Is it the people? The feel of the commercial district, the nature of the shops and stores that serve the people of the place? The views and vistas? Hills vs flats? Heat vs cool breezes? The nature of how you get from point A to point B?
A strange kismet occurs when I feel at peace with a particular place. It has only happened a few times in my life. The diversity and display of individuality attracted me to New York City, and will always draw me back like a magnet for visits… though never again to live. The vitality and persistence of London makes me long for experience with more of its neighborhoods, no matter how many I walk. The flat rivers hold the noise of motion and the chemistry of insects, which feed the trout, which bring me to them… though I always want to stay longer for the choir of the slick rocks and the comfort of knowing I will return to the river when the rest of my bodily water is gone. The green cities of the Pacific Northwest breed a particular sensibility that rewards thoughtfulness, sometimes guardedness, and humility. And the Vermont of the Puget Sound currently just feels right.
“I love it here” is usually stated to declare a connection with the culture and the people. For me a place feels personal when I feel a connection with the geology and the climate and the rhythms of life. I feel lucky to have found a few of these places, and to have had the good fortune to be able to spend more time than perhaps I would have expected at them as I could have predicted as a younger man.
