It has everything I could ever need, want or dream of having.
It is located on the South Coast of England and is very close to a wonderful, sandy beach and a small harbour which is all within an Area of outstanding natural beauty. The Town has most of the shops I need and if I need a larger shopping Capital, it is a short drive to Portsmouth or Brighton.
London is an hour if hussle bussle is required.
To the North of the City are acres and acres of farmland and many lovely rural settings with the South Downs protecting us from Northerly (ish) winds.
Chichester is amazingly picturesque and has many beautiful, cobbled streets and Roman Architecture alongside Georgian Town houses.
So, this is presumably, why I am privileged to live here?
NO, There's more!
Chichester is full of brilliant types of people. This is why I consider myself lucky.
Last Friday the Goodwood Estate held an event consisting of horse racing and then a party after with Mark Ronson performing live DJ sets.
I managed to get a 50% discount on the ticket price due to my job and when I got there, me and a friend drank in the private restaurant's bar before wandering down to the Richmond Enclosure to bet and mingle with many local faces.
Once the races had ended, I mingled for a bit longer and then walked towards the main area where Mark Ronson was due to perform. I bought a couple of drinks from the bar whilst watching the back of Ronson (because his DJ area was behind the bar, facing in the other direction) and then went up to one of the private boxes to watch the performance.
All in all, it was an incredible night.
I know some people may be reading this thinking that I am trying to boast, etc
However, here's the (hopefully) slightly endearing part.
Whilst watching from the top floor, my friend and I started chatting about how lucky we were.
We had met people who had travelled a long way for the night and here we were, enjoying this amazing event which had been put on, right on our doorstep.
The reason I managed to attend the event, drink in the posh bit and watch Ronson from a private box was NOT because I have a massive bank balance which I can throw around. It was purely down to where I live.
Living here has enabled me to meet many people who help me have a better time.
I have been lucky enough to use some incredibly nice cars, eat in nice restaurants and these sorts of things all because of the people I know.
I used to think that most people (who had money) were stuck up and wouldn't want to associate themselves with people who had less than £250,000 in their bank accounts but I have been proven wrong, very wrong.
Some of these people are really, genuinely nice guys (and girls) who are just normal people. They don't care how much money you have! Just don't be a dick and they won't mind! I do know some people who are green with envy and try to talk down everything the richer guys have. If they appear with a new car, these people will just talk about how rubbish it is, etc.
This gets you no where. Nobody agrees, nobody is impressed. The only outcome from it is people don't want to hang around with the negative vibe the individual puts across.
Anyway, this is what I mean. How lucky am I? This is all because of Chichester!
This is my fortunate place.
The way I see Chichester is different to everyone else.
There are many reasons to like Chichester and everyone's reasons are different.
I am so very lucky to be here and to have met the people I have.
If you regularly socialise in Chichester at the weekends, you build a small plethora of contacts who are not only fun to be around but are involved in something you can benefit from. I have worried before that I feel the beneficial role between me and certain, other people is un-even. I cannot offer the same 'perks'...but it's not about that. This is why they are perks. We are primarily hanging out with each other because we like the other person and the little benefits are a by-product of this.
Chichester rarely changes. We have one very small, inadequate nightclub (of sorts) and there is no chance a new one will be allowed to open. The bars are mainly pubs which have been converted and and anything considered garish or cutting edge will almost certainly be denied permission to trade within the Roman Walls. But I couldn't care less. The next few weeks are the City's festivities weeks and I am planning to go to as many as possible.
This is a perfect example of fortunate:
I have wanted to see an Orchestra for a long time but have never done anything about it.
Soon, as part of the festivities, Chichester Cathedral will be playing host to the Philharmonic Orchestra. I was desperate to go and began persuading a friend. However, by the time I got him to finally agree to go, the tickets had sold out (apart from the rubbish ones, which means I wouldnt be able to see!). I was a bit sad but my friend suggested we just sat outside and listened in. This is the plan that has developed since then:
We will jump on the Mk1 and Mk2 Raleigh Choppers we have at our disposal, cycle to a local, cool Cafe which is hosting a jazz/coffee evening. Have a coffee and watch for about an hour, then cycle to the Cathedral and sit on the green outside listening to the Orchestra whilst eating some sort of ready made food, sandwiches, sausage rolls, etc.
Once the Orchestra has finished, we will cycle the long way home alongside the canal and stop for a beer before parking up and calling it a day.
This may not be your idea of fun but this to me, is incredible.
Even if it rains, we can sit inside the cloisters and carry on as normal.
The next few weeks contain many events which will make my evenings fun and fulfilled and I couldn't ask to be experiencing it in a better place.
Maybe I should run for Mayor??
