[Slacker101]

This is game related (maybe travel?) Move it if you want. I know there are some old threads on cities, I've read several but I want to ask the question.

I'm in my early to mid twenties and I've recently got wind of an job opportunity that looks very promising with a very interesting perk. They don't care where I live, at all. It isn't work from home though, I'll be traveling Monday - Thursday (usually, sometimes Sunday night - Friday). With potential for two weeks abroad infrequently. Only stipulation is I need to be within a reasonable distance of an airport.

I want to live in a major city both for lifestyle and game. Bonus points if there is public transportation good enough to not require a car.

The top US city lists I found on the forum typically included:

Target rich cities: New York, LA, Miami, Vegas, New Orleans

Second Tier Sleepers: Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Dallas, Baltimore, Philly, Columbus OH (Surprised no west coast cities?)

Personally, although it is not on the list, I also like downtown DC. As much as everyone seems to hate suburban DC or complain about DC in general. I had a great time when I spent 4 days downtown last October. Tons of internationals, people seemed pretty open, lots of bars. Plus good public transportation. I feel like it could work. Also I know a decent number of people there. Some forum members.

NYC seems to expensive to me, and I really don't want roommates. I've been through too much shit in the past dealing with them ruining a bang, fucking me over financially, etc.

I've been to Chicago and I didn't get a chance to game. I've read here it's great in the summer and eh in the winter. Also that rent is reasonable. I really liked the city when I visited. I know G likes the street festivals.

Not interested in Dallas, Scottsdale, or Pheonix. If you want try to change my mind.

Can't speak on Philly, no fucking clue.

Columbus is nice and cheap, but I live close to there already and was in Cleveland for a while before. I'm tired of Ohio.

Open to Florida, but Tampa/Clearwater seems full of blue hairs (didn't game, was visiting relatives). Never been to Miami, no clue. Anyone from Florida?

TLR Where would you move if you could move anywhere in the US? (I know I wish it didn't have to be the US) I'd like to hear about experiences in US cities (logistics, shortfalls), as well as if anyone regretted moving to a particular city or what you wish you could have done at my age.

[Travesty]

Since you are traveling so much for work I'd find somewhere with cheap rent and bank savings.

MIA, NYC, LA are too expensive.

New Orleans seems like a great option to try - or Las Vegas.

Longer term: Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa (these first three all have lower COL and great game opportunities which will save you more money and are more livable)

Alternatives like Austin and Houstin also offer good COL with decent gaming opportunities.

No West Coast cities because all of them are pretty expensive COL. The quality is only a very mediocre (Portland, Seattle) to average (SF Bay) gaming opportunities except for SoCal. SoCal has above-average gaming opportunities with very decent male competition (# of higher quality girls make up for the extra competition compared to the vast majority of other U.S. cities though).

I'd recommend both Santa Barbara(ultimate beach college town) and Boulder(ultimate mountains college town) as college towns (probably not big enough for you)- COL is higher but not tier 1 high and gaming opportunities are pretty high especially at your younger age being able to easily chase college girls.

[Slacker101]

(03-23-2015 12:04 AM)Travesty444 Wrote:  

Since you are traveling so much for work I'd find somewhere with cheap rent and bank savings.

I'd skip all the tier 1 cities, except if you wanted to give Vegas a shot for a year and just go all out.

Longer term: Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa (these first three all have lower COL and great game opportunities which will save you more money)

Alternatives like Austin and Houstin also offer good COL with decent gaming opportunities.

No West Coast cities because all of them are pretty expensive COL. The quality is only a very mediocre (Portland, Seattle) to average (SF Bay) gaming opportunities except for SoCal. SoCal has above-average gaming opportunities with very decent male competition (girls make up for the extra competition compared to the vast majority of other U.S. cities though).

I'd recommend both Santa Barbara(ultimate beach college town) and Boulder(ultimate mountains college town) as college towns (probably not big enough for you)- COL is higher but not tier 1 high and gaming opportunities are pretty high especially at your younger age being able to easily chase college girls.

I am seriously considering Boulder, a friend of mine lives there and has had a great experience. The main drawback being distance to the airport, about 45 minutes (not terrible) and lack of public transportation to it (not a big deal, but it would be nice). I would consider Santa Barbara but I don't want to drive 2 hours twice a week to get to LAX.

[philosophical_recovery]

Seconding the low quality of the West Coast cities that aren't LA or SD.

I'd check into Texas. Warm, good economy, and every random girl I've met from there has been friendly.

[LINUX]

So you're home at the most 12 days a month and three days a week if you're lucky?

I think you're going to get frustrated coming back home for only three days. Paying rent in a place you are never at is going to piss you off even more.

You might as well live out of a suitcase and fly out of whatever city you are wanting to visit for those three days. You could have a true vagabond lifestyle with no limitations.

If it was me, I would live somewhere between nowhere and goodbye.

[LINUX]

Quote:

I am seriously considering Boulder, a friend of mine lives there and has had a great experience. The main drawback being distance to the airport, about 45 minutes (not terrible) and lack of public transportation to it (not a big deal, but it would be nice)..

There is no lack of public transportation. The (AB) RTD bus runs every 50 minutes from DIA to Boulder (and vise versa) from about 4:30 am to about 12:30 at night / 7 days a week and it cost 10 bucks. I live here.

[BlurredSevens]

I love Boulder but it is getting more and more expensive to live there. Girls there are great as is the lifestyle, but if you're going to be traveling, what's the difference.

What about Austin or Tucson?

Tucson you've got University of Arizona girls, cost of living is cheap as shit, and you're close to the airport.

Austin is more expensive but great nightlife, lots of college girls, and easy access to the airport.

[Slacker101]

(03-23-2015 12:24 AM)LINUX Wrote:  

So you're home at the most 12 days a month and three days a week if you're lucky?

I think you're going to get frustrated coming back home for only three days. Paying rent in a place you are never at is going to piss you off even more.

You might as well live out of a suitcase and fly out of whatever city you are wanting to visit for those three days. You could have a true vagabond lifestyle with no limitations.

If it was me, I would live somewhere between nowhere and goodbye.

I'm sure it probably will eventually. I had considered it, especially with all the hotel points I'll end up with. Even then though, hotels for 12 nights a month would be expensive. Plus it would make laundry and a couple other things a pain in the ass. I was considering if I'm in a decent city putting the apartment on air BnB for weekdays to counterbalance the rent and maybe net some extra cash.

[worldwidetraveler]

I did this back in my consulting days. I had a place I rented in one state but worked in another state.

I strongly recommend not doing that. It's a waste of money but more importantly time.

I also worked Monday through Thursday. Sometimes I couldn't get a flight out until Friday morning. You will spend hours in airports. Hopefully you won't be in locations with snow storms like I was.

Then you get home, unpack and do some stuff only to have to pack up and get ready to leave on Sunday. Then take a taxi or other means to the airport to wait some more and then fly into your work city to unpack and get ready for the next day of work.

This routine gets old fast. I ended up going back home less and less simply because it wasn't worth the time. That means my apartment was more like expensive storage for stuff I wasn't using.

[aeroektar]

(03-23-2015 12:24 AM)LINUX Wrote:  

So you're home at the most 12 days a month and three days a week if you're lucky?

I think you're going to get frustrated coming back home for only three days. Paying rent in a place you are never at is going to piss you off even more.

You might as well live out of a suitcase and fly out of whatever city you are wanting to visit for those three days. You could have a true vagabond lifestyle with no limitations.

If it was me, I would live somewhere between nowhere and goodbye.

This is exactly what I would do, travel around from place to place living out of a suitcase. When your not somewhere on a work schedule, pick a place on the map you want to check out and go, its a great opportunity to see the country and find a place that later on might suit you long term. Pretty awesome opportunity as long as the pays decent.

[Slacker101]

(03-23-2015 12:44 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

I did this back in my consulting days. I had a place I rented in one state but worked in another state.

I strongly recommend not doing that. It's a waste of money but more importantly time.

I also worked Monday through Thursday. Sometimes I couldn't get a flight out until Friday morning. You will spend hours in airports. Hopefully you won't be in locations with snow storms like I was.

Then you get home, unpack and do some stuff only to have to pack up and get ready to leave on Sunday. Then take a taxi or other means to the airport to wait some more and then fly into your work city to unpack and get ready for the next day of work.

This routine gets old fast. I ended up going back home less and less simply because it wasn't worth the time. That means my apartment was more like expensive storage for stuff I wasn't using.

It's consulting. What would you recommend then? Just living out of a suitcase and not have an apartment? If so, any recommendations on how to do it?

[worldwidetraveler]

(03-23-2015 01:44 AM)Slacker101 Wrote:  

It's consulting. What would you recommend then? Just living out of a suitcase and not have an apartment? If so, any recommendations on how to do it?

I lived out of suitcase for roughly 5 to 6 months. It got tiresome just because you had to eat out every day.

What I eventually did was rent a small studio apartment down the street from my gig.

It ended up being cheaper than a hotel room anyway and allowed me to cook some meals instead of always eating out.

The only problem is how long your contract will be for and if you can count on them not letting you out early.

They let me out early, but I made a shit load of money off of them already so it wasn't a big deal. I ended up going back overseas after that contract so it was nice to be able to leave earlier.

You may want to stay at hotels or weekly places until you feel out your contract more. I would be hesitant to sign any leases until I was sure they would be keeping me on. Don't trust what they say, feel the job out first and see if there is enough work to keep you busy for a long time.

Just remember, as a consultant you will be the first laid off. That is why you should be banking as much money as you can. When I was contracting, I could walk out and get a new one within a day or so. That was back in the day when things were really good.

After you get settled, you can then hit up some other cities on the weekends whenever you want. You just don't want to have to do it every weekend because you will get tired of it.

[Slacker101]

(03-23-2015 01:56 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 01:44 AM)Slacker101 Wrote:  

It's consulting. What would you recommend then? Just living out of a suitcase and not have an apartment? If so, any recommendations on how to do it?

I lived out of suitcase for roughly 5 to 6 months. It got tiresome just because you had to eat out every day.

What I eventually did was rent a small studio apartment down the street from my gig.

It ended up being cheaper than a hotel room anyway and allowed me to cook some meals instead of always eating out.

The only problem is how long your contract will be for and if you can count on them not letting you out early.

They let me out early, but I made a shit load of money off of them already so it wasn't a big deal. I ended up going back overseas after that contract so it was nice to be able to leave earlier.

You may want to stay at hotels or weekly places until you feel out your contract more. I would be hesitant to sign any leases until I was sure they would be keeping me on. Don't trust what they say, feel the job out first and see if there is enough work to keep you busy for a long time.

Just remember, as a consultant you will be the first to be let go. That is why you should be banking as much money as you can. When I was contracting, I could walk out and get a new one within a day or so. That was back in the day when things were really good.

After you get settled, you can then hit up some other cities on the weekends whenever you want. You just don't want to have to do it every weekend because you will get tired of it.

Yeah, the nice thing is that I'll be on until the job is complete, a month or so, guaranteed. It's through a consulting company, so different than freelance. Like I said, I'd be changing cities every month or two. Hotels/food paid for during the week. Not sure if they would comp me still if I moved for a month at a time, I somewhat doubt it. I could definitely see getting tired of always flying somewhere on the weekend, regardless of if it is home or to a city for fun. Since it is through a consulting company there will always be another project afterward.

[worldwidetraveler]

(03-23-2015 02:06 AM)Slacker101 Wrote:  

Yeah, the nice thing is that I'll be on until the job is complete, a month or so, guaranteed. It's through a consulting company, so different than freelance. Like I said, I'd be changing cities every month or two. Hotels/food paid for during the week. Not sure if they would comp me still if I moved for a month at a time, I somewhat doubt it. I could definitely see getting tired of always flying somewhere on the weekend, regardless of if it is home or to a city for fun. Since it is through a consulting company there will always be another project afterward.

Ah, those are short term gigs. I was at some of my places for a year or more.

Yeah, I would live out of a suitcase while you do this or until you transition into a permanent location. You will want to keep your belongings to a minimum which will allow you greater freedom besides saving a ton of cash.

It takes a special person to be able to do that type of contracting, long term. I hated the constant moving around, after some time, but the money was just too damn good at the time.

My advice, bank as much money as you can because there may be a time you will want to get out. That way you will have cash to help yourself set up into something else. I imagine they are paying for all of your expenses so you should be able to pocket most of your earnings.

[Slacker101]

(03-23-2015 02:12 AM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 02:06 AM)Slacker101 Wrote:  

Yeah, the nice thing is that I'll be on until the job is complete, a month or so, guaranteed. It's through a consulting company, so different than freelance. Like I said, I'd be changing cities every month or two. Hotels/food paid for during the week. Not sure if they would comp me still if I moved for a month at a time, I somewhat doubt it. I could definitely see getting tired of always flying somewhere on the weekend, regardless of if it is home or to a city for fun. Since it is through a consulting company there will always be another project afterward.

Ah, those are short term gigs. I was at some of my places for a year or more.

Yeah, I would live out of a suitcase while you do this or until you transition into a permanent location. You will want to keep your belongings to a minimum which will allow you greater freedom besides saving a ton of cash.

It takes a special person to be able to do that type of contracting, long term. I hated the constant moving around, after some time, but the money was just too damn good at the time.

My advice, bank as much money as you can because there may be a time you will want to get out. That way you will have cash to help yourself set up into something else. I imagine they are paying for all of your expenses so you should be able to pocket most of your earnings.

Yeah, the money is good and the possible overseas travel is excellent. Plus all the business contacts from it. Like you said, they pay for most things too. So saving should be easy. As long as hotels on the weekends doesn't break the bank. They might give me the money I would normally spend on a flight toward a hotel instead though, I'll have to find out. I'm just hoping I don't burn out fast.

[worldwidetraveler]

I'm not sure what kind of consulting you're doing, but you should be getting some great experience in a short time frame. You will be going into different businesses and be exposed to their processes. That will help you when you go look for something permanent. I would try and keep doing it for a couple of years just for experience.

[Travesty]

(03-23-2015 12:21 AM)Slacker101 Wrote:  

The main drawback being distance to the airport, about 45 minutes (not terrible) and lack of public transportation to it (not a big deal, but it would be nice).

Boulder does have a $12 bus direction to DIA that is easy to hop on. One of Boulder's great selling points is the easy biking - public transportation system in place.

That said, I think WWT's advice is best though. If you ever have to visit your office best to get a cheap studio near it and use it as a cool off place as you need it, otherwise just stay out on the road and AirBnb like crazy. Bank the $ while you can.

It seems the biggest time save would be to just schedule an AirBnb for the Friday-Sunday in the city you just finished your job at before moving on and enjoy that city you are in or travel to a different city very close by.

[-g-]

Focus on towns with major colleges and that are warm... That mix usually has the best talent (young, fit, partiers)

Cheap towns:
Charleston, SC has a ton of great looking women.
Va Beach, VA... girls are super easy.
Orlando is a fun spot too

Just my 2 cents, good luck!

[Art Pimp]

You can probably negotiate a really good rate for the weekends if you want to stay at the same hotel you're already at and pay out of pocket. I worked at a Hilton property and we had some long term business guests do just that. Worth an inquiry at least. You could even ask for a monthly rate, which might work out better for the employer if they are paying for your flights, anyway.

[ordinaryleastsquared]

double, sorry.

[ordinaryleastsquared]

(03-23-2015 09:33 PM)ordinaryleastsquared Wrote:  

[quote] (03-23-2015 12:21 AM)Slacker101 Wrote:  

Since you are traveling so much for work I'd find somewhere with cheap rent and bank savings.

I'd skip all the tier 1 cities, except if you wanted to give Vegas a shot for a year and just go all out.

Longer term: Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa (these first three all have lower COL and great game opportunities which will save you more money)

Alternatives like Austin and Houstin also offer good COL with decent gaming opportunities.

No West Coast cities because all of them are pretty expensive COL. The quality is only a very mediocre (Portland, Seattle) to average (SF Bay) gaming opportunities except for SoCal. SoCal has above-average gaming opportunities with very decent male competition (girls make up for the extra competition compared to the vast majority of other U.S. cities though).

I'd recommend both Santa Barbara(ultimate beach college town) and Boulder(ultimate mountains college town) as college towns (probably not big enough for you)- COL is higher but not tier 1 high and gaming opportunities are pretty high especially at your younger age being able to easily chase college girls.

I am seriously considering Boulder, a friend of mine lives there and has had a great experience. The main drawback being distance to the airport, about 45 minutes (not terrible) and lack of public transportation to it (not a big deal, but it would be nice). I would consider Santa Barbara but I don't want to drive 2 hours twice a week to get to LAX.

Boulder is pretty pricey, unless you have roomates. Denver is close enough to game there when you like, and has decent living prices in the Cap Hill area and Littleton. Cap Hill and Littleton were also where I had my best nightlife/game experiences in the year I lived in Denver.

If you go to CO, try out rock climbing, mountain biking, and of course boarding/skiing. Great way to build insta-friends and get a cool network, and stay fit.

[Menace]

There's some MLB pitcher (Blue Jays) who makes $2M but lives in a van. Why can't you live in a van, if it's only 3 days a week?

[Courage Reborn]

Former consultant here.

It makes little sense to establish a home base at this stage of your life & career. Tools like airbnb and booking.com assure that you will always have a clean place at a fair price. Nixing the home base means you can basically expense your entire monthly rent; ie. Your savings will be huge. Not to mention flying back every weekend gets old, fast.

Stack cash, and learn as much as possible. Consulting is hard work, but you will learn a ton. Play your cards right, and you can meet enough smart customers that will give you invaluable knowledge. In a few years, you can use this to start your own business.

Good luck, and make sure you enjoy the ride.