MOVING LINKS 4 YOU

Hi (Relo)Mary,

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to let us tell others and you about our residential communities… If anyone is moving to the Toronto area and wants to live in a wonderful community, here’s what I have to say about mine.

I would like to invite everyone from around the world to view the Markland Wood website and see for yourself why I (and about 1200 other families) think we live in the best place in the whole world. Toronto is a lovely city with just about everything anyone might want or need, shopping, entertainment, diverse cultures, many interesting sights/sites to see (Niagara Fall is just a short drive from Toronto) but that’s not what makes Markland Wood the best community in the world. I have lived in Toronto for most of my life and never seen so many similar, caring people in all my life. The people of Markland Wood, a community that was established in 1960, formed a ratepayer’s association call the Markland Homes Association (MHA) in 1962. The MHA holds many events throughout the year for community spirit and outreach to others. The flagship event, The Annual Christmas Caravan & Food Drive collects food, clothing and money from every house, townhouse, condo and apartment, having the caravan visit every address. There are many other events throughout the year to promote community involvement. Markland Wood also has a community newsletter, published and distributed 10 time each year. “The Marklander” holds the Toronto record for having the longest continuous published community newspaper in Toronto, since 1962. Imagine living in a non-gated community where all the residents live very happily, with little fear of crime, where you know your neighours by name because everyone is either walking, jogging, cycling or like me, rollerblading around the Markland Circle. If I can’t convince you, then please visit the http://www.MarklandWood.org website to see for yourself. While you’re visiting us online, turn up your speakers and listen to the Structures TV show about Markland Wood.

P.S. – The MHA is able and willing to help you set up an organization and events like those we sponsor. If you would like information on how to do so or give comments about our organization, please send an email to; MHA_President@MarklandWood.org.

Hi Mary,
I live in the Northwest Suburbs of the Greater Chicagoland Area. There is lots to do here. We have all the seasons so nature is always something to enjoy. In the winter there is skiing both downhill and cross country and in the summer, water ski’s come out as we have an awful lot of of lakes around here both Great & small. Miles and miles of bike and hiking trails go far and wide and if a more urban experience is what you’re looking for we have lots of that too! Major market sports teams call Chicago home and we also have minor league teams in a number of sports in and around town. Like to laugh? Fantastic! This is the original home to The Second City and The Improv Olympic as well as a whole host of comedy clubs. Live Theatre? You bet! Large scale broadway productions to small intimate theatre productions occur all over Chicago and the suburbs. Chicago is also home to fabulous museums such as The Art Institute, The Museum of Science & Industry, The Adler Planetarium, The Field Museum of Natural History, The Shedd Aquarium as well as a whole host of others. Don’t forget to check out such wonders such as Navy Pier with one of the world’s largest ferris wheels, or Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) where you can seemingly step right out into the air over 100 stories in the air! It’s a long way down! Then check out The John Hancock Building’s outdoor observatory over on The Magnificant Mile. Don’t forget to do some serious shopping when you’re there. Sound like fun? This is just a taste of what Chicagoland has to offer. Drop in, you’ll have a blast!

Hi Mary. I, too, live in the Toronto area, but slightly north of the city. For those of you familiar with Toronto, Yonge Street (the longest street in the world!)defines many communities along its length. We live less than 1 city block off of Yonge St., but in a little area called Mill Pond in Richmond Hill. It’s just a simple little Pond and nature area, but it’s the cultural centre of Richmond Hill, where we have free concerts in the Summer under an outdoor pavilion, and skating in the winter (we Canadians love a little “Pond Hockey…”). About 15 steps from my driveway, I’m in the “wilderness.” It’s a block away from Yonge St., but a world away in terms of ambience. Our humble little house is at the north end of the pond, where, if we turn our heads just right, we can look out our front window and watch the “action” (or lack thereof) on the water. We moved here because we thought it would be a great place to raise our kids, and my two, age 11 and 8, are definitely beginning to recognize how special it is.

Hi ReloMary,

I’m from India, South India to be precise. I stay in Bangalore, which is the capital of Karnataka State. Did you know the word Bangalore is derived from a boiled bean?
http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/bangalore
Bangalore was once called a pensioner’s paradise, retired people came here to stay and enjoy the cool climate and the gardens. Unfortunately, with the IT boom, Bangalore got dubbed as India’s Silicon valley and lost much of its charm. I reside in Richards Town, Cantonment area. Earlier Bangalore was divided into two parts, one being where the British lived, viz: Cantonment area and the districts here continue to retain the names dating back to the British Era. So we have Richards Town, Frazer Town, Cox Town, Cooke Town, Richmond Town, etc. It makes life easier for me to have such simple names, because I am originally from Bombay (Mumbai) and some South Indian names can be a real tongue twister.
The only thing these days, that reminds us that Bangalore is a Garden city is our flower shows. We have two such mega events during Republic Day (Jan 26) and Independence Day (Aug 15). I have uploaded some of the photographs of the August flower show on my blog. Do pay us a visit there. http://writerscyberslate.blogspot.com/2009/08/flower-show-amidst-grim-times.html
We in Bangalore love to eat. We have several dedicated streets to food. Church street is my favourite haunt. While St Marks church is nearby, this street is known as the food street, as you can see in this newspaper article.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/372496.cms
The IT boom has resulted in Bangalore becoming a mini India, with people from all over and several expats residing here. Be it Intel, or Cisco, or Sun, all their offices are here, in Bangalore. In turn, Banglaore no longer munches just on idlis and dosas, but you get McDonalds and US Pizza and The Hut. Not to mention Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and other cusine. Yes, the world is flat and becoming flatter.

Mary,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to elaborate n the area in which we live.

I have lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1986. The first ten years were in the Seattle area and I loved it there. When I moved my company down to the Vancouver, WA area, next to Portland, OR, I was initially doing it for business reasons because of the wealth of electronics companies down here. But after 13 years in the area I realized that I have found home.

This is a great area to live and work. Unfortunately, the area is currently suffering from a very high unemployment rate and that is affecting the quality of life for many people. Because of the number of semiconductor companies here when the semi industry sneezes the area catches a cold. The semiconductor business is very cyclical and offers great opportunity during the high times. They are now starting to rebound over the last three months and I fully expect the area to be vibrant and getting people back to work over the next few months though.

The area is also one of the key areas in the country for ‘green’ energy. We have several large down to startup level of companies and spinoffs in the solar and wind turbine industry that are growing roots here. The tax incentives in Oregon combined with the Federal incentives and tax credits will eventually pay for between 85% and 100% of your going green project. This includes solar, wind, biomass, cogeneration, and other technologies being developed.

With that all being said, we are in serious need of new companies coming to the area. There is a wealth of highly educated, experienced people that can really add to an employers company. If a company decides to move here the best place with the best incentives and tax breaks is the Vancouver, WA area. Many companies have moved their operations across the Columbia River from Portland to Vancouver due to the incentives and the quality of life here. The schools are great and the people are great. If you have anyone that is interested in looking into moving their company or starting their company in a great place for their family then have them contact me. I am pretty well connected to the political and business circles within Clark County so have them call me. I would be glad to help.

Take care,
Jon Gruett
highersolutions@gmail.com
503-819-7954

Hi Mary.

I’ve had the good fortune of living all over the country, and Germany while growing up – my dad was in the Military. My favorite places were Augsburg (Germany) – the best hot pretzels, vanilla ice cream, and of course gummi bears!!!

Stateside, I liked our time in Missouri, California, Pennsylvania. As an adult, I liked the wind in Chicago – Providence was electic, loved the energy of New York, and now settled in the Seattle area. No wonder it’s called the Emerald City. We have some of the finest restaurants around (NY dining has nothing on SEA dining!) – plus being surrounded by water on three sides is phenomenol – there is always some kind of celebration or festival going on in the SEA area! Plus, skiing nearby, water sports, fishing, hiking, camping, theatre, symphony, the list is endless!!

There’s not only a coffee house on every corner, but you generally can’t walk more than three or four blocks without running into some kind of a book store – love it!

Throw in Boeing and Microsoft – and the area becomes the most sublime combination of Science and Art – hard and soft – edgy and romantic – a carriage ride around the city of SEA is topped off by dinner and a show at TeaTro ZinZanni!

Comedy clubs, and the university district – SEA houses the UW, so it is also a university town – the classic mix of modern and classics, whimsy and academia – torn blue jeans worn w/birkenstocks by students sitting on a park bench reading James Joyce.

The SEA area (including surrounding areas Bellevue, Kirkland – which is the perfect walking town, right on Lk Washington – with boutiques, sailing, etc. – and other nearby communities) make the Pacific NW a perfect place to live!

We love it as much as you love Redding! Here’s to our homes and neighborhoods, no matter where they are!

Dagny

Hi Mary,

I have lived in many places on this earth! Currently we call the state of Virginia home. We live in the New River Valley, an area in Southwest Virginia that is characterized by mountains, valleys, and lots of trees. Our city is Blacksburg (http://www.blacksburg.va.us/)and Blacksburg has a peculiar mix of people. Right in the middle of Blacksburg is the state university Virginia Tech (http://www.vt.edu/)with all its facilities and campus. It is connected to the city by more than 100 small roads. You will find all the students walking around there but anyone else too who wants to stretch their legs and go for a walk. The city is a mixture of VT related stores, a farmer’s market, many small business owners but also representatives of chains such as Panera, Starbuck’s and Ben & Jerry’s. Blacksburg has a great transit system that will be expanded in time. Nature in this area is fantastic for hiking, biking, roller skating and many other outdoor sports.

We live in a neighbourhood (http://www.villageattomscreek.com/) where the building styles are mixed so you will see ranch models mixed with multiple storey single family homes and townhouses. Ours is a replica of a full brick colonial four-square and we love it! The design is classic and we have been able to work with the builder to make the interior our very own. Our neighbourhood is connected virtually as well. The Home Owners Association has every document online and all residents are encouraged to add their email address to the listserv so we can contact each other easily to organize parties, find lost pets, find blown away items, or to alert each other to events. This area is rich in children and young families. The city’s public school system is one of the best in the country and Blacksburg’s High School can be found ranking in the top 400 best US high schools.

Come and visit Blacksburg some day and enjoy life in the New River Valley!

Alice

I live in a great town, just a dozen miles outside of Boston, MA, called Belmont. Boston is nicknamed the Hub of the Universe, and while most understand why after they visit, I’ll let those of you who are not familiar in on a couple of secrets: We have the world’s most renowned Hospitals, and Health Care systems. We are home to hundreds of colleges and universities, and have some of the greatest colleges and universities in the world. Theater, Comedy, Film and Artist communities and productions are all around. When settlers first came to the US, they lived in this area for the abundant, rich fisheries offshore, the great farmland near and perfect climates. So, what does all this have to do with MY town?

We’re a short bus ride from downtown Boston. We have one of the finest school systems in the nation. Children of Belmont are among the top performers in SAT scores, and attend the Colleges of their choice. Many of the town’s residents are third and forth generation, making Belmont a very stable and connected community. We’re close enough to enjoy the “big city” and yet, our town is called “a town of homes!” We have small neighborhoods, and close knit groups. We have locally owned restaurants and pubs, and no chain, fast food stores. We’re located close to major Airports, Subways, and Rail Systems, connecting us with the world.

Our residents have virtually any type of house of worship to choose from, within walking distance. We’re close enough to commute to both some of the most impressive Fortune 1000 companies and also some of the high tech and biotech startups that fuel innovation and thought in the world.

All this and one of the worlds funniest and nicest Greek Family, plus their two cats live there! What more could you ask for?

Hi, Mary…

Thank you so much for allowing me an opportunity to talk about an area that is so often overlooked – Detroit and the state of Michigan.

Before anyone groans, mutters a profanity and is looking to click out of this box, hear me out. It’s true, Detroit, like any other big city, is having a rough go of it. We have our share of crime, urban decay and questionable politicians, but if that’s what you think we’re all about here, you’re horribly misinformed.

Detroit is famous for the auto assembly line, the arsenal of democracy, Vernors ginger ale, Coney Island-style hot dogs, the Motown sound and much more. Tim Allen, Anita Baker, Tommy Hearns, Francis Ford Coppola, Aretha Franklin, Elmore “Dutch” Leonard, Charles Lindbergh, Tom Selleck and Della Reese are among out favorite sons and daughters.

The Red Wings, Tigers and Pistons are always competitive (you notice I didn’t mention the Lions, lol!) and people here love to fish, swim, ski and boat along the largest freshwater shoreline in the country. (We’re second in the nation in fishing rod sales.) Speaking of shoreline, look closely at a map of Detroit and you’ll find we’re the only place in the lower 48 where our good friends in Canada are to the south.

If you’re looking for world class music, a stop at the Max M. Fisher Music Center to hear the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is a must. We’re also home to the nation’s first urban freeway, the first mile of paved concrete road, the nation’s oldest state fair, and the world’s only floating post office.

Outside of being known for automobiles and the increasing presence of clean energy businesses, Michigan is the nation’s leading producer of red tart cherries, blueberries, dry beans, geraniums, pickling cucumbers and so much more. Off the beaten path, we have the Bologna Festival, the Potato Festival, the Fish Sandwich Festival, the Christmas Pickle Celebration and the National Baby Food Festival, among other events.

We may be the 26th state in the union, but we have something going on 52 weeks a year here. Now that the weather is warm, I invite everyone to come and find out what makes Michigan so cool!

Hi Mary

I am from India – from Chennai which is in the South India. Chennai was previously called Madras. It is the capital of Tamil Nadu State, and lies on the coast of Bay of Bengal. It is famous for its culture and traditions. A lovely place, more so because of its people. It is famous for its industries, Hospitals, education. It is sometimes called as the Detroit of South Asia – because of the number of car manufacturers here and their exports from here.

Traces of British occupation can be seen in the Fort St.George, http://www.chennai.org.uk/monuments/george-fort.html
in the Museum, http://www.chennai.org.uk/monuments/government-museum.html
and in many other heritage buildings in Chennai.

You would find some of the good Churches here. St. Mary’s Church, St. George’s Cathedral, Church of Our Lady of Expectation, Basilica of San Thome – are some of the well known churches.
http://www.chennai.org.uk/religious-places/churches/index.html

Some traces of Portuguese settlements are also found in small pockets here, but not as much as in Goa.

We have a zoo – which is considered to be the largest in South East Asia
http://www.aazoopark.gov.in/index.html

And for bird watchers – we have the Bird sanctuary too -
http://www.madrasi.info/vedanthangal-sanctuary.html

And then you have the historical place of Mahabalipuram – a place you would enjoy because of the drive along the sea to reach the place, and the history in and around its pace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalipuram

Chennai has good hotels to suit every type of visitor, the food to suit any visitor – from the south India tastes to American, Italian, Korean, French, Thai – you name it and you can find it here. There are embassies of many countries here, and you will find a good amount of foreigners either staying here, or on travel.

Chennai is a slower city compared to the other metropolitan cities. People find that it is not a hot and happening city. But we Madrasis prefer it this way. A hot coffee and a chat with a good friend would be preferred by a Madrasi any day over the other things.
We have people from different cultures and religions here sharing an excellent harmony here.

22nd Aug – was the birthday of Chennai – it was the 369th birthday I read.

You can read more about the city – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai#cite_note-7

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Sorry Mary……

I cannot disclose the exact area that I live in because it’s a great secret.
I can say we’re about 1 and 1/2 hour, by train to get into NYC. The area around “this town” has grown and developed over the last 30 or so years. “This town” fights tooth and nail to keep itself “rural”. I am sure it has not changed drastically in the last 80 years, but remains pretty much as it has been over several centuries.

The downside of living in the area, it takes about 45 minutes one way to drive to the grocery store, BUT I love it.

Hi Mary,
I have the fortune of sharing the beautiful area of Redding in Northern California with you, and as you say, there are many reasons to live in Redding and in Shasta County in general.

Beyond the ones that you have already mentioned, I’d like to add the beautiful birds which are visible pretty much throughout the year, the wild life -yes, I’m talking lions, deer – which can sometimes be seen crossing the street on the west side of town – and bears. My family and I were at Whiskeytown Lake with some friends last Friday and happened to see, within less than a hundred feet, a beautiful (from the safety of our boat in the water) big, brown bear. Imagine that. Just 7 miles outside of the city limits!

And about fishing, if you missed the Record Searchlight article last Saturday or the Forbes Online Magazine article on Wednesday, Aug. 19th, you should check them both out. The Forbes Online Magazine has rated Redding as one of “North America’s Top 10 Trout-Fishing Towns”. Not too shabby, I’d say, even for a not-a-fisher-yet like myself.

Relo: I’m in the Garden State – New Jersey… I live in Woodbridge and the love the quick access to NYC. I love how I can do almost everything I want, within an hour or less drive, be it golf, fishing, camping, beaches, racetracks, hiking, urban nightlife, skiing almost anything…

The part I love about the town the most is its location and food… And I love JJ Bitting Brewery which was #2 BrewPub in America (By BeerAdvocate) The BEER is awesome, food is good and it is walking distance from my place is I can have as many as I want… http://beeradvocate.com/boba/072003/brewpubs.php

Hi Mary,
I live in the beautiful city of Bellevue, WA. It is situated across Lake Washington from Seattle, WA, and is a beautiful jewel filled with parks and trails. Bellevue was recently named number 1 in CNNMoney’s list of the best places to live and launch businesses. Also, we have one of the top 20 school districts in the nation (the number varies from year to year, a few years ago we were #1). We can easily reach the Cascade Mountains in the east, the Sound, Olympic mountains and Pacific Ocean are an easy drive to the west. Microsoft has been building so many new buildings here, that you’d think they owned the place.
The city’s name is derived from a French term for “beautiful view”. Under favorable weather conditions, scenic vistas of the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Mountains can be viewed from hilltops (and strategically-positioned high-rise buildings) within the incorporated city.
Bellevue was rated one of the 25 safest cities in America, based on the per-capita incidence of violent crime. On the same subject, the Bellevue Police Department is strongly supported by the community.
Now, it is cold and rainy in the Pacific Northwest, and you wouldn’t want to come here to live, just visit.

Hi Mary,

Thanks so much for asking us to share about our little place on earth.

I live in a little community Southwest of Seattle Airport. A town called Federal Way. No we are not the home of a prison but we do have 28 developed parks and 19 open space parks. We are short 25 miles from Seattle and an even shorter 8 miles to Tacoma. So just a heartbeat from most anything you would like to do in the Pacific Northwest.

Our average temperaturs range from a low in January of 33 to a high in July of 75. Occasionally we see lower and higher temperatures but generally it is quite moderate. We have the Pacific Ocean to our West, Mount Ranier an easy 1/12 hour drive away and if your adventurous Mt Adams a goodly bit longer of a distance. So for those who want to play in the water, ski, hike, climb mountains, see beautiful sunsets you can do all of that and more – you just have to be ok doing it in what we call partly sunny (some rain) and cool temperatures. That’s how we get to be less rainfall than some other places in the world. When there is a chance of rain our forecasters call it partly sunny. When most other places have a chance for some rain – they call it partly rain or chance of showers. Round about here there is always a chance for showers. Don’t bother bringing your umbrella – you won’t need it. It is just a little drizzle – and besides we would know you are a tourist .

Windsor, California is a quiet bedroom community nestled against the foothills on one side and open to the Santa Rosa valley on the other. The recently renovated downtown offers unique shops and dining establishments. The nearby Town Green holds numerous community activities (farmers market, summer movies, music, etc) in addition to lounging on the grass. Housing is typically upper-median because of the location: less than an hour away from San Francisco, the Pacific Ocean, and many other locations of sightseeing, pleasure, and liesure. The summers can be warm, upper 80′s and 90′s, but typically temperatures are relatively mild year round compared to other locations around the country. Oh, and did I mention The Wine Country. Windsor is smack dab in it.

I live in the town of Exeter, NH, just off I-95 at the famous Hampton Toll. Hampton Beach, Portsmouth and its great restaurants, Manchester and its convenient airport — they’re all nearby.

Exeter itself is a quiet but cultured town. The former Revolutionary Capitol of the Colonies, it’s a community steeped in history. There was a reading of the Declaration of Independence in a park by the river on July 4.

We’re also the home of the esteemed Philips Exeter Academy prep school, but my tastes are more aligned with Exeter High School, whose football team has competed for the past four state championships.

This is a great walking town. You can walk along the Exeter River in Swazey Park, and that’s where on weekends you’ll find the best hot dog cart you’ve ever met. The downtown shops bost eclectic clothing stores and two wonderful independent bookstores. We’ve also got two great Asian restaurants, and I always buy my fresh coffee and bread at the downtown bakery. If you want to stroll around the neighborhoods, there are historic homes and plaques everywhere. Take your time. Enjoy.

You get all four seasons here, and they each can be dramatic in their own way. We lost power for several days during an ice storm last winter, and we saw 95-degrees and humid every day last week.

But I’m 20 minutes from the beach, an hour from Boston, 90 minutes from the family’s lake home in Maine.

There may be better places to live, but I’ve not experienced them yet.

Mary, I didn’t respond when you first started this because where I currently live is not where I ultimately want to “settle” down. It is simply a stopping point on our journey. We currently live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, California. We’re only a mile from the beach, every possible type of food is available at local restaurants, and everything you could possibly want to buy (and many things that you don’t really need) are available at local stores. We’ve met lots of great people and the diversity of cultures is amazing. One of the great selling points for Southern California is the weather and it is nice and Sunny – not too hot if you live close to the coast. My complaint is that it is the same almost all year, never really changes and I love all the seasons.

We spent almost four years living in Taipei, Taiwan and hope we have another chance to live somewhere in Asia. Great people, great food, wonderful opportunities to explore and learn. We will eventually move back to Conifer, Colorado in the mountains southwest of Denver. Out in the country, but still able to reach Denver in about an hour, beautiful scenery, lots of snow, lots of wildlife to watch, lots of Everything!

I live in Arlington, Texas, just east of Fort Worth and 25 miles west of downtown Dallas. Don’t call us a suburb, though; with 365,000 people we’re the seventh largest city in Texas!

This is a great place for sports fans; Arlington is the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team and the Dallas Cowboys. The new Cowboys stadium is an attraction in itself and looks something like a UFO. There are also excellent city-owned golf courses, and for the kids, there’s a water park and Six Flags Over Texas.

I live in an older neighborhood (well, older for Texas – built in the mid-1970s), with lots of trees and three parks and a lake within walking distance. One of the local parks is 100 acres, with a hiking trail and an 18-hole disc golf course! River Legacy Park, a little farther away, is 1300 acres with eight miles of trails.

I almost forgot the University of Texas at Arlington – 30,000 students in undergraduate, masters and PhD programs.

You can get anywhere via the highways – but we have no public transportation. That and the summer heat are the only downsides I can think of. I love it here.

I live in Washington, DC (yes, I really live in the city within walking distance of the White House)! And I was born here…although the hospital I was born at is now luxury condos and a Trader Joes…geezo meezo.

Can you believe there is more to this city than politics and lawyers? But I would say thanks to them we have some great restauranteurs here (always miss the privately owned restaurants in DC when I travel)!!!

There are so many things I love about this city. It is very green because we have a big huge park right in the middle of it along with a river running through the city. So you can bike, jog and walk through the park or do activities on the water like kayaking or sailing. We have beautiful architecture here and the city is very approachable because we have a building limit height. No building can be taller than the Washington Monument (about 8 floors).

While we are known for our free museums, we also have one of the top live theater scenes in the nation. And businesses and individuals alike have been tremendous in terms of supporting the arts here. We have a number of newly built state of the art multi purpose use theatre venues/arts incubators.

We also have 4 distinct seasons here which is quite nice (with no season to extreme) and its proximity to everything is fantastic! Drive 2.5 hours west and you will be in the Mountains. Drive 2.5 hours east and you will be at the ocean/beach. Pay $20 and hop on a bus and in 4 hours you will be in the middle of New York City. Hop on a plane in a little over 2 hours you will be in Miami/South Beach, FL.

I’m an Englishman living in Gothenburg, which is Sweden’s second city after Stockholm. The city lies on the Gota River estuary on the (best) west coast of Sweden, 300 miles from Stockholm, which on the east coast. Gothenburg is both an administrative centre and an industrial city, home to Volvo, Ericsson and SKF.
Outside the city itself we have a really beautiful archipelago with millions of islands and islets ranging in size from small rocks, just sticking up above the surface of the water, to the main island (on which I live) which is 199 square kilometres, (approximately 77 square miles). The city itself is very green and open, with several big parks near the centre of the city, and the sea breezes keep the air fresh all year round. (Does this sound like an advertisement?)
Sweden is in the Central European Time Zone (CET) which means that we are GMT + 1. We have four distinct seasons and the average temperature in Gothenburg in January is 0 degrees Centigrade (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and 17 degrees Centigrade (62.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in July and we get, on average 760 mm (29.9 inches) of rain per year. (I feel as if we have had about three years rain this summer.)
I have found a site with some more pretty useless information about Gothenburg and I thought that I would share some of it with you. Gothenburg has 500 085 inhabitants (2008), 1 Opera House, 25 theatres, 20 museums, 50 000 trees, 175 m2 per inhabitant, 230 trams, 2 airports, 668 restaurants (5 with Michelin Guide Rouge stars), 60 000 students, 2 universities, 63 hotels, 7 640 hotel rooms, 167 cafés, 10 940 ships dock in the harbour annually (it’s the largest harbour in Scandinavia), 19 golf courses within a 30-minute drive. And 70 000 roses in the Horticultural Society Gardens.

Mary, I live in one of the first commuter suburbs in the US, Montclair, NJ. Despite its location in the midst of that huge conurbation known as ‘BosWash’, Montclair’s neighborhood streets are leafy and breezy. We live in the midst of the residual Forest Primeval of Evangeline fame, so towering trees are the norm.

Montclair, unusual in the US, has an eminently walkable town center. One can perambulate through shops, restaurants, health food stores, specialty stores, cigar parlors, dance studios, shoe repair shop, fur storage places, coffee and tea shops, pharmacies, movie theaters, groceries, delis, camera shops, bank, night clubs and professional offices within a few blocks; the density of possibilities has produced a decent volume of foot traffic, which in turn feeds interest on the part of entrepreneurs and national chains about locating in one of several such business districts in town.

Montclair State University is a couple miles up Valley Road, which leads to Rte 3, at one time the most heavily traveled road in the US, as it leads to New York. The Garden State Parkway is about 3 miles away, and routes 80, 280 and 78 are not that much farther, so for commuters by car, you have a rich nexus of connections. Of course, mass transit is also available, with train and bus service running frequently and pretty conveniently to many stations in the town.

There are a lot of New Yorkers that move to Montclair for the schools and the (relatively) more relaxed lifestyle. It’s a bit pricey, but there are amenities, and the general trend in town is positive, although businesses have of course taken a hit lately.

The Montclair Art Museum is a great place to visit; it has one of the largest collections of Native American art and artifacts in the world. There is an operetta company, and several theatre companies within a five mile radius; frankly they had to move out as rents got a bit much. Several dance studios and art studios help to flesh out a varied offering for folks.

There are about fifty (seriously) restaurants and delis within about a square mile, ranging from predictable like Italian, Chinese, French Thai, Greek, Indian, and Sushi to Cuban, Halal, Argentine, Ethiopian, Syrian, Turkish, Southern Fish Fry, K.C. BBQ, Jamaican, and many more. My wife and I are blessed because we never feel the need to treat ourselves to a fancy meal when we are on vacation; we can get world class food within walking distance.

The newly reopened Wellmont Theatre was restored to its early Twentieth-Century glory, and a spate of musical and comedy talent has paraded across its stage, such as Tony Bennett, Brian Wilson, Rufus Wainwright, Bill Maher, Cyndi Lauper and many more.

The community is famous for its diversity and tolerance, and a genuine sense of neighborliness. We have a great Fourth of July parade every year, and fireworks. There is a First Night celebration kicking off with a parade and unveiling of an ice sculpture, extending through multiple venues and events and culminating with fireworks. We were among first adopters of this alcohol-free family oriented celebration, on the heels of Boston decades ago.

There are great schools, and several private academies as well, in keeping with the upscale nature of at least parts of Montclair.

Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn admittedly is a bit of a drive, but still within 20 minutes. We saw “Death of a Salesman” there—gripping.

Newark, with its NJPAC and Newark Museum, with its consecrated Buddhist altar and riches from all over the world, is about five miles away.

Montclair is worth a look if you are moving to the New York City area.

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Sunny South Florida is the place I call home. I’m lucky enough to live almost sandwiched between two National Parks, Biscayne National Park and The Florida Everglades. If I want cosmopolitan cafes and the best in arts I drive a little north to Miami, Coconut Grove or often even to Ft. Lauderdale. If the day’s more laid back and in pina colada mood, it’s south down the stretch to the Florida Keys. Heck I can even go a bit Northwest to the Big Cypress National Park. Needless to say we spend alot of time outdoors though the summer heat can get to you.

Fall doesn’t show up until November, with days only slightly less hot, but beautiful skys. Winter is always a surprise, the day can be a high of 80 or a ‘frigid’ 50. Well it’s cold to us ok! Spring is really the best time, when the sky is a heartbreaking blue, the weather cool and the calm ocean resembles a mirror, disrupted only by silver flashes of flying fish.