Home sweet home

I moved to Minneapolis in February and it has already become HOME. I've lived in the suburbs for 12+ years, driving up into Minneapolis proper at least weekly for events, restaurants, museums and shows. I've always loved the lakes area and Uptown, downtown and Nordeast. Only this year did I finally make the move to my first solo apartment and into one of my favorite Minneapolis neighborhoods.

It didn't take long for it to feel like I belong here. I noticed within days of moving in that one of my neighbors lets her cats run the building. It's fun to come up the steps to see a kitty in the stairwell window. They're friendly and they make me smile. A day or so after that, while walking to my car, I discovered the sweater on the nearby tree. I'm a crafty person when the mood strikes me and always appreciate rogue artworks.

(picture of tree sweater to be added when Blogger decided it wants to cooperate)

As spring arrived, and warmer temperatures started to bring us all out of the woodwork, I started exploring the neighborhood a bit more. The gorgeous tree-lined streets almost feel magical. The diversity of the area, in race and culture, in financial class, in age and stage of life, feels so incredible. Growing up in a mostly middle-class, caucasian town, I found myself craving the rainbow of the city. Looking back, I remember being so excited every time my family would come into the "big city" for a day trip. Now I understand why. The energy of the city is my lifeblood.

The best part of my new neighborhood? It's conducive to exercise! I'm an outdoorsy girl. I hate to waste the short months of Minnesota summer holed up in an air conditioned building. Being so close to the lakes, I am regularly motivated to bike or walk around them. The beautiful tree-canopied streets, each one lined with very different houses from an era gone-by, make me WANT to explore them, be it on foot or on bike. I look forward to my runs when I am able to take in the greenery and flowers in the well-loved yards. I can run in one direction and stick to relatively flat streets or meander in the other direction to hillier streets and a very different experience. I'm a short bike ride from many amazing stores and restaurants. I'm close to the Midtown Greenway, an amazing bike route that cuts across the city. When I do finally give in to Mother Nature and buy a gym membership (October?), I have easy access to many of the major clubs and a ton of smaller ones. In short, I love it here. It's a perfect for me and is doing wonderful things for my health. :o)

What's your favorite outdoor place to exercise?