Sunday, February 11, 2007

This Is the Life

So I read in this morning's Tribune how a condo boom is hitting downtown Salt Lake City, and it was a great little write-up... it's especially fun to read good news about your neighborhood and the people you know (Luann Lakis serves on the Downtown Community Council, Ken Milo is an up-stairs neighbor and a fixture in the area).

I'll let you read the article yourself, but I've got this much to add: there's more to living downtown than return on investment and the nightlife. I have never been more plugged-into a neighborhood than this one. I know and see more people and care more about the people I know and see than ever before.

How is this possible?

Living downtown means I don't have to drive... and walking means I see more of my neighbors, and it means I frequent my neighborhood businesses more regularly. So in an odd twist of fate, living in the big city is much more like living in a small village than living in the wastelands of suburbia ever could be.

So to Troy, Andrew, Matt, Nick, John, and the rest of the crew at Tony Caputo's... to Jace, Bobby, Liz, Teresa, Brandon, and everyone at Carlucci's... to Rachael and the ladies at Roots... to Mary and her friendly helpers at Jade Market... to SLC Urbanite and her husband... to Tom and his wife... to J Simon (and his broken foot)... to Devin and his little family... and to everyone in my corner of heaven: howdy neighbor!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

We've lived downtown for four years and I agree with everything you've said about living downtown, though I am jealous that your block has more cool places to eat and such than mine and I'm too lazy to frequently walk the three blocks from my block to yours.

I think I would add one more thing about the pleasure of living downtown: diversity. We benefit from living in the same LDS Ward with the homeless shelter and multi-million-dollar condos. We benefit from living among friends and neighbors of other faiths. We benefit from living among people of all different ages, all different colors and every other axis on which diversity can be measured.

So, hello, good neighbor.

ddt

Silus Grok said...

Well, Lamb's Grill is certainly disgusting... but you have some other gems: The Atlantic, across Main from you, and The Beehive Tearoom is amazing... now, if only we could get a nice place to move into 3RD & MAIN's old haunts!

And I second the diversity comment. Very nice indeed.

:)

American Yak said...

Regarding that small town feel, I can attest that NYC has it. It's a strange thing to talk with Brooklyners or Bronxites who have never left the city.

Actually, I think this is a commonly recognized phenomenon.

So I get'cha.