Rocco Pendola·PinnedMember-onlyCity Life Submission GuidelinesA new Medium publication all about life in great urban places — The image that anchors this article is of an all-day cafe in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood called Bar San Calisto. This specific place, the immediate neighborhood, and the larger city define what it means to be not merely urban, but vibrant and urban. …Cities5 min readCities5 min read
Rocco Pendola·4 days agoMember-onlyHow To Balance Your Love For America With Your Desire To Leave‘It’s time we better hit the road’ — If you told me when I was a kid that, by the time I was 48, I would have spent half of my life in California, I would have laughed. It just wasn’t on my radar that a kid from a small city in Western New York would wind up…America5 min readAmerica5 min read
Rocco Pendola·5 days agoMember-onlyThe Impressively Low Cost To Spend A Month In 7 Spanish And French Cities Without Slumming ItA travel blog post that actually contains numbers, details and useful tips — My partner and I are going back to Spain and, for the first time, for me at least, France. For the month of February 2024. In today’s post, I detail the cost of the trip so far, comparing it to this past February’s sojourn to Spain and Italy. So far…Travel7 min readTravel7 min read
Rocco Pendola·Aug 28Member-onlyAre People Who Defend Deteriorating Cities Like Los Angeles Fooling Themselves?They might be, and I would know, because I’m one of them — I was walking home the other day to my rent-controlled apartment on the edge of the Los Angeles neighborhood where I live. A neighborhood where the median price of a home is $1.8 million, an increase of 5.5% from last year. I was walking from the main street that blew…Cities6 min readCities6 min read
Rocco Pendola·Aug 9Member-onlyComplaining About The Heat Is Very 1990 And It’s Getting Super AnnoyingLife isn’t always comfortable, 75 and sunny with a cool breeze — Some aspects of living life feel extra difficult lately amid the sensationalization and amplification of what seems like everything. The media can’t pass up the opportunity to freak people out over the simplest matters. Like that non-issue of the travel permit — it’s not a visa! …Life8 min readLife8 min read
Gracia Kleijnen·Jul 14Member-only14 Simple Tips for Spacious Living in A Tiny ApartmentEven when they’re as small as 301 square feet — For the past 7+ years, I’ve been living in a 301-square-foot apartment in Berlin, Germany. That all sounds small, but it’s more than doable. Think: One main living space for work and sleep A 32 square feet kitchen And a hallway and bathroom just as big. If your budget only…Life4 min readLife4 min read
Rocco Pendola·Jul 14Member-onlyThe Cost Of Car Ownership Could Change The Face Of AmericaOr we’re basically screwed on housing, transportation and life in America — The other day I wrote — America will always be a car culture. Then I got to thinking about it. If the runaway American dream of home ownership is dying — and, quite possibly, dead—can’t car culture die for many of the same reasons? In the first quarter of this…Personal Finance3 min readPersonal Finance3 min read
Charlie Brown·Jul 13Member-onlyNIMBYism Has Destroyed Main Street. Gentrification Is How to Make It Vibrant AgainSympathetic, quality, socially-aware gentrification, that is — People confuse me. On the one hand, they’re upset that their Main Streets are dying. Restaurants, bars, and cafes are shuttering every day. On the other, they also complain about new establishments opening. …Cities6 min readCities6 min read
Rebecca Andrews·Jul 13Member-onlyWhere To Get Good Coffee In The United StatesA self-proclaimed coffee snob’s opinion — I’ll admit it, I am a coffee snob. I live in a city where coffee is taken very seriously, it is an art. Last month I traveled to the United States and I was determined to find coffee that is just as good as it is back home. This was…Coffee4 min readCoffee4 min read
Rebecca Andrews·Jul 12Member-onlyDon’t Make This Mistake When Traveling To A Small Town In The United StatesWhen I told her I was from New Zealand the blank look on her face said it all… — Last month I traveled to the United States from New Zealand to attend my friend’s wedding. This was my 7th trip to the United States so I was fairly confident that I had my travel plans all sorted. What I didn’t take into account was the fact that I was…Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
