If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

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Firewood42
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by Firewood42 »

On or near South Padre Island Texas.We stay there for two months in the winter but couldn't stay there year round because we would miss our grandchildren too much.
richard
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by richard »

xerty24 wrote:Even assuming you can afford the 10%+ extra taxes, NYC seems like a bad place to be old. The subways have tons of stairs and the sidewalks are icy and slippery for 1/3 of the year, treacherous even to the young who can bounce back if they fall down. Traffic is a mess and the taxis/buses/your own car are all lots slower than the subways because of this. while it's fine if you can take the subway, I think any sort of mobility issues would make NYC pretty unattractive.
There is almost never ice on the sidewalks in Manhattan. It seldom forms and on those rare occasions it is removed very quickly. It's against the law for a property owner to leave snow or ice on the sidewalk for more than a few daylight hours after a snowfall.

Buses are very easy to use for the elderly and those with mobility issues. There are a lot of buses in Manhattan and many dedicated bus lanes.
brainstem
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by brainstem »

Reading this thread reminds me that there are only two kinds of New Yorkers.....

Those that never leave....

And those that never go back
mlipps
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by mlipps »

If I could take my friends and family with me, I think I'd retire to a beach town outside Sydney and get a camper van to travel around Oz. Also do lots of travelling to NZ.
chaz
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by chaz »

VictoriaF wrote:
englishgirl wrote:I think I'd like to join the Manhattanites.
Hi Sarah,

Welcome to the group. We need a Bogleheads colony in Manhattan. If we settle in Lower Manhattan we could call it "Bogleheads Occupy Wall Street" :oops: .

Victoria
http://boingboing.net/2012/09/17/artist ... g+Boing%29

It was bound to happen.
Chaz | | “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." Woody Allen | | http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
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ruralavalon
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by ruralavalon »

Winter: Maui.

Summer: Michigan's Upper Penninsula.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
chaz
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by chaz »

Las Vegas is very nice.
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Elsebet
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Elsebet »

As long as I'm physically able and healthy I'd like to live in a small cottage on about 10 acres outside of a small college town. Some possibilities we think about in the US are Eugene, OR, Asheville, NC, Yellow Springs, OH, etc. Outside of the US maybe near Cambridge, UK or somewhere in Ireland.

Once we're physically unable to steward that kind of land I would love to live in London and take the tube/trains everywhere.
"...the man who adapts himself to his slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man..." ~Seneca
OatmealAddict
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by OatmealAddict »

Longboat Key, FL is the plan.

26 years to go :oops:
jlawrence01
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by jlawrence01 »

MossySF wrote:Singapore for the good cheap eats. Don't care about anything else. I want to be able to walk down from a retirement condo to multiple hawker food courts and have access to 15 different food styles within a 2 block radius.

Me too.

I have been watching too many YouTube videos lately.

Maybe in 2017.
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midareff
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by midareff »

snyder66 wrote:Still searching for my perfect little beach town. You?
Living in it.
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ruralavalon
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by ruralavalon »

ruralavalon wrote:Winter: Maui.

Summer: Michigan's Upper Penninsula.
We loved vacationing on Maui for about 20 years. We have had to switch our winter location because of health reasons limiting travel by air.

I'm not telling the new location, it's peaceful & very low key and we don't want it to become popular.
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein | Wiki article link: Bogleheads® investment philosophy
BHUser27
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by BHUser27 »

Somewhere in or near Ventura, California.
Maybe Palm Springs.
Nowhere humid - Florida and most of the Gulf coast doesn't make the cut for me.
mak1277
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by mak1277 »

Somewhere in the Rockies. Enough land so that I can't see any neighbors....and in a spot where I can walk to the top of a mountain or a stream where I can fly fish for trout all without getting into a motorized vehicle.
likegarden
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by likegarden »

...regardless of healthcare... So Medicare payments would be available also in Europe. I worked 2 1/2 years in Munich, Germany, with Alps close by and all that beer and culture, I would try that again!
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imbogled
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by imbogled »

ruralavalon wrote:
ruralavalon wrote:Winter: Maui.

Summer: Michigan's Upper Penninsula.
We loved vacationing on Maui for about 20 years. We have had to switch our winter location because of health reasons limiting travel by air.

I'm not telling the new location, it's peaceful & very low key and we don't want it to become popular.

Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth. – Buddha

Come on spill the beans! No one is reading. :wink:
Jpg
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Jpg »

Naples , Florida. Beautiful beaches and weather. Fifth Avenue and Gulfshore Blvd are great
Vilgan
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Vilgan »

Spring/Summer/Fall: Seattle area. We already live there, so this is figured out. Have lived in many places all over the world and visited many more and the PNW is my #1 choice for place to live.

Winter: 2 months in San Diego or traveling or Hawaii or whatever. Haven't figured out how to do this affordably yet.
youngcrv
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by youngcrv »

Winter Park, Florida.
Asheville, NC.
Boston.
GoFish
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by GoFish »

Lexington, KY.

College town, LCOL, 4 distinct seasons, good stream fishing/paddling, mountains an hour away, and family nearby.

Multiple trips each year: Colorado, Door County (WI), DC, North Carolina, NYC, and maybe Florida in the future as (more) decrepitude sets in.

But as a permanent home base, Lexington really works for us.

PS. Am afraid to return to Mauai. Came uncomfortably close to not boarding return flight last time :D
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blueblock
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by blueblock »

Ever since I visited Portugal a few years ago, I keep thinking about how much I'd like to live in Porto.

https://www.google.com/search?q=porto+p ... 00&bih=783
flyingaway
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by flyingaway »

JGG wrote:Lexington, KY.

College town, LCOL, 4 distinct seasons, good stream fishing/paddling, mountains an hour away, and family nearby.

Multiple trips each year: Colorado, Door County (WI), DC, North Carolina, NYC, and maybe Florida in the future as (more) decrepitude sets in.

But as a permanent home base, Lexington really works for us.

PS. Am afraid to return to Mauai. Came uncomfortably close to not boarding return flight last time :D
I just wish that the winter weather in Lexington could be a little bit warmer so that my sensitive fruit plants could survive.
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steve roy
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by steve roy »

Santa Barbara would be GREAT.
Barefootgirl
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Barefootgirl »

I'd divide my time, depending on season, between Manhattan and Anna Maria Island, FL

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MikeWillRetire
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by MikeWillRetire »

mcblum wrote:There are so many beautiful places that I have visited over the years, but few that I could say I would like to live. I have always come home to Maryland. I was born in D.C. and consider this the place I will spend the rest of my life. My entire family with some small exceptions is here; I love the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore. Thats all!
Marty
Marty, I also love the DC metro area, and the Chesapeake, but the winters are depressing for me. I dream of migrating between DC and Florida.
surfhb
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by surfhb »

Huntington Beach, Ca & Ocean Beach, Ca.

Back and forth every other month
PoppyA
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by PoppyA »

Love Manhattan, but would prefer to live on Govorners Island. Un populated, great views, grass, small town feel, ferry ride to Manhattan.

Who ever said Michigans Upper Penninsula......Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone else.

Long Boat Key, Fl. No power vessels alowed near the beautiful beaches. Very peaceful and close to Sarasota that has a bit of culture.
randomguy
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by randomguy »

Realistically you are going to just about everywhere in the world listed. Some people like ciites, some people like rural regions, some want to live in mountains, others on beaches, some like it hot, others prefer cool weather and so on.

I sort of wonder what it would be like to live in a 747. Ok that might be a bit big to get into all the airports but imagine that when you visit a city, you get to take your 4000 sq ft home with you. :)

The interesting things is that a large percentage of you will be unhappy moving anywhere. If you have 30+ years of friends and relationship in an area, moving somewhere else is very hard. There are a lot of people who think retiring to FL is great but after 6 months they move back because they miss their old routine. Vacation in a spot is one thing. Living there is another. It is something to think about when you decide to make your life somewhere.
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GKSD
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by GKSD »

San Diego, CA.
Perfect weather, happy to be living here for 20 years now and would want to retire here as well.
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Nestegg_User
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Nestegg_User »

Hmmm, let's see. Tomorrow will be just shy of 80 degrees, low humidity, and sunny. Within the day I could golf, ride bikes, hike in wilderness area, fly fish in world class rivers (not quite sure if water is good enough for white water rafting at this time), water ski, snow ski ** or just sit on my 1500 sq ft deck in the hot tub and view over 120 degree span of mountains-- ALL within the day.
(Alas, the beach would be a couple of hours away, but open and beautiful.). Oh, with world class local beers and world class wineries about two hours away--

That's why I retired here :)

**( local area might be a bit poor; but down the road a ways is an area that stays open longer than almost any in the continental US, as I talked to some pros there a while back that were heading to Japan after there, Mt Fuji I believe)


For OP's Beach town, Padre Island TX, Marco Island or Sanibel Island FL, La Jolla CA ( or north side of San Diego around Mission Bay) would mostly fit my needs if I couldn't afford Maui, NZ, or Oz.
Last edited by Nestegg_User on Thu Apr 07, 2016 12:32 am, edited 3 times in total.
protagonist
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by protagonist »

VictoriaF wrote:Manhattan.

Victoria
I enjoy Manhattan too- I'm there about 30% of the time these days, but....as a "perfect little beach town"? (OPs words). Were you thinking of the East 20th St. beach? (http://www.scoutingny.com/manhattans-ea ... eet-beach/). The East River is a bit chilly in January, and I wouldn't call Manhattan little, even if you think of it as perfect.

I own a condo in el Yaque, Margarita Island, Venezuela that I purchased in the pre-Chavez era....it is one of a handful of world-class windsurfing spots, which was the draw for me. For me it is paradise but is most assuredly not for everybody, and so I am not recommending it. The recent dicey political situation/hyperinflation has made it ridiculously cheap if you have hard currency. Even if I never rented out my home in MA, I would make money just by being there, since all of my expenses (including condo fees, daily three course restaurant meals with drinks, windsurfing hours every day, etc) amount to considerably less than I would pay in heating bills alone in MA. Where else in the Caribbean can you say that? And I am steps to the beach with the sun shining every day. Oh, I take it back. I remember one day this winter it rained for a few minutes.
Last edited by protagonist on Thu Apr 07, 2016 9:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
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FreeAtLast
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare,

Post by FreeAtLast »

brainstem wrote:Reading this thread reminds me that there are only two kinds of New Yorkers.....

Those that never leave....

And those that never go back
Please count me as a member of the latter group. Five years of working in and around NYC convinced me that I would never live there. In any case, I have been looking at New Mexico lately, maybe Santa Fe or Albuquerque. The Southwest has always fascinated me.
Illegitimi non carborundum.
Ari
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Ari »

Hong Kong, probably. My favorite place in the world. I don't want to work there, but I'd love to retire there.

I could also imagine somewhere like Kuala Lumpur, though I haven't been there. The multilingual nature of the city attracts me. Basically anywhere which is cheap and warm, and people don't speak much English would be a nice place for me to retire.
All in, all the time.
financial.freedom
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by financial.freedom »

US: La Jolla, Newport Coast, Santa Barbara, Malibu

Outside US: Koh Samui, Dubrovnik, Sydney
Kersten
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Kersten »

Big Sur, CA or Stockholm, Sweden
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lthenderson
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by lthenderson »

Almost everyone seems to be gravitating towards the coast which is just fine with me. As the middle part of the country gets emptied out, it seems more and more like paradise to me! Where I grew up, the nearest neighbor is now more than 2 miles away!
Random Poster
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Random Poster »

Nearing_Destination wrote:Hmmm, let's see. Tomorrow will be just shy of 80 degrees, low humidity, and sunny. Within the day I could golf, ride bikes, hike in wilderness area, fly fish in world class rivers (not quite sure if water is good enough for white water rafting at this time), water ski, snow ski ** or just sit on my 1500 sq ft deck in the hot tub and view over 120 degree span of mountains-- ALL within the day.
(Alas, the beach would be a couple of hours away, but open and beautiful.). Oh, with world class local beers and world class wineries about two hours away--

That's why I retired here :)
It sure would be nice if some people would be a bit more specific in regards to their preferred location. :annoyed

I'm guessing that the above-described location is somewhere in California, but for all I know it could simply be a self-created world.
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Psyayeayeduck
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Psyayeayeduck »

Denver. I lived there during my undergrad years and fell in love with it. That area has a right combination of rural and urban where I can either hike, ski, and camp in one direction, and have a decent nightlife at the other direction.
Texanbybirth
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Texanbybirth »

Assisi, Italy. We're planning to retire there anyway, but that's such a long ways off!
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HomerJ
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by HomerJ »

Lake house in Middle America in the summer and fall, all the way until New Years (I actually love snow and cold through Christmas), then travel to Florida, California, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Caribbean islands, Costa Rica, etc. from January through April. A different place to winter every year.

I would never, in a million years, live in a big city with buildings as my view. I want to look out my window and see lake, ocean, mountains, or at least a ton of trees.

I can never go back to looking at my neighbor's backyard or an office building across the street again.

Edit: Well, I guess if money is no object, I suppose I could live in a big city if I could afford a penthouse near the ocean or Central Park or something.
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JaneyLH
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by JaneyLH »

Key West in the winter and the Cotswolds UK in the summer.
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cinghiale
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by cinghiale »

Not a whole lot of Europe in the responses thus far. Interesting.

We are now where a few decades of travel and careful retirement planning led to: Mediterranean Europe. Low cost of living, with abundant seafood, fruit, produce, wine, and olive oil. Lots of free or low-cost live music. Exquisite climate. Friendly people (well, at least toward us...). A good-sized, though walkable city with bike paths, green spaces, and excellent public transportation. Reasonable rental rates, though prices for buying a place still seem high to us. And, the rest of Europe is a train ride or EasyJet flight away.

Chalk one up in the "Europe" column.
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tludwig23
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by tludwig23 »

Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
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reggiesimpson
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by reggiesimpson »

Gonzaga Bay MX.....hands down.
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Dutch
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Dutch »

Circumnavigating the globe in a 40 ft sailing catamaran, spending lots of time in the caribbean and the south seas islands.
PandaBear
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by PandaBear »

I'd purchase a private rigid-frame airship and fly around like a boss.

The first time I told my wife this, she thought I was crazy.
flyingaway
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by flyingaway »

Should the title be changed to "regardless of money"?
Thatthatisis
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Thatthatisis »

We just retired. We looked at a whole bunch of locations and ended up choosing Williamsburg, Virginia. College town, friendly people, mild climate but with 4 seasons. Decent cost of living. We love it here!
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Crimsontide
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by Crimsontide »

HomerJ wrote:
I can never go back to looking at my neighbor's backyard or an office building across the street again.
+1 I think the folks mentioning Manhattan are pulling our legs :P
radiowave
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Re: If you could retire anywhere, regardless of healthcare, etc.

Post by radiowave »

Denver. I lived there during my undergrad years and fell in love with it. That area has a right combination of rural and urban where I can either hike, ski, and camp in one direction, and have a decent nightlife at the other direction
Well I just got stuck at Denver airport two weeks ago with a foot of snow, plane was at the deice pad in the middle of a raging blizzard for 4 hours until they sent a dozen plows to get us back to the gate. That was the easy part, trying to get home was a real treat with the airport closed.

But Denver gets 300 days of sunshine, low humidity (high desert) and of course looking at those wonderful mountains makes up some if not most of the bad weather days :)
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