Somewhat disturbingly, it seems as if I’m about to be evicted. Whilst this is rather undesirable, it does afford me an opportunity to meditate on merits of city life. And thus, dear reader, you are going to be the fortunate recipient of my wise observations on urban existence. Lucky you.

The aforementioned meritocratic meditations arise since I must decide whether to begin my hunt for new dwellings within the glory of the City, or amidst the misery of suburbia.

As the more alert amongst you may have spotted, I have a slight predilection for the U over the — maintaining the sort of prejudice against awkward suburbanites that only one born of a faith can have, and likewise worshiping their urban counterparts with the apocryphal fervor of a convert.

There are, along with religious principles, rational arguments for preferring San Francisco. Foremost amongst these is the fact that (unlike, say, on the Stanford campus) there is no significant section of the population that holds you in contempt. This is refreshing.

In fact, I’ve noticed recently that declaring one’s status as a graduate student in physics in the City tends to arouse curiosity and interest (sometimes even Interest), as apposed to horror and a quick change of subject.

On the other hand, I suppose one should balance the irrational bigotry of some undergraduates with the fact that the ever present ruddy glow of youth makes one feel young as often as it makes one seem aged; and many of us find that the children are (mostly) loveable in their own way.

Still, illusions of youthfulness are but a small step from being delusions of the same, so perhaps the toddlers scrabbling around are not such a draw after all. And, of course, the appropriate comparison is not between Stanford and the City, but rather between the latter and the likes of Palo Alto, Menlo Park or Mountain View.

The suburban trio is lush enclaves of wealth and good weather. There are parks and woods; there are sidewalk cafes and fancy restaurants, and there are a dozen places to buy designer clothes and a dozen more at which to buy organic, vitamin-enhanced vegetable drinks to spill on said clothes. There is, however, no soul.

The suburbs are cold and barren places. They take the diversity of their denizens, and instead of reflecting it, they shape it into little boxes of conformity. Worse, the end result is not reflective of a place, but rather of that very worst of societal traits — the drive to value convention over anything else.

Cities, though, are different. Every part of San Francisco feels like itself, and more. Dynamics are writ large in the fabric of urban life — one can walk through a place one day, only to find it a little different the next.

What’s more, while suburbia is perhaps sufficient for the everyday needs of the hoi polloi, a city provides for even the quirkiest of desires (and the kinkiest too).

Even better, everything is just there. For the morning after, there’s no need to get in the car and drive a few miles down the road for breakfast, you can just roll out of bed and stroll across the street. And as for the night before, well, bar hopping without drunk driving is a feasible option when there are more than three bars within a four mile radius.

Needless to say I’m being terribly unfair to the suburbs. Cities are conformal too. Everyone’s a studied individualist in the Mission and, to be honest, the Marina has a lot in common with a bad frat party.

The reason pretentious folks like myself long for urban living has a great deal to do with the fact that we get to make snide comments about the rubes out in the ‘burbs. I mean, I’m a physicist for God’s sake. I don’t have a social life, why would I care about the bars and the restaurants, the cafes and the clubs?

So, should I move back down to the Peninsula? It’s convenient — I wouldn’t have to deal with the three hours of commuting each day. There would be no worrying distractions (for example, fun) to keep me from the books. I could stay late and work at the department, truly immerse myself in research and be happily alone with just physics for company...

Right, San Francisco it is then.

Disagree? Think suburban life is the way forward? Email your reasons to navins@stanford.edu, and I’ll be sure to treat them with the respect they deserve.