Writer’s Block from July 14, 2010:

What are five things you love about where you live and five things that you hate? How does it compare to previous places you’ve lived?

What are five things you love about where you live?

I’m pretty open about the fact that I don’t particularly care for Atlanta. But I’ve been here for four years now, and it’s grown on me a bit. It will never be “home,” though.

1. It’s only two hours from the mountains and three hours from the coast.
2. There are a lot of things to see and do, especially if you have enough money.
3. It has multiple and beautiful skylines.
4. There’s a strong sense of history, and plenty of places to explore that.
5. It’s a major enough city to attract top-level performers, politicians and similar.

What are five things you hate about where you live?

A friend of mine and I recently agreed that Atlanta can accurately be described as a bunch of small towns that happen to be in the same location.

1. It’s very socially stratified. Everyone “keeps to their own kind.”
2. It’s either hot or cold. There’s not much in the way of spring or fall.
3. The area suffers from car addiction. There’s no decent public transit or walker-friendly areas.
4. There’s very little in the way of free entertainment or community education.
5. It’s not particularly conducive to unique, owner-operated shops and eateries. Big boxes and national chains are the rule.

How does it compare to previous places you’ve lived?

I’ve lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle; the longest I’ve ever lived at a single address is seven years. In addition, when I moved away from the area where I grew up, I never missed it. So when I moved here, I figured that it was simply the next stepping-stone of a life that would be lived in many different places before it was over.

I was pretty surprised, then, when I found myself homesick for Raleigh after about three or four months. I still miss it. I can’t quite explain it but that has become home and I know now that I will be going back; I just don’t know the details. I miss it more every time I visit and then leave.

Atlanta’s a place to live and there are definitely worse. But Raleigh is home. I understand how things work and know where to find what I want. It’s just city-like enough to be vibrant and just small-town enough to be universally friendly. That’s what I prefer, and that’s why I’ve never gotten emotionally tied to Atlanta.

Photo: Skyline at Sunrise, uploaded by airnos