Any time I go to a large city im exhausted by being charged for doing anything. How do people have fun if theyre poor(the neat part, you dont, probably). And to make it worse many of them probably have a 1 bedroom apartment so its not like you can sit in there all day long (at least i cant).
I realize im still spending money by being in my house out of town, but still, at least things I buy are owned by me, and im not paying someone else every time I want to do anything. If I want to stay at home all day I have tons of stuff to occupy my mind without going nuts.
I figure 98% of lemmy users live in big cities so id like to hear this perspective!
I would like to kick this back to you, what do you do outside of a big city that is free?
In rural protected areas : outdoor activities like hiking biking climbing picking edible stuffs in the forests.
In small cities : not much.
In rural crops area : dying from pesticides at 50.
When I was a student with a small budget in an expensive city:
- Basketball, softball, flag football, soccer, kickball, bocce, volleyball (free for pickup games, very cheap for organized leagues)
- Picnics/cookouts at the park with friends (same price as eating and drinking at home)
- Lifting weights and other fitness-oriented exercise at an indoor gym (relatively affordable monthly fees)
- Museums (cheap/free access for students, some memberships can be a good deal if you’re going regularly)
- Volunteering (free, easy way to meet and socialize with people)
- Live events. Sure, an NFL game or a Taylor Swift concert isn’t going to be cheap, but the thing with big cities is that there are literally dozens of small music venues, semi-pro sports leagues, comedy venues, theaters, etc., putting on small shows for less than $10/person (or maybe $20-30 after buying a few drinks at the venue). Some things are free, like plays or movies or concerts in the park.
- Festivals. There are always street or art festivals going down in big cities.
I’m not a musician or artist but I know plenty of people who get together to play music with friends, or do creative things together.
And even now that I have money I still do plenty of the cheap/free things in my city, and I donate a lot to the libraries and museums and park cleanup/beautification nonprofits around me in large part because those are great public spaces worth supporting.
Yeah, it’s hard if the budget is literally zero, but if not, students get affordable monthly tickets to public transports at least around here, so that already makes it very possible to get around on the cheap. It’s not expensive to start with, at least anywhere where I’ve ever been to, as a local or as a tourist, so only in very extreme cases would that be a problem. Even then, asking around one can get lucky and get a used bike on the cheap, or for free from a relative or a friend. Depending on the city, the bike can be faster and more convenient, even, than public transport.
Once you can get around, a city turns into a treasure trove of possibilities and activities. Sure, there are expensive options, but also a huge variety of free or cheap options too! The toughest part is daring to go. It takes some bravery, especially if doing something or going somewhere for the first time, but it always gets easier and easier once you get through those first hurdles.
Edit: To add, there are almost always interesting places to spend a day in just outside the city proper. Or even a bit farther away, but still along the public transport routes or bike’s reach. Where I live, we have some public apple orchards for example, one can make a day out of going to pick a basketful of apples and having a picnic. In the winter there are fun slopes on some smaller hills that have publicly maintained slopes to go sledging in, make it a day with some hot chocolate and friends! Some smaller museums outside the city center are very affordable and can have quirky subjects and presentations. Even just biking or walking to some lake or park can be great, take some acoustic instruments or a boombox or something, sit around and chill, alone or with friends!
For things to do alone, at least in my city, we have public outdoor gyms spread around. Some of the farther ones don’t get much use, so I can usually be alone there when I go, it’s very zen especially in autumn when it’s a bit chilly. Local coffee shops and some bars have free exhibitions of local artists usually, same for libraries. Sometimes you can get lucky and have impromptu live music too, with no additional costs! Smaller local bands have very affordable tickets too, usually less than a pint. And if you’re a student, at least most places I’ve ever been to, you can get drinks on the cheap, if you’re not too picky about your vices.
This is all not even mentioning things like tabletop game groups that gather just for the fun of it, no cost. People bring games and you play, no need to own any yourself. Usually it’s coffee shops or bars, so there might be costs from the aux things like drinks, but you can participate with just water, who cares? Often these are advertised in said coffee shops with some printed paper on a wall, or maybe the various boards across the city and markets and whatnot that have adverts/notices etc.
The toughest thing, all in all, is daring to go. It really is the hardest part to be brave enough to go and do stuff. It’s not easy for anyone, but once you dare the one time, it gets easier from there, and gets fun very fast!
use the library. I don’t mean go to the library, I mean use it for free things. for example I can go to like 20 different museums for free through my library. disc golf is free at almost every disc golf course on the planet. parks are free, walks are free. bouldering is free. There’s a ton. it’s all about your imagination.
And in some part, the bravery it takes to go somewhere for the first time. It’s always going to be easier the second time, but the first time is always the hardest and easiest to skip/avoid/excuse by staying in one’s comfort zone.
I live in a big old house from the 1800s with my fiance and a roommate and a dog, with a little yard but it’s tucked away from a lot of the hustle and bustle. My closest neighbor is about 100 feet away.
This is still in city limits. I can just as easily walk, bike, bus, drive wherever to go do fun things. But what you were describing of being occupied at home by hobbies and things to do still applies to me. I’ve been slowly renovating the house myself over the years. Just been working a lot of overtime lately so it’s a bit hard to find the time.
This is in Pittsburgh PA. Most of where people live is in similar situations of old 100+ year old multi-bedroom homes. There are some new “modern” or “luxury” apartments going in around town but if you live in one of those you’re literally just an idiot or an outsider to the area and think that $1.5k rent for a 1br is “cheap” (my whole mortgage is $860 split 3 ways for context)
Minecraft was like $20 and I’ve probably put 10,000 hours into it
Mc is great. I don’t think I have close to 10k hours combined of all my games in 20 years of gaming. Thats nuts man
This has little if anything to do with being in a city, and more to do with how expensive a person’s tastes are.
Making fun for oneself is easy if need are simple. I enjoy a walk with another human because I’d rather do that than go to a shitty steakhouse. I’ll make art on a Saturday afternoon, or cook. There’s always free events of all kinds just check the local promotion groups. Lots of local socializing and board game groups. Bird watching. Bike rides are effectively free, so is going for a picnic in an area you haven’t been to.
Grab a ball and go to the park. Get some unsalted sunflower seeds at the dollar store and feed the chickadees. Hit the local Ultimate pick-up game. Go to a bar and *gasp* don’t drink and just enjoy the live music. Hell if $20 is in the inventory, go to the pinball arcade for 2 hours.
You can have fun for $10K and you can have fun for $0, it’s up to you.
When I was younger I spent everything I earned on having fun, drinking heavily, sex and drugs and techno and all that good stuff. Now I’m older, I put it in a savings account and spend my free time reading, playing computer games, and gardening.
Someone else already said “library and park”. That’s essentially right, but there’s more.
My city does movies in the park all summer. There’s a similar music in the park set of events. Both free.
We have pretty good biking trails (just don’t try to commute by bike!).
Most of my friends are homeowners. We don’t all host the same amount, but we regularly get together at each others’ houses.
There’s a free zoo and a free art museum here. Other museums charge for admission, but the tickets are decently cheap.
We have some sports in the area, but our teams aren’t very trendy. I’m not sure what the pricing is like tbh.
There’s a lot of live music at some of the bars in the area. I don’t do a lot of this myself, but I think the cover was pretty minimal last time I went to one.
(OK, yes some of these things do cost money, but they’re not super spendy if you have any sort of budget)
Other museums charge for admission, but the tickets are decently cheap.
You can use your library card to get cheaper or even free tickets to a lot of museums as well.
Great point! Libraries are kind of a cheat code for being able to do things on a dime.
swinger orgies
And not bring anything? For shame!
No body ever appreciates the individual that brings quiche to the Pleasure Dome.
BYOB
The issues is that you are GOING to the city. One you live there, you have all your stuff and do your normal thing. You cook at home and play videos games, then read books before walking your dog to the park by your friend’s house. Basically: don’t extrapolate from the perspective of a tourist.
Yep you nailed it! This has given me good insight.
I still couldn’t handle living in one, but for extroverts or college kids I see the appeal. I need wide-open spaces and lots of trees myself.
I still couldn’t handle living in one, but for extroverts
What ? I am an introvert. Cities are the best place for that. I lived in a mud brick cabin off grid in the forest and had more people visiting then I ever did when i lived for 3 years in the city. I put that down to rural exrtroverts would get bored and need other people.
In the city, I used to cycle to the beach, swin in the ocean, have a couple boiled eggs and a banana on a chair near the beach, catch up on some doom scrolling and cycle home etc i lived car free and saved a fortune, got exercise and was able to see the ciry instead of just sitting in trafdic. I used to cycke over to a set of mountain bike tracks and ride in the bush, then ride home.
Now live in a small rural village with my parter and fuck me, people always coming over.
Shitty air, no nature and constant noise are the downsides of city living.
I’m a strong introvert. People stop being people once their number goes past 10 or so. Then you are just looking at an amorphous fluid that you pass through just like air or water. Honestly you don’t notice the people, you notice the buildings, subways, etc.
Library and park?
i stay home.
I too stay home, and I smoke a bowl.
sounds like a good time
Your impression of a city is probably skewed by how you interact with it. If you drive in, pay for parking, go to events or attractions, eat out, etc. it all adds up. But that’s not necessarily the experience of someone who lives in a city. They’re living their life, not sightseeing.
In my small country town where I live. I am miles from anything there is lovely parks that are free but I have to drive there. Anything I want to do at home I have to buy. In the city where I work my job gives me puppy days, baseball events, free massages etc etc. In walking distance from work and if I were to live in the luxury apartments near by I had a beer garden(free to hang out or relatively cheap to enter like 5$ a wrist band) in the beer garden we had corn hole and lots of bar games free to use. I have a riverwalk, an art museum, a real cheap dinosaur museum, and tons of public parks with movie events and local stargazing clubs etc also more pickup sports games since more people. In the city there is tons of 3rd places that let you hang out for an hour or more for less than $20 with tons of people.
At home it costs me 5$ in gas to drive anywhere and 15 mins to get to the closest thing and will cost me the same $20 in my rural town to hang out in my 3rd place with 0 young people or just the same 5 locals. If I have a hangout at home with stuff I purchased all my friends live 30 + mins away if I made plans to fit their schedule. My local parks are neat if I wanted to walk or do things solo or had a local friend group but that is lots of planning and no one is using the facilities normally. I think 1 local park has a movie night for Halloween once a year
Essentially the city has everything rural does in amenities but just more of them closer together so there is more free things and with more people there is more possible random fun if you are outgoing. Vs rural you have to plan your fun, travel further and have less access to more of everything. But if you have everything at your house and are more of introvert it is a bit better. One of the reasons Why people like to retire to the suburbs is they have access to alot of the city things they like but have just enough room to have all the things they want at home
Walks (less nature, more architecture), go-out in parks. Free museums and cultural event (you have to know the city a bit to know place and times), librairies, charity work, outside sport in the park or the street…
I think you cannot do activities that requires a large natural space or absolue quiet or isolation but unlike small town or country side, you can do all the think that requires grouping lots of people much more easily.
