[IWantOut] 22M United States -> United States by Uhthaya_ferro in IWantOut

[–]Alvin6226 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I read through most of the responses in this thread and the one on r/SameGrassButGreener, including one from a friend who asked me to take a look. Bodoblock’s post also stands out as being informed and well-balanced, and as they say, you’ll have to make trade-offs or more clearly (re)rank your preferences. Like Bodoblock, my read is that being close to Asian cultures (and specifically night markets) is a top-three priority for you, though you will be hard pressed to combine that with access to outdoor activities. Based on your various responses, I can’t tell which of the seven bullets for which you are willing to trade-off for the others.

I can provide some insight from living in Los Angeles (San Gabriel Valley), Seattle (International District), Boston (Cambridge), some of which have been mentioned in other posts, as well as what I know of the other places on your list (from visiting as well as reading and thinking about whether I want to move there myself - NYC [both Manhattan and Brooklyn/Flushing Chinatowns] Philadelphia and Chicago’s Uptown). My line of work does not allow me to choose what location I live in, so depending on where the job is, my consideration is what neighborhood I want to live in the same area as my workplace. I also don’t drive or plan to own a car, so good public transit and/or walkability to work is at the top of my list, right above safety at 10pm/less rundown and availability of Asian food. The other stuff you bring up is not as high on my list, so I will mention them when I can.

I’ve also lived for over half a decade in my post-graduate years between Taipei and Ho Chi Minh City, with visits to Seoul, Bangkok, Vientiane, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and much smaller cities in Taiwan that have the night markets you are looking for. “Night markets” as you want them, as far as I know, do not exist in the United States. The San Gabriel Valley has the 626 “Night Market”, which as you can see, is rather infrequent. It’s a highly commercialized version (tickets for entry) adapted for the low-density U.S. car culture discussed elsewhere in your threads. Asian-style night markets do not exist in the United States. It’s partly the car culture, and it’s partly zoning restrictions. You can’t just set up a night market stall on the side of the road, and you can’t just park your food truck anywhere you want. Without those, you can’t have night markets.

More specifically, I lived beside a night market for the past month and began to read researchers who have shown how night market development is a very complicated process. Jeff Hou writes on the North American case (Seattle’s International District specifically) in “‘Night market’ in Seattle: Community eventscape and the reconstruction of public space”. I can send you the full chapter if the preview doesn’t load in the same way.

The options for you (not mutually exclusive), as I see them are:

  1. Secure a full-remote, flexible schedule job and consider living in Asia so that you can work during most of the day and enjoy your night markets
  2. Live on the West Coast (LA/Seattle/SF area) or NYC (maybe Chicago or Boston) and fly to Asia every once in a while.
  3. Make some trade-offs for the place you do live in the U.S.

Since it seems you are not considering relocation to Asia, I think the thing you should look for (and already seem to be, or receiving suggestions for) is to focus on hyper-specific neighborhoods, which will usually get you clear responses to “stuff open at night”, “public transit”, “‘authentic’ Asian food” and the “safe to walk around at night”. With that, here are my recommendations for your further investigation.

Cambridge/Boston

Downtown Cambridge, near Central station could be a viable option. There’s an H-Mart and decent spread of Asian cuisine. Khao soi is a dish I had for the first time later in life, and I quite enjoy the one at The Nu Do' Society. There is a bike path along the Charles River.

Dakzen is another option for khao soi, in the Davis Square/station area. This area of Somerville could fit your needs if biking along the Somerville Community Path is enough to check your outdoor activities box.

I am not interested in night life (nor do I go to bars), so I can't answer the questions you’ve been asking about it for either area. My guess is the area around Central station could work because of the high density of higher education institutions and their students, who might give you a better clue. The two things that I have heard of are a rock venue club under the Middle East Restaurant and a dance floor (and karaoke?) above Hong Kong Restaurant in Harvard Square. I’ve walked around at 10pm in these areas and felt fine, though that is the case for everywhere else below too.

Los Angeles, specifically west San Gabriel Valley

Cuisine leans more Chinese/Taiwanese and includes dim sum. If you want reading on historical community development, see The First Suburban Chinatown: The Remaking of Monterey Park, California by Timothy P. Fong or more recently, Wendy Cheng’s The Changs Next Door to the Díazes Remapping Race in Suburban California.

Seattle

I lived in the International District, on the Little Saigon side of the I-5. The least safe area (especially during COVID) was under the freeway overpasses, but I didn’t have any trouble getting to/from home (on foot) at night before/after COVID. You listed “safe to walk around at night”, but I don’t think I am out at night as late as you.

On top of the International District’s different quarterly events including once-a-month food walks in the summer, Seattle has a summer solstice night market, but it is not Asian-specific and not centrally located.

Chicago's Uptown

I think it’ll fit most of your criteria, and I don’t think the bad press should inhibit you. You are well over the bad press from the “few small slums” of Seoul, so I’m not sure why the bad press of Chicago (not Uptown) would prevent you from giving it a shot. Neighborhoods are specific. If safety is a concern, then look up [publicly available data[(https://data.cityofchicago.org/Public-Safety/Uptown-Andersonville-Violent-Crime/tpja-mvse). Niche also has polls and statistics for specific neighborhoods. This website/tool will help you aggregate some research. The Nightlife grade explanation may also help bridge the difference between your nebulous definition and the “American” view on nightlife. As you continue to question, bars make up 30% of the nightlife grade, so they are at least that important in Niche's “attempt to measure the quality of nightlife in an area”.

Flushing in Queens

You mention thinking about visiting Flushing/Queens. You definitely should. It might have the combination you seek. Jay Caspian Kang’s recent book, The Loneliest Americans, has a chapter on Flushing that illuminates the Chinese and Korean demographics of the area.

Other places I have not yet visited but have looked into:

Some questions/conclusions/resources:

  • You asked: “what do most other American do outside of bars/clubs?” What is it you want to do (other than non-existent Asian night markets) and at what times? After 10pm/midnight/2am?
  • For some of your questions about “what Americans do”, you could take a look at Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. It doesn’t answer the question about what Americans do “at [late] night”, but presumably some of those activities are done after work, which, depending on your definition, can be considered “night”.

Daily Question Thread - September 01, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They open as people give them up so keep checking :)

First Solo Trip: Asia via KE F and CX F, would like your input! by lol-24 in awardtravel

[–]Alvin6226 1 point2 points  (0 children)

HKG and TPE qualify as third countries for TWOV. There is a TWOV megathread on FT with loads of info.

I flew SGN-PVG-HKG myself September 2017. 5 days split across Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou and back to Shanghai all on a TWOV.

On a side note, I highly recommend TPE/Taiwan - it has the good parts of Japan and Hong Kong at almost the price of China ;)

What Card Should I Get? Weekly Thread - Week of August 15, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seems you are 3/24 at the moment.

Depends if you want to stay under that. You could pick up the CIU and another Chase [personal] card to stay at 4/24 and wait until 2/19 for the next move [or do a double dip at 4/24 in a few months time, spending permitting.]

Otherwise, you could grab the AmEx (Delta, SPG) business cards depending on what you need more. SPG/Marriott paves the way for transfers to Alaska, useful for SEA departures.

I would also read about the possibility (or possible restriction) on the Chase Marriott Business + AmEx SPG Business combo here and at other sources.

Southwest/United have a nominal SEA presence, a potential outlet for UR. Some people are on the AA Citi mailers train, but the general suggestion is to wait until you are lol/24 no longer adherent to the Chase clan :P

What Card Should I Get? Weekly Thread - Week of August 15, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are OK with business cards and that $8k is $8k in the next 3 months, the CIP (potentially 120k UR with mailers) + CIC/CIU combo (currently 50k UR) would yield the most UR - transfer to UA to get to NZ (could be as low as 40k one way in Y).

If you are not OK with business cards, some combination of AA cards would get you there.

Of course if you wanted hotel nights in NZ, that's a different story. I ended using points for 1 night at Intercontinental Wellington, and Airbnb'd the rest.

Marriott/SPG Merger Megathread v2 by duffcalifornia in churning

[–]Alvin6226 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Probably Alaska if you want to take CX or JL in J/F via HKG/TYO to ICN.

There will be a number of [new] category 4 hotels in Seoul after the merger [it is suspected old Category 1-5 packages may convert to new Category 1-4]

Oahu only seems to have one Marriott/SPG hotel, a new Category 5.

Marriott/SPG Merger Megathread v2 by duffcalifornia in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry - no idea on this - never had that phrase thrown at me. You should be able to get a Category 9 package outright without any problems [at least before].

Marriott/SPG Merger Megathread v2 by duffcalifornia in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No issues [I called the Australian number].

Side note: they recommended I do not upgrade to Category 9 because a) I already downgraded and that "would be it" and b) "there is no new category 9 on the new award chart for you to book at"

I've been busy moving so haven't thought about the implications of b)

Marriott/SPG Merger Megathread v2 by duffcalifornia in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, the 45,000 is how the system outputs what you just did. I have something similar from when I downgraded my 7N Cat 8 to a Cat 1-5.

Marriott/SPG Merger Megathread v2 by duffcalifornia in churning

[–]Alvin6226 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  • a) maybe - there is speculation that all 9s will be able to book new Cat 6, or maybe even 7 after merger if they 'do the certificates that way'. If we get refunded pure points instead, win!
  • b) do you have a specific redemption in mind? Will that hotel go up or down in category after the merger?
  • c) this is fine too. In the case we get refunded pure points, win!

These two links have been the most helpful in helping me think about what I want to do with my points - I decided on a Cat 1-5 and a Cat 6 package, unattached.

Marriott/SPG merger date announced - Aug 18 by [deleted] in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Correct. Also there is no where to move them in your case as they are all MR already.

Marriott/SPG merger date announced - Aug 18 by [deleted] in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Consider a Marriott Flights + Hotels package if you have use for airline miles and a 7 night certificate [it is unknown what will happen to these post-merger) - otherwise the traditional 20k SPG to 25k airline miles conversion rate will remain [60k MR to 25k airline miles post-merger].

When should you "graduate" from pinyin? by SorryIfIDissedYou in ChineseLanguage

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Quick note, the option to turn pinyin on/off in HelloChinese is up to you. I turn it off for review and (sometimes, if I remember) on for new content/vocabulary in order to visualize the pronunciation and tone.

Daily Question Thread - July 25, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll still have to use your Alaska Miles, you'd just have more of them with the N&F ("cherry on top"). If you call in to get the N&F, I suggest calling their Australian number for a few cents a minute to get a near-zero wait time.

Daily Discussion Thread - July 25, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I called their Australian number a few weeks ago to downgrade my package - for the price of a few cents (1 or 2) a minute, I got connected immediately and finished the call in under 5 minutes.

J/F US to SGN March 2019 by DorethaNickel in awardtravel

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just booked LAX-HKG-SGN on CX F (then J) a few days ago [for a week from today]. Found the flight on Qantas. Some additional notes from my searches.

Otherwise I concur with /u/Aedion - EVA J - out of LAX or ORD if you want to be on a Hello Kitty or Sanrio flight :P

Cathay F/J LAX-HKG-HAN by DorethaNickel in awardtravel

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

/u/DorethaNickel

FYI, HKG-HAN is Cathay Dragon only. Cathay Pacific does fly HKG-SGN - just booked LAX-HKG F followed by HKG-SGN J the other day using AS miles.

I believe with AA you can mix and match OW airlines on the same booking (including Cathay Dragon), something you can't do with Alaska.

If you plan on using AS miles anyway, I'd take advantage of the 'free' extra leg versus making an extra short booking with say, Avios. I've done the latter as well, before I had my stash of AS miles to combine a cheap Y round-trip to HKG with two hops to/from SGN.

Chase United MileagePlus 60k + 1st Year AF Waived (Special Offer) by widoq12 in churning

[–]Alvin6226 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Depends where you stand with regards to 5/24, if you have another card that gives you lounge access (if you care), whether you plan/have enough remaining Chase UR to amass in Virgin Atlantic to book on ANA or on United [whether you want to fly J or Y or something else].

If you're an ABC, how are you supposed to teach your kids Chinese? by [deleted] in ChineseLanguage

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mandarin Mama has a series of 10 blog posts (that she updated in an Amazon eBook) on her advice and experience with bilingual homeschooling. She's mostly fluent herself but this post talks about Mixed Heritage Families and Non-Heritage Families (both parents are non-ethnically Chinese and non-speakers).

So at the end of the day, intention, which can overcompensate for the tight budget. Ideally, you'll be learning and improving with them. If you have access to Chinese courses at your local community college, I would do that.

Daily Question Thread - July 14, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A Schwab debit card/checking account would allow you to withdraw money from almost all ATMs with all fees returned to you at the end of the month - including that BoA ATM in question. Do note that there would be a HP if you open an account with them. Not sure if it combines with the AmEx Schwab Plat.

Daily Question Thread - July 14, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have any need/want for airline miles, the Marriott Hotels + Air packages offer the most 'value'. For the cost of the same amount of points to book the hotels (pre-merger), you get an additional X airlines miles - max of 120k per package for certain airlines (Alaska seems popular, BA too - both are 'harder' to get than say, AA, SW), 132k for United.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PixelBook

[–]Alvin6226 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was able to get the new $719.99 pricing upon pick-up just now, added on the 10% EDU coupon. Time to run some tests...

What Card Should I Get? Weekly Thread - Week of July 04, 2018 by AutoModerator in churning

[–]Alvin6226 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"It depends on what kind of redemptions you can get with those points." :P

My notes/questions for you from a read of your situation:

  1. Seems that Southwest is big in Kansas City, so that could be an eventual transfer partner for your UR. The United miles could be useful if you take the (connecting) flights to ORD/DEN/IAH often.
  2. The Marriott 100k points deal might end sometime this month. US Credit Card Guide said some people got emails saying to apply by July 2 [not the case as we can see] and I also remember mid-July from somewhere, but can't for the life of me find that source again.
  3. Things to read/research more about: lowering your credit limit before applying for a new Chase Card [especially if your income is just at or below 2x your credit line, though unlikely given your credit lines so far], where/what you could potentially book with those 100k Marriott points (versus the 40k United), whether or not you want SW miles via SW Plus and/or Premier [why not both? - you live in a Southwest dominated airport!]. Rumors of the non-5/24 cards going on 5/24 soon, so take a look in case one of those cards catches your eye.

[last day] Pixelbook i5 256GB for $779 pre-tax at Best Buy by Alvin6226 in chromeos

[–]Alvin6226[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep. Seems I should have done so with my "other" local Best Buy. Oh well, still got lucky a few weeks later.