Welcome! One of the main reasons I like living in a city is because there is so much to do in my favorite place in the world: outside. Maybe it seems a bit counterintuitive to move to a city to indulge in the great outdoors, but cities like Washington D.C. and Saint Paul, MN offer green spaces in abundance.
I grew up in a Maryland suburb and enjoyed my childhood of playing in woods, rivers, and salt marshes. I moved to the “big city”, Washington, D.C., for grad school and stayed for 22 years.
Washington, D.C. is a great place for outdoor enthusiasts to grow roots. Public transportation is fairly easy to use and the city is walkable and increasingly biker-friendly. Those of us that like to cook enjoy lots of options for farmers markets during the warmer months. Festivals draw people out of their apartments and into neighborhoods. Flying kites on the mall and biking on city trails make summer evenings feel like holidays. I’ve even seen people cross-country skiing on snowy D.C. streets, but alas it does not snow as often anymore. I was constantly amazed by the menagerie of birds, bats, and bugs in my backyard. And when you get tired of being in the city, there are hundreds of places to escape to nearby, from oceans to mountains and a monadnock in between.
Unable to afford buying a home in the area, I moved with my partner to Saint Paul, MN. We’re getting familiar with this bikeable city that offers lakeside activities, plenty of quiet birding locations, and winter outdoor fun such as cross-country skiing and ice-skating.
Both of these cities host natural beauty that is not hidden too far from the concrete and high rises of city centers. Grab your binoculars and walking shoes and start exploring!
P.S. Follow me on Instagram @stacielee_dc.