Monday, July 27, 2009

Day to Day

I suppose it's fitting to have this one come on a Monday! Here are some things I've noticed about day to day life in downtown. Well for one, since my walk to work spans about 5 minutes (sofa to desk chair) and I come home for lunch most days, I never actually feel like I'm going to work. I just kinda pop in the office, 4 hours at a time, twice a day, and all of a sudden I'm back home again...AWESOME! With this has come a seemingly inevitable inability to actually keep track of what day it is.

Example:
I hit the town last Thursday night and before dinner was over I was convinced that it was Friday - made for some interesting conversation, made for an even more interesting Friday morning. I ate a lot of words that night.


Overall I'd have to say the day to day is about one thing: CONVENIENCE. Yeah, that's pretty easy to guess, but it's hard to actually fathom without experiencing it. Being so close to the majority of things that I need has seriously revolutionized my life. No more rushing home from work to run errands, no more planning trips to make sure I can squeeze everything in before closing time. Everything seems a lot simpler now. Even if I have to hop in my car the destination is less than 10 minutes away. So "convenience" is already assumed as a perk of living in a downtown area but I'm gonna take it one step further and list not "convenience" as the perk, but rather "a-disproportionately-large-and-extremely-satisfying-reduction-in-stress" as the real perk here. I should mention that Publix is just right down the elevator from me which, admittedly, is spoiling me beyond belief, but I imagine that it's not really that much of a inconvenience for folks in other buildings to walk a couple blocks.

So that's the general bit, but there are a couple specifics about daily life here that I really love:

  • people. everywhere. all the time. This is really heaven for a person who enjoys environments with a lot of social interaction. On a personal level, I honestly just kinda really like to say hi to random people so I'm like a kid in a candy store. I've noticed that in general the people are all very friendly around the streets and even more so within the buildings.

  • noise. everywhere. all the time. But it's the good kind of noise! This is really why choosing the right building for yourself matters. I'm in the South Eola area and couldn't be happier...away from the train, massive crowds, and club music I get the calming background noise of the living, breathing city. I sit on my balcony during lunch or after work and it's extremely relaxing. If you like things a little more lively, grab a building in the CBD and you'll get all the action you could dream of! Something for everyone, haha.

  • me. everywhere. all the time. Maybe it's just the elevation and the fact that I can see everything but, seriously, I feel like I can be in 12 places at once. I like it. A lot.


  • So that's some good stuff about day to day life in DtO. Now for the bad part...

    I feel like I didn't get enough done at work today so that desk chair of mine that's 5 minutes away from the sofa I'm sitting on right now?...yeah, I'm gonna go sit in it for a little bit and catch up. Maybe I'll reward myself afterward with a treat. On that note, if any adventurous entrepreneurs are out there reading: Downtown Orlando needs an ice cream parlor. Like, yesterday. Talk about a serious improvement for day to day life!

    3 comments:

    1. a) theres gelato at the urban think bookstore AND there is mochi opening up at the plaza (like cefiore )

      b)ill agree on the less stress/more conveniennce yes sir!

      im glad i finally found a place i can stress less about and enjoy :)

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    2. okay, I hate to say it, but I TOLD YOU...city living is the best...it's essentially public vs. private space...if you would rather huddle in your backyard than take a stroll down the block, well then take thee to the suburbs!

      so happy you experience the city life everyday!

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    3. yeah, yeah, yeah...took me a few years to come around, Tash, but I made it! I'll allow you to rub this one in my face cuz yeah, you definitely told me, haha.

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