đź”· Open Thread

Lrfox said:
Do you go by yourself to these places? I'm tempted to book Quebec and go by myself, but I've never done that and am afraid I'm going to look like a complete loser. How do you make the most out of your travel experiences? There's nothing I hate more than feeling like I missed out because I didn't fill my time well enough.
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You'll find that everything gets orders of magnitude easier the moment you decide to stop caring about how other people think you 'look.'

Sure, maybe your buddies (or people on this very forum) will laugh at you for dumping your girlfriend instead of going with her to some tropical gilded shit hole. Are you really going to let that be the deciding factor? How about the residents and other tourists in Quebec City who may or may not judge you poorly for being 'sans other.' Do you really care that much about people you stand a pretty good chance of never actually meeting, let alone seeing again?

The only person who matters here is you. Do what you want to do, and anyone who doesn't like what you want to do is free to sit and spin.
 
Lr - just curious, when you were covering lots of ground in places and exploring, who were you with then? Was this with your ex or someone else? Are there maybe other friends you could call on?

It took me a long time to get over doing certain things alone (especially going to the movies, for whatever reason, even though you sit in the dark and can't talk to companions anyway) but most of the most spectacular trips I've taken have been solo. People in many foreign countries are going to find you strange for other reasons anyway, dining alone, etc., may be the least strange of the things they observe. (I should add that it helps to be in places that value solitude, like Japan. Places where big, communal gatherings for meals are more common are slightly more difficult...but you can get around it by eating at less formal cafes at odd hours, etc.)

In the long term, it may be best to find someone who shares your passions.
 
Lrfox, I don't think there's any getting around the fact that the more people involved in something, the more inefficiencies will creep into the picture. I'm fortunate to have a girl who not only likes my nerdiness but encourages it, but at the end of the day it will always be about compromising between alone ĂĽber nerd-out time and social/significant other time.
 
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Thanks for the replies.

CBS: The girl I'm dating is really a matter of convenience/fun. Definitely not something with potential. It's going to end sooner or later so may as well end it sooner and go somewhere I enjoy (even if it's solo).

CZ: When I've covered the most ground, it's been on trips with others, but excursions on my own. For example, being in Spain with my ex girlfriend and getting up at 5am to go out by myself to get the early morning light (photos), check out a cafe, and just explore for a few hours. She'd sleep in and be thrilled that I brought her a coffee.

My brother actually went to Japan with me and was more or less open to anything and tolerant. He's not into architecture, planning or anything like that, but he didn't mind. Still, I spent a lot of early mornings and late nights walking around on my own.

The long term goal is to find someone who has similar interests, but girls into architecture are in short supply (see: archboston.org).

For the record, I still don't do movies alone and can't explain why.

KZ: I'm in the same boat (though you've got a leg up with the girl, nice work). I agree about the balance, it's not always easy to find one.

Judging from the replies, I guess I need to suck it up and get over traveling alone.
 
The best advice I can offer you as a real estate agent is: never buy or rent a home on the first floor of a Back Bay or Beacon Hill building if it is partially or fully located underground.

The "storm of the century" can come much more often than once every 100 years. We had a big, big storm in June 1998 and our downstairs neighbor on Waltham Street lived in a studio apartment that wasn't street level but below street level. When the rain came, her apartment was flooded and the entire contents of her apartment were destroyed.

I was reminded of this while watching the Sandy coverage on TV, seeing water rising enough to flood city streets. Funny thing about water - it likes gravity and tries to find lower places to go - like your basement apartment.

Oh, and always get renters' insurance. A couple hundred bucks per year and you will have peace of mind. Make sure it covers your computers and all your phones and iPods, etc. And, ask if it covers your personal items if you're on vacation - they often do, so if you get robbed or lose something on vacation, you can get reimbursed.
 
"The best advice I can offer you as a real estate agent is: never buy or rent a home on the first floor of a Back Bay or Beacon Hill building if it is partially or fully located underground."

This is why one installs the deepest series of drywells they can, backed up with french drains, and the Ferrari of sump pumps.
 
This Halloween any self identifying ArchBoston members that show up at my townhouse will get something very special other than candy.
 
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Livable Streets is hiring in Cambridge. Don't know if any A/B people are interested, but I know some of you are more than qualified.

from the job listing:
oin the LivableStreets Team as a Campaign Coordinator!
LivableStreets is searching for a Campaign Coordinator to play a critical part in our growing non-profit organization. We challenge people, government, and businesses to think differently about the role of transportation in our daily lives. We're working to create a system that better balances transit, walking, and biking with automobiles to make the Boston region more connected and livable. We inspire a vision, build partnerships, empower communities, and create change.
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Salary range is $33,000-$50,000.

Here's a link to the posting.
 
TheRifleman said:
With that salary you can live on the streets of Cambridge with the BUMS.
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Sure. Or you could live reasonably comfortably in an apartment in Cambridge or Boston. Either way.

I know plenty of people, mostly in their mid-late 20s, on salaries in that range doing just fine in the Boston area. It's an entry level position with a planning focus. The requirements are minimal. It's a great starting point for a recent grad.
 
Lrfox said:
Sure. Or you could live reasonably comfortably in an apartment in Cambridge or Boston. Either way.

I know plenty of people, mostly in their mid-late 20s, on salaries in that range doing just fine in the Boston area. It's an entry level position with a planning focus. The requirements are minimal. It's a great starting point for a recent grad.
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Definitely. The middle of that salary range falls in the $17-20/hr wage, which is a great entry-level salary in this field.
 
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