my mind is expanding so everything is getting more crowded

[ilanarama]

I used to live in Boulder, population ~100K. Now I live in Durango, population ~14K. But earlier this week I went to Boulder again for the first time in 2.5 years and was struck by just how big and busy everything seemed. In the years since I'd left everything had multiplied and exploded and expanded. More people. More cars. More buildings, and they were all shiny and boxy and new. What a treat it was to get back to small, quiet, backwater Durango.

Many years ago I went to grad school in Cambridge MA, which might as well be Boston, since in the East cities run into each other with no regard for boundaries. I liked it; but then I moved to Boulder, and when I came back to Cambridge for a committee meeting I was overwhelmed with how big and busy everything seemed. What a treat it was to get back to small, quiet, backwater Boulder.

I guess it's all relative. Maybe I'll move from here to a tiny town with a population under a thousand, and then come back for a visit and marvel at how big and busy everything is here.

Comments

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

I guess it is relative. A close friend of mine moved back here after living in Boulder for close to 10 years. Now when she visits Boulder she comes back talking about how quaint and wonderfully small-towny it is. (Of course, just about anything's bound to be less sprawling and more homey than blecchy old San Jose.)

[opadit.livejournal.com]

I hear ya. Tomorrow I'm leaving for Glencoe, Ontario, population 4000, for the funeral of my dad's uncle. It's so empty and quiet there. I mean, I think I can hear my ears ringing at night here in Philly, when I can hear just a few distant sirens, some train whistles, some motorcycles, a car alarm or two -- and then there's 2:00 a.m. in Glencoe.