I agree. His description of Philly isn't anything in my experience. Although I must admit to feeling extremely safe in Manhattan, more so than in comparable areas of central London.

In my hometown, some old buildings go back to 1600's, some earlier than that. We preserve old buildings and respect them rather than just pulling them all down. It's a very old town. I love it!

Oh me too!!!

I have a friend who lives in a 400+ year old barn conversion in Yorkshire and I would swap with her any day of the week. Like many ordinary not wealthy Aussies, we have a 3 bed weatherboard with a tin roof - it's serviceable but although it is an older home (nearly 60 years) it is developing a bit of character with all the cracks in the walls, it doesnt even come close to a good old UK home. Open space living is all fine and well but once the energy crunch comes with a vengeance, people are going to be finding that smaller rooms with doors are going to be more economical to live in. I dont see the new Aussie builds being around for 400 years and the way that huge houses are cramped onto tiny blocks is also a claustrophobes nightmare and not comparing inner city living here with inner city terracing in UK either.

Everyone has different tastes and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But personally, give me a brand new, contemporary style home built to my exact specs any day over a 400 year old barn!

Variety is, the spice of life