curiosities
by rantywoman
A friend of mine moved to Baltimore as a single woman several years ago. She grew up there, but the only thing she has to say about it is that she never meets single men in her working life. Otherwise, she doesn’t bring the city up, and I suppose I don’t ask because my only impressions of Baltimore are from television and largely negative and since it is her hometown, I don’t want to insult her.
Maybe those are just excuses, but in any case, I’m not entirely innocent of what I am about to accuse others of (not) doing.
And by that I mean, it occurred to me recently that nobody here ever asks me about what my life was like in Los Angeles. I rarely bring it up and only in passing if I do, but still. I remember years ago meeting a woman who had lived in L.A. and I had to restrain myself from bombarding her with questions. Same with New York– I always wanted to know what day-to-day life was really like there.
The lack of curiosity is, shall we say, curious.
thebitterbabe 
This reminds me of my older brother’s greeting to me on my return from living in Tokyo for a year … ‘so you’re back’ and not a single question or enquiry about my time east thereafter. ditto for many others. one friend who did ask summed it up by saying, well I suppose that’s the difference being underlined. you went, they didn’t.
Yes, I guess it makes sense that the type of person who goes somewhere is the same type of person who is curious about the world.
Hi “rantywoman” — let me know if you ever travel to NY and I will be glad to bend your ear about life here. It’s wonderful and very difficult in equal measure. Of course, sooooo many middle-aged people here are single. I read a stat recently but am too lazy to look it up, but something like 51% of the households in Manhattan are occupied by one person (and city-wide it’s 40-something percent). Thus, in some ways it’s not as much of stigma as it might be in a smaller city or town.
Yes, there was less of a stigma in L.A. compared to most of the country, but from what I’ve heard, in New York it’s even less stigmatizing. But I also heard it’s a very rough dating scene. That plus the cold plus the thought of living in a closet sent me west instead.
Yes, so rough as to be virtually non-existent. [insert usual comment about knowing dozens of attractive, accomplished, funny, kind, professional successful women whose dating life is dead]