What do you love about where you live?
Let’s get one thing out of the way, first! The dreadful desert 🌵 heat in the summer is a major aspect of life in the Phoenix region NOT to love. That aside, there are many other reasons to love living in Phoenix, Arizona. For such a heavily urbanized area there are still plenty of bike 🚲 paths to enjoy riding on, and this is one of my favorite things to do! The best time of the year to get the most out of that would be during the November through February period. During this time of the year the climate is optimal to be outdoors for biking, hiking 🥾,golfing, walking, or any other outdoor sports ⚽️ activities.
Another thing I love 💕 about where I live is having quick access to a library 📚 branch. The one closest to me is less than a ten minute walk away. My favorite 😍 library branch, though, is the main one in downtown Phoenix , and this area also has numerous art 🖼️ galleries and cafes that I enjoy 😊 visiting. Other favorite places in this part of town include the Japanese Friendship Garden 🪴 where there are delightful koi fish ponds and swans 🦢 to watch as they laze away the afternoons.
The Phoenix metro area has also developed a much improved public transit 🚆 system over the past eighteen years which I really appreciate being a non-driver. The light rail 🚈 connecting Phoenix and Tempe for instance is a great way to travel 🧭 and avoid annoying traffic snarls. This is such a convenience as many of the best art 🖼️ galleries, museums, the main library 📚 branch, restaurants, bars, cafes, and my church ⛪️ are along its route. It’s also helpful that some of my favorite 🤩 supermarkets are also on, or close to this transit system.
The part of Phoenix also contains many of my favorite antique, nostalgia, and second hand shops. After all, I’d hate to miss a bargain on awesome second-hand books, music 🎼 or knickknacks for my house! Sometimes, though, it’s relief to get out of the city 🌆 and take a drive with my partner or friends and visit attractive suburbs like Scottsdale (superb high-end shopping 🛍️ opportunities), Fountain ⛲️ Hills or Litchfield Park and have lunch at posh resorts like the Wigwam or visit other places like the World Wildlife Zoo. Sometimes we drive out to spectacular locations such as Canyon Lake or ghost 👻 towns like Goldfield or go camping 🏕️ at Lost Dutchman State Park.
The Salt River is also a cool 😎 spot to go for a picnic 🧺 and floating down the river on inner tubes on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Speaking of water 💦, another thing I’ve enjoyed over the years are the water parks scattered around metro Phoenix . Otherwise, being outdoors for any extended period in the summer months is unbearable. In any case, I’m not a person prone to boredom, but it’s still a good thing that there plenty of things to do and a lot to love where I live.
