Sally Redux

We were considering it in 2011, got a few members' views

http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5...rolina-700765/

Noticed this bit: "Yes it is republican, churchy, and all the stuff others have said, very true...but it does have a culture of sorts, it honestly reminds me a lot of England in the way the town is - it has history and a heart to the town that lacks in some other places, A walk down Kings street is just like walking down a high street back home except lots of palm trees..."

neill

Boulder Colorado... you could easily manage without a car, pretty liberal town, smart people, good food, good weather. Expensive place though obviously.

nun

Boulder is a fun place, but small when compared to Portland or Boston.

Another MA place to consider for a stay would be Northampton and Amherst. They are small towns in beautiful countryside and have lots going on. The large number of local colleges makes them every vibrant.

The university libraries in Boston have got a bit tighter on security in the last few years, but the Boston Public Library is fantastic and open to anyone

retzie

As in, you are on a visa and don't know if time off will be allowed?

SuperScienceGrl

Well, I'm on a visa but at my institution there are two different time off paths I can follow, and I'm not sure which yet. Time off is certain to happen, but there's a chance time off will have to be done in the UK.

"just like walking down a high street back home except lots of palm trees..." ...wow, where do I sign up for this?

retzie

Sorry, I don't mean to be nosy, but by any chance are you a first-year postdoc who is well and truly ready for the summer? I only bring this up because summer is around the corner and three months off may be enough without extra time off. Obviously, any number of things could be going on with you, but if your issues are primarily job-/location-related, I would suggest not leaving it too long, lest you completely psych yourself out from ever returning.

I know this isn't what you came here to ask (so of course you don't need to reply), but I say this as someone who spend 3 glorious years as a postdoc in Oklahoma (followed by another 2.5 years in the midwest), and the burning need to run away sounds very familiar...

SuperScienceGrl

Sigh, not a postdoc, but an early stage grad student. Who definitely does not get the summer off! I just have to go and work something out, haha. Hope it won't take too long. I imagine I'll go crazy without time in the lab and just want to be back. It was actually my boss's suggestion that I take time off, so I have to do it. But I appreciate your saying this.

So many academics here, and you guys have been so helpful. Why on earth didn't I use these forums all along?!

Moses2013

So Cornwall then
As some have mentioned, I think Portland might tick a lot of your boxes and summer is on it's way.

Sally Redux

Unusual for anyone to get the summer off now.

WJS

I lived in Boston for four years and it is a lovely town. This is where I met my husband and he always says it is a poor mans London. We will be moving to the south which sounds not suitable for you but one of the reasons for us is the warmth and friendliness of the people which I found lacking in Boston, also it is cold with lots of snow.

If you are looking for a city with public transport and perhaps left leaning, have you thought about San Francisco? Has lovely weather too!

Moses2013

Have you seen rental prices in San Francisco

DebzinUS

How about Charlottesville, VA? Not sure how affordable, but there may be short term leases available when UVA students are away this summer. There is also reasonable transportation available, including rail links to DC and NY-Boston.

Pulaski

They're out of sight if you are sight if you are standing on the ground!

Dewey

I would second Charlottesville, VA, the rolling hills of the Virginia piedmont are lovely. UVA Libraries are open to the public and you can check out books and CD's with a Virginia drivers license. Rent is probably going to run you $800 per month for your own apt, but as a University town there are plenty of opportunities for house shares with UVA students during the academic year for more like $400pm. CAT bus runs several routes around town and the fare is 75c or free if you are a UVA affiliate. Amtrak trains come through twice a week, and the town has a Greyhound bus stop, but Home Ride charge the same $70 fare round trip from Charlottesville to the Vienna VA Orange line metro station (2 hours), from which you can ride into DC, as Starlight bus charge round trip to New York City (6 hours)! Make friends with someone with a car and an interest in theatre, the American Shakespeare Center is only 40 miles west in Staunton, and UVA does run occasional trips to the Shakespeare, but otherwise the twice weekly Amtrak service is the only regular public transit connection to Staunton. There are some lovely wineries in the area but again you'll need a friend with a car, or pay for a wine tour bus, to get there and be driven(carried) back.

SultanOfSwing

You're not going to find anywhere that is exactly like the UK, but from what I've seen in pictures and heard from people who live there, the East Coast is probably going to get you closest. Anywhere from New England down to the Carolinas by all accounts.

That being said, there are a handful of places up here in NE Illinois that irrationally remind me of places back home for no good reason and I can't understand why