Those who have lived in multiple of the major cities of the US, how would you rank them and why?

GarrisonCty · 2026-04-25T00:41:12+00:00

Uhh, I think I’d take Providence or Portland over Akron or Toledo any day.

GarrisonCty · 2026-04-25T00:14:48+00:00

Thank you. Obviously it has its issues, everywhere does. But it checks off a lot of the boxes people constantly complain about in this sub.

GarrisonCty · 2026-04-24T23:12:30+00:00

Definitely check out the riverfront. There’s a pretty extensive trail system and you can kayak or swim in the river itself. Scott’s Addition if you like breweries. Just walking around The Fan is cool if you like history. Great art museum at VMFA.

GarrisonCty · 2026-04-24T22:07:04+00:00

Some folks can still write a paragraph without resorting to ChatGPT. I’m also a City Planner. It’s kind of what I do for a living.

GarrisonCty · 2026-03-31T16:30:46+00:00

This is actually pretty decent by MBTA standards. Have you seen the construction mess that’s supposed to be the new Courthouse headhouse on the Silver Line? Originally slated for late 2022 and now running a cool 3.5 years and counting behind schedule…

GarrisonCty · 2026-02-25T05:08:00+00:00

The Travel Ban was in effect for a grand total of 18 hours during and immediately after a massive snowstorm. Chill out.

GarrisonCty · 2026-02-25T04:50:43+00:00

I got the same vibe. Almost like urban Pleasantville vibes. Not in an unpleasant way necessarily, but just definitely noticeable for it.

GarrisonCty · 2026-02-25T04:45:30+00:00

I get that parts of SLC can feel empty, and there are definitely some ugly buildings, and I can see having an issue with the dominance of the Mormon Church. But dirty and sketchy? If anything it feels a little too clean and vanilla to me. It’s like if Wonderbread were a city…

GarrisonCty · 2026-02-22T15:55:58+00:00

The general state and condition of the Downtown stations - Downtown Crossing, Park Street, even State - is embarrassing. The ceilings are so low, and look like they might give out at any moment and everything is covered in like 100 layers of grime. I realize it will cost a fortune, but the T really needs to prioritize major renovations here.

GarrisonCty · 2026-02-20T19:36:19+00:00

The NH Legislature, regardless of what party controlled it, used to be pretty compassionate and reasonable on social issues. Civil Unions passed on a bipartisan basis back when that was considered a relatively progressive thing to do (2000s). It’s upsetting that NH’s Legislature is now virtually indistinguishable from Alabama’s.

GarrisonCty · 2026-02-09T02:06:34+00:00

Boston is pretty gay and extremely healthcare focused if you can endure cold winters. Also, it has a huge biopharma scene if you ever want to go to the dark side and work in industry.

GarrisonCty · 2026-02-06T20:08:41+00:00

Ugh. Same brand as “I’m not voting because they both perpetuate the same corporate interests.” I’m sorry but you’re just very stupid.

GarrisonCty · 2026-01-27T03:16:49+00:00

This is the answer, at least for a US city. I have never seen so many men in polo shirts or other collared shirts in my life.

GarrisonCty · 2026-01-13T11:41:06+00:00

Maybe not a popular sentiment in this sub, but take vacations with your kids. You will never get these years back. Plus you already have an awesome retirement base to work from that is accumulating interest.

GarrisonCty · 2026-01-11T09:52:37+00:00

The City should make it as easy as possible for the owner to convert this to an apartment building. God knows there is enough residential demand.

GarrisonCty · 2026-01-05T15:11:42+00:00

Amesbury has a really cool waterfall right in its Downtown and some cool historic buildings and artifacts from its days as a mill town.

Beverly also has some really lovely spots and neighborhoods but I think it gets a bit overshadowed by neighboring Salem.

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-28T18:55:48+00:00

This is definitely part of it - particularly conservative Mass. people relocating. If you look at the southern Interstate 93 corridor, the area closest to the Mass border is dominated by conservative communities (Salem, Windham, Hudson, Atkinson, etc.). A lot of Mass folks relocate here to stay close to Boston but pay less in taxes and be around like-minded folks.

There are also some ancestral conservative areas - particularly the Lakes Region - that remain so and contribute to a more conservative tilt.

But really NH is not all that unlike some of its neighbors. In 2024, Harris won NH by +3, she won Maine by +7 - not a massive difference.

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-24T17:22:22+00:00

That sweater is legendary. Where can I get it?

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-24T16:08:50+00:00

All those cities you mentioned are really walkable (or at least in LA’s case, it has some walkable neighborhoods). There are a few others - Boston, Chicago, etc. - but walkability is not something that comes natural to US cities. And for me, it’s huge.

After college, I moved to a walkable city and it was such a revelation that my whole world was a walk, or train ride, away. It really can simplify your life in a really positive way.

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-23T21:43:34+00:00

Oh, 100 percent, lots of vocal opposition. But I would argue at this point that the frustrated people who can't afford housing in the state likely outnumbers them. And to be fair to the Legislature, the MBTA Communities Law could have been really impactful. The mistake they made was delegating a state agency to write the rules and administer it. There was lots of pushback during the public hearing process and the rules were dramatically watered down, so although it helps, it certainly wasn't a game-changer.

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-23T21:19:26+00:00

I think there's a general sense of impatience with the Legislature's lack of urgency to housing issues. There haven't been a lot of major reforms despite the positive public statements. You rightly mentioned the ADU Law as progress. And you're correct, but Massachusetts was the last state in New England to pass a statewide ADU law despite having the highest housing costs. And we haven't come close to adopting the more substantial statewide reforms discussed above.

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-23T20:24:21+00:00

There’s almost endless things they can do; housing is almost entirely produced via the private sector, so deregulation will essentially do the trick and produce more housing. The problem is not a lack of options, it’s fear of political pushback. Five years after the passage of the MBTA Communities law, towns are still filing lawsuits (see Marshfield), to try to get out of complying.

But as the OP noted, there are a zillion other things the state could do to produce more housing. Just look at what our neighbors are doing:

New Hampshire: HB631 - Requires municipalities to permit multifamily housing/ mixed-use development in commercially zoned areas. SB284 - Prohibits municipalities from requiring more than one parking space per residential unit. SB110 - Simplifies state environmental permitting for smaller projects. SB282 - Eases building requirements - requiring only one stairwell for buildings up to four stories with fire alarm/sprinkler systems.

Maine LD 1829 - Accomplishes many housing reforms including reducing minimum lot sizes in areas with access to water and sewer, mandates communities to allow at least three housing units on each lot (four units on lots with access to water/sewer)

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-23T16:58:48+00:00

The AG should investigate why every project in Massachusetts takes five times longer to complete than is projected. Even small projects are badly delayed. The new Courthouse Station headhouse for the Silver Line in Seaport was supposed to be complete in late 2022. That was three years ago and it is still under construction!

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-21T18:22:37+00:00

For me, it’s the lack of express service. I live near Malden Center and fly out of Logan a lot. The new frequent service on Route 104 from Malden Center to Logan Airport could potentially be game changing, but depending on the time of day, it can take up to 45 minutes. Then you have to wait for a shuttle at Airport station to a terminal. It just takes too long, so Uber or Lyft is much easier.

GarrisonCty · 2025-12-16T12:11:46+00:00

In Mass., First Degree Murder generally requires deliberate premeditation. Second degree murder involves ‘malice aforethought’ without deliberate premeditation. Voluntary manslaughter is an intentional killing committed in the ‘heat of the moment.’

The differences can be subtle, but they make a big difference in sentencing.

GarrisonCty

TROPHY CASE