the Sunset District of SF with Ocean Beach in July.

It gets very cold in the summer around those parts. Not "brrr snow" cold, but chilly with very dense fog and also wind. On some cold nights that time of year you may even get down to 45 or 50ish in your house.

Of course, drive just 10 miles south or east and that fog burns off and you have hot 80's or higher during the summer. :bonk:

Unfortunately I have lost the pictures but I distinctly recall a trip to San Jose in January with bunch of Norcal guys in parkas, gloves and hats shivering in the parking lot of the pizza place while @Ultramaroon and I stood very comfortably in shorts and T shirts. I guess "chilly" is all in perspective.

Haha, I need negative temperatures to thrive! We've had frost where I am already, the highs are in the 50s right now!

I appreciate the insight though, I do figure that my perspective is extremely narrow

C'mon... Not even just a few inches? I wouldn't miss the 2 foot dumpings a few times a year, but I like the flurries

Honestly lately I've had the itch to live in Japan.

I've just had such a great time on both trips there in the past couple years. The scenery, architecture, nature, food, and culture are pretty wonderful.

But on the other hand, I also don't fit in with all of the different culture there, so I think being realistic I could never do it.

But there's so much there that I do enjoy. I've also been able to make friends with so many people despite the language barrier, so it doesn't seem impossible to have somewhat of a social life there despite the fact that many Japanese would see me as an outsider.

The crazy thing is that ever since my first trip there last year, and especially since my trip there in February, I can't stop thinking about Japan in some form almost every day.

It probably doesn't help that I see my Japanese friends on social media hanging out/going tracking at the circuit/whatever and feel like I'm missing out.

A week or two ago I had a dream I was living there, and in the past few days I had another dream where I was driving a RHD BRZ/86 there (which I've actually done both times I visited). I don't usually have such vivid dreams lol.

And plus when ya meet a girl somewhere that obviously intensifies the feelings toward that place :bonk:. *coughs*

Fun fact, there are parts of CA where you can go surfing and snowboarding in the same day. When I say it's a variety of geography, I mean you can go from tropical paradise to desert in 1 hour, and in the next hour be in the middle of the woods climbing some mountain.

But yes, that's why I personally picked the northeastern US. I like my seasons. And Fall foliage...

Not even a heavy frost!

Ah so you'll miss light frost. There's hope!

Lol



They were so adorable, all bundled up.

Hi Jacky,

I've lived and worked in 24 countries on 4 Continents and my answer to your question is "it depends".

In the recent past I'd say Oz, particularly Noosa Heads with its tropical environs, great sports car roads, friendly locals and women who find some weird attraction to Yanks.

Since then, like so many other nations, #1 demographics, #2 politics, and #3 taxes determine lifestyle. Not so long ago #1 was topless beaches but strangely pocketbook issues overcame lust, call it long term planning.

With that in mind, ask again November 4th. There are still a few US states on my list or the alternative, Cayman Islands since I don't speak Portuguese.

Same in OR. I've skied on Mt. Hood in the AM, drove 30 miles to Hood River to windsurf in the early PM then drove to Seaside for a sunset and dinner at Norma's (the best oyster stew and Dungeness crab cakes on Earth) all on the same day.

I agree, Fall colors in New England are unique in all the world. And Winters are special too. I have fond memories of driving my FJ-40 through blizzards of "impassable" Rte. 100 to my cabin, windows down, enjoying the silence and isolation of it all. I might have felt differently if the Cruiser broke down but of course you can't kill those things on proper tires.

Right where I am.

Why? Because, just the thoughts of moving wears me out.

And, so, why, were you thrown out of 23 of them?

:iono:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APWhx97QvxE

Visiting a place and living in a place are two very different things. There was (pre bushfires and covid) supposedly a high turnover of property down on the south coast of NSW. People would holiday there on a regular basis and decide that living there would be great based on their holiday experience. Many/most? don't stay because it's not the same as holidaying there.

What are "pocketbook issues"?

Cashflow


https://m2w4k5m5.stackpathcdn.com/wp...pty-wallet.jpg

I'm with you there, but the recent wake up call with the wildfires is the main motivator to once again pack up and move out of a National Forest area. This was the second time in three years we've had to evac. Not that I can complain compared to losses experienced by others living nearby.

I’d like not to live in the same place more than 10 years. I’ve been in Sacramento for 15 and like most everything about politics, culture, and location. 100 miles to the ocean or the mountains.

Sunny days all the time aren’t my thing anymore. I’d to wake up to snow. Or Eureka, lots of rain, fog, and redwoods.

Well, that's too bad you had to evacuate twice in three years. That's got to be scary. The closest I've come to something like that was to evacuating to the basements in Ohio and Missouri to duck tornadoes. Oh yes, the time in Weinheim Germany, when a big wind blew the roof off of our apartment (yep, the whole damn roof)! The earthquakes I experienced in California weren't too bad, just had to pick up things that shook off the shelves.

Here in the PNW, the only things I have to worry about are forest fires, earthquakes and a lahar coming off of Mt Rainier. - :iono:

I'd like a small but very nice house in the woods on a hill by an ocean beach with surf and excellent snorkeling, with a paved runway, hangar, and four car garage, with lots of land, no neighbors visible in any direction, with a wide selection of brewpubs and excellent varied restaurants in walking distance, a vibrant live jazz scene, a great well-stocked grocery store with extensive ingredients for off-the-beaten-path culinary exploration.. all in a remote area. Climate should be mostly winter, temps from well below 0F to high 20s, with a brief two-month summer for enjoying the ocean, with highs no higher than 90F provided there's a good breeze. No mud and insect-filled spring at all. Fall for about two weeks.

So... Alaska?