How do you feel about the place (s) you grew up?

[dustybiker2]

Home

[DryGermanGuy]

Divided, I think, for personal reasons. Too many small town vibes clashing with my personal stances and interests, but it was and still is a nice, quiet and safe place.

[dustybiker2]

Glad to hear some corners of the world stay the same.

[DryGermanGuy]

Small town Germany, absolutely. I guess, what has been standing for a couple of hundred years will probably stand for another couple of hundred? :-D
Check some pictures here:
www.reisereporter.de/.../...JGU7HPGLMPCS63Z7U.html

[dustybiker2]

Okay... now you're just bragging •jaw on floor•

[DryGermanGuy]

Oh, haha. :-) Granted, these are considered the twenty most beautiful towns in one state, but there are many many more that look equally nice. Rule of thumb is, the smaller the town, the less World War 2 bomb destruction it had to endure.

[dustybiker2]

Thank goodness for that. If anything came out of WII was that history and historical places were oddly respected.

[dustybiker2]

Absolutely stunning home there. Beautiful.

[KrakenAttackin]

I don't really have a place I can call "home".

[dustybiker2]

Can I ask why not?

[KrakenAttackin]

Moved around a lot, was adopted, all of my family is deceased. It's just me.

[dustybiker2]

Oh damn. Well. We're friends now. So you have me. Are you happy where you are living now?

[KrakenAttackin]

Well thank you. I live in Atlanta, which is a nice area. You?

[dustybiker2]

I'm west coast at the moment

[KrakenAttackin]

@dustybiker2. What do you ride? I am longing for a Concours 14.

[dustybiker2]

That is a sweet looking bat bike. Nice. lol

I am selling my honda cruiser and about to get a Triumph street triple 765R

Also have a suzuki burgman 400 (for shopping, but still riding and tossing in some evening canyons on the way)

I might get back into dirt bikes at some point. It just hurts more past 40.

[KrakenAttackin]

Very nice! Dirt bikes are a blast! The last time I rode a dirt bike I took it easy and did mostly trail riding with only a few small jumps.

[dustybiker2]

They are.
Have you ever ridden a pit bike? Or small dirt bike. We have had more fun on those. I might get two instead of one big dirt bike.

[KrakenAttackin]

@dustybiker2. No, never even heard of that. I really don't have a place to ride a dirt bike right now. You need a truck/trailer to bring a bike to trails.

Also, Atlanta is the land of super highways which are not a great place for motorcycles. Perhaps when I move to a more rural area.

[dustybiker2]

Ah gotcha.
This is pit bike racing. Grown people on small bikes. It's a riot.
If link doesn't work the title is
"The Scariest Pit Bike Jumps EVER // Nitro Circus Triple Crown Round 1"
By Nitro Circus

https://youtu.be/7QYV-7Tl-Vw?si=Dt8ZWYZh8NOcr6Y3

[KrakenAttackin]

Holy cow, that looks like a blast!

[dustybiker2]

We did it on a much smaller scale. But it really is. You get weak from laughing so hard and so long.

[KrakenAttackin]

I can imagine. I don't think my bones heal fast enough for this!

[dustybiker2]

Exactly

[Apple1996]

Let's just say I'm glad I left there at 19. It was a bad area

[dustybiker2]

Do you think the place could ever turn around?

[Apple1996]

Definitely not

[dustybiker2]

I hope you are happy now.

[handsomelad70]

I've spent my entire 70-year life in Windsor, Ont., Can., one mile SOUTH of Detroit, Mich., where my mother was born. I've got golden boy good loos, so, I stand out like a sore thumb among the fugly blue-collar schlubs and chubbettes making their (sometimes multiple) daily pilgrimages to Mickey D'. s, Tim Hortons, various pizza and poutine places , the new Popeye's Louisiana kitchen downtown, and other fast food temples.

[dustybiker2]

@handsomelad70 almost ended up in that area when my father was given the option of two jobs to move to. Decades ago now though. 😎

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Shizuoka, Japan: Epic nostalgia. I remember fireworks at night with Mt. Fuji and the lights of the city over the horizon. I lived near the top of a small mountain in Shimizu overlooking the city.

Shimizu

Yokohama: I barely remember anything. While I lived here for an entire year at the age of 8, it's like a missing part of my memories. I only remember little things here and there like a major thunderstorm where we were all huddled underneath Yokohama station and I saw a lightning strike right in front of me just 10 meters away or so. It's the first and only time I ever saw lightning up close and it shook the entire ground and building with such awesome force.

I do remember really enjoying Yokohama despite barely recalling anything but fleeting moments there. I met some nice people in school and I had this favorite curry shop where the staff got to know me as a boy and gave me extra spicy curry rice since I loved spicy foods.

Singapore: I LOVED Singapore. I lived there almost 3 years and the people were so nice and I went to a British International School where I got to meet classmates from all around the world. One of the things that always struck me about Singapore is that it's about the most multicultural little country in the entire world, but there's so little in the way of racial or ethnic tension there unlike places like the US where so many people seem obsessed with race and people voluntarily segregate (black neighborhoods vs. white neighborhoods, e. g.):

Singapore

Hong Kong: I loved Hong Kong but only lived for a year. I picked up some Cantonese and really enjoyed the food and really started to love Chinese food through my experience there. I also went to an international school there with students from a wide variety of places in the world.

Hong Kong

South Carolina, US: I didn't really like South Carolina all that much, or at least Myrtle Beach where I stayed. It had an amazing beach but I got tired of it. I just remember it as endless surf shops, strip clubs, golfing, tacky Planet Hollywood.

Myrtle Beach, SC

North Carolina, US: I really enjoyed my time in North Carolina or at least Durham and Wilmington. I went to university there and met so many nice people and enjoyed it a lot more than South Carolina. In particular, there was an amazing skate park in Wilmington called Skate Barn. I skated there all the time on weekends (quite a long drive from Durham but worth it) and also got sponsored by a skate shop there.

Durham, NC

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

This is the school I went to in Singapore and loved so much: Dover Court International School. I really think my strongest nostalgic memories were in Singapore since I made my best friends there from across the world. Out of all the places I grew up, it was my favorite.
https://youtu.be/G8rJMHCCDQA

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

You can also see from the video just how varied the students are. I had friends from so many different places: Norwegian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, British, Irish, Nigerian, Colombian, Brazilian, Indian, Swedish, etc. I think that was also a very influential part of my childhood since ever since then, I've become greedy to make friends from every single part of the world I can.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

It was also where I mostly learned my English. It was British English though so when I moved to the US for high school, my teachers always corrected me since I was using British English instead of American, like "colour" vs. "color", "lift" vs. "elevator", and so forth.

[dustybiker2]

Very cool

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

Cheers! 🤝 Also apologies for the extreme long-windedness. I ended up growing up in such a variety of places (actually omitted some for brevity).

[dustybiker2]

Not at all. I enjoyed the brief vacation. Thank you 😎

[handsomelad70]

What's wrong with beaches and golf?

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

@handsomelad70 Myrtle Beach is great for vacation in my opinion. I actually miss it and would like to go there for a vacation. But if you live there for a long period of time, it gets very repetitive driving through the area and seeing surf shop, surf shop, surf shop, saltwater taffy, surf shop, surf shop, strip club, golf course, surf shop, saltwater taffy, Planet Hollywood, golf course, strip club, surf shop, along with endless resort hotels.

So it's one of those places that's excellent for a vacation since that doesn't get repetitive for a relatively brief stay. But I found it very dull living there.

[handsomelad70]

What's Myrtle Beach like for us black folk?

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

@handsomelad70 Especially if we compare to Singapore which was my favorite place:


www.edb.gov.sg/.../...or-you-masthead-1170x650.jpg

Just strolling, not even driving, through Singapore, you see so much variety. Indian shop, Indonesian shop, Norwegian restaurant, small street vendors, farmer's markets:


British museum, a wide assortment of parks, wildlife, most epic zoo in the world, samples of pretty much every little part of the world in the form of cultural restaurants, shops, little food courts with native Singaporean food (similar to a blend of Chinese and Taiwanese), very traditional Japanese sushi restaurant, and definitely a surf shop or two next to the beach, just endless variety. My words can't do it justice.

And the architecture in Singapore is a true sight to behold. They place more emphasis on biophilic design than anywhere else I've seen in the world where a very dense urban environment blends in seamlessly with nature:
https://youtu.be/QCZ8jInO7UY

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

@handsomelad70 There's a very healthy number of black people in Myrtle Beach. With the school I went to, MBHS, I think almost half the students were black and they were some of my first friends in high school.

I did unfortunately see voluntary segregation in the cafeteria. That was something that shocked me in that high school when I first went to the cafeteria is that we had two long rows of tables and one row was almost entirely white students and the other row was mostly black students. That was so different from what I saw in Singapore where everyone would kind of sit wherever and mingle regardless of their race of ethnicity and it made me sad.

But I didn't see much in the form of blatant racism.

[Lliam]

I lived in a suburban development that began planning shortly after WWII. Family homes for all the returning veterans and their new families. Low interest rates and no down payments for guys on the GI bill.

Recently I read that they wouldn't sell homes to blacks or Jews.

It is in the southern part of Los Angles County, in Calif. Built on former farm, ranch and dairy land. It was flat but the weather was idyllic. It was near the ocean and not far from the mountains. Knott's Berry Farm was nearby and Disneyland, which opened a year after I was born, wasn't far away, either.

We often drove to see things in the Los Angeles area, or we could drive to Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara, inland or along the coast.

From our location, there were endless things to see and do on a day trip.

And there were things to within walking or bicycling distance, too. Aside from 5 and dime stores, hobby shops and parks, there were open fields to play in and a river that was usually a trickle where we could catch frogs, lizards, pollywogs, and see the occasional snake.

My town was a "planned" city. Sort of a suburban "city of the future". Planned suburban subdivisions were something new. There was a large shopping center, anchored by a four story department store, with specialty stores stretching out to ether side. The government buildings were in the same area as the shopping center.

There were large, well staffed, parks with lots of activities for kids.

There schools, grocery stores, restaurants, strip malls, gas stations, bus routes, ... basically everything, and it was all nearby.

The neighborhoods were well kept. People mowed their lawns, the city planted trees in the parkways in front of every house.

Everybody in the neighborhood had kids. Some were older, some were younger. Everyone got along fairly well. I played a lot with the other kids and had close friends.

Our neighbor, across the street, had a pool. It was kind of the neighborhood pool. We played and swam in that a lot.

We had a house, a two car garage, a front and a back yard. I didn't realize until decades later that the 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath house was less than 1000 sq ft. It seemed large when I was a kid. But it was nice inside and out.

Anyway I had a great childhood and my memories about the place where I grew up are pretty idyllic.

[dustybiker2]

Thank you for sharing this. You've always been one of my fav people on her for replies. You make us feel like we are there with you in your words. Appreciate the time it took for you to write this piece.

Have you ever watched Huell Howser's show? He did a great number of flashbacks of places in a young Southern California. Was always learning something from him.

[Lliam]

Thank you so much, Dusty. 😊

I used to watch Huell all the time. He was great. A friend of mine met him and was interviewed by him. My friend was involved in rehabilitating a famous ferry boat or something. The boat never got rehabilitated, though, and I'm not sure if that story ever aired.

[GuyAnswersGirls123]

That sounds very scenic and nice! I always liked the idea of these planned suburban neighborhoods with everything nearby.

[dustybiker2]

That must have been an experience. What a shame.

I had a neighbor who worked with the city to try and renovate two steam trains we purchased for local fun. That project tanked at some point though.

[argot]

Boca Raton, Florida is a pretty nice place visually. The beaches are nice, there are a lot of parks, the city is clean and manicured, for the most part it is relatively safe to raise a family, there are good schools, etc. There has always been an underbelly of organized crime and white collar crime in the city so by no means is it as innocent as it appears on the surface. That said as time has passed, more people from the North East have moved in, reducing the average quality of the people. Over time people have become far more confrontational in public spaces. There use to be far more native Floridians and people were nicer to one another and more decent in public. That North Eastern corruption has crept in making it unlivable for decent people. That has also crept into politics leading to poor city ordinances, exorbitant fees, and unpalatable policing standards. Poor city planning by North Eastern developers that infiltrated the local political system has lead to traffic conjuration and increase criminal behavior. What was once a paradise for the wealthy is evolving into a typical socialist leaning nightmare control structure. So I'd say that while I live there for many years, it's not a place I'd prefer to live now, even though it has some good qualities.

[exitseven]

It is the poster child of how to run a town into the ground. Whe nI was growing up there were still a couple of working farms in town. There was lots of open space and it was a good place ot grow up. The schools were good and there was never a lot of crime. In the 80s there were people who wanted more "affordable housing" and they allowed for smaller lot sizes and big condominium complexes. This increased the population and traffic and crime. Property values went down and a lot of people moved out. The schools are among the worst in the state and there are gangs and murders and robberies. I do not know anybody from the old neighborhood that still lives there , It is a dump.

[dustybiker2]

One of mine is a carbon copy. So sad.

[exitseven]

I live in one of the more affluent towns where you need to work for a living to be able to live there. Every once in a while somebody gets the bright idea to develop so called "affordable housing" . I always invite them to take a ride through the town I grew up in and look how it turned out.

[dustybiker2]

They tried to do that to mine. But the yuppies moved out, not able to sell their homes, so are now renting them to multi family sharers.. they should start charging for street parking. Make a fortune.

[exitseven]

dusty- the times they are a changin.

[dustybiker2]

This is true.

[Dinklex3]

That’s my hommeee ❤️❤️❤️

Id never ever move back, but it’s nice to visit, see old friends, and eat at the small businesses I loved (most closed after Covid 😢)

It used to be nice and quiet. Now it’s full of drugs & crime. Growing up, we used to never lock our doors. Now we HAVE to. You’d think the town would get better, but it just keeps getting worse and worse.

[dustybiker2]

Covid did do a number on all the fav family businesses. It's a shame.

[TrueConfection]

The place I grew up in is (was?) one of the most beautiful places is the world. The landscape is breathtaking, the air is the cleanest in the nation, sunsets that paint the sky in bright colors, and it was safe when I was a kid. A lot has changed there including pollution, population, politics, and safety.

[dustybiker2]

That sounds like my area, too. Waves of changes. Makes you wonder if it was worth staying.

[TrueConfection]

I didn't think it was and moved to the opposite side of the country. I have fond memories though.

[dustybiker2]

Thank goodness for those. I was just looking at old printed images. Holding memories in hand "It did happen."

[TrueConfection]

You sound a little homesick Dusty. 💕

[dustybiker2]

I was missing my mum.

[TrueConfection]

I'm sorry, that must be difficult. I'm glad you have fond memories and printed pictures. There's something special about holding a picture.

[dustybiker2]

Thank you. Those moments creep up every once in a while.
Yes. Hadn't really thought about it until the other day. But it does feel better to hold the old pictures in your hands. Digital is better quality of course, but it's a bit like how old records have character. Fuzzy old photos do too.

[Bilboes]

The place where I was born was such a cold place that Bear Grylls could have given a survival tutorial there. This isolated little town was a quiet and cozy place. Over time, this atmosphere may have even affected my personality.

[dustybiker2]

Was the community close?

[Bilboes]

Yeah, and everyone in this town kind of knew each other.. I didn't really get used to city life because I grew up in such a place.

[dustybiker2]

I can get that. Thanks for sharing this.

[StudyingAuthor]

I've lived at the place I'm living at now since I was four. I only remember some places I loved with my dad, and I was barely with him. The house I live in now is beautiful, and my mother and father (Step-father but he raised me.) are renovating all the time

[jennifer_bloom]

I loved the home I lived in from 9-18 years old. It was close to the park and the swimming pool and the library and the mall and I could walk there from my house. It was also close to my best friend's house who was home basically every day in the summer time.

[worldscolide]

Honest to god, the place i grew up is a place i hope to never return to.. Especially during the ages of 11 - 17, I went through things that would leave the normal person with nightmares for the rest of their life.

[dustybiker2]

I'm sorry. I hope you are happy where you are now.

[worldscolide]

Oh absolutely. Married to who in my opinion is the most beautiful woman on the planet.. Presently we are watching a favorite show of hers, and i am catching up on some work, all while enjoying her cuddles.

[dustybiker2]

That sounds like home. Enjoy, sir:

[worldscolide]

Will do!! Again, Glad you're back.

[dustybiker2]

Thank you. Happy to see old friends. 😎

[Bricealan]

Forever grateful, that I moved away from there! Life changed in unimaginable ways moving from Ohio to California... Just another lifetime was here

[dustybiker2]

Polar opposites I imagine.

[Bricealan]

@dustybiker2... Well, Dusty, I changed my way of living and relating to others here, and the job opportunities here had the "Sky as the limit! A complete change as you might imagine.

[dustybiker2]

Sometimes it's just what is needed, eh?

[Bricealan]

@dustybiker2 I must add to this, with something a close friend told me when going back to Ohio for a visit... She said: Wow, you have really changed"... and I responded that "Nothing is forever, and I had to change my behavior to move up"

Her comment was; "I liked you the way you were before, you were more fun"

More fun for her was me chasing all the young girls and basically ruining my chances of promotion by getting involved with the married and single women there... I was not taken seriously by my managers and supervisors... rarely being discreet... really a career killer.

[dustybiker2]

Glad you saw the light and chased that instead

[Miah04]

Growing up. I wanted out. I was like I can't grow here.

I left and came back and know it's where i belong.

Hby

[dustybiker2]

Just needed to spread your wings

[Miah04]

Yes. I really love it here

[dustybiker2]

You make it sound like a home

[Miah04]

❤️❤️ it is probably my family that does it for me

[dustybiker2]

They sound wonderful.

[Miah04]

❤️❤️

[Lynx122]

It was great one of the most beautiful places imaginable to grow up :)

[dustybiker2]

I'm glad you had that.

[Lynx122]

thanks :)

[dustybiker2]

You are welcome.

[Karolina03]

I grew up in small village near Prague. I love it there, countryside with a lot of fields, meadows, forests, river and many streams. Definitely not wanna move away.

[Wiredone]

I grew up with some great friends. It was a nice neighborhood.

[dustybiker2]

I had similar to you. I'm glad you had that:

[Wiredone]

I wish all places were like my old neighborhood

[dustybiker2]

Did your parents let you stay out late in summer?

[Wiredone]

Yeah. Like half the neighborhood kids stayed out late

[dustybiker2]

Love that

[LiamJHayden]

I still live just a little under two miles from Hoag, the hospital where I was born. I love it here.

[dustybiker2]

Feeling it.

[ab2shifty]

It’s a pretty unsafe place 🤣

but I grew up there so I’m used to it

[dustybiker2]

You're the second person to sound like this. So "Oh well." 😱 Stay safe.

[ab2shifty]

Yeahhh but once you live there for a while, it becomes regular 🤣

[Paris13]

Happy Memories, But Also, Moved Near To My Grandparents Out in The Country At Age 11. xxoo

[douride2]

I moved out at 20. I still live just up the road from where I grew up though. I don't think I would want to live anywhere else.

[Avicenna]

Both of the places I grew up are not so great

[dustybiker2]

I'm sorry to hear that. Do you think they could ever change for the better?

[Avicenna]

Possibly

[dustybiker2]

That's good. I feel bad for the people attached to their homes when the neighborhood crumbles.

[Avicenna]

Definitely

[Fireguy17]

great, I still live in the same area.

[dustybiker2]

Wonderful

[DJB72]

Love the place. Don't miss most of the people

[dustybiker2]

lol I hear that.

[AviatorTom]

It was nice, but I'm glad I moved away for other challenges and opportunities.

[FunkyMonkee]

By all rights, I SHOULD still be there!!

[dustybiker2]

Get back there, sir!

[FunkyMonkee]

LOVE to!! HOW? It was taken away from me and sold to someone else!!

[dustybiker2]

I believable! No?

[FunkyMonkee]

I don't understand.

[dustybiker2]

I'm just encouraging and enjoying your enthusiasm while scrolling gag.

[FunkyMonkee]

I see.

[katiesmuff]

Still here and love it.

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

I love my city - Tbilisi 💕

[LavLavLuv]

Loved it, nice neighbors

[ChicoFromThe305]

I'm used to it

[dustybiker2]

Make it work for you. I like that attitude.

[ChicoFromThe305]

Yea I guess lol

[dustybiker2]

They would miss you if you left

[ChicoFromThe305]

I doubt that 😂

[dustybiker2]

lmao

[sirderpsalot123]

It was ok

[Miah04]

Her first question and you can't even put effort in. Smh

[sirderpsalot123]

I thought it was boring growing up lol not much to say about it

[Miah04]

Better

[dustybiker2]

Derp...

[sirderpsalot123]

What?

[Miah04]

You know what you did. Why you so lazy

[dustybiker2]

@Miah04 he was asking me two days to write a Q

[Miah04]

And when you do he goes
"It's okay" smh
Put the video game down derp. Put it down

[sirderpsalot123]

Just delete it if it's that bad 😒

[sirderpsalot123]

You have all of the power here

[Miah04]

Aww. Derp we are just teasing. ❤️

[dustybiker2]

@sirderpsalot123 Nope. You posted it. You were happy with it. All good. No judgement in my Q's

[sirderpsalot123]

And I'm not playing a game. I'm watching an anime and can't look away for too long because I have to the subtitles

[Miah04]

That's what pause is for

[sirderpsalot123]

Read

[dustybiker2]

Enjoy that anime Derp

[sirderpsalot123]

I will. It's good so far

[sirderpsalot123]

Even miah said it sounds good

[Miah04]

It sounds good, but depends on if they do it right

[dustybiker2]

@Miah04 you watch anime now?

[sirderpsalot123]

It's a very highly talked about anime lol it's been on my list for awhile

[sirderpsalot123]

@Miah04 yeah, do you watch anime now?

[Miah04]

No i don't i asked derp about it and it sounded interesting

[dustybiker2]

@Miah04 Gotcha lol

[Nice222]

My hometown was pretty cool

[Charliefretz329]

Cold 🥶

[dustybiker2]

Iceland cold?

[Charliefretz329]

Prolly worse

[Charliefretz329]

40 below was a thing

[dustybiker2]

Oh dang. You must have walked around holding hot water bottles.

[Charliefretz329]

Those don’t work, they freed

[Charliefretz329]

Freeze

[Charliefretz329]

Lots of layers.

[dustybiker2]

Really? Holy cow. Brr brr brr and I like cold

[Charliefretz329]

I don’t like cold. 17 years of it was enough. I’m still thawing out in the sunny tropics

[dustybiker2]

That I understand. Get your home back soon and be happy again.

[Charliefretz329]

I hope so!

[dustybiker2]

Everything crossed for you.

[Charliefretz329]

Lawyer says maybe an answer in about a month

[dustybiker2]

Okay. That's not too bad.

[Charliefretz329]

Never hold your breath waiting on the government to take action though. Lol. The last experience I had took an extra 4 months longer than predicted

[dustybiker2]

Yes, but that was before the enemy had made a fool of themselves.

[Charliefretz329]

True…. But still. #nofaithingovt

[dustybiker2]

I feel good about this.

[Charliefretz329]

I’m scared to entertain the idea of hope 😆 😐

[dustybiker2]

That's okay. I'll hold you up.

[Charliefretz329]

Hugs 🤗

[dustybiker2]

🤗 Biggest.

[Fuentes]

Dislike it

[dustybiker2]

Gotcha

[laly520]

I miss it

[butterly248]

Meh.