SOFIA, BULGARIA 9.2/10
Liveability 9.5/10
I'll tell you what -- I'm sitting at one of the major squares with a beer in my hand right now. It's about 77 degrees farenheit, the sun is Soviet strong (with the identical lack of progression) and the breeze is cucumber calm right now. How easy is it to live in Sofia? Just as easy as it is enjoyable. Due to recent developments in my travel plans I have only 484 hours to experience this city. Having experienced 24, I can confidentily say that this is my favorite city --- above NYC (so long as it's on a Western salary). Public transportation is available, thethe pizza here isa about $.90 for a huge ol' slice of geometric proportions, and...you can buy tofu! I'm staying at a dope one bedroom apartment (no living room but sizebale kitchen, downataris den that can be a living room/2nd bedroom and a decent bathroom) that costs 300 Euros a month. Hly shit is it affordable. It has those booze quenching kiosks that are found in Ukraine, you can drink in the streets....all that stuff is found here. I had a cnice lunch at a nice place (I'd say the equivalient of The Ivy in terms of ambiance and food quality) where I had a hugle ol' tasty Czech beer, Caesar salad (done properly but the dressing still had mayo), and a half rack of tender fall-apart with a fork for $8. Including tip. Thankfully, not includig diarrhea. I can easliy live here for 2-3 years.
Nightlife 8.5/10
Late night last call. Went to the coolest bar I've ever been to. You have to be in the know to experience the underground scene, which makes things that much more exclusive. I was also in a mainstream joint and they were playing some bonafide hip hop and the girls can groove. Big point off for a lack of live music. But you konw, to be fair, I really can't say shit like htat because it's not like any city I go to is going to have as large a market as NYC or LA. Also, the town is so enamored with hip hop that they missed the boat on Indie.
Culture 9.5/10
Hip Hop is big here in Sofia. I can say that pound for pound, it's bigger here than I've ever witnessed anywhere. They play it in shoestores, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. I can hear it squeeling out of the most random earplugs on the bus; and of course, where there's hip hop, I can easily assimilate. There is some dope street art to be found everywhere; and some of them actually carry a message. There are a lot of youngsters around; but they don't wreck shop or anything. The skate and bmx culture is reminscent of Venice Beach.
People 9.3/10
Soviet beauty with Soviet attitude, but there is definitely a middle ground where you still get the cuteness and you get a people that speak English! In all fairness, I've been traveling through Budapest with an Aussie cat and he mentioned that the city is very un-English. It's just, to me, after going days in silence and NO interaction with strangers in what-the-fuck's-your-problem Ukraine; anything beyond "no" is a Shakespearean sonnet. And as hard as they appear, they are all very, very helpful people. They're not as warm and inviting as I found Turkish people to be, but they are edgy and have a certain coolness to them. Teenagers are everywhere but they're not rude or thuggity. The girls are pretty but the guys aren't anything special. Game the fuck on!
PROS
Drink kiosks, drinking in public, totally affordable, nearby mountains where you can go snowboarding (whole deal for $40), HIP HOP culture! Still unappealing to Westerners...which I find to be a GREAT thing. It's a great, small city to call home for a few years.
CONS
Soviet corruption. Lack of upward social mobility. Food can be more diverse.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment