Has CM Changed Since 2016?

[JimTripper]

Would you still recommend living in CM if you were there in 2016? 
 

Is the old city area and nearby vicinity better/worse now, or the same?

[bkk6060]

What is your lifestyle?

The place fulltime is way too boring I think.

 

[KhunLA]

Can't imaging being better.  City had everything one would need back in 2016, so nothing really to improve on.   

 

More people & pollution since would keep me from living there.  Even in the province, it would be hard to put up with the air pollution 4-6 months a year.

 

Lovely May-November ... if can split 2 living accommodations, maybe below Chumphon during December - May

[LaosLover]

The Old City is well preserved like you remember it.

 

I live in the Nimman section, which has really come up in the world as a dining and pot Mecca since '16 to the extent that I barely go to the Old City anymore.

[Lifetraxx]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Can't imaging being better.  City had everything one would need back in 2016, so nothing really to improve on.   

 

More people & pollution since would keep me from living there.  Even in the province, it would be hard to put up with the air pollution 4-6 months a year.

 

Lovely May-November ... if can split 2 living accommodations, maybe below Chumphon during December - May

Chiang Mai is just a mini Bangkok now. 

Been here since 2003 it progressively gets worse, especially the traffic. 

 

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, Lifetraxx said:

Chiang Mai is just a mini Bangkok now. 

Been here since 2003 it progressively gets worse, especially the traffic. 

 

That's how I described it back in 2001, when I didn't like Bangkok.   Like Bangkok now, but later visits to CM, and my opinion didn't change, and see no reason to even visit.

 

Definitely in the top 3 places, i wouldn't live, recommend, or visit again, as I've been to already more than a few times.  Never warmed up to it.

 

Countryside (province) is lovely, and if not for the pollution, could see myself there.

[NorthernRyland]

2 hours ago, JimTripper said:

 

Would you still recommend living in CM if you were there in 2016? 
 

Is the old city area and nearby vicinity better/worse now, or the same?

 

More traffic and congestion but now there's food delivery services so you don't have to go out and suffer. Maybe more fancy coffee shops and restaurants if that interests you.

 

If thought CM was nice but too busy or too difficult to get around then stay away, otherwise it's pretty much the same.

[BritManToo]

Less bars, less Chinese, more coffee and cannabis shops, more closed and shuttered business, but apart from that pretty much the same as 2016.

[The Theory]

Living in old city will be a total nightmare soon when Chinese are fully back. Unless you prefer to live away from the city and only cross the town for shopping once in a while. 

[bangkok19]

Changklan Rd night bazaar area still not running at 100% as it was in 2016.

Loi Kroh seemed to recover well since Covid.

Moonmuang Rd has a few visible changes. A couple of 'corner' dining/drinking establishments gone (since covid).

The Nimman area would be the most noticable change, it's getting bigger, denser, busier by the day.  Weekend night time parking a nightmare.

 

[heybruce]

14 hours ago, LaosLover said:

The Old City is well preserved like you remember it.

 

I live in the Nimman section, which has really come up in the world as a dining and pot Mecca since '16 to the extent that I barely go to the Old City anymore.

Nimman has gone way down as a dining mecca if you liked the casual, outdoor Thai restaurants/bars such as BlarBlar, Lism, Dayli, OMG and many other smaller places.  It is also not the student hangout it used to be.  I think it's boring now.

[JimTripper]

4 hours ago, heybruce said:

Nimman has gone way down as a dining mecca if you liked the casual, outdoor Thai restaurants/bars such as BlarBlar, Lism, Dayli, OMG and many other smaller places.  It is also not the student hangout it used to be.  I think it's boring now.

Hi Bruce, Did you move out of the area? Any thoughts on returning to CM?

[JimTripper]

4 hours ago, bangkok19 said:

Changklan Rd night bazaar area still not running at 100% as it was in 2016.

Loi Kroh seemed to recover well since Covid.

Moonmuang Rd has a few visible changes. A couple of 'corner' dining/drinking establishments gone (since covid).

The Nimman area would be the most noticable change, it's getting bigger, denser, busier by the day.  Weekend night time parking a nightmare.

 

What are people "doing" in the Nimman area if the casual stuff is gone? Just walking around and shopping? There is not much else to do in the area if the outdoor restaurant/drinking places are gone.

[Northstar1]

Pollution and very boring!

never understood the attraction.

????????‍♂️????????‍♂️

[Dante99]

10 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

There is not much else to do in the area if the outdoor restaurant/drinking places are gone.

How about all the indoor restaurant/drinking places?  Something wrong with them?

[BritManToo]

5 hours ago, heybruce said:

Nimman has gone way down as a dining mecca if you liked the casual, outdoor Thai restaurants/bars such as BlarBlar, Lism, Dayli, OMG and many other smaller places.  It is also not the student hangout it used to be.  I think it's boring now.

I think they moved because of rent increases.

Plenty of them still around in Chiang Mai and around the outskirts.

Students couldn't afford the prices there anymore.

 

Went to 'Auf der Au Garden' last week, all you can eat German buffet for 220bht.

It was very busy an an amazing choice of food, price includes breads, cakes, tea and coffee.

 

Also went to 'RajDarBar Indian restaurant' 220bht for a Masala curry and plain Naan.

 

Too many places to choose from!

[JimTripper]

1 hour ago, Dante99 said:

How about all the indoor restaurant/drinking places?  Something wrong with them?

Yes, I like breathing fresh air!

[heybruce]

2 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Hi Bruce, Did you move out of the area? Any thoughts on returning to CM?

Family situation required me to return to the US.  I visit Thailand, mostly Chiang Mai, when I can and hope to live there again.

 

Next time I will look into staying in Nakornping Condo or thereabouts.   Close to Santitham, which seems to have the best casual restaurants and bars now. 

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I think they moved because of rent increases.

Plenty of them still around in Chiang Mai and around the outskirts.

Students couldn't afford the prices there anymore.

 

Went to 'Auf der Au Garden' last week, all you can eat German buffet for 220bht.

It was very busy an an amazing choice of food, price includes breads, cakes, tea and coffee.

 

Also went to 'RajDarBar Indian restaurant' 220bht for a Masala curry and plain Naan.

 

Too many places to choose from!

I'm sure your correct about the rents.  Nimman was great for a while; many interesting, affordable places in easy walking distance of each other.  Not too many foreigners, especially down the sois, but that was ok.

[dingdongrb]

I lived in CM since 2009 and up until a year ago. I enjoyed the city and all it had to offer. I disliked the traffic, available parking, tourist areas, and air pollution.

 

I have found Nan to be much more my liking.

[Dante99]

2 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Yes, I like breathing fresh air!

pickey pickey pickey

 

If that is what you want one has to wonder why you are inquiring about Chiang Mai and not a place known for fresh air.

[Tarteso]

Has CM Changed Since 2016?
 

 

Yes, China bought the City already. ????

 

(Thai News)

https://www.prachachat.net/local-economy/news-1204218
 

 

[LaosLover]

7 hours ago, heybruce said:

Nimman has gone way down as a dining mecca if you liked the casual, outdoor Thai restaurants/bars such as BlarBlar, Lism, Dayli, OMG and many other smaller places.  It is also not the student hangout it used to be.  I think it's boring now.

I read that list with great interest. I see like-businesses down every side-soi. As per Britmantoo, quirkiness still abounds, but you may have to walk 5 minutes further to find it.

 

If you want some hanging ferns with your Khao soi noodles for a dollar more, this is your neighborhood. If you want to eat 8 kinds of Northern sausage for 20 baht per skewer from a cart in front of a pot bar, this is your neighborhood. If you want to buy a nice straw hat or a hill tribe-inspred handbag, this is very def. your neighborhood. Low traffic on the side soi's give it a pedestrianized feeling similar to the side lanes of the Old City. 

 

The mix of old and young people is unique, even when compared to the Old City. Nimman provides a safety valve of night clubs, pot bars, and shabbu shabbu restaurants that people clearly want, but would be less suitable in the Old City, due to historic conservation concerns and sensitivity about so many wats being so close by.

 

Ultimately, no diff from any restaurant row in the world looking to attract free-spending tourists, like The French Quarter or the East Village of NYC. In such changeable places the wail of 'you should have been here 5 years ago' is never far off. I'm a new arrival and I like Bangkok-level dining choices w/o BKK traffic.

 

Side by side across from my condo are an ancient chicken and rice place that has yet to show up on Google maps and a Japanese sweet toast restaurant. People (including me) like a bit of both when on holiday. I see Japanese people taking chicken and rice pics all day long.

 

 

[BananaStrong]

death pollution.    WAY more cars, more pollution.  

 

people not polite when compared to other cities

 

Tons of cheap backpackers who have way to much complaining energy 

 

overpriced

 

lots of Chinese, but that could be a positive.   more dangerous roads, but that's normal.

 

farangs will give you the evil eye, or not look at you at all.    very anti-social.

 

I'm not in CM now, lol....................but I'm sure it's gotten worse and worse and worse and worse........  People MUST make it a "great" city to justify being in Thailand, but actually there are WAY more cities in SEAsia 100x better....

 

good news is most Thai girls or ladyboys in CM have already dated 100000000000000 dirty, cheap, boozing farangs before, so their English is probably OK.    lol

[TheAppletons]

If you liked Chiang Mai in 2016, you'd probably still like it.

 

If you didn't, you won't.  

[heybruce]

1 hour ago, LaosLover said:

I read that list with great interest. I see like-businesses down every side-soi. As per Britmantoo, quirkiness still abounds, but you may have to walk 5 minutes further to find it.

 

If you want some hanging ferns with your Khao soi noodles for a dollar more, this is your neighborhood. If you want to eat 8 kinds of Northern sausage for 20 baht per skewer from a cart in front of a pot bar, this is your neighborhood. If you want to buy a nice straw hat or a hill tribe-inspred handbag, this is very def. your neighborhood. Low traffic on the side soi's give it a pedestrianized feeling similar to the side lanes of the Old City. 

 

The mix of old and young people is unique, even when compared to the Old City. Nimman provides a safety valve of night clubs, pot bars, and shabbu shabbu restaurants that people clearly want, but would be less suitable in the Old City, due to historic conservation concerns and sensitivity about so many wats being so close by.

 

Ultimately, no diff from any restaurant row in the world looking to attract free-spending tourists, like The French Quarter or the East Village of NYC. In such changeable places the wail of 'you should have been here 5 years ago' is never far off. I'm a new arrival and I like Bangkok-level dining choices w/o BKK traffic.

 

Side by side across from my condo are an ancient chicken and rice place that has yet to show up on Google maps and a Japanese sweet toast restaurant. People (including me) like a bit of both when on holiday. I see Japanese people taking chicken and rice pics all day long.

 

 

Largely agree.  I especially agree with "...no diff from any restaurant row in the world looking to attract free-spending tourists...".

 

I liked Nimman better when it wasn't a tourist oriented restaurant row.  I liked it better when you saw very few tourists or expats.  But I recognize that nothing stays the same, and that's a good thing.  I still like Chiang Mai and I know there are still good places to go.  I just need to find them.

 

"Nothin' shakin' on Shakedown Street
Used to be the heart of town
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart
You just gotta poke around"

 

Shakedown Street by Grateful Dead

 

Yes, I'm that old.

 

 

[LaosLover]

My wife followed The Dead on some legendary tour in the 80's where they played Dark Star. Oh, how they pined and waited for Dark Star.

 

Old City is unique in how un-moribund it is. There are real businesses next door to old wats and many, many purveyors of mango and sticky rice and 70 baht lattes. Having another tourist area outside of that, but very near that, is good for the long term vibe.

 

The world is def homogenizing. Nimman is not far off of Shimotagawa, Tokyo, or whatever the like-place is in Seoul. You have your better crafty night market, your many high mark up dessert restaurant options, and your pedestrianized zone. I feel like I could skip one or two living here. But would I? No. I like an entertainment district if it's not too youth-marketed.

[Northstar1]

7 hours ago, JimTripper said:

Yes, I like breathing fresh air!

Nothing like sitting outside having a cold drink and choking on pollution ????????????????????‍♂️????

[mania]

On 2/17/2023 at 5:59 PM, JimTripper said:

Would you still recommend living in CM if you were there in 2016? 
 

Is the old city area and nearby vicinity better/worse now, or the same?

Lived there from 2011 till 2016 loved it

Would not recommend it now except for 3 months a year Nov,Dec, Jan

 

Much worse now as many have already pointed out

[lordblackader]

On 2/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, KhunLA said:

Can't imaging being better.  City had everything one would need back in 2016, so nothing really to improve on.   

 

More people & pollution since would keep me from living there.  Even in the province, it would be hard to put up with the air pollution 4-6 months a year.

 

What more pollution since? if anything, it has gone down, particularly during wet season.