Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

Living in a big city

August 4, 2016

(I thought of a much better title for this post, but, because I’m old, my brain purges everything the minute I think of it.)

If I started a bucket list, this might just be the first item I put on it – to live in a big city again. Either that or live in a small city where there is plenty to do and places are accessible without getting in a car.

See, I live in a small town (some people call it a city, but I don’t – it’s not a city by any stretch). A small town where all the mom and pop grocery stores folded when the big boys moved in. There had been a little grocery store right down the street from where we live which our neighbors tell us was great. They could easily get what they needed by walking and, when the kids were older, they could go to the store for mom. Now? We have to get in a car to get to any grocery store – most people here do. A few are lucky enough to live within walking distance of a store, but we aren’t. We also live close to two of the busiest roads in town which mean you almost get killed just trying to cross those streets because everyone thinks they’re driving on the Autobahn. And in a terrible twist of fate, our one and only bookstore is getting axed because the chain went out of business. That means the closest bookstore is 60 miles away. Swell.

I’ve been reading the Humans of New York books (and also a recent post on Dinner A Love Story – long, but worth the read) and just yearn for all those wonderful places to eat, museums, parks, interesting stores. Sure, big cities aren’t ideal for everyone, I realize that, but for me it just sounds idyllic.

I lived in London for 5 1/2 years of my very young teen life. I didn’t realize how great it was then (maybe a little) because I took a lot of it for granted. Until I moved back here. That’s when I realized what a great thing I had lost. In London, all the food stores were a short walking distance away from our flat. My mother took her trolly-on-wheels and went shopping most every day. There was a bakery, a produce store, a butcher shop, a fish store, and even an old timey candy store (my favorite besides the bookstore of course). Fresh food all the time! She rarely went to the two little supermarkets because she knew she could do better by going to all the other places. They probably knew their customers by heart as well. I think she was terribly lucky.

There was also a lot to do within walking distance and plenty you could get to by public transportation. You didn’t need a car! The parks, theaters, restaurants, the yummy smelling coffee roasters. Oh, and the walking tours we took in school – those were awesome! So much history to learn about and a lot of it right in your own neighborhood! It wasn’t a perfect time, but looking back on it, it was pretty sweet.

So, all this to say, I might actually start a bucket list and put “I want to live in a big(ger) city” on it. Dream on!

2 comments
Comments

On August 4, 2016 at 7:50 PM, dxprog said:

Well, you're just going to love the hell out of San Mateo.
On another note, I'm fairly certain that Bartlesville is a city by SimCity's reckoning... and only ~12k people away from being a "capitol".

On August 5, 2016 at 1:44 PM, java_queen said:

I'm sure I will! And I WILL get out there!! Technicality aside, I'll never see B'ville that way.

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» Living in a big city » Oh Crap! – Musings of an Unperfect Mommy

Living in a big city

August 4, 2016

Comments

On August 4, 2016 at 7:50 PM, dxprog said:

On August 5, 2016 at 1:44 PM, java_queen said:

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