A Desire for Cleanliness & Coziness

     When we told friends of our decision to relocate to Prague, in the Czech Republic, they had many questions.  

Did we comparatively look at other places?  Did we give fair assessment to our current home?  Yes to both.  It was not a whim or an impulsive decision.  It was our (excellent) choice, based on dozens of years of experiences.  I'll explain.

     I greatly disliked growing up within suburban Long Island, New York: gross overdevelopment, intense traffic, noise pollution, inconvenience for nearly everything, price gouging, absurdly-high taxes, practically no public transportation, and poor infrastructure. 

     That is what most of North America looks like.  Everyone accepted such things as "unavoidable parts of life", but I wanted something better (and more sane).  I felt like a "round peg in a square hole"--being made to do things that didn't make sense... just because America's government and industries didn't care to make things better.

     

     At age 17, I travelled with high school friends to three European countries, and I immediately noticed that its people lived in ways that I desired.  They had Life-Work Balance, affordable Universal Healthcare, efficient/modern public transportation, less crime, healthier food, better-made technology (that cost less), more international teamwork, and their communities weren't choked with cars.  My instincts loved it, yet my peers influenced me to start adulthood with the typical American methods... which only enriched the conglomerates who bribed the politicians.

     In my twenties, I escaped the brainwashed notion of "Support the USA and only Buy Things Made in America".  For example, four people in my family were car-owners, and we all suffered from badly-made American vehicles.  We paid extra premiums for accessories that were faulty.  The only people who benefited were the car-makers, insurance companies, and mechanics--who cheated/scammed customers (but were allowed by the government to change the name of their businesses to avoid penalties).  The same costly dilemmas occurred with the overpriced American-made appliances we bought.  University educations in the USA are outrageously overpriced, too.  I also watched how American corporations mistreated my parents and relatives for their decades of work (working more than other populations in the world, with the fewest vacation days).  

     I moved to a borough of New York City, hoping for better public transportation, better job, shorter commute, and to be closer to a cultural center.  I learned the "hard way" that NYC was a mirage.  

NYC is a mirage: terrible infrastructure, crumbling non-functioning subways, outrageously overpriced everything (with many hidden fees), and being treated horribly by employers and landlords who always expect to have an oversaturated job market teeming with new arrivals of people.  They don't care.

     For more than 170 years, NYC lures people like a circus with false claims... as evident by the USA's films and television shows that falsely idolized it.  (Most TV networks are based in NYC, and Hollywood studios were started by rich men in NYC).

     Lewis has a different story.  He resides in New York City, and he was born there.  He is a rarity in the world: someone who grew-up in Manhattan without relocating.  In the 1960s, his parents and grandparents emigrated from Shanghai, China, and Taiwan.  Their arduous integration was an uphill struggle with America's racism against Chinese people that existed since the 1860s.  The previous American president personified that, during violent discrimination across the nation.  Yet, Lewis' family endured it and prospered as business-owners in Manhattan.  They were successful.

     As an only-child, Lewis visited his ancestry in Taiwan, but the island's climate is too hot/humid for his liking.  He also spent weeks with family in Ohio, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Washington DC, but he was unimpressed.  As soon as we ventured to Europe, he adored with its priorities.  

     13 years ago, we met and fell in love.  We lived together in Astoria: a coveted alcove of quaintness in NYC's urban-sprawl. We were fond of its coziness, instead of soaring skyscrapers, rooftop lounges, hyped-up venues, and "flash in the pan" trends. We valued its tree-lined streets, low skyline, closeness to the river, lower prices, and three parks that were full of events (at that time).

     Our perceptive friend, Alastair (chief dance critic of the NY Times), said it resembled an English village.  He grew up in England, so he knows.  

(He retired and went back to England.  He informs us of Europe's advantages over NYC).

     When we could not endure my unimproved apartment (built in 1930 without many updates), we looked for a new place to move to.  Manhattan is outrageously expensive: the worst in the world.  The decent parts of Brooklyn are equally pricey... for no real reason.  We detested the idea of living out-of-state, compelling ourselves to a longer commute via crappy transit.  We did not want to live in Long Island City because LIC is not neighborly: it is cavernous with tiny/expensive apartments in overcrowded tall buildings.  Few parks exist; everything else was paved-over with cement.  So, we moved to a luxury condo in Astoria's small Historic District.  Yet, that pretty area erodes every year as unprotected structures are demolished for unneeded high-rise towers.  It was like living on a melting iceberg.  It was time to move farther!  

     Agreeing on many things, we made "life changes".  

     We wanted a better life, and it didn't seem possible in America's decaying cities.  Friends gave us warnings from Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, and Dallas.  Even if we found somewhere, it would be contaminated by America's (uncaring) for-profit healthcare/medical/pharmaceuticals industries.  It would be tainted by traffic congestion, soaring prices/rents, inferior national transportation, effete governance, never-ending racism, stubborn homophobia, petroleum-derived materials in almost every interior furnishing, and low-quality innutritious food.  Somehow, miraculously, most of those issues were absent in Europe.

     Despite America being the only nation without a legal-mandated vacation allotment, we used our unforgivably-cheap "two weeks" each year to explore the world.  

     We visited 17 nations in Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean, and we preferred European culture.  During those travels, we repeatedly asked ourselves...

     Alas, Lewis was devoted to his grandmother; she raised him and was a figure of empowering guidance.  He stayed close to her in NYC, as her health worsened.  She died in 2017.  It was soon after we both began new jobs--which we thought were our "dream jobs" to bolster our careers.  Tragically, they were not what they were supposed to (or could've been).  NYC's notorious corruption poisoned our workplaces.  Lewis' father also died during that time, and Lewis was supportive of his widowed mother.  More time was needed before any relocation could occur for us.  Nevertheless, we continued exploring to find our future home.

     During our trip to Germany, we befriended an immigrant who came from Prague, and he advised us to explore that capital of Czechia.  This year, we did... and it was amazing!  We spent 10 days (my entire vacation allotment) for an immersive experience in various districts.  We met dozens of locals, immigrants, and expats.  Friends ridiculed us for using so much vacation-time, but we knew to make the right investment.

     Lewis and I fell in love with Prague and Czechia's culture.  We explored open-mindedly, yet we gravitated to areas with a cozy milieu.  We like Czechia's size.  Some Americans incorrectly call it "small", yet I know many countries that are smaller: Israel, Switzerland, Belgium, Montenegro, El Salvador, Albania, Jamaica, Qatar, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.  Some are truly tiny: Cyprus, Luxembourg, Turks & Caicos, Barbados, Singapore, Maldives, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and the Cayman Islands.  In reality, Czechia is similar in size to Austria, Bulgaria, Lithuania, or Hungary.  Nonetheless, as we learned during our travels, many nations surpass America, so bigger is not better.

     Czechia's infrastructure is astounding, people are very friendly and accepting, the "go green" culture is top-notch, food is delicious and affordable, the capital is immaculate, and the lifestyle is lovely.  The bike culture is impressive, especially with train accommodations.  Numerous parks and squares dot the landscape.  People sustain a Life-Work balance.  To us, it was the way life should be lived.  Due to its central location, it is also extremely convenient to travel to other parts of Europe and Asia.

     Die-hard New Yorkers scorned us, saying that NYC was making changes.  They mentioned the pedestrian-only High Line Park.  That was done several years ago, and it had a short-lived usefulness until greedy developers over-promoted it to tourists, and they overdeveloped the area with high-rise towers.  Now, that "green" strip is too small to serve its district.  Ironically, instead of building more "green" spaces--despite its evident success--they built more bland buildings.

     To defend the uncaring city, someone mentioned the "artificial islet" built on the Hudson River.  I have a better fact.  Regarding typical NYC overdevelopment, NYC is surrounded by oceanfront.  From landfills, 4-square-miles of coastline were also added to Manhattan.  Yet, only a tiny amount of shoreline is enjoyable to the overtaxed citizens.  Most land was taken for luxury apartment complexes and Fortune 500 company headquarters, and a lot was given to power plants and industries to dump their waste into the water.  Unlike other parts of the world, that will never change.  

     Another noticeable drawback in American cities is a lack of Cafe Culture.  Instead of socializing or befriending people at coffeeshops, people treat them like libraries and offices.  They ignore one another.

     That doesn't happen in other societies... similar to a lack of shootings (that occur unstopped in the USA).  Something else that doesn't happen are the power outages or internet failures that often continue unfixed for several hours!  

     Throughout Prague, we never witnessed the "mean gays" behavior that is (stupidly) popular amongst homosexuals in America.  Please click on the images below to make them clearer/larger...

     In Prague, Lewis and I admired pedestrian-only streets, and open-air squares (plazas) that are used as gathering places.  Unlike NYC, historic architecture is preserved from the 1600s and beyond.  Large spaces are enjoyed, instead of being overcrowded with overdevelopment.  The newest parts of the capital are gorgeous, and we admired the ornate coziness of the oldest areas.  Fed up with NYC's filthy subways, we rejoiced to use their clean Metro trains!  Smartly, Praguers retained their trams, while America destroyed its streetcars to enrich auto-makers.  Prague expands its tram network with excellence and avoids pollutive congestion.

     The city's public gardens and Cafe Culture were lovely.  We liked the small alleys, low skyline (for more sunlight), and immaculate streets.  We valued the abundance of farm-to-table eateries (which are only a novelty/luxury in New York).  Egg yolks had a "real yellow", unlike American "processed" ones.  After work (which usually ends promptly at 5:00), people often visit several eateries in one evening.  In NYC, long wait-times, long lines, and slow service prevent that.  The pace of life was delightfully slower and less harried than "in a New York minute".  Outdoor eateries abounded, and they were not burdened by traffic or noise pollution.  We ate nutritious European foods that are inexplicably banned in America (where unhealthy Fast Food is encouraged, instead).  

     We enjoyed having so much beautiful access to the Vltava River (unlike the rivers in NYC).  We were impressed that day-trips are easily made with public transportation (unlike NYC) throughout most of the nation.  Czechia has the densest rail network in the world.  Commuter trains are included in the cost of transit tickets.  In New York, those railways are monopolies that overcharge as extra fares, and they increase prices for distance, time of day, and route.

     As in many countries, English is spoken as a commonplace language.  Lewis and I are interested to learn the Czech language, yet it is hugely helpful that English is the lingua franca as a common denominator for people who came from everywhere.

    We definitely love lifestyles in Europe, and the European Union runs things magnificently, as compared to America's overpaid layers of useless government.  Best of all, as the saying goes, "If we can overcome the obstacles of New York, we can succeed anywhere!"

Please go to the next part to see what we are glad to get away from...