anywhere but here

[kaydeefalls]

So I did the thing where I randomly burst into tears in the bathroom this morning because I'm so unhappy with my life and feel like a failure for no reason and shit like that, but I'm not going to write up a long emo post about that. Instead, I'm going to channel my energies into getting the hell out of DC in the next six months, because while I

Comments

[pocky_slash]

Well, I don't have a lot of experience with theatre in Boston except that there's, you know, a lot less than I was used to, growing up and going to school in and around NYC. The public transit isn't that bad, depending on where you live. I know a lot of people who don't have cars and get around just fine using the MBTA (my roommate was one of them before I moved in with her). It's kind of a pain that it doesn't run after like 1am, but I am an old person who is generally in bed by then anyway

[kaydeefalls]

Yeah, the DC Metro shuts down at midnight on weekdays, so I've pretty much resigned myself to the lack of 24-hour transit. Hmph.

I am a bit worried about being able to find work in Boston -- there aren't very many regional theaters in the area. And I'm not very familiar with the city itself (visited a lot when I was a kid, but not recently). But, yeah, the built-in network is a big pro -- one of my best friends from high school lives there now, and the (relative) proximity to NYC helps as well. Hmm.

[earlgreytea68]

Well, I am biased, because I think Boston is the best place in the entire universe

[kaydeefalls]

Biased opinions are good! I'm looking to be convinced, after all. :D

I do have a car, but prefer not to use it to commute. And I've heard horror stories about driving in Boston. But, yeah, the cultural history of Boston is a bit part of what interests me there. If I can't work in theater, arts/cultural administration is my close second choice, so. But the lack of strong regional theater in the area does worry me a bit for employment purposes -- apart from the college theaters (and/including ACT) and the Broadway tour houses, there's not much theater in residence in Boston. :/ But Chicago & DC have kind of spoiled me in that regard.

Thank you for all this! I really appreciate all the info. :D

[earlgreytea68]

If you know how to drive in Boston, you know how to drive anywhere, so there's that. Massachusetts actually has the best drivers in the country, statistics-wise. We're very aggressive, but we're also extremely alert, and that helps

[kaydeefalls]

Thanks! That's all very useful to know. :)

[sasha_davidovna]

I don't know much about the theater scene in Seattle (I've never lived there, I just visit frequently because my mom's family lives there) but the public transit is very good and it's also very walkable and very bike-friendly.

Seattle's not a great place to go if you're prone to SAD (pretty far north, so the light is low in winter even when it's sunny), but coming from a state that's routinely 100 degrees in summer and 0 in winter, I love that you can comfortably go outside virtually every day of the year in Seattle. (This is also true of SF.) My mom and I like to go there in the middle of January and marvel at the fact that we can walk everywhere without losing any digits. :) On the downside, a lot of older houses in Seattle aren't insulated, so I'm often colder inside than I am in Omaha, even when the outside temperature is 30 or 40 degrees warmer.

Seattle has "neighborhoods" much like Chicago. I'm most familiar with Ballard and the University District, but I believe Capitol Hill is where you want to look for the LGBT community.

[kaydeefalls]

Thank you for the info! I survived a year in Ireland, so I hope I've got the dark-and-rainy-all-the-time thing sorted. :) Seattle just sounds like such a great city otherwise...

[sasha_davidovna]

The nice thing is, it's really only dark and rainy all the time in winter. Summers are surprisingly dry and sunny and really quite pleasant. Plus, if you get really desperate for some sun, you can just escape across the Cascades to Yakima or similar and soak it right back up. There's also a weird microclimate over by Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula that's dry and sunny enough that they grow lavender fields like the south of France, less than an hour and a half from Forks, land of constant rain and sparkly vampires.

[sasha_davidovna]

Also, while we're talking cities, I may as well mention that Omaha has one of the best amateur theater scenes in the US and is also extremely affordable. On the downside, the Walkscore is very poor in most of the city and the LGBT scene not very extensive. If it's a place you'd give the slightest consideration to, though, I can get you in touch with a playwright friend of mine (who also happens to be gay) and I'm sure he'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about the local theater scene or LGBT community.

[starlingthefool]

I've lived near Seattle before, and have regularly visited it. When I moved to the Northwest, I found it a pretty hard adjustment. I found people there to be pretty reticent and reserved, and it was hard to find a group of friends. Not gonna lie, the weather is as bad as everyone says it is, especially the first winter. There are literally weeks where you don't see the sun. On the other hand, the summers and autumns are gorgeous, and Seattle as a city is beautiful. If you're an outdoorsy person, it's great, or if you like spending ridiculous amounts of time in cafes and/or bookstores.

I'd almost recommend moving to Portland - it's cheaper, friendlier, has better bike and public transportation infrastructure - instead, but the theater scene is practically non-existent.

[kaydeefalls]

Thanks for the info! I lived for a year in Ireland, which is right up there with the dark-and-rainy-for-six-months-straight thing, so I'm not terribly worried about adjusting to the climate. And it does sound like a lovely city. (I briefly considered Portland, too, but yeah, the lack of theater and thus employment is kind of a deal-breaker for me.)