Urban Dwelling At It's Finest

I'm telling you, there is nothing better than living in the city [unless of course, you don't like lots of people, you prefer "acreage" or you're in the farming industry]. Now, when I say city, I'm not talking about just any populated metropolis, I mean living in the heart of it all. After all, most of Los Angeles still drives to the grocery store.

I always had dreams of urban dwelling. We sort of had it in Sydney. The train system was a common mode of transportation, and I often walked to work, but that doesn't come close what I have here in LA. So, let me divulge SOME of the delirious joys of city life:

Walking As A Way Of Life :: And by everywhere, I mean everywhere. I've averaged 23.95 miles a week of walking or biking over the last month -- that's 3+ miles a day of excercise. The act of walking is beautiful in so many ways. It slows you down (2mph vs. 50-70mph). It usually involves conversation (rather than a car CD player). You meet complete strangers and encounter local spots not visible from the car. Plus you get the added bonus of completely avoiding parking lots. Outside of the random eBay pick-up or a road trip, I honestly can't think of anywhere that I go that requires a car. Check out the distances to these every day places from my apartment building:

• Grocery Store: 0.4, 0.7 or 1.3 miles away. Take your pick.
  
• Post Office: 0.4 miles
  
• Theatres: 0.4, 0.7, 0.8 or 1 mile way. Here you can take your pick from one mainstream, two independent or a cheap theatre.
  
• Bank: 0.3
  
• Metro Stop: 0.6
  
• Church: 0.1
  
• Gym: 1.1
  
• Favorite Hangout: 0.8 to the bar/pool hall
  
• Restaurants: All > 1
  
• Favorite Bookstores: 0.4, 0.8
  
• Thrift Stores: 0.6, 1.8
  

Friends Unplanned :: Our closest friends live 0.1 and 0.6 miles away. Our other friends live within 2 miles of us. Since College I've mostly had to "plan" times with friends. We had to look at our calendars and point to a date and time somewhere off in the near future. We had to "make time" in our life for friends. But in the city, when you live within shouting distance, it's different. Instead of planning the next event, we say things like, "I'm sure we'll see you tomorrow." It's no longer always a planning issue, instead we strive to do life together, which means getting together last minute and random times throughout the week. Need to borrow the car or some ketchup? I'll walk over in a minute. Need a babysitter for an hour? We're there. Need help moving? We'll bring some boxes. Wanna have a quick lunch at Tiffany's? I'll start walking in 2 minutes. Local, Local, Local :: . I always envied New Yorkers who could place every location nicely into a "village" or "district" or even give certain localities a nickname. South Houston St? No, I live in SOHO. But I'm less envious now. I've got Old Town, Paseo and the Playhouse District. I've got South Paz and the Lake and California corner. I used to know where places were like Walmart, Wendy's and the Gas Station. Now I know where streets are. Instead of meeting at Walmart, we meet at the corner of Euclid and Colorado. Where's that little secret Thai place? It's on Holly St. between Fair Oaks and Marengo. When I'm riding West I always take Union. When riding East, I take Green St. I know where the parks are, where the homeless hang out and where to pay my parking ticket. I've never felt more like a local than I do here...and that's after five months. Corporation Avoidance :: Okay, okay, not all of them are evil, but I used to depend on corporations for my survival. Walmart for groceries and everything else under the sun. Fast food for cheap meals. Restaurant chains for nicer meals. Popular retail stores for clothing. Giant electronic stores for anything electronic. If I wanted a book, Barnes and Nobles was it. Sure, I may spend a little more, but now I get to help the guy opening a new restaurant and support the small scale fruit market on Lake. My money used to primarily support "suits" and shareholdersis, now it primarily supports wages, rental space and moderate incomes. The only fast food I ever eat is from a small chain that has a reputation for high wages, generosity, employee appreciation and buying meat and potatoes from local farms. Sure, we still have a Hooters and The Cheesecake Factory, but at least now we have options. It's great knowing that the majority of your money is helping solidify and further the local economy. While my life and my money still have ties to corporate america (mostly through the internet), its not like it used to be.

So cheers to the city. And if any of this sounds appealing, our building always has a unit open. And I'm (seriously) serious about that.