Think about the place where you live, wonder why you have it.
Posted May 01, 2008
Yes, it's a Friday Love List. Perhaps you are on to me by now. I try to post three times a week and when I run out of stuff to say after two posts, you get a Friday Love List. For I am lame and do not do that many interesting things.
This is a different kind of Love List though! This one has a THEME. Sure, Meg Fowler has been doing themed Love Lists for a while now, but I opted not to follow her lead earlier because random just suits me so much better. Now that I'm getting ready to move though, I thought it could be nice to do lists of what I love about Madison and San Antonio. And then all of you can tell me what you love about where you live. (This will worry my mother, by the way, who is hoping that I will not become intrigued enough by any other place to consider moving there.)
Ten things I love about Madison:
- State St. and all of the restaurants, shops, and crazy people there
- H&M. Oh, how I will miss you. Not that I've had much of a clothes shopping budget since moving here, but even just knowing you were there was a comfort to me.
- All of the wonderful crazy that comes from living in a big college football town
- Fall. I do love a real fall.
- James Madison Park
- The farmers market on the Capitol Square
- Ignoring all of the healthy produce at the farmers market in favor of a stop at Cafe Soleil for the pain au chocolat that I swear are as good as the ones I had in Paris
- Access to: Cousins Subs, Perkins, Toppers cheesy breadsticks, Leinenkugel, and cheese curds (OF COURSE cheese curds have their own Wikipedia entry) as well as easy access to Culver's. Sure, there's one in San Antonio, but it is not nearly so conveniently located for me.
- All of the Packers games on TV.
- Other liberals. Lots and lots of other liberals.
Ten things I love about San Antonio:
- No snow.
- Casa Rio, El Mirasol, and countless other places for good margaritas and queso
- SuperTarget
- Being able to fit my little car into the small parking spots that no one can get their giant trucks or SUVs into.
- Diet Dr Pepper served almost everywhere
- Including Chick-fil-A (Who needs Culver's fries when you have waffle fries?) (Oh Culver's, you know I don't mean it.) and Sonic. I have been tortured for almost a year by Sonic commercials on my TV and yet THERE IS NO SONIC HERE.
- Flip flops are appropriate not only to the weather most of the year but also to almost any occasion or venue.
- I assume it won't be standing room only in all bars in town, should the Packers play on NFL Network.
- Laughing at the freak out over a day or two of below-freezing temperatures.
- More sunshine. Which includes not only no long, gray winter, but also longer days in general.
Of course, there are the people in both places as well.
So now you tell us ten things you love about where you live. Or where you used to live, if where you currently live isn't so lovable. Whatever. You San Antonio people should feel free to play as well and especially to remind me of what I missed or tell me about cool stuff there that I never even knew about. Alright now, get to work.
lissa says:
May 01, 2008 at 10:40 PM
Ten Things I loved about living in New York:
1. The Crazies
2. Walking everywhere
3. having something to do every night
4. all the free stuff to do in the city
5. Redeemer (Dr. Tim Keller)
6. all the lovely sidewalk cafes
7. Reading the post on Sunday's in Riverside Park
8. Running the reservoir in central park
9. my apartment (I loved it and the location.)
10. SEASONS!
Carolie says:
May 01, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Ten things I love about Sasebo, Japan:
1. My teeny, tiny, elderly neighbor who peers up at me from her permanently-stooped-over position to smile and tell me (in Japanese) that I am to let her know if there is anything she can do for me, as she hands me yet another dish of homemade Japanese deliciousness.
2. Seajack, my neighborhood sushi-go-round.
3. The school children in my neighborhood: hordes of elementary-school children walking home with their fancy, expensive matching hard-case backpacks and matching caps, junior high school students in matching lavender track suits giggling and shoving each other, high school students in their formal uniforms(sailor tops and pleated skirts for girls, Prussian jackets for the boys) with bags loaded down with far too many books.
4. The bowing. Everyone bows -- train conductors bow when entering and leaving each train car; store clerks bow when handing you your purchase and again, more deeply, as you leave the store; even road construction flag-wavers bow when you stop on their signal, and again when they let you know that you can go.
5. The trees. American trees are going to look swollen and misshapen to my eyees for a while, I think. The trees here are all trimmed and trained and scuplted so beautifully. But before you go thinking "poor chopped up trees!" take a look at the huge number of supports and props built to hold up limbs and branches of elderly trees, so they don't snap off. In the U.S., we'd just lop off the branch in peril without a second thought.
6. Conbini (convenience stores) -- Delicious and interesting snacks and drinks that change with the seasons, fascinating little "life necessities" from cloth handkerchiefs to underwear to pocket ashtrays, and surprisingly fresh and delicious food (mmmmmm, onigiri!)
7. The recycling. Man, they take recycling seriously here!
8. The ocean and the mountains. Almost everything here is on a hill, or partway up a hill, or at the foot of a hill. And no matter where you are, you can almost always catch a glimpse of the sea.
9. 100 yen stores
10. The overwelming, universal sense of personal responsibility.
Wow, I could do 10 things I like to EAT here, 10 things I like to SEE here, 10 things I like to DO here...that was fun!
Amy says:
May 01, 2008 at 11:27 PM
Top Ten things I love about Washington(state) and the Northwest.
1. Average temp. goes from 40 in the winter to 75 in the summer. Never too hot nor too cold.
2. NO HUMIDITY, or if there is some, it is probably raining.
3. MOUNTAINS, MOUNTAINS, and more SNOW COVERED MOUNTAINS.
4. Closeness to the Pacific Ocean, where you can see whales and bogey board with seals.
5. Green trees, green grass, green plants, all year long.
6. Portland, OR. There is so much to do there, shopping, cafes, coffee shops (I know I hate coffee-- but I know Lori loves coffee and I want her to move here-- Sorry Mary)
7. Unlimited amounts of outdoor activities, both for winter and spring/summer/fall.
8. Change of seasons! Okay Vancouver didn't so much get a winter so to speak, but I sure could see all the snow in the hills and mountains, and what a better winter can you ask for. Seeing snow, but not having to walk in it, shovel it, scrap it, drive in it, etc...
9. REI-- which is based out of Seattle and the store there is AWESOME. It is worth the trip just to go there to see it.
10. Columbia -- based out of Portland, Ore., who doesn't love columbia fleece???
11. I could go on forever, but I hit my limit. I know you won't move here, but you'd better come visit so I can show you all the stuff you missed the first time you were here. We signed for our house today, so we now have lots of room for you and whoever joins you to stay with us!! You won't even have to sleep on a couch this time!!!
Amy says:
May 01, 2008 at 11:29 PM
I should add this in there.
2.5 Even the rain isn't that bad. You get a couple days of blue sky to see those beautiful SNOW COVERED MOUNTAINS and you forget all about the rain, which by the way is why we have all the greeness around!! :)
Horrible Warning says:
May 02, 2008 at 12:00 AM
10 Things I Love About Living in Sacramento, CA
1. The trees. They play hell with allergies, but I'm from the LA area, and most of the trees are young and small or old and diseased, or just non-existent.
2. The mule deer I can catch a glimpse of near my place sometimes. Also, the turkeys, geese, and various other critters. In LA it's sea gulls and possums.
3. SF to the west, Tahoe to the east.
4. Multiple bodies of water within a mile or so of both home and work
5. Having a view of one of those rivers through my office window
6. The farmer's market that started today
7. Being able to live sans roommate in a lovely apartment and only be slightly broke
8. The 6 or so weeks of perfect weather, about 3 in the spring and 3 in the fall
9. It's still close enough to visit the world's cutest nieces in SoCal
10. The American River Parkway: 32+ miles of paved trail wandering through the riparian semi-wilderness...so amazing
Emily says:
May 02, 2008 at 10:40 AM
10 Things I Love About Living in Reston
1. The 55 miles of paved walking trails in our little town (they're always plowed before the streets during a snowstorm)
2. Being able to walk to the grocery store and Starbucks in 10 minutes
3. Being 15 minutes away from everything in downtown DC
4. Free babysitting from relatives (LIFESAVER)
5. Four very definitive seasons
6. Being close to the beach and the mountains
7. Being 10 minutes away from an international airport
8. Lots of activities geared for kids
9. SO MUCH GOOD SHOPPING
10. Five Guys: THE ORIGINAL
Emily Ann says:
May 02, 2008 at 01:06 PM
What a great topic Lori! I love hearing why people in the world love/hate living where they do...it's always so interesting.
10 Things I Love About Living in NYC:
1) The overall attitude of the majority of NYers--anyone who says they are rude people completely misinterprets them: they just have somewhere to be.
2) The fall...it's my favorite season by far. There is nothing like walking thru Central Park, leaves changing, dogs being walked, couples making out. I love all of it.
3) Pizza.
4) Sushi.
5) My neighborhood, Park Slope. The bars, the restaurants, the people...can't beat it. Except for maybe Hells Kitchen in Manhattan--that is my 2nd favorite neighborhood.
6) My running path from my apt, over the Brooklyn Bridge and back. The feeling I get never gets old as I'm running into Manhattan ("I can't believe I live here!!!").
7) BBQs in the summer at my friend's place in Queens.
8) Margaritas at ANY patio cafe in the city.
9) Iceskating in Central Park.
10) The overall resiliency of the city as a whole. Can. Bounce. Back. From. Anything.
One Smart Cookie says:
May 02, 2008 at 01:41 PM
Ten Things I love about living in/near Boston:
1) Even though we live in a suburb now, we are still close enough to get into Boston easily. Also, in our town there is basically everything you could need/want (lots of restaurants, HUGE mall, shops, etc) so we are not out in the sticks.
2) Even though we are close to everything, our house is in an area that feels like a neighborhood. Actually, there are woods behind our house that allow us to feel like we live in a somewhat rural setting. (There were deer in the front yard this morning!)
3) Boston has so much history - I can never get tired of walking around and seeing all of the old buildings and beautiful architechture.
4) I've become a sports fan, and I love how much pride Bostonians have regarding their teams.
5) My commute is only 6.5 miles one way (instead of the 30+ that it was before).
6) Lots of places to play mini-golf.
7) Lots of fun day trips to take during the summer (hiking, Salem, or even just walking around the Boston Common).
8) Seasons - as much as I complain about winter, I could never live somewhere that didn't have seasons.
9) Being close to Matt's family (who I love) and far enough away from my own family (who I, uh... should probably love more).
10) There are lots of things that I could say about food... Ben & Jerry's, a few local restaurants, etc. The only trouble is that some of the only things that I miss about NJ (where I grew up) are food-related - funnel cakes at the Jersey Shore, Stewart's Root Beer, salt water taffy, diners. What can I say - I like food.
Holly says:
May 02, 2008 at 03:58 PM
Things I love about San Antonio:
(I realize some of these have already been said, but they're just that great.)
1. Neice and nephew less than one mile away.
2. Sister-in-law who makes me drag my butt out of bed to run.
3. Fellow fourth grade teachers who keep me in stiches. I wish everyone could have as much fun with co-workers as I have with mine.
4. 5 Starbucks within a 5 mile radius of my house.
5. Great friends who treat me like family.
6. Large city with a small-town feel.
7. Mexican food and margaritas.
8. The river walk, especially at Christmas.
9. The Spurs. (Lori, you forgot this one on your list.)
10. It's in Texas!
Holly Rose says:
May 02, 2008 at 10:31 PM
10 things I love about living in Phoenix, AZ (yes I can find 10)
1. 60 degree winters (well we call it winter)
2. Never having to pack up summer clothes (what's the point there are only about 8 weeks it's too chilly to wear them)
3. 4 right turns and you WILL be back where you started- so no getting lost
4. Being 2 hours from the snow- but not having to live in it
5. Sunsets- they are like no other
6. Leaps coffee and custard- and the Crazy caramel latte
7. Swimming in April
8. Harkins Movie Theares
9. never having to worry about having a winning sports team to root for
10. Family and friends- it's what brought me back and keeps me here
andrew says:
May 04, 2008 at 08:02 AM
10 things about Denver.
1. Perfect climate.
2. The snow. (not the terrible arctic wasteland snow that Lori hates, but the fun sparkly snow that you can go flying down on a pair of skis the day after it has fallen.
3. Its a big city, but not too big.
4. The mountains. Good for climbing up, skiing down, and looking at.
5. From my house I can get to just about anywhere in the Denver metro area by driving 30 mins or less.
6. For the most part the people here are very laid back and cool.
7. Racine's chile rellenos and margaritas.
8. no bugs
9. see some sort of wildlife almost every day.
10. Concerts at Red Rocks, no better place on earth to see a show.
lisa says:
May 04, 2008 at 11:13 AM
10 Things I Love About Living in a Suburb of San Antonio
1. The complete and total LACK of seasons. Sure, fall is nice but it is ALWAYS followed by winter.
2. AND it's sunny almost all the time. Except at night, of course.
3. I live where other people come on vacation.
4. Now that we're in the burbs there are several places within walking distance, including the public library.
5. But we're about 5 minutes away from the Interstate and 10 minutes away from a major shopping center with good restaurants.
6. They are building a SUPER TARGET only a couple of miles down the Interstate from us!
7. There are good Mexican restaurants with good margaritas in every direction.
8. The parents are close enough to babysit at a moment's notice.
9. House prices here are phenominal.
10. Lots and lots of great people.