It was yet another hung-over Saturday morning at the Voda office, and I was trying to keep my eyes open, while groggily surfing CNN’s website and catching up on my American politics. Blah blah blah. It was a cold, grey morning, but Sublime was on the radio and I was daydreaming about my life back in sunny Southern California when I stumbled onto a web page that asked the question, “Which city are you?”
Click. It was a survey (not sure what the hell it was doing on CNN’s website) that claimed to be able to tell you what city in the world fit best with your personality.
Well as a perpetual traveler, I’ve been all over the place and I could think of dozens of cities around the world that I had some connection to. At the moment, I was missing Los Angeles, mostly for its weather, but also for its go-for-it attitude. I’d always thought of LA as a city of dream chasers – a place where people from all over the world went to achieve the unachievable. I missed the camaraderie of average people reaching for impossible dreams. But I didn’t think I really WAS Los Angeles.
What about Europe? I’d always loved Barcelona for its international party scene and laid back Spanish culture. Or then there was Rome, an inspiring colossus of history – and my Italian roots made me partial to this beautiful, crumbling city. Paris? Nah. Maybe somewhere in Scandinavia? I’ve never been, but I’ve always loved tall blonds.
London has always been one of my favourite (yeah, I spelled it your way, you silly poms!) cities, despite the terrible weather and bad teeth. It strikes me as a city where anything can happen around any corner – especially in Soho with its poly-sexual nightclubs, vegan restaurants, and smoky corner pubs. London has an unabashedly gritty edge, and that’s something I can certainly relate to.
But I’m a sun-seeker as much as I am a party-holic, so I need more than just a good bar scene and a bit of culture to be happy in a place. I need beaches and hammocks and palm trees and pretty girls in too-little clothing. Seriously, is that too much to ask?
So, I decided to take the quiz. As I answered the questions, I started to worry about what the possible outcome would be. What if I was Los Angeles? I mean I love that place, but I don’t know how I feel about being put into the same category as Paris Hilton and Perez Hilton, and all the broken souls of the entertainment industry… is that where I belong?
I answered the questions as best I could:
I can’t leave home without my mobile phone.
I usually wear labels.
My biggest weakness is sex.
I was sounding more and more like a Los Angelino with every click of the mouse.
But the final result? Rio de Janeiro!
According to the quiz, “As the life and soul of the world’s party, your hedonistic nature and thirst for fun make you an energizing – and exhausting – person to be around. It’s always caipirinha time, baby!”
Awesome!
I’ve never been to Brazil, but I know these folks like to party. Carnival, Brazilian waxes, Beautiful beaches, tropical climate, and some of the sexiest people in the world! It’s definitely worth checking out, when I get the funds and the time.
For now, I’m off to the bottle shop to see if you can buy Cachaça in New Zealand.
Cheers!
(take the quiz yourself (it only takes a minute) and let me know what city you are!)