Expert: David Beckett - 7/28/2008

Question
I'm a born & raised New Yorker who's been itching to get out of the city for the past few months. I love the culture and diversity here, but I'm hungering for a slower, greener, more friendly environment. As a 28 year old female (who doesn't know anyone in VT), do you think I could find enough of a "scene" / social life in Burlington? I know it's not like NYC at all - and that is, of course, what I'm looking for - but I'd still need a good art / music / young-single "downtown" type of scene. I appreciate the feedback - thanks!

Answer
Hi Beth -

The short answer is an emphatic YES. I do believe you'd find enough of a "scene" here. You'll find many links to arts/culture etc in my archived answers here at allexperts.

You may want to search "Burlington City Arts", "South End Art Hop", "Radio Bean", "Nectars" and "Higher Ground Music Hall".

You'll also find loads of information at the website of Seven Days, one of the local music and arts weeklies.

Why not pick a concert, and visit Burlington some time? You might be surprised by how much is going on here...

Another thing to consider is that Montreal is less than 2 hours up the road from us, via the scenic back road route. I used to go to NYC frequently for Jazz, Museums and so on, but since I've discovered just how much is happening in Montreal - I tend to go there frequently. Just like Burlington does, Montreal has a film festival, a major Jazz festival which books all sorts of music, and a (really really) vibrant art and music scene...

If you haven't browsed my archived answers to prior questions, you'll find this concern addressed a number of times, and I believe there are a lot of links included too.

Cheers,
David Beckett
david@askdavidbeckett.com