Enamored with the Smallest Bit of Urbanity

I love the city. I wish I lived in a city. Someday, I will live in a big city. Not in the suburbs, downtown in the city. This was confirmed for me once again today when I experienced just a tiny bit of what makes me love urban life.

My family went to the pool this morning, and since I'd gone the day before, and my sister was bringing a friend, I decided to sit this one out. This, of course, left me home to work on some projects.

Before getting down to work, I decided I needed some breakfast. I decided to walk to the nearby Red Pump Cafe, a local eatery with about fifteen seats, a bad website, but some delicious food. Let me go back to an easily overlooked detail there.

I walked to the cafe for breakfast. 1 point.

I've always found walking either alone or with others to be a great experience, a slower way to travel, sure, but you really get to see where you're going, and get some time for uninterrupted thought or discussion. I look forward to being able to walk or bike most places in the city.

The breakfast was good, as expected, but again, the real treat is the experience. I think that I'm particularly fond of (for whatever reason) being in the presence of social interaction while I myself am in isolation. I really enjoy the energy of a full cafe, or a bustling Starbucks when I work. I used to think I worked better when I was around other people working. This meant a lot of trips to the library. I've since realized that this was only half the story; I also need other people to be doing things; talking, working, making noise, moving around. I'll be spending a lot more time in coffee-shops (though I hate coffee), cafes and other public places at school next year (here I come Ninth Street).

I think much of my love for the urban environment comes from this simultaneous isolation and socialization. I also like the architecture. (My future home will have far more metal, glass, and concrete than wood or brick). Either way, it is always a pleasure to experience bits and pieces of it here and there as I did today.