I really like being downtown. I wish I could live there. I met up with Kyle for lunch at the Which 'Wich on 3rd and Lavaca and then spent some time walking around down there before my parking meter expired to see what has gone up in recent days because there's been a lot of construction down there what with all the condos going up and stuff.
Walking around down there brought to mind my trips to New York City for the Paint the Town stuff as well as some trips to visit friends who lived in the downtown areas of various big cities. I've always liked the big city but I have recently come to the conclusion that if it were economically feasible I would actually like to live in a downtown area. I like the fact that there's a little microcosm of a community right around a given living area, and I like the idea of being able to just walk somewhere interesting without having to make a major production out of the whole affair. Within walking distance of the AMLI apartments there at that corner, there was a small grocery store, several eateries, bars, and town lake. There is tons of other stuff just right there within a few minutes of walking. Everything looks so new and clean and I would love to be able to walk around down there without having to worry about the car and such. I also kind of like the idea of walking more places and being able to take public transportation for short distances to get around the downtown area rather than driving - it's nice to have the idea that I could go somewhere if I need to, but I think I'd rather have it be out of the ordinary to do so rather than an everyday thing.
The problem of course is that everything down there is so much more expensive - the places to live are outrageous, parking is a hassle (unless you have a garage of some sort) and costs an arm and a leg, and even the food is more expensive down there. Sure you're paying for the convenience of not having to drive there and such, but still - it's ridiculously expensive and I just have a hard time justifying spending that kind of money to live in an urban area. And, I think when it comes down to it, traffic and the press of people on weekends would probably just serve to be more irritating than anything else.
I'm sure that there are other things which I am missing that would clash with my personality and make downtown living more frustrating than I imagine that it would be and once I got down there, I'd be stuck with it for a while. However, I think that at some point in my life - hopefully before I'm too old to enjoy it - that I am able to live in a metro area and see what it's like. Then again, it's going to be hard to give up the 2 bedroom/2 bath/ground floor (no stairs)/attached garage pimp pad that I have now, so I don't figure that it will happen anytime soon. There's probably no pool, either. But, if I end up finding a job downtown, maybe it will be an option to look into.
Yeah, if that job happens to be a CEO position. I'm going to need it to afford to live down there in anything bigger than the master closet I have now at my current place.
I couldn't agree with you more. Growing up where you and I did, gave us only two choices: embrace the country, or yearn for bigger and better. Being in the Chicagoland for the last two years has taught me that 1) downtown is accessible and mainstream; 2) there's a different flavor for every night of the week; 3) the idea of community is a much different, almost fluid concept that allows for getting to know the local butcher or pharmacist, or the folks at the local bistro. It also allows for more arts and culture too. The drag of being in the 'burbs is not only that it is a fanfare to just go, but people in the city don't mingle with the suburbanites. Its the farmer and the cowhand (a la Oklahoma!), city version.
There's something about being at the center of activity and a certain romance (which maybe only applies to me) of throwing a knapsack over your shoulder and setting out for the day, hoping you have everything you need for your time out and about because "running home" takes on a whole new meaning in that context. There's a different feeling when you're dependent on your own two legs or public transportation to get you where you need to go than there is being able to go thither and yon with one of them thar newfangled motorcars. It has the effect of shrinking your world, making it much richer, and allows for demarcations of the form of "uptown" or "downtown" to actually mean something.
I think you and a ton of others oughta move downtown...more room for me to hunt and fish. Smart growth...yeah, that's the ticket.
You front me the scratch to do it, and I'm all in. I'm sensing some ulterior motives here, though...and besides, my apartment pool doesn't have any fish in it, so it won't help you if I move out of my current place.