yes, virginia-this is a college town (part 1)

kgb and i have had numerous lengthy discussions about gainesville in the past year. they generally revolve around this general theme: orlando=all that's good, gville=podunk and boring, or my favorite: gainesville is a dirtier, smaller version of orlando. i often take the position of explaining how gainesville is charming and quiet and eclectic and earthy, not podunk or boring. i have to admit, i do miss a few of the comforts of bigger cities, but gainesville has grown on me since i first moved here. i miss all of the friends who have moved away, and i wish that my family and the beach (in that order, but it's close) were a little easier to get to, but i like it here. i hope that it grows on him the way it grew on me, but diff'rent strokes, right? ;)

i was raised in the suburbs, and once upon a time it was easy for me to give up on this town. i thought i had bigger fish to fry. fresh from high school and my first trip to europe, i unpacked the boxes into my freshman year dorm room and babbled about how i couldn't wait to move to atlanta, where promise and glory beckoned to me like a glistening glass of sweet tea on a summer day, or like a shoe sale at saks to a trophy wife*. but life happens, and with the exception of a brief 16-month sabbatical to atlanta and orlando, i've lived here (happily) for 13 years. it's been my home longer than any other city, and even though i moved around at least a dozen times during that period, it still feels like home.

there are lots of things i love about gainesville, but there are only so many times you can listen to people tell you how great this place is, even when you love it. besides, they only ever mention the same ten or twelve things. it's like watching the freshmen return each fall--there might be variations, but it's gonna be the same story...let's see if i can do any better:

why gainesville pretty much rocks:
-it's small enough that you know the guy at the coffee shop, but big enough that your neighbor doesn't tell everyone in town who was at your place last weekend.
-you can ride your bike anywhere and everywhere. and it's fun.
-the oppressive heat and humidity of summer is offset by the fact that the city's population is reduced by half for three glorious, traffic-free, empty-restaurant months. AND you don't have to deal with a bunch of old people from the northeast in the winter.
-you can sit on top of a parking garage, watch the sun set over the butterfly house, and if you time it right, watch either a) a storm come in or b) the moon rise over campus behind you.
-you're only an hour and a half from everything except mountains. if you want mountains, you can bike down 8th ave.
-more places for brunch under $20 than most big cities, and usually with all-you-can-drink mimosas
-watching people act like they live in milan. or new york, or london. they're usually just from south florida or leesburg...it's awesome.
-sandhill cranes (cliche, but once you've heard that sound...)
-almost everything you need is within a half hour drive, even during rush hour.
-rush hour here only lasts about 20 minutes, and it's only on four roads.
-the monkey tree in butler plaza.

that's it for now. what did i miss?

*when you can't pick a simile, use both!