{"id":800,"date":"2013-11-05T20:46:20","date_gmt":"2013-11-06T03:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/?p=800"},"modified":"2016-11-22T08:19:24","modified_gmt":"2016-11-22T15:19:24","slug":"city-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/?p=800","title":{"rendered":"City Living"},"content":{"rendered":"

Busy, people, moving, purposeful, hustle, bustle, fast-paced, energy, rat race, concrete-jungle, green parks (an oasis),\u00a0homelessness, innovation – these are some of the words I jotted in my journal\u00a0when I spent time in a city I love, San Francisco, this summer.\u00a0 Whilst in this vibrant, cosmopolitan city I experienced many sights, sounds, smells, and tastes, that got me thinking about city living.<\/p>\n

During my twenties, I lived and worked in London – one of the most expensive, diverse, and populated cities in the world – and have certainly witnessed the pros and cons of city life.\u00a0 I love so many things about cities: the energy, variety, architecture, people, culture, food, art. In the USA\u00a0New York is the epitome of this for me.\u00a0 Jay Z & Alicia Keys sing about it in their song Empire State of Mind<\/a>.\u00a0 The energy and lyrics in this song give me goose bumps. \u00a0As I sing\u00a0the chorus aloud: \u201cConcrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do\u201d, I relish\u00a0in the optimism behind it.<\/p>\n

When I visit my great \u2018foodie\u2019 friends in both New York and \u00a0San Francisco,\u00a0I enjoy some of the benefits of cities.\u00a0 They take my husband and I on culinary tours.\u00a0 We visit their favorite delis, markets, restaurants, and cafes, and try some of the best cheese, meats, pastries, gelato, pizza, and sandwiches I have ever tasted.\u00a0 I appreciate the variety and quality of unique food you can get in a city. \u00a0I do not feel stuffed after our tasty treats, because we walk from venue to venue.\u00a0 Something else I love about city living – walking (a lot).<\/p>\n

The sprawl of the suburbs makes walking between places hard to do.\u00a0 While there are lots of walking opportunities in rural and suburban areas (on trails and paths, rather than sidewalks), it is a different type of walk.\u00a0 Near my home, the open space, vistas, and quietness inspire me, but I do not get to pass the interesting people and places I would in a city.\u00a0 In San Francisco, I saw schoolchildren crossing the streets linked together like a giant chain, cool sculptures gracing city plazas, unusual wares outside shops or on street stands, fashions, designs, colors, sounds, and smells \u2013 complete sensory stimulation.<\/p>\n

I also love the innovation in cities.\u00a0 We have several friends who are venture capitalists and it is exciting to hear the buzz behind new ideas, products, companies, and ways of doing things.\u00a0 One such company I learned about this summer is TaskRabbit<\/a>. \u00a0Originally founded in Boston, it is now in 17 major US cities (and growing). TaskRabbit is an online and mobile marketplace that connects neighbors to get things done. \u00a0Neighbors helping neighbors \u2014an old school concept reimagined for today. \u00a0Another great idea is Local Mission Market<\/a>, a unique grocery store experience with produce made on-site and fast digital check-outs, which according to Wired <\/a>magazine is the next big thing.<\/p>\n

I realize there are plenty of imaginative ideas and companies born from basements, workshops, garages, and even on chairlifts, in rural and suburban areas too, such as our very own Skullcandy<\/a> in Park City.\u00a0 However, it seems to me there are more opportunities for creative, forward-thinking, individuals to get together and ideas to come to life in cities.\u00a0 I love the energy and excitement behind that.<\/p>\n

Another thing that comes to mind when thinking about cities is the concentration of liberal thinkers.\u00a0 There seem to be many more liberals in cities than in rural areas.\u00a0 I believe this has to do with the diversity of culture, ethnicity, race, sexuality, and religion found in cities.\u00a0 When people interact with those different to them, I feel they are much more likely to be open, accepting, and understanding of them.\u00a0 Where this is lacking in rural areas I feel we need to make an effort to encourage positive responses and behavior, through education ourselves about others, and having an open mind and heart.<\/p>\n

Despite the trend to be more liberal and accepting of others in cities, something I wonder about is segregation (often self-imposed).\u00a0 As I drove through Chinatown in San Francisco, and admired the colorful signs and storefronts, I thought about like-people congregating together in communities.\u00a0 There are districts in all major cities commonly known by the type of people, shops, and\u00a0restaurants in\u00a0the community.\u00a0 I do not necessarily consider this as being a good or bad thing; it just makes me think.<\/p>\n

Does segregating mean you are less likely to embrace people or lifestyles in other communities?\u00a0 Does it make other people feel alienated or excluded?\u00a0 Do like-people come together through familiarity, safety, comfort?\u00a0 I, for one, live in a country different to that in which I was born. \u00a0I find I am drawn to people I meet from my original country (perhaps due to a shared background, culture, sense of humor, etc.). \u00a0However, I am not sure I would want to live in an enclave made up entirely of these people. \u00a0I enjoy diversity, and feel there is so much to learn and gain from others, especially those different to ourselves.<\/p>\n

Something else that causes a reaction in me when visiting cities is homeless people.\u00a0 Homelessness is prevalent in London and San Francisco, and exists in the nearest urban area to me, Salt Lake City.\u00a0 However, in the suburban area I live in I have never<\/i> seen a homeless person.\u00a0 My locale sometimes appears to me to exist in a vacuum.\u00a0 It is not diverse or representative of much of the rest of the world.\u00a0 Visiting a city reminds me of the world beyond my own and how other people live.\u00a0 It opens my eyes.<\/p>\n

I passed numerous homeless people on the streets of San Francisco.\u00a0 At first, I would look away, out of embarrassment and not wanting to stare.\u00a0 How do local people react?\u00a0 Do they just become used to it, immune? \u00a0Looking away\u00a0did not feel right.\u00a0 This situation is real.\u00a0 This is life for these people.\u00a0 I knew there were stories behind each face, under each blanket, in each outstretched hand or paper cup.\u00a0 Ed Sheeran\u2019s haunting song \u201cThe A Team<\/a>\u201d has had me thinking about homelessness and people on the streets (read the story behind his song here<\/a>).\u00a0 His lyrics and video helped to remind me of this reality,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>humanize it. \u00a0L<\/span>ike all of us,\u00a0<\/span>these people\u00a0<\/span>have hopes, fears, and dreams, and are\u00a0<\/span>someone\u2019s son or daughter<\/span>.\u00a0 People\u2019s lives can take a turn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next time I came across a homeless person, instead of turning my gaze, I decided to meet their eyes and smile.\u00a0 One sign I saw even read, \u201cI appreciate anything, even a smile.\u201d\u00a0 I loved that.\u00a0 (Check out the video of these kids bringing smiles<\/a> to homeless people).\u00a0 Jay Z continues in his song \u201cEight million stories out there and they’re naked. Cities is a pity, half of y’all won’t make it.\u201d \u00a0The sad truth is that people will struggle, but we can help love, support, encourage, and respect each other along the way.<\/p>\n

Lydia<\/p>\n

Some of my photos from trips to cities:<\/p>\n

\"The

The London Eye<\/p><\/div>\n

\"London's

London’s Big Ben<\/p><\/div>\n

\"New

New York<\/p><\/div>\n

\"New

New York Taxis<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Chrysler

Chrysler Building<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Delicious

Delicious treats from San Francisco\u2019s Local Mission Eatery<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Local<\/p>\n

\"Delights

Delights from Knead Patisserie<\/p><\/div>\n

\"San

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"San

San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Downtown

Downtown San Francisco<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Busy, people, moving, purposeful, hustle, bustle, fast-paced, energy, rat race, concrete-jungle, green parks (an oasis),\u00a0homelessness, innovation – these are some of the words I jotted in my journal\u00a0when I spent time in a city I love, San Francisco, this summer.\u00a0 Whilst in this vibrant, cosmopolitan city I experienced many sights, sounds, smells, and tastes, that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[274,287,289,280,290,281,269,283,271,275,279,286,270,273,285,284,291,178,288,276,277,278,282,293,272,292],"class_list":["post-800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musings","tag-alicia-keys","tag-bay-bridge","tag-big-ben","tag-chinatown","tag-chrysler-building","tag-city","tag-city-living","tag-diversity","tag-ed-sheeran","tag-empire-state-of-mind","tag-food","tag-golden-gate-bridge","tag-homeless","tag-jay-z","tag-knead-patisserie","tag-local-mission-eatery","tag-local-mission-market","tag-london","tag-london-eye","tag-new-york","tag-san-francisco","tag-segregation","tag-suburbs","tag-taskrabbit","tag-the-a-team","tag-wired-magazine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=800"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1342,"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions\/1342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}