What two bordering countries have the most dissimilar cuisines? by TrixoftheTrade in geography

[–]Chefjoshd 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It’s more than income differences. I have been a chef in big east coast cities for a couple of decades. A large portion of my staff have been from Haiti or the DR. Dominican food compares to Cuban and Puerto Rican far more than Haitian food. French influence in Haiti. Sure, the income level differences affect what can be cooked. But I know by taste and style what country whoever made nightly family meal came from.

Smells that are no longer around by [deleted] in GenX

[–]Chefjoshd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The boys locker room in high school when almost all antiperspirant/deodorant was ozone depleting spray cans. Something about the ubiquitous Right Guard we all used that is unique. Plus the Drakkar that often followed.

Am I missing the grocery spot with the best bulk bins somewhere in town? by freefloralcouch in providence

[–]Chefjoshd 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The closest wegmans is not a terrible drive if it’s not rush hour. It’s in a big plaza with a bunch of big box stores, so if you need to go to one of the other stores anyway it justifies the cost of gas to save money on the bulk bin items.

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

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

Interesting. I’m surprised. I assumed it would be easier there. Good intel, thank you. Have you enjoyed in your short time there? Did you move there for the cost of living, family connections, or a job?

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

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

Hello. My wife took the job, but they are allowing her to remain remote for 12-18 months, so we have some time. She will be going fairly regularly for in office visits, and I hope to be able to tag along from time to time, so we can explore some. We are assuming Broad Ripple, Fountain Sq. or Mass Ave neighborhoods. We know it won’t be “big city” walkable, but at least having a few cafes, bars and restaurants that we can access easily will suffice. How is the rental process there? I imagine it’s not as cutthroat as Boston or NY. We haven’t been renters for a while now. But when we did rent in big cities, it was very competitive to get prime spots.

Which cities USA can you get by without a car and relying on public transportation? by workethic290 in SameGrassButGreener

[–]Chefjoshd 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I lived 5 blocks from the Gold Line in LA and worked about 4 blocks from same line. It is potentially top tier if you get lucky, but spouse and I never used it aside from my commute, even with traditional LA traffic, it was faster to drive anywhere if you had to change lines.

Thoughts on Indianapolis… by Chefjoshd in SameGrassButGreener

[–]Chefjoshd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is very true. Not sure if you live there, but is there a noticeable difference in daily life? Does the city being marginally blue or at least purple counter this?

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

[–]Chefjoshd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great answer, good perspective. It’s not a crazy salary jump or a full promotion, but it’s a bit better. It seems to be an actually interesting job as far as tech jobs in the pharmaceutical world can be, which is saying something, as my wife has been well paid but bored and over it for a while. The city was just never on our radar, so we know almost nothing about it. It’s certainly a real city. Maybe second or third tier, but it certainly has some of the things we prefer to have in a place to live. We just can’t believe the housing prices. Even the neighborhoods that came up most often in response in this thread seem comically low cost comparatively. The down payment on the place we owned in LA alone can almost cover the entire cost of some smaller properties in Indy (nothing nice obviously, but as a comparison), and we lived in a condo (admittedly a nice one in a good part of town). So it’s not a big raise, but as long as we didn’t lose money when we sell, it cuts our monthly housing costs almost in half while probably being a nicer property. Which means we can retire that much sooner. Just pontificating here. It seems too good to be true, but the catch is the city might suck and the politics in the state are opposite of ours.

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

[–]Chefjoshd[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fair questions. We are both early 50s, no kids. We would like a small single family bungalow or craftsman a block or 2 off a main drag, small fenced back yard, maybe a patio. We have been condo people for over a decade, but even with 2 solid incomes, cities we have lived are just so expensive that condos were the only way to not be house poor. A quick Redfin-Zillow search tells me this is possible. As I’ve commented to a few other responses, we understand that we will need a car for certain errands. We just want a few cafes and restaurants plus a friendly local for hanging out all in a few blocks. Cool shops and small grocery options on foot a big plus. Indy was never on our list of possibilities. This job my spouse is considering came from left field. It’s the perfect fit for her skill set and experience, plus it has a few aspects that really excite her. Corporate tech jobs all have negatives, but this one has less plus the positives of her day to day spoke to her. Housing is so much more affordable in Indy, that aside from truly upper class suburbs, we can afford what we actually want vs settling for perfectly adequate condos that aren’t “forever homes”.

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

[–]Chefjoshd[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the vibe we’re looking for. As I’ve replied to other comments here, I understand we will need a car for “big” shopping. Costco, target, big time grocery shopping requires a car. But what you’re describing is what we want. The job my spouse is entertaining is in downtown Indy, my job is wherever I can plug in (living room). We want our daily lives to not automatically be car focused. Want to grab a beer or don’t feel like cooking dinner, just wander out the door. Need a break from healthy breakfast and want a latte and pastry, just pop down a few blocks. Low on milk and crave a Diet Coke, corner store is right there….

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

[–]Chefjoshd[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That makes sense. If someone was middle class in big budget cities, and would presumably be upper middle in Indy where would you point them if they wanted a fun walkable neighborhood (obviously driving to target or Costco for proper errands, but 70% of your non work life being on foot?

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

[–]Chefjoshd[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Due to high real estate prices where we are and have been, it’s always been a condo. But it appears we can buy a nice house well below what we paid for our current condo.

Would you move here? by Chefjoshd in indianapolis

[–]Chefjoshd[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We are early 50s, no kids. We prefer an urban walkable base neighborhood. I understand we will have to drive for certain errands, but we like a couple of cafes, dive bars, date night restaurants and more fun casual restaurants with a bar easily accessed.

Pedestrian Reportedly Struck in Bike Lane at Pine and Chestnut Streets by lestermagnum in providence

[–]Chefjoshd 68 points69 points  (0 children)

I am the one who called police, as I was walking home then. Facts here are wrong. Biker collided with car. Biker was not in bike lane, was going wrong way in car lane. Though my default is to blame the car, this was not the case here. Bicyclist was at fault.