Walking Downtown.

For the longest time we've been trying to put aside a day to ride the light rail into downtown and spend a morning/afternoon there. As soon as the weather was right, we hopped to it! We were really excited to take the kids with us. Brian and I have been downtown plenty of times, but Em hasn't gone since being old enough to really take in his surroundings. Since it was a Saturday morning, the streets were pretty quiet, but it was probably better for the kids. Emerson loved the "really cool" tall buildings. I loved pointing out their little details and telling him tidbits of history. Our original plan was to find a mom & pop, dive-y restaurant for lunch, then head to Roosevelt Row, a Phoenix art district. We didn't think about the fact that a lot of shops are closed on weekends, but found a pretty awesome little Greek restaurant. After lunch, we walked off our meals. We were all pretty tired, so we decided to save Roosevelt Row as a good excuse to go downtown another day.

























Above three pictures by my little photog, Emerson.





We went out of the way to use the light rail, so it was not absolutely necessary. I don't have a single recollection of using public transportation, so I felt it was finally time for me to experience it. I was pretty pleased! The Phx metro light rail is very new, so I'm hoping that doesn't give me a distorted perception of public transportation as a whole. I imagine we'll be using San Fran & Portland's systems when we visit next month. Emerson has always been excited about the "trains" and enjoyed the ride too. Eisley was mesmerized by the passing blurs of streets and cars. She also loved to people watch and batt her eyes at every stranger that looked her way. We've decided the light rail is the best way to get downtown. No traffic, crazy street rules, or trying to find parking and it's better for mama Earth!

It was really nice to be in an urban setting that is in stark contrast to our little cookie cutter suburb. While I've never lived in the heart of a very big city, I do enjoy the idea of city life. We did get a little tasted of it when we lived in busiest part of Tempe, a larger city in the Phoenix metro area, for about a year. We learned a lot of things about urban living. The biggest part is, if you're going to live in the city with kids, you have to have money. The city is about buying everything: safety, excelling schools, a durable home, etc. While we did love our little apartment, it needed some work that the landlords were not interested in putting in. I also have a high level of anxiety related to crime. Even just the sound of sirens makes my skin crawl and that was on a daily basis! Watching someone get arrested right outside our balcony at 7 a.m. was the end of that journey! At the same time, we're definitely not suburb people. I think, for us, it's the beach or the city- nothing in-between. We'll probably try city life again someday.

This little trip seemed to set the pace for our upcoming plans. We want to make road trips and travel one of our favorite pass-times- essentially become "permatourists." I've always loved playing tourist in a place I've been a dozen times. I touched on how we want to experience the world with our kids a little bit before. Why not start with the home base, Phoenix? What's best is Emerson really seems to love learning about history, (he is his father's son! Have I told you yet that Brian's going to get a bachelors in history?) trying new things, and meeting new people. With Brian and I's fields of study pertaining to culture, I think we lucked out with this one. He's so extroverted too! He got that part from his dad, without a doubt. I can't wait to see how Eisley takes to traveling. I see her being like myself: hesitant at first, but extremely excited once warmed up to the idea of being somewhere new! I can't wait to step foot in the cities that are calling our names and immerse ourselves in their cultures.