Green Acres, Or Big Cities?

Whenever Will and I are discussing locations for where we want to vacation, to settle down, or to retire eventually, we're reminded of the 60s sitcom--which we both saw in later re-runs--about a New York City couple (played by Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor) who moves to a rural area so that the husband could indulge his love of "fresh air" and learn to farm.  Incidentally, I'd always been struck, even as a child, with the (catchy) theme song's patriarchalism: "[He:] You are my wife.  [She:] Good-bye, city life.  [They together:] Green Acres, we are there!"

It's not quite that bad with us since we both love "fresh air" and Times Square (right above, or, for that matter, Chicago's Daley Plaza, pictured below), but it's true that each of us has a decided preference for either places of "natural" beauty or those of "cultural" charm.

Will is much more outdoorsy--camping, skiing, swimming, paddle-boarding; in contrast, most of my leisure pursuits tend to be enjoyed indoors--reading, visiting museums, watching foreign films.

Luckily, we both like taking long walks in nature.  He inclines towards more strenuous hiking (like climbing 14ers), whereas I mostly opt to take strolls in gently undulating hills.  Thus, we were both able to enjoy our camino experience together since that had something for everyone.  That might also be why we keep thinking of walking more camino routes: Portugal route? or from Le Puy or Arles?

We are considering just about every possible destination, both domestic (Park City, Utah, or Portland, Oregon?) and foreign (France, Italy, Belize, Portugal), and we've started to engage in serious conversations about what traits we absolutely need in our ideal (semi-forever) locale.

Some Questions We Ask Ourselves: 

What CAN'T we do without?  World-class shopping, for instance, is not something we require (anymore), but we would like to be near good food markets.

Would we prioritize low cost-of-living or easy access to good services?  This is a draw.  Obviously, if we're looking primarily at places like western Europe or the U.S. west coast, we've already decided that cost-of-living doesn't have to be at the absolute lowest.  But we don't need to be within minutes of a major airport since we'll have the time to travel more leisurely once we settle down.

Do we prefer a more rural or more urban lifestyle?  We both appreciate natural beauty (like the mountainous areas near Boulder, CO, pictured above), but we'd also like to be near inventive and fresh cuisine.  And, yes, I am particularly in need of some cultural and ethnic diversity.

For instance, it was kind of neat, when we were living right in the middle of LA Koreatown, to be able to walk across the street at nights to get some carne asada tacos from a food truck (below)--after we had sushi, Taiwanese breakfast pastries, and French desserts, all earlier in the same day.

Clearly, this is an important conversation any family or partnership needs to have.  Each individual needs to listen to the other AND offer ideas.  If there are sharp differences in inclinations, compromises will have to be made, concessions on both sides.  In fact, Will and I are already thinking about a plan whereby we'll spend part of the year in one location and the rest in another.  We might even make that alternate years.

So, do we have to choose?: West coast or east coast?  Mountains or city?  Europe or U.S.?  Condo with city views or a farmhouse with green acres?