I forgot how much I love city life. I spent the first 25+ years of my life growing up and living in downtown Chicago, but I’ve spent the last 12+ years residing on a tree-lined, suburban-like street with no sidewalks and where night is really pitch black. It had its pluses – backyard, lovely garden, 5-minute drive to my kids’ school, but I am a city girl at heart.
As of March, I am back in a condo with an elevator and a garbage chute. I have wonderful doormen who send packages up, and we have an infinite number of options for eating out or ordering-in. I can take a walk and see all kinds of people within a block of my home. I am just steps from a park where runners are a constant and endless stream. On a nice sunny day, there are so many people out in my neighborhood that it can be tough to find space on the sidewalk. We have no cars (versus four where we used to be); we walk, hail taxis, hire cars and take the subway. Night is dusky versus dark – street lamps make it so – and we have to lower our shades to make it feel like it’s really time to go to sleep.
I even love hearing sirens which really is the only noise that seems to sneak through our sound-proofed windows. I realize sirens mean something awful has taken place, but after so long living in a forest of quiet, to me they signify city and action and life just happening.
We are four people in a space with one connected living, dining, media room and kitchen. Yes, it’s one big room. I hear all conversations and am constantly interrupted at my desk. I have to ask my kids to turn down the volume on their iPads or phones all the time. Many people would hate that. Not me. I love that too. It’s just a part of city living.
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