*soft laugh* I have lived within a 70 mile radius of Chicago my entire life. I've visited a lot of places, but I always "come home". With that bias in mind, it shouldn't be a surprise that my first pick is:
Chicago, IL
I do mean in the city proper, generally northside...Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Uptown, Lakeview, Edgewater, Rogers Park...these are my stomping grounds. I love the culture, the diversity, the opportunities. I love my lake, and I miss it fiercely!!! A quick look, and real estate looks to be double my home's value, minimal. Oh well...I can dream!
The Rocks, Australia
This is another place that I spent very little time, but I would return in a heartbeat. The Rocks is the oldest part of Sydney, and it is just amazing. It is almost like every day is a festival, with live music in the streets. I don't think I've been anywhere that could match the number of SMILING people, either. Maybe it is something to do with the wild parrots that live in the city? I also love the water taxis, the museums, the food. If you get to visit Australia, try to visit Parliament. I know, it's in Canberra, but if the US Congress could take some lessons from the humor in those sessions! If I can't have Chicago, Sydney would be my second choice for major metropolis.
Denver, CO
I spent much of my early adolescence summering in Denver with my older cousins. My first "job" was in a greenhouse in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I took tennis lessons and my first creative writing class out there. I adored the trips up to the mountains themselves...Pikes Peak, Breckenridge, Aspen. If I couldn't have my water, I would accept my mountains.
Astoria, OR
Scenic, historic, a mix of both woods and water. It's where I first tasted kettle corn and where I had true "fish'n'chips" served out of a lunch wagon. The farmer's market closes down one of the main streets downtown...you have to park and walk. And the gardens...oh, the gardens!!! I've only spent a day in the city, but I think I could find a good home there.
Fifth? hmmmm...there are a lot of places I would like to explore before I declared them places I'd like to live. At the same time, I am a creature of habit, so for my fifth place, I will say
my house
I like the house that Beloved and I have been working on for seven years. I like the energy. I like how versatile it is...how easy it is to move the furniture and change everything about the rooms here. There are major things I would do to the house still...de-siding it, repair/replace windows, build out the attic. I wish we could pick it up and move it somewhere else. I wish it had an acre of land to work with instead of the tiny lot. I wish there weren't so many questions about the neighborhood and I wish more of our neighbors were friendly. But for all of that, home is where the heart is, and I live with my Beloved.
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