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Posted
PV has 35,000 expats and has an entire "neighborhood" Zona Romantica that is nearly 100% LGBTQ occupied. folks that live in austin, you'd be able to trade up to a nice ocean view condo in most cases - assuming you aren't mortgaged up all the way on your equity. it's hot and humid 5 months out of the year but 7 months are sublime. cartel is around everywhere but don't do drugs, don't sell drugs, don't bad mouth the cartel, don't drink in public to excess, go home at a reasonable hour and don't flash wealth and you're gonna be fine. basically it's no different than asking someone, "why in the fuck would you hang on on dirty sixth at 1am?" or "you want to eat a taco stand on east rutland at 10pm because why?"...  follow the normal rules you'll be fine.

Not even weed? Thats kind of a must have for some people.
Posted
1 hour ago, troph said:

cartel is around everywhere but don't do drugs, don't sell drugs, don't bad mouth the cartel, don't drink in public to excess, go home at a reasonable hour and don't flash wealth and you're gonna be fine. basically it's no different than asking someone, "why in the fuck would you hang on on dirty sixth at 1am?" or "you want to eat a taco stand on east rutland at 10pm because why?"...  follow the normal rules you'll be fine.

Hey, I hope you and your family find your place to be yourselves without fear or infringement, but I find this really fascinating.  You feel safer around cartels than MAGA?  I mean, wouldn't there also be a set of rules for staying safe in Trump's America? 

Posted
Hey, I hope you and your family find your place to be yourselves without fear or infringement, but I find this really fascinating.  You feel safer around cartels than MAGA?  I mean, wouldn't there also be a set of rules for staying safe in Trump's America? 

Cartels are there to make money - not go on some biblical bullshit crusade. Leave the cartels alone, follow some common sense rules and you’re fine.
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Posted
13 minutes ago, Goredho said:

Hey, I hope you and your family find your place to be yourselves without fear or infringement, but I find this really fascinating.  You feel safer around cartels than MAGA?  I mean, wouldn't there also be a set of rules for staying safe in Trump's America? 

 

11 minutes ago, Goofyboy said:


Cartels are there to make money - not go on some biblical bullshit crusade. Leave the cartels alone, follow some common sense rules and you’re fine.

pretty much. and mexico in the right places is a top 10 gay enclave. live like queens (homes we are looking at are probably at an 80% discount to similar styles and similar US locations (overlooking the pacific ocean or mountain homes), retire 10 years earlier, die leaving wealth to my kids. mexico is actually a ridiculously great option for anyone looking to retire early and escape the politics here. plus my identity (and IDs) will always be under threat here. I can wash my legal identity right now through the system in Mexico and always have my "F" identity. so yeah, Mexico is a FANTASTIC option.

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Posted
58 minutes ago, Goofyboy said:


Cartels are there to make money - not go on some biblical bullshit crusade. Leave the cartels alone, follow some common sense rules and you’re fine.

But if the cartels are there to make money, wouldn't they treat you like a vip if you bought a bunch of drugs from them? 

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Posted (edited)

The Cartels literally have some of the best service on earth. Probably went to a Ritz Carlton convention to learn if we can be serious about this. I spent 4 days in Cancun and another 4 in Playa del Carmen about a year ago and everywhere I walked I had men asking me if I wanted tequila, cigars, weed or coke. The women in PdC chase you down for the nut massages. I really like what they done in the Yucatan.

Edited by StassneyHorn
Posted
8 minutes ago, Doc Sam Beckett said:

But if the cartels are there to make money, wouldn't they treat you like a vip if you bought a bunch of drugs from them? 

Well, I don’t know how you do things around here, Mr Chapo, but in the United States the customer is ALWAYS right.

Posted
5 hours ago, troph said:

PV has 35,000 expats and has an entire "neighborhood" Zona Romantica that is nearly 100% LGBTQ occupied. folks that live in austin, you'd be able to trade up to a nice ocean view condo in most cases - assuming you aren't mortgaged up all the way on your equity. it's hot and humid 5 months out of the year but 7 months are sublime. cartel is around everywhere but don't do drugs, don't sell drugs, don't bad mouth the cartel, don't drink in public to excess, go home at a reasonable hour and don't flash wealth and you're gonna be fine. basically it's no different than asking someone, "why in the fuck would you hang on on dirty sixth at 1am?" or "you want to eat a taco stand on east rutland at 10pm because why?"...  follow the normal rules you'll be fine.

i mean... can you ask the cartel for drugs? heh. but really... 🤔 

goes without saying but definitely do not get the oysters on the beach.

we loved la zona romantica when we visited. our hotel was fantastic and PV was pretty awesome in general. we'd def go back. we went in January and it was quite warm, i can imagine what it's like in the summer. 

Posted
3 hours ago, Goofyboy said:


Not even weed? Thats kind of a must have for some people.

joking aside...we had friends who live in Ajijic (another huge expat enclave) who drove and met us in PV, we enjoyed plenty of weed on the beach/balcony. lots of folks doing the same. i assume it's other drugs that the cartel is sensitive about... with all the discos and nightclubs in the romantic zone i assume there's plenty of coke, molly, and the like flowing 🤔

Posted

You can buy drugs if you want but the more you do the more you risk an interaction - but that’s no different than in the US. I dunno about weed, I’m not much of a user. 

Posted
14 hours ago, Goredho said:

Hey, I hope you and your family find your place to be yourselves without fear or infringement, but I find this really fascinating.  You feel safer around cartels than MAGA?  I mean, wouldn't there also be a set of rules for staying safe in Trump's America? 

Troph already touched on this, but the shit happening in America will be religious/cult based, not just ruthlessly in pursuit of profit. Sure, the Oligarchs care about profit, but they're going to get it by controlling the masses with religion and the cult of conservatisim. Cartels aren't interested in rooting out dissidents who don't like Cartels, or people  "ruining their country." In America, when it happens, it will be rooting out and attacking people they don't like, who don't go to chuch, who don't support their team. 

The rules for staying safe in Trumpland will be the handmaids tale. 

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Posted
47 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Troph already touched on this, but the shit happening in America will be religious/cult based, not just ruthlessly in pursuit of profit. Sure, the Oligarchs care about profit, but they're going to get it by controlling the masses with religion and the cult of conservatisim. Cartels aren't interested in rooting out dissidents who don't like Cartels, or people  "ruining their country." In America, when it happens, it will be rooting out and attacking people they don't like, who don't go to chuch, who don't support their team. 

The rules for staying safe in Trumpland will be the handmaids tale. 

cartels need tourism to launder their dirty money too.

11 hours ago, mchookem said:

joking aside...we had friends who live in Ajijic (another huge expat enclave) who drove and met us in PV, we enjoyed plenty of weed on the beach/balcony. lots of folks doing the same. i assume it's other drugs that the cartel is sensitive about... with all the discos and nightclubs in the romantic zone i assume there's plenty of coke, molly, and the like flowing 🤔

we have friends in Ajijic as well. their hacienda is the fucking tits. jaw dropping wow.

Posted (edited)
On 2/11/2025 at 2:26 PM, troph said:

PV has 35,000 expats and has an entire "neighborhood" Zona Romantica that is nearly 100% LGBTQ occupied. folks that live in austin, you'd be able to trade up to a nice ocean view condo in most cases - assuming you aren't mortgaged up all the way on your equity. it's hot and humid 5 months out of the year but 7 months are sublime. cartel is around everywhere but don't do drugs, don't sell drugs, don't bad mouth the cartel, don't drink in public to excess, go home at a reasonable hour and don't flash wealth and you're gonna be fine. basically it's no different than asking someone, "why in the fuck would you hang on on dirty sixth at 1am?" or "you want to eat a taco stand on east rutland at 10pm because why?"...  follow the normal rules you'll be fine.

The GF has a friend...an old queen that lives in Palm Springs.  He LOVES going to PV and does so often.  We went a year or so ago (not with him) and found it charming.

Edited by Gil Bang
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Posted

@troph you'll enjoy this story (if you remember, we shared a doctor in Austin before he retired)... 

when we went to PV we had upgraded our seats so were in like row 4...and doc and his husband board the plane. we were surprised and amused, say hi, turns out their seats are the row right in front of us...and he deadpans 'oh, there must be some mistake, we appear to be seated in steeeeerage.' 🤣

i mean, we thought it was pretty funny 😆

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Posted
2 hours ago, mchookem said:

@troph you'll enjoy this story (if you remember, we shared a doctor in Austin before he retired)... 

when we went to PV we had upgraded our seats so were in like row 4...and doc and his husband board the plane. we were surprised and amused, say hi, turns out their seats are the row right in front of us...and he deadpans 'oh, there must be some mistake, we appear to be seated in steeeeerage.' 🤣

i mean, we thought it was pretty funny 😆

That’s so funny. I need to text him and say hi. He’s definitely checked out. 

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Posted

i was thinking yesterday...

since the 90s, i've seen people threaten to leave - either the state or country - bc of politics and elections. on both sides. 

this is the first time i've actually seen and know people that have done it or are doing it in the near future...including us.

half a dozen of our closest friends/families from Austin have relocated out of state...VA, NJ, WI... two couples have become actual expats (MX and SE Asia).

it has gotten so bad that people are actually picking up their lives and moving. 

my niece and her bf will hopefully be in WI themselves by 4/1 🤞 her entire career path/plan (NPS/BLM/NFS etc) has been blown apart right as she graduated (in Dec) but she's resilient and has accepted a position in her field in Madison.

it really is different now. 

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Posted
6 minutes ago, mchookem said:

it has gotten so bad that people are actually picking up their lives and moving. 

my niece and her bf will hopefully be in WI themselves by 4/1 🤞 her entire career path/plan (NPS/BLM/NFS etc) has been blown apart right as she graduated (in Dec) but she's resilient and has accepted a position in her field in Madison.

it really is different now. 

Even on a non-political basis, Americans just don't move from city to city or state to state as much as past generations did. 

Posted
1 hour ago, mchookem said:

i was thinking yesterday...

since the 90s, i've seen people threaten to leave - either the state or country - bc of politics and elections. on both sides. 

this is the first time i've actually seen and know people that have done it or are doing it in the near future...including us.

half a dozen of our closest friends/families from Austin have relocated out of state...VA, NJ, WI... two couples have become actual expats (MX and SE Asia).

it has gotten so bad that people are actually picking up their lives and moving. 

my niece and her bf will hopefully be in WI themselves by 4/1 🤞 her entire career path/plan (NPS/BLM/NFS etc) has been blown apart right as she graduated (in Dec) but she's resilient and has accepted a position in her field in Madison.

it really is different now. 

Counterpoint: I don't know anyone who's moving because of politics.

Posted
1 hour ago, mchookem said:

i was thinking yesterday...

since the 90s, i've seen people threaten to leave - either the state or country - bc of politics and elections. on both sides. 

this is the first time i've actually seen and know people that have done it or are doing it in the near future...including us.

half a dozen of our closest friends/families from Austin have relocated out of state...VA, NJ, WI... two couples have become actual expats (MX and SE Asia).

it has gotten so bad that people are actually picking up their lives and moving. 

my niece and her bf will hopefully be in WI themselves by 4/1 🤞 her entire career path/plan (NPS/BLM/NFS etc) has been blown apart right as she graduated (in Dec) but she's resilient and has accepted a position in her field in Madison.

it really is different now. 

Wife and I are seriously considering a move to the Great Lakes region to get out of Texas. The bonus would be that if we pull the trigger she would be closer to her company’s HQ in WI.

Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, David Dennison said:

Counterpoint: I don't know anyone who's moving because of politics.

You must live a privileged life. I know plenty, more than a couple of them even left the country. My best friend from my kids friend group is building in Costa Rica right now to leave bc of the politics. Started looking for property trump’s first term and should be done very soon. They will leave when their youngest graduates in about 18 months. I know a gay couple that moved to Mexico during trumps first term. I’d probably have to look through my Facebook friends for others for out of country. There are several on this board I know left Texas bc of politics. It’s rarely only politics but in each of these cases the move was voluntary not because of a job relo. 

Edited by troph
Posted
2 hours ago, mchookem said:

well...not irl, but you know several on surly right? *waves*

im not even counting @troph, @Beau Vine, and others here...

WE know a couple that was actively looking to see if he could transfer jobs to Europe. They stopped when they realized they had a pretty good claim on the mom's side to get greek passports for everyone. They've put his job change on the backburner but will pull it out if things get bad. But I'd call that actively making plans. 

Posted

We’ve been actively working on getting my wife dual Italian citizenship so we have an option to move if need be. She’s decided she wants to retire in Italy at the very least. We tell the retirement story to her parents (Trump supporters), but politics is actually a very big reason for it. 

Posted

One of college roommates is moving to Spain with his family soon. They're in a liberal state, but I'm pretty sure this is at least partially politically motivated. 

I'd move out of Texas yesterday if we could afford to. I guess I overestimated the American people when deciding to buy a house here a couple years ago. As it stands, we'll probably try to peace out before it makes financial sense.

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Posted (edited)

Question for the lawyers: I'm paying about $350 to have an hour long meeting with a Canadian immigration lawyer. Is that a lot? (It's a lot to me) This is the first time I've ever actually paid for a law service. They were recommended to me but not by anyone I know. Is that like a decent rate for a firm that seems to have its shit together based on the research I was able to do before I gave them money?

Edited by safe sex
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Posted
27 minutes ago, safe sex said:

Question for the lawyers: I'm paying about $350 to have an hour long meeting with a Canadian immigration lawyer. Is that a lot? (It's a lot to me) This is the first time I've ever actually paid for a law service. They were recommended to me but not by anyone I know. Is that like a decent rate for a firm that seems to have its shit together based on the research I was able to do before I gave them money?

Kind of depends. Nice office or strip mall?

Posted
1 hour ago, safe sex said:

Question for the lawyers: I'm paying about $350 to have an hour long meeting with a Canadian immigration lawyer. Is that a lot? (It's a lot to me) This is the first time I've ever actually paid for a law service. They were recommended to me but not by anyone I know. Is that like a decent rate for a firm that seems to have its shit together based on the research I was able to do before I gave them money?

That sounds very reasonable (expensive, I know) for a reputable attorney.

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Posted

There are a few Texan regulars at my local here in Seattle - most have been here for a few years and primarily came voluntarily for jobs, but as they mostly tend to the liberal side I'm not sure if politics played any part in it as well. Good people. 

I've progressed relatively far in my plans for relocation to Portugal, although haven't pulled the trigger yet and may not for a bit. The motivation was not political - I live in (for me) a sane enough place, one that just this week voted overwhelmingly to raise taxes for a social housing program first made successful by Viennese social democrats - but should the other Washington remember we exist up here, it might be the impetus to pull the trigger. 

Good luck to any of you planning it, and remember to not simply look for a place full of other Americans/expats. You'll enjoy the experience a lot more with the locals. 

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Posted
15 hours ago, Goofyboy said:

We are looking at land in Colorado. We’d like enough to split some off if family wanted to come join us.

I still use landwatch to look at properties up there. I would honestly say that if worst comes to worst and you are good at survival in the mountains then that would be a pretty good place to be to get away from things. 

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Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, safe sex said:

Question for the lawyers: I'm paying about $350 to have an hour long meeting with a Canadian immigration lawyer. Is that a lot? (It's a lot to me) This is the first time I've ever actually paid for a law service. They were recommended to me but not by anyone I know. Is that like a decent rate for a firm that seems to have its shit together based on the research I was able to do before I gave them money?

$350 is low for a seasoned/experienced attorney at the peak of their career, but might be in line for a mid-level attorney with 3-7 years of experience.  Also, some attorneys in specific areas like immigration or family law will charge an initial consult that might be lower, so it may be fine. Excellent lawyers practicing in a small firm environment are now at $500-$700/hour for 20+ years of experience. mid-level attorneys are in that $350-400 range.  big firm lawyers, working on the most complex matters are now well over $1000/hour. Specialists are now even more. Long way of saying, it's probably in line with what you should expect and I would not expect to find a lower rate anywhere.

Edited by troph
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Posted
I still use landwatch to look at properties up there. I would honestly say that if worst comes to worst and you are good at survival in the mountains then that would be a pretty good place to be to get away from things. 

I am not good at survival now. However, I can read directions pretty well and plan pretty well.

That said - what ever we build will be as disaster proof as we can make it for the main home. Willl have a barn for toys, gym, etc. greenhouse, basic farm animals, water… honestly - I’d prefer not to live past the apocalypse. I’d just like to be able to survive basic natural disasters.
Posted
7 minutes ago, Goofyboy said:


I am not good at survival now. However, I can read directions pretty well and plan pretty well. emoji16.png

That said - what ever we build will be as disaster proof as we can make it for the main home. Willl have a barn for toys, gym, etc. greenhouse, basic farm animals, water… honestly - I’d prefer not to live past the apocalypse. I’d just like to be able to survive basic natural disasters.

you don't want to see the joy in the eyes of your grandkids joy riding in a shopping cart for the first time or drinking a years old coke out of a can, something they had never experienced at any time in their life before? what's wrong with you?

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