Travel Adventures: Those Great Places to Live

Mark Cramer is no stranger to evaluating places, in fact he authored FunkyTowns USA, in which he evaluated 50 of them. Mark has also written books about Bolivia, Barcelona, Cuba and other exciting places, in a genre that could be called "travel journalism." His Web site is Altiplano Publications.

BALI, INDONESIA

QUALITY OF LIFE RATING

Place Rated:  By:
Factors                             Rating                                         Comments

1.Climate/Environment     I haven't experienced the rainy season, but it was pretty near perfect in the 3 months I was there, and I've heard that "the rainy season" means several hours of rain a day for 2 or 3 months. No need for air conditioning, one of my biggest requirements and measures of "good" climate.

2.Housing                            Amazing choices. Low, low prices. But foreigners cannot "buy" property in Bali. However they can lease for 25 years. One can rent a beautiful home for as low as $5 a day. Incredible architecture. Buildings are open to the outdoors.

3.Economy/Jobs                 Hurting big time due to 1997 economic crash and last year, the bomb.

4. Society                             Very friendly and community minded. However, locals do prey on foreigners, and one tends to feel hassled or manipulated much of the time. Expats lean a little heavy for my taste to the arty side and low on intelligentsia.

5. Crime                                 There are a lot of home robberies here and theft — bad enough that I always wondered if my cameras and computer would still be there every time I returned to my house. Most expats I know have been robbed at some time. Physical attacks not a problem here. Peaceful, smiling locals.

6. Recreation                        Has everything but winter sports.

7. Transportation                One can rent a motorcycle for $3 a day or a driver for $15 a day. Some areas of the island are difficult to get to. Short flight to Australia, Thailand, Singapore...

8. Health Care                      Minimal but affordable. It's a 2-hour flight to Singapore or 3 to Bangkok where health care is world-class. If you need emergency care, you're in trouble in Bali. I upgraded this score from 2 to 5 because one can get a massage or body work for under $10. Also great choices of alternative health care such as Jamu.

9. Government/Utilities      Government very corrupt. On the other hand, there's a lot less bureaucracy and hassles in everyday life than in the U.S. Electricity and phones expensive. But their water system is second to none. Anti-American sentiments and highly Muslim populated archipelago.

10. Culture/Language        Would have rated a 10 if there were a large city nearby. Many of locals speak English and Bahasia Indonesian is easy language to learn.

Total Score:

Other observations: Other aspects important to how habitable a place is: Beauty, both physical and man-made. SF and Bali, for example, have both geographical beauty and a strong aesthetic sense of style. And music ... I think living in a place where music is loved and appreciated increases its livability factor greatly.

For the past seven years Robin Sparks has been prowling the world in her quest for the “perfect spot to live.” When her book comes out, we'll review it on this Web site.

UNITED STATES

QUALITY OF LIFE RATING Place Rated:  By:

Factors                              Rating                                         Comments

1.Climate/Environment     "Another sunny day in Paradise" my husband and I said about San Diego city, because every day is a sunny day. Clouds? Rain? Overcast? What's that? Low humidity, but comfortable; it is not like Phoenix, AZ or Las Vegas, NV. Temperature: low 60s in the early morning and at night, 70 to 80 during the day. It is an excellent place for retirees. The only part of the year that the weather isn't perfect is at end May/June, because the marine layer: cloudy during the morning but sunny at noon/afternoon). Beautiful surroundings: Embarcadero area, Coronado Island and don't forget the beaches and places for hiking. No mosquitoes nor cucarachas. Can you imagine a summer without them? In coastal areas, heating in winter and air conditioning in summer are not necessary. It is true that spontaneous fire danger exist in parts of San Diego County because it becomes very dry sometimes -- but inland, not in the city or costal areas. If you like to see snow in winter, there are some high mountains and parks where you will find it.

2.Housing                            Housing is very expensive; downtown San Diego you only can find a small apartment at crazy prices, almost like Manhattan, but without the social or nightlife. Only 18% of the people living in S.D. County can afford to buy houses. Houses and townhouses tend to be new developments, mostly from the '80 and newer. Costal areas are very expensive. Beautiful brand new neighborhoods. Renting or share is fine. Universities attract a lot of students and research scientists.

3.Economy/Jobs                 It is a great place for software and telecommunication engineers, international scientists and medical doctors; they can find their dream jobs. Also it is a good place for military-related jobs. Blue-color jobs are in the hands of Mexican immigrants. Reasonable selection and quality of goods. But not as good bakeries, gelato places or delis like in New York. All big brands, supermarkets are present at big and new malls. Services are reasonable priced.

4. Society                             People are very friendly, but at the same time very independent. Life and social life is around beaches. If you like golf, surfing or love to be at the beach all day or to be involved in outdoors activities, this is your place. If you have kids, you will be involved in their activities and you will meet the parents of your kids' friends. Don't look for intellectual conversations, discussion of politics or reality, or "to be or not to be;" here we in fantasyland and we don't care. People are not dummies, but we are not in DC, New York, Buenos Aires, Paris or Milan. This is not an organic community and you can feel lonely. People care about their appearance (many plastic surgeries), although you see them wearing shorts and sandals all day long.

5.Crime                                  Very safe, day and night.

6. Recreation                       Excellent for outdoor activities. Keep in mind that San Diego is a spread out city. Cinemas and theatres (ballet and Broadway pieces included) exist but not concentrated downtown or at any one location.

7. Transportation                SD county is the CAR and freeway Kingdom. New and great freeways. Public transportation is scarce. You have some buses downtown. You can't use your bike to go to work, although bike lanes exist. Outside of freeways on regular streets, cars are respectful of the pedestrians. Also, there is a coastal train, which is more touristy than functional.

8. Health Care                      Accessible and well-equipped hospitals. Health care is expensive just like in the rest of the U.S.

9. Government/Utilities      Sable, democratic but we hear in the media about some seriouis corruption. Environmentally friendly. But the Pacific Ocean could be in danger because President Bush and friends want to drill in Baja California seacoast for oil. Satisfactory municipal utilities and private postal services. High property tax.

10. Culture/Language        Healthy balance between work and play. People are on time and keep their agreements. Equal status accorded to men and women, all races and religious. Culture is around beaches. It id not an intellectually stimulating community, unless you are a biological/medical researcher. Mediocre newspaper. English spoken widely, but so are Spanish, Asian and Middle Eastern languages.

Total Score:

Other observations:

QUALITY OF LIFE RATING Place Rated:  By:

Factors                              Rating                                         Comments

1.Climate/Environment     If there is a city with a better climate than San Diego anywhere in the world then please inform me of it. Zero humidity, 70 and sunny everyday of the year, virtually no precipitation ever. In May and June you get a little overcast in the morning close to the ocean but that’s it. No bugs whatsoever, no tornadoes, hurricanes and no earthquakes to worry about. Due to the very dry conditions, fires are a worry. Unbelievable weather. I miss it very much!

2.Housing                            As with most sought after towns in the USA, housing prices are outrageous. I think only like 10% of the people living in San Diego County can afford to buy a median home. The median family income is only around $40,000, which makes a median home price of over $400k impossible for most. People want to live in SD for the weather and its’ location on the Pacific Ocean. Jobs are plentiful. Rentals are more available but home prices are crazy!

3.Economy/Jobs                 Most white-collar jobs are either in telecom, mobile technology, cancer or drug research or the sciences in general. The jobs are plentiful in those areas but not so much for other areas. Plenty of convenient stores for groceries, etc and services at reasonable prices.

4. Society                             San Diegans are generally very friendly and welcoming people. However, social isolation is a good description of the City. The lifestyle revolves around the Ocean, which is fine, but it doesn’t lend itself to much of a feeling of an “organic” community. I think that due to the weather and the transient lifestyle, people are generally independent and prefer to keep it that way. The spontaneous gathering of people doesn’t seem to exist. The weather is so good year round that you wake up any Sat/Sun and you are gone, outside, for the day. Many families come and go within just a few years, too!

5.Crime                                  The area is set up in a very secluded way (like most of America today), the haves and the pretty much not haves. If you are fortunate enough to live in the haves areas, you will feel very safe. But the have not areas aren’t very safe. Generally speaking though, most places day or night offer a good sense of safeness and most communities are working toward that goal.

6. Recreation                       Incredible.Again, tell me where another place where you can be snorkeling in the ocean in the AM and snow skiing in the mountains it the PM. Most people are very outdoor sports minded, golfers, avid swimmers, surfers, bikers, hikers, you name it. The weather lends itself to SD being an outdoor sports haven.

7. Transportation                As is most of southern California, everything is very spread out, public transportation is non-existent. The layout of the freeway system is great in terms of the quality of the roads, etc. and if you know the ins and outs you can get around pretty easily. Traffic is a nightmare. If you don’t own a car, you ain’t going anywhere.

8. Health Care                      As far as I know health care is accessible in SD. Many of the local hospitals such as Scripps and UCSD are some of the best in the country and have state of the art equipment throughout. It is no Boston or anything, but some of the local schools; UCSD, USD are very science focused producing doctors in all areas who want to stay in the local area. Local institutions like; Scripps, UCSD, Burnham Inst. and the Salk Institute attract Ph.D’s from all over the world, providing research expertise to the local medical professionals.

9. Government/Utilities      Taxes are outrageous, but municipalities do a good job. I don’t think there is much corruption in the local government.

10. Culture/Language        San Diegans definitely find plenty of time to play in the beautiful weather so a good balance between work and play exists very clearly. Due to its’ proximity to Mexico, there is definitely a class system between the whites and Hispanics. This system is generally brought on because most of the blue-collar jobs are in the hands of the Mexican people. The community itself is not intellectual stimulating at all, not much to do but enjoy the nice weather at the beach. The local newspaper, “San Diego Tribune” is horrible. People are more interested in surfing than what is going in their local communities, the State of California, the US as a whole and the world for that matter. San Diego is in the southwest corner of the US with all ocean to the West, the poor city of Tijuana to its South, the harsh desserts to its’ east and the closest “real” city and 8 hour drive away “San Francisco”. Trying to have a meaningful conversation about a world topic like Iraq, the Palestine/Israel conflict or the Bush/Kerry run for presidency would be difficult. Once a San Diego friend told me he had visited Boston recently and asked me if Boston was near New England, go figure?

Total Score:

Other observations:

QUALITY OF LIFE RATING Place Rated:  By:

Factors                              Rating                                         Comments

1.Climate/Environment     Year round temps between 45 and 70 degrees,flowers and foliage abundant the year around, but could use more sun and warmth.Must wear a light jacket most days.Known for its earthquakes, but I've yet to experience one here.

2.Housing                            Perhaps the most expensive city in the world in real estate, but currently prices are sliding and is turning into a buyers/renters market. Will still be expensive relative to most other places on the planet. Great architecture, wonderful views, great old houses. There is no cookie cutter suburbia — the houses are great ... old Victorians and the few new buildings are built in good taste.

3.Economy/Jobs                 These things are in flux in San Francisco right now, but currently there are very few jobs and high unemployment. This question would have scored a 10+ 3 years ago.

4. Society                             Also in flux, huge numbers of people moving out because of current economic slump. Overall very high proportion of educated, intelligent people, open-minded and adventuresome, with a bit of eccentricity, with good aesthetic taste have always and still do live in SF. Nice balance of artist types, intelligentsia, culture buffs, and outdoorsmen/women. Very few "bubbas" — even the bums are hip. There is no cookie-cutter suburbia in SF and not a Target in sight. Only one Costco and no Wal-Marts. Unfortunately SF has high proportion of homeless and crazies staggering about its streets screaming weird things. People who live here just walk around them. Visitors stare in horror. They are tolerated by the city because of its leftist leanings. I've heard that many of them come from other cities. Because of mild climate they can live on the streets and because of leftist leanings they won't be forced to leave. Plus there are lots of soup kitchens, so they can eat.

5.Crime                                  Very low for city this size, but depends on neighborhood. Most of the population who would be inclined to commit crimes has been forced out by high prices. I rarely hear of a robbery or physical attack. I walk just about anywhere with no fear of harm. There is only one neighborhood, the Tenderloin, that I'd be cautious about walking in alone at night

6. Recreation                       Incredible. Boating, fishing, hiking, squash and tennis clubs, professional sports...This is a "health-oriented” city with tons of diverse outdoor beauty and opportunity. Three hours drive to ski resorts.

7. Transportation                Pretty good public transportation, no parking. Best thing about SF is it's one of America's last walking cities. Size-wise it is 7 by 7 miles and you can walk or bike just about anywhere.

8. Health Care                      Excellent, but unless you have health insurance, unaffordable — but the latter is true in all of the U.S. Nice balance of traditional medicine and alternative.

9. Government/Utilities      I don't tend to keep up with this aspect, but I hear a lot of moaning and groaning about cronyism and so forth. Way leftist city ... you don't want to use the word Republican here.

10. Culture/Language        The most diverse city in America. I walk 3 blocks one direction and I hear Italian being spoken, 3 blocks in the other direction and everyone's speaking Chinese. A city of neighborhoods, each with its own personality. It's cultural offerings are normally very high (jazz clubs, symphony, ballet) but all are suffering right now because of economic slump.

Total Score:

Other observations: San Francisco is going through hard times right now ... has always been a city that soars and then crashes, only to climb back on top, so this score represents SF at its worst.

QUALITY OF LIFE RATING

Place Rated:  By:
Factors                             Rating                                         Comments

1.Climate/Environment     The DC area, with its many parks and other green areas for biking, hiking, picnicking, is especially attractive in the spring. Winters relatively mild with four or five snowfalls; springs usually rainy; summers hot and humid. Not dangerous acts of God save a rare tornado.

2.Housing                            A great variety of housing available, but it has become very expensive during the past few years. To get anything reasonable have to go into the far suburbs involving an hour or longer commute each way.

3.Economy/Jobs                 Exceptional variety of career and job opportunities; the area seems to be “recession-proof” largely due to the government and all the services and products it purchases.

4. Society                             The Washington D.C. area is a series of bedroom communities, without a real sense of neighborhoods, with few, rare exceptions.

5. Crime                                 Like all cities there are some areas to stay away from, especially at night, but over all it feels reasonably safe, indoors and out.

6. Recreation                        Activities galore on weekends. Predominantly spectator rather than participatory. Mountains and beach are within 2-3 hours drive.

7. Transportation                Top-notch rapid transit rail/subway systems. Highway traffic third worse in the country after Los Angeles and San Francisco. Three major airpots in the area tend to keep air fares competitive.

8. Health Care                      World class. But expensive. Better be covered by a good employee health plan.

9. Government/Utilities      The federal government corrupt and has been taken over by corporate and other special interest to the extent that America is no longer a democracy -- it has become plutocracy (www.unlockyourlife.com/vwn2.html). Municipal services satisfactory: taxes on the high side.

10. Culture/Language        Workaholic culture in the extreme. I’m yet to encounter a place that is less play oriented during the week than here.

Total Score:

Other observations: This area is getting more and more expensive, overbuilt, crowded and strangled by autos. Not a great place to be if you’re looking for an intellectually stimulating environment with a good balance of work and play.

COSTA RICA

QUALITY OF LIFE RATING

Place Rated:  By:
Factors                             Rating                                         Comments

1.Climate/Environment     Approximately 6 months of “summer,” followed by 6 months of “winter.” Summer is warm to hot, breezy, sunny; winter is heavy rain daily, warm to hot, very dark days; sometimes approximates hurricane conditions. Noise pollution prevalent; floods and occasional earthquakes.

2.Housing                            Much new housing being built, but no price information available; all terms subject to individual negotiations. Preference is for sales based on long-term, high-interest loans. Rentals generally not available due to inability/unwillingness of tenants to abide by leasing agreements. Courts slow to evict tenants who become squatters – i.e. stop paying rent.

3.Economy/Jobs                 This immediate neighborhood provides, in contrast to the rest of the country, an excellent supply of goods and services. In supermarkets, for example, quality, variety and prices are comparable to counterparts found in the U.S.

4. Society                             There is no strong sense of community or organic cohesiveness. Encounters where they occur, are generally polite, brief, and business-like. People are focused on their own specific affairs, and seem to have little time, interest, money or inclination to venture outside those confines.

5. Crime                                 There is a greater sense of safety during the day than at night and certainly a much greater sense of safety closer to this neighborhood than in outlying areas. In this particular neighborhood, at least, police are conspicuous by their absence. Where any “law enforcement” at all exists it is represented by increasingly by unarmed, ununiformed, untrained, unofficial “guards,” who may not be on duty at any particular hour or day. There have been major increases in burglary alarms, reinforced fences, barbed wire, heavy locks, and home security systems. Home break-ins are rising dramatically, and residents are increasingly arming themselves.

6. Recreation                        Little in this immediate area, but more is available in adjoining areas. Despite increasing urbanization outdoor activities are still widely available throughout the country.

7. Transportation                Private cars primary source of transportation, supplemented by taxis and buses. Roads are in reasonably good repair, but impassable at certain hours due to massive overload – gridlock common.

8. Health Care                      8 State-of-the-art medicine is available. Whether one gets it or not is problematic. The public health system (CAJA), which is available free to everyone, collects payments from every available source: recorded salaries/wages/pensions/profits. But first-class medical service is available to those who pay the private market price, which is steep. Private doctor/hospital competence is comparable to that generally found in the U.S.

9. Government/Utilities      As judged in a general Latin American context, government is stable, democratic, environmentally friendly and not corrupt. Whether taxes are reasonable depends upon the source and amount of income. Much private income goes unreported, whereas payments from the government are heavily taxed, regressively at the source.

10. Culture/Language        As judged in a general Latin American context, government is stable, democratic, environmentally friendly and not corrupt. Whether taxes are reasonable depends upon the source and amount of income. Much private income goes unreported, whereas payments from the government are heavily taxed, regressively at the source.

Total Score:

Other observations: During more than ten years of residence, I have not personally observed a single case of unequal treatment based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or color. There are four public universities here and some sixty private ones, many of which might be objectively classified as “high school extension institutions.” Television features authorities in many fields who meaningfully engage each other in lively debates concerning public policy issues. English is spoken fluently by perhaps 15% of the population and understood on rudimentary basis by at least twice that percentage. Among a group of highly regarded local newspapers “La Nacion,” a morning daily, has won much recognition nationally and internationally for both its news coverage and its insightful editorials and opinion columns.

Copyright © 2010 Al Louis Ripskis All rights reserved

Return to Home Page

GREAT PLACES TO LIVE