Downtown Girl

I have lived in the city for five years. My main goal was to live alone for the first time in my life, only ever having lived with family or roommates.

To be frank, I felt like I had outgrown the desire to live in the city shortly after graduation, but nevertheless I seized the first opportunity to move out. The overwhelming feedback I got from my friends who mainly lived in suburbia was that they hated the busy city, it was loud, smelly, traffic was terrible, and there were too many people, especially of the unsavoury variety. Despite the negative cloud that hovered over, knowing that I likely would not settle here long-term, I wanted to make the most of my time in the big metropolis.

So below is a list of some of my favourite things about living in the city, some expected, some pleasant surprises.

A walkable city

Despite being surrounded by undeniably more nature in the suburbs, venturing to ones beyond my immediate neighbourhood require either transportation or braving the roads. It isn’t until I’m back in other towns and cities that I truly appreciate how walkable the city is. The reason I rarely take public transportation and almost never drive is because of the connectedness of the sidewalks and businesses dotted along every major street.

The freedom I feel not having to rely on a vehicle is truly unparalleled. A simple and predictable commute despite the conditions, a dash to the ever-increasing number of grocery stores nearby to grab a missing ingredient, adhoc walks with neighbours, all the while adding to my daily step count.

Strolling through neighbourhoods

During my first year in university, I walked into the lecture hall and saw an aerial shot of a suburban neighbourhood. While the thought that it looked like my neighbourhood briefly flitted through my mind, I quickly dismissed it as I presumed all suburbia in this country was more or less the same. Lo and behold, the professor went on to talk more about the “cookie cutter” neighbourhoods that were copy and pasted by the same developers in my neck of the woods. I remember thinking that of course it made sense that all houses built at the same time by the same company would have similar layouts… It wasn’t until I started walking amidst the smaller residential neighbourhoods of downtown that I understood what it meant for houses to have character. 

During the early days of the pandemic, feeling invincible with my mask and Google Maps, I wandered down whatever street I wanted to until I was tired enough to look up my route home. From the cramped alleyways, the quiet emptiness of the garage laneways, the front yards brimming with flowers and vegetable gardens, the multicoloured houses with old brick and new concrete and glass monsters interspersed throughout - I enjoy and appreciate it all. 

Coffee shop hopping

I have always enjoyed coffee shop culture despite only being a relatively recent coffee drinker. The care these business owners take to curate their menu, design their interiors, and especially ones that host local events and workshops - this is my favourite type of third place. My friend and I have a never-ending list of shops to try, and this year we’ve taken it seriously by booking a standing monthly coffee date where we try at least two new cafes each time.

Bicycle lanes (mostly trails!)

I didn’t learn to cycle until I was well into my adult years, and I can’t say I’m very confident in my cycling abilities. While I definitely feel much more safe as a pedestrian in the city, the feeling doesn’t extend to being a cyclist. Almost exclusively cycling in dedicated bike trails or at least protected bike lanes is a joy in discovering the city that extends past my walkability and transportation network.

Picnic culture

Summer is when the city truly comes alive. Take a walk through any of the major parks, and you’ll see picnic blankets lining the grassy fields, frisbee and spike ball being played, and people genuinely enjoying being out in the sun. With such precious little greenspace, the city dwellers make use of every inch of it. My favourite easy picnic hangout consists of everyone picking up some food from a nearby business and sharing nibbles on our colourful blankets.

This love for picnics and easy hangouts led to the first cake picnic that we threw last summer. My friends invited their friends and everyone made beautiful cakes that we tried to protect from the blistering sun, as we all quickly realized our cake threshold was smaller than anticipated. 

These are just some simple and tangible things I love about the city, but the things that have changed me thoroughly are much more complex, and perhaps not only rooted in the city, but in the changes forced through isolation.