The What Makes This Place Great Podcast
by Nicole Darian
I’ve always had a fascination with meeting and engaging with locals throughout my travels in the US and around the globe. Without fail, locals always display a sense of pride and rave about the place that they call home. This has led me to constantly wonder where, in fact, is the most ideal place on earth to live? The answer to this question begins with you, as a local of your city. What is the cost of living like? Are job opportunities plentiful? What is the current economic/government situation like? Are there ways to engage with the local art scene? Is there a strong fandom revolving around a certain sport or team? Good public transportation? Are you in a big hustling and bustling city or a remote environment? My goal is to examine, what really makes the place where YOU live great.
Episodes
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#13 - Tbilisi, Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia...my gosh what a gem! Living in Yerevan is a super easy trip to get up to Tbilisi, the capital of Gerogia, so lots of my friends have done the trip a few times to get a change of scenery. This is actually the beginning of another 4-5 weeks of straight traveling - I decided to...
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#12 - Armenia: Part I
Apologies for the brief hiatus, but today marks week 7 of being in HAYASTAN! Since I will be in Armenia for a while, I'll be producing multiple episodes here so that you can get a real flavor for the culture, lifestyle, the land, and hearing thoughts from people from all over. I also want to be...
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#11 - Linz, Austria
This episode taking place in Linz, Austria is my all-encompassing episode to Austria as I only did one interview in the matter of 13 days there - my bad. I was a bit distracted with the bazillion fun activities in Austria, beautiful scenery, and amazing company the whole time. I spent a few days…
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#10 - Milan, Italy
Milan, you will always have my heart. It wouldn't be a trip in Europe if I didn't stop over to Milan to hang out with my mom's Italian side for a while. Every time I'm in Milano, I love it even more and discover new hidden gems in the city. Catching up with all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles is...
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#9 - Nice, France
Hey Nice, you were sooo nice! I loved spending time here on the coast for about 4 or 5 days as I finished two and a half weeks in France. Nice is the main central city on the French Riviera and it's very easy and accessible to reach other towns along the coast via bus or train. I spent time...
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#8 - Provence region, France
Provence in southern France...what can I say - STUNNING! I'm so thankful that I got an opportunity to go down here. This was my third stop in France after being in Bordeaux (wine country!) for a few days. My German friend who I mentioned in the Paris episode, Sarah, has a family summer home in…
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#7 - Paris, France
WOW - where do I even begin with Paris. It was my first time here, and it's a city that I've purposely tried to avoid going to because of the over-tourism, crowds, it's expensive, etc. I definitely had to give it a chance at some point, and this trip presented the perfect opportunity. I spent 7...
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#6 - Oslo, Norway
Oslo - you were the coolest. I'm so glad I made time to see this awesome city and also visit a few friends. Oslo is pretty small and compact for being a capital city, but that doesn't stop it from having its own personality and flair. The weather was perfect the weekend I was there, and the city...
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#5 - Bergen, Norway
Bergen, Norway - you were a STUNNER! Bergen is the second largest city in Norway after the capital, Oslo, and it did not disappoint. It is known to be the gateway into the fjords and where people begin their hiking, camping, and outdoor journeys throughout Norway. The town itself reminded me of a...
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#4 - Copenhagen, Denmark
This episode of the pod will focus on one of the coolest and funkiest cities I've been to - Copenhagen! This was actually my second time in Copenhagen, and marking the first stop on a 6 week backpacking trip to visit family and friends in Europe before starting Birthright Armenia in May. My…
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#3 - Paraty, Brazil
After a fun time in Rio de Janeiro celebrating Carnivale, I headed to a small beach town 4 hours south called Paraty for some R&R - because sometimes you need to take a vacation while on vacation! Paraty is known for its historical old town in the center of the city with adorable cobblestone...
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#2 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I'm excited to share the first city out of three that I traveled to during my trip to Brazil last month - RIO! I landed in Rio de Janeiro just in time for the big celebrations centered around Carnivale; a long-standing tradition leading up to Fat Tuesday before Lent. Rio holds the largest…
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#1 - Chicago, IL
I thought it would be appropriate to kick off this podcast with the place that I personally love and call home: Chicago! Being born and raised just a few minutes north of the city in Evanston, I experienced the city first hand growing up by constantly going to Cubs games at Wrigley, begging my...
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Introduction
This episode is a short introduction into the premise for this podcast. My biggest passion in life is traveling, and I'm constantly meeting people from all corners of the world through my travels. A common theme that I've encountered is that everyone seems to rave about their hometown, and there…
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About this show
I’ve always had a fascination with meeting and engaging with locals throughout my travels in the US and around the globe. Without fail, locals always display a sense of pride and rave about the place that they call home. This has led me to constantly wonder where, in fact, is the most ideal place on earth to live? The answer to this question begins with you, as a local of your city. What is the cost of living like? Are job opportunities plentiful? What is the current economic/government situation like? Are there ways to engage with the local art scene? Is there a strong fandom revolving around a certain sport or team? Good public transportation? Are you in a big hustling and bustling city or a remote environment? My goal is to examine, what really makes the place where YOU live great.
Hosted by
Nicole Darian