Look Out, Pretty Mama - We're on the Road Again.
Headed for Pittsburgh this time - not looking for crazy kicks like Saint Jack used to do, just looking for a home.
Where should we live anyway? Any of you guys have a suggestion? We'll listen. Here's the criteria:
First, we want to live in a city or town where creative folks tend to gather: artists, writers, photographers, filmmakers. I just like those vibes and it's fun to have someone to talk to about stuff I'm interested in besides here on the blog.
Second criterion: Still "undiscovered" - that means the housing prices haven't gone through the roof yet like in our hometown San Francisco. The house we sold there back in the Eighties to move east is now appraised at $950,000. And it was just a normal house built in 1908. So we aren't moving home any time soon.
Third criteria: Within a short drive of mountains, hills, hiking trails -- the OUTDOORS!
Oh yeah - an older city or town would be cool. Neither one of us likes subdivisions very much.
I would love to hear of any towns you have visited that seem to match the criteria. So far we like Charlottesville, VA a lot - but it has been "discovered". Prices are shooting up.
Labels: Across America
posted by Christopher Newton at 9:05 AM
11 Comments:
Have you a locale criteria? Are you adverse to the desert?
There are old mining towns out here in AZ that have been reclaimed by artists, photographers, sculptors, old hippies, the whole melange. Bisbee and Jerome come to mind. Jerome, incidentally was where Jenny Jerome hailed from. She was Winston Churchill's mom. Both towns are in mountains and near forests and snow, if you really miss it. Housing costs aren't insane yet, though they are considerably higher than they were just 5 years ago.
Just a thought.
Jenny Jerome never lived in Jerome AZ. Her cousin, Leonard Jerome, financed mining operations there and in exchange the town was named for him (though he never even visited the town himself) So the town's link to Winston Churchill is non-existant except that it was named for his mother's cousin. Carrie Helser
Thanks for the suggestion, Leo. Anyone else? I have been in those AZ towns but MANY years ago - 1968 to be exact - and there were artists living there even then. I'd forgotten all about them. I've been thinking more upon urban lines with little Vietnamese restautants and a good art museum and library - but I will definitely research Jerome and Bisbee a little bit. We are on our way to Pittsburgh today to look around - there was quite an ice storm in the east yesterday - so we stayed put for the day in Jersey.
Mea Maxima Culpa. I stand corrected on the Jerome thing. Funny how stories, even old ones, get convoluted with re-telling.
I'm sure there are some Vietnemese restaurants in Dallas, and I'm positive about the library and art museum, hint hint... okay, okay, I know you're not convinced, but it's always worth a try.
'tso kay, Leonard. I was intrigued by the idea when I read it in your reply. It was only by googling the history of Jerome that I found out the actual story and thought it should be set straight. I agree that those desert towns are neat. But some such as Sedona have gotten discovered and bloated out of recognition and lost their charm. Carrie Helser
You're right Carrie. Sedona has gone crazy. The first time I was through there, over 30 years ago, it was a quaint/trendy place, but it was obvious that it would explode into, well, whatever it is.
As far as the story goes, I'm all for setting them straight. I live about 20 miles from Tombstone and the stories are rampant. Funny thing is, most of them have some basis in fact and time does weird things to them. Like Boot Hill. It's a cemetery but it's not. Whether it's the real thing or not may never be known. There were some graves there so that must be where the dead from the OK corral shoot out were buried, or so the local lore has you believe.
There's a place for the Pondering Pig. Tombstone.
About four years ago, having heard it was a cool place, my husband and I detoured into Jerome while on a trip to see Tuzigoot National Monument. Unfortunately, all we found were lots of tourists, some shops selling VERY expensive paintings, jewelry and sculpture, a shop selling chimes and window crystals, a number of shops selling mining trinkets, a t-shirt shop and not much else. Whatever off-beat or artistic culture it might have, it wasn't there that day.
That's a shame about Jerome. It's been many moons since I'd been there. I took a class there when I taught school (we were going to Tuzigoot too). It's a shame when the commercial takes over, but it's almost inevitable I guess. That's why people are always looking for the "undiscovered" place.
Have you considered a re-location to a foreign land? Say, Texas? You could take up Golf with Willie Nelson and Kinky Friedman???
Take a breath...have you ever contemplated Canada? You'd fit in fabulously in the little hamlet ( not even a village yet...which is before a town) of Rosebud Alberta. My wife Pj loves it there. Its an "arts" community with emphasis on theatre. There is a biggish town nearby called Drumheller. You can suppress your Kentucky Bucket or Mcbillions cravings in Drum, but Rosebud is very secluded 10 miles away.The only bugger is the weather...both ends of the celcius thermometer. -35 to +42 in. Can't have it all can ya?
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