Life Downtown

Hello.

Today I would like to talk about how I now know that I would be ok with living in the city when I grow up...

I always thought that living in the city was loud and dirty and had too many cars, not enough green space, and would be terrible... But living in the city these past few months has made me decide that I do not mind it at all. Lots of positives: close to everything, including food. Though it means I have not really cooked AT ALL in a while (I throw away most of the food that I buy because I forget to eat it or it expires really quickly and I don't realize that it is happening, and all of a sudden the milk I bought like 4 days ago is bad...), I love eating at different places that are all within walking distance. Moreover (can you tell I taught transitions this week?), since the taxis are not going to stop driving around, polluting the city, I do take advantage of them when something is too far away to walk to... this is another advantage, because, being IN the city, I walk outside and a taxi is waiting for me, as if by magic.
The things that I thought would be bad, namely the noise issue, is easy to forget about... especially because I have a fan going all the time. In addition, its just like frogs or crickets... its just a hum... Maybe different cities have different noises, but mine (the batting cages and trucks that go by blaring music) are not terrible. Also, Changwon, which is the size of Portland, has lots of trees, parks, and greenery close by. Instead of living close to the greenery and a drive from the city its just the opposite... I can get it whenever I want it, but I have all the conveniences of the city outside... and the wonderful 24 hourness of being downtown.
It is dirty in the city... lots of dirt, trash and the occasional less than desirable lady... or drunk guys... but its manageable and does not outway said benefits.
Banks are close, doctor/pharmacy is close, all the other things I need are around...

Not to say I have settled on living in the city... I just have put it back on the list of potential places to live.
Here is my list:
City
Not suburbia unless its near a city that I really really like.
Yard optional (pluses are BBQ and feet on grass in the summer, minuses maintenance, dog poo)
Ideally driving distance from the coast/ hiking
Ability to get to other countries of interest easily (high paying job with lots of vacation time, or low paying job in Europe)
Good strong shower flow. Unlimited hot water a plus.
Bike friendly
No more than a few feet of snow once in awhile...
Rain is not a problem
Ideally environmentally friendly leaning.
Access to movie theater/friendly laid back bars/wide range of restaurants.
Probably not California...unless I am made aware of a place that suits all these needs and isn't too yuppie... Though when I am finally old enough to decide to settle on one city/country perhaps I will not hold this value...
Seattle (I know its in WA) and northern California are on that list of places I am not sure if I am cool enough for...

That's enough for now.... Oh an OVEN... I want an oven wherever I live...
Seems like something to post on every craigslist...

TTFN