Yes, we do wear shoes.

When some people think about Kentucky, they assume that it is just a huge horse farm in the middle of no where.



This isn't the case at all. While there are a good deal of horse farms, there are some pretty big cities too. Where I'm from, Lexington, everything revolves around the downtown area. Surrounding downtown, there are a ton of subdivisions. My average commute to high school one way was around 20 minutes from one of these subdivisions. Yes, the Lexington community is the perfect example of urban sprawl. Traffic can get bad at times, but that's just poor city planning.



I wouldn't have it any other way though. Ten minutes from my house will usually get me anywhere I need to be. Grocery stores, gas stations, movie theaters, the library, a multitude of fast food places, and pretty much anything else you can think of.



Most of the subdivisions are filled with cookie cutter houses, but in the older parts of Lexington there are houses with a lot of character.

Overall, Lexington is a nice place to live. The traffic isn't nearly as bad as the bigger cities and there are plenty of places to go out and enjoy nature.



Sure there are some cons, like not being within walking distance of a lot of places. On the other hand, one is just a short drive from practically anything which I find is a lot more convenient.

VL

The Odyssey in Bangkok

In respond to Can Amado's Post, I would like to share some of my experiences when I was living back home in Bangkok.

(A night view of Bkk)

"A big city can be a lonely place. Whenever I wanted to be alone, I could walk down the street of Bangkok. It was there, along the streets where no one seemed to notice me. I could be invisible among the many eyes of people. It was indubitable that the people I walked by would see me, but no one would notice me. I became a phantom, a mere illusion of their minds. Maybe this is why I get so awkward walking by someone without people all around. I am not used to the being the only attention. I used to be detached, walking down a crowded street where everyone's attention was only on themselves." - Phumthep Bunnak (Dae)

(As seen from the top of my house)


My neighborhood is not as close nit as John's, but one of the similarity between the city of Bangkok and Izmir is the distance to the vast plain of water. Bangkok is also a coastal city which located in the heart of Thailand. Many people know that this crowded coastal city is the capital of Thailand. However, I doubt that many non-native will recognize the name used by all Thais to call this city of around two hundred years old. Krungtep Mahanakorn can be translated literally from Thai to English as "The Big city of angels". I have to admit, I am quite ambivalent about my satisfaction with this City of Angels. It seems that this city of 7 million people is a place where visitors and its inhabitants can find most of the things they are looking for. Heaven and hell are not that far apart in this area.

(Part of one of the shopping mall)


If I have to describe this city in one word, no other words will suit Krungtep Mahanakorn more than "chaos". This is a place where a Hospital, a convenient store, and my house can coexist in not more than a hundred meters apart. Out of this chaos, one can say that Bangkok can be used as an example of a traditional city in the book Suburban Nation. There seems to be no zoning in this city. My house spawns near everything, from a hospital to a pub. There are also narrow streets around the city. However, despite the fact that Krungtep is a messy place where buildings of all type tend to pop up everywhere, the allure of this city seems to attract tourists from all over the world.

A tourist might enjoy taking glimpses inside a temple then go shopping at a gigatic mall within arm reach distance of the temple. The agglomeration of everything in a small area here is what I value. I remember getting stuck in a traffic for more than an hour for traveling to a friend's house 1.3 miles away. I am also thankful for the train transit system. The trains can get me to most places that I want to go. However, an hour before and after 5pm is the time I usually avoid getting on the train as the feeling of getting canned in a train like a sardine is not so appealling. Sometimes I would think I will enjoy living in a suburbia which I saw in a Hollywood movie more. However, a year in Arlington, Texas changed my mind.

(Walking to School in TX)

I did an exchange program in which I spent 10 months in Arlington, a city located between Dallas and Fort Worth. At first living in a suberb was what I saw as freedom from all those chaos of Bangkok, but I started to have a feeling that things are too far apart. The only way I could go somewhere is to get a ride from someone. I walked to school everyday along a whirling cul-de-sac with the same monotonous, and suspicious houses along the way. I found out later that I do not find sprawl appealing. Houses located in the middle of nowhere in my opinion is not suitable for life. A community where people live should provide its inhabitants means of transportation other than by automobiles. After I went back to my hometown, I started to appreciate the chaos more. In the end, I feel that no place deserved to be lived unless it is a walking distance away from everything.

(Same Looking Houses)

City`s Beating Heart

I live in Izmir, a bustling coastal city with 3 million residents, and in the very heart of this giant city is Alsancak, pronounced as Alsanjak, my neighborhood since the day I was born. I was born at a hospital in this neighborhood, moved two times and still live in the same neighborhood. Alsancak is a small neighborhood, about 4 square miles as I have measured from Google Earth.

It borders the sea and has the best seaside park in the country called Kordon where all of cities best restaurants, pubs, bars and my house are located. Although the sea is heavily polluted, it provides a very nice view and is a major income source for the businesses due to the nearby port.

Alsancak is the de-facto center of the city, because it is also the intersection point of roads, not highways, that go on all directions of the city, though the official city centre is 2 miles away. As a traditional neighborhood, Alsancak has generally 8 flat buildings, most of which were built in late 1960s and 1970s and look alike.


Although records show settlement in the area since 17th century when it was populated mostly by Greeks and Europeans, most historic houses were destroyed after the Second World War due to excellent (!) urban planning. Remaining houses mostly serve as bars and pubs or used as illegal brothels. New high-rise office and condo buildings are starting to be built, contrasting with the historical texture of the place.



Though Alsancak is the major intersection of roads, it is a pedestrian area with very narrow and busy streets. Similar to New York City, all shops and restaurants are on street level, so people walk all the time and it is very common to run into someone. It has always been very hard for me to get to somewhere because each time I go out the right time and see a close friend or relative and start chatting, and not go on time naturally! Alsancak has been a very close-knit community since the time my grandparents moved there, basically because it is home to the small prosperous community of town who has been family friends for many generations. In terms of close knit, I mean how I feel when I take a walk and feel that everyone is smiling, and everyone is very open against each other because we basically are from same big families and same schools. To illustrate, my house is on a building by the sea and my best friend lives one block away, my maternal grandparents live 2 blocks away, aunt lives 3 blocks away. Due to this physical proximity of the place, I never ride a car, never take public transportation or even ride a bike unless I go to school. We have a pretty easy life compared to the suburban mega neighborhoods because we have grocery stores offering fresh food on every corner and a butcher on every block where we walk.


When analyzed, it is evident that my neighborhood is diverse in age, since my generation, my parents` generation, my grandparents and even my great grandma used to live there when she was alive. However, it is hard to see that diversity in prosperity because it has been one of the most upscale neighborhoods in town ever since, due to the nearby port and the presence of entertainment industry.
As a result of the high-income population, Alsancak is the most cosmopolitan neighborhood of Izmir, home to the historical Jewish, European and Greek population of the city, and most of the expats. As a real life example, I am Jewish and our main synagogue is in this neighborhood, along with the whole Jewish population. There are 8 churches and only one mosque, in a country with 99% Muslim population. My sister`s piano instructor is a Greek lady who has been my mother`s friend for 35 years and we have Spanish neighbors. In Turkish standards, this is a very diverse profile, unique to Izmir, perhaps to Alsancak only.

Having born and lived my entire life in this neighborhood, I cannot compare a sprawl neighborhood to a traditional neighborhood because I never experienced life in a sprawling neighborhood. However, I can say that living in a traditional neighborhood is a really nice experience because you have the best of both worlds, all the amenities of a big city and the coziness of a small place. You can take a walk on the seaside and forget that you are in a big city or jump right into the bustling streets and have an excellent time with your friends.