My Dream Neighborhood Came True
I'm over it.
Dear Travelers,
I hope you had a great week!
I am on a mission to write as much as I can this month. Someone in my writing group said September Challenge and I said, “Let’s go!”
Please enjoy this article I just sent to publish.
Have a great weekend & take care of each other.
Peace,
Kit
Have you ever received exactly what you wanted? You had a vision for your future and it all came true? It doesn’t happen very often but it has happened to me.
My neighborhood is dope.
Coffee shops are within walking distance and every place is dog-friendly. Breweries are abundant. The coolest restaurants keep popping up down the street. Every type of food is about two blocks from me: French, ramen, Mexican, Asian. Whatever your mood, you can find it on my street. I’m over it. I’m looking to get out.
Fifteen years ago we bought a condo in a sketchy part of town. There wasn’t much here except a gas station, a 7–11, and a dive bar. The nearest coffee shop was a mile away. We were thrilled!
While our block was somewhat dangerous, we saw great things for this place. Yes, we heard police helicopters nightly. Okay, that gas station got robbed. But we made friends with our neighbors and looked out for each other. We envisioned fantastic development with places to eat and people to see. Man, we were on to something.
We purchased this property in 2006 and then guess what happened? Yes, recession. We paid our mortgage on time so we were not eligible for any financial relief. We realized that we wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon. We didn’t want to walk away and ruin our financial history so we dug our heels in and made our place awesome.
New wood floors that are killer. We painted it ourselves. We bought thoughtful furniture that we loved. We traveled and brought back special items. We got a dog. It was home. We watched the neighborhood grow around us like bamboo. Buildings started to become taller and parking disappeared.
That development we thought would happen has surpassed our wildest dreams. The progress is staggering. Two blocks from us an old apartment complex was bought and razed. The new structure takes up half a city block, is four stories high, and has underground parking. It is massive.
Old friends are still here but the new ones are a little hard to take.
This neighborhood is right off a busy freeway. You exit, take a right, and there is our house. Sometimes I have to wait in gridlock just to get into my driveway.
Ride-sharing is on another level. No matter what time I take my dog outside, there is an Uber down the street waiting with their headlights on. This happens at midnight. It happens all day long. I’m convinced that nobody knows what parking lights are anymore. Try crossing the street with a car parked on the side with their headlights shining on you. You cannot see anything behind them. Cool. I guess I’ll just kamikaze my way across this street.
Sometimes people throw up in the front of our complex. As I said, there are bars and breweries everywhere. Step over it. Make sure the dog goes around. Passers-by yell at each other at one in the morning. A couple pulled off the freeway the other day screaming at one another. She kicked him out. He slammed her car door three times and she drove away. It can be a little nuts.
A few years ago the police were chasing a person that ducked into our neighbor’s back yard. The swat team came in with dogs in backpacks. DOGS IN BACKPACKS, you guys. Needless to say, they got the guy.
This place is really great. It’s culturally diverse and the people here are genuine. Close to bars and restaurants with freeway access sounds like the perfect place to be — and it was — but not anymore.
It is always loud and busy. Everyone wants to hang out over here and be seen. I can’t walk my dog in the evening on some streets because the sidewalks are overrun with people waiting to get into places. And they don’t move when you’re trying to walk by. They just stare at me. “Cute dog!” They exclaim. Now, I just avoid those areas altogether.
Sometimes you get exactly what you want and then you change your mind. That’s okay. We are now deciding where we will go next and what we want. What is important to us at this stage in life is not the same as it was fifteen years ago. That’s good. Progress, grow, move away. We are narrowing down what is truly important in our lives. It’s looking like nature and family are winning out. Gone are the days of coffee shops, bars, and a high-density living environment.
I’ll miss seeing the regulars like the liquor store guy and the coffee shop guys every day. I’ll miss the convenience of everything being so close. I’ll miss the Jimi Hendrix mural I walk by daily but I can’t wait to see what the next place brings. There will be someone or something great that we could have never imagined. We’ll rent this place maybe and let new people enjoy everything this neighborhood has to offer.
Keep moving. Keep living. Keep changing what doesn’t work for you. It’s all progress. It’s all just living life. When it all starts to annoy you, you’ll know you’re ready for a new adventure.
You paint such great descriptions! Your neighborhood comes alive. AND you decision to move on makes so much sense.