cathedral of st. paul, originally uploaded by Dan Anderson
Overall I'm glad to be moving out of St. Paul. I just couldn't get used to people screaming ten feet away from my window, youth in revolt standing in intersections to block traffic, cars blasting music so loud that it rattles our dishes, or the other daily realities of city life. But I will miss some things about living in this neighborhood.
The best thing about living here was the convenience of an urban location. Just step out to the sidewalk and you're only a few minutes' stroll from a number of nice parks, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. There's a co-op grocery two blocks away, I can buy flowers and cupcakes for Jenna down Selby, and all the shopping of Grand Avenue is just a few blocks south. The city plows the streets in the winter so we don't have to worry about it. And we were centrally located in the greater Twin Cities metro area, which meant easy access to anything cool going on around town.
Then there are the little things I'll miss. Like our cute little urban garden, especially the peonies and irises (we dug up some strawberry and raspberry plants to transplant, since they grow abundantly, so not everything will be left behind). Having a fenced yard was nice for our dog and our toddler. And I love to hear the bells of our neighborhood church, especially late at night or on a cold, lonely, snowy morning.