I Run These Towns

Washington, DC is the place that first made this small town girl fall in love with cities when I was 16. I go to DC relatively often, and each time I am reminded why I fell so hard. I was standing outside of the Foggy Bottom Metro Station this past weekend listening to a street musician, watching all of the people walk by and sitting on patios enjoying an afternoon cocktail, and it struck me once again. Cities are where it happens. People want to be in cities. And I fell in love all over again. Vibrant scene outside the Foggy Bottom Metro stop Last weekend we took a family vacation to DC. My husband and I are frequent DC visitors, but his family had never been.  While I generally want to spend my time in DC checking out all of the diverse neighborhoods, every few years it's fun to play tourist. We flew into Baltimore and took the Amtrak to DC. We've flown into BWI before, but this was our first experience with taking the Amtrak. It was relatively painless, and the substa...

Lobbying is a cynical business. Working in politics every day has made this former idealistic thinker a bit of a Debbie Downer. There are lots of great policy ideas that get nixed every day because of politics. It's the nature of the game, but in my job it's the communities themselves that keep me focused on how I'm doing the right thing. Everyone wants to love where they live, but communities matter for many more reasons than that. They are the center for economic growth and job creation. They are attracting talented workers and entrepreneurial ideas. Working for cities matters because cities matter. It's enough to help me put my cynicism aside even if only temporarily. Yesterday some of my colleagues and I had a joint retreat in Detroit. When you talk about the value of placemaking in communities, Detroit is ground zero for that conversation not just here in Michigan but across the country. I've blogged about Detroit on a number of occasions (even just a few we...

Running is one way for me to relieve stress and relax. Another way is purging. I love to get rid of things. Sometimes it's gotten me into trouble when I've thrown away something that I needed or wanted later. But it's essentially another form of therapy for me to get rid of things I don't need.  Moving is the ultimate in eradicating clutter and unnecessary things from my life. Just a week ago our attic was full of things we didn't need and hadn't looked at in the seven years we've lived in our house. Today it's nearly empty, the recycling bin is full, and labeled plastic containers are neatly stacked in the garage. It's a sight that makes this Type A lady nearly giddy with organizing pleasure. One thing that has been difficult is packing up our nursery, a room we set up nearly two years ago and have never used. Last year I posted a blog about how hard Mother's Day was as another year passed without us having a child. Taking down all the thin...

I have a love/hate relationship with the television show House Hunters . I love houses, and I love to see how real estate markets work in other communities. I am convinced, however, that in order to be on the show one must be a total self-centered moron. I still DVR the show and watch it on occasion, but it makes me weep a little bit for America (the international version is WAY less objectionable).  As someone who is in the process of purchasing a house built in 1884 in the heart of downtown in an urban Mid-West city, I clearly have preferences about how houses should look and where they should be located. I HATE sprawl. I also hate new houses - if it was built before 1960, I wouldn't even look at it. I get it - to each his or her own. Some people want to live in a new house in a green field right by the freeway (lovely view) developed with horrible land use policies and brand new infrastructure instead of investing in a developed community that already has all the infrastruct...

Dr. Seuss said: "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than you." Despite my general state of rapid movement, I spend a lot of time reflecting. That self reflection manifests itself in the form of writing. It (along with running) is my outlet for stress and self expression. I feel like I'm an open book both in this blog and in my life in general, but I also realize there are so many things that make up who I am. Someone asked me recently what my favorite album was, and I was stumped. I have so many varied music interests that it's hard to think of one thing in particular that encompasses everything I love. I listen to country, R&B, rap, 80s music...the list is endless. I finally landed on Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill , which I think is brilliant. I have listened to that album hundreds of times. But that doesn't take into account some of my other favorites like Michael Jackson's Thriller and The Eagle...

It's no secret that I am in love with the City of Detroit. I am also in love with running. Combining the two things means I'm likely to have an amazing day. Last weekend I ran the inaugural Cocoa Classic Half Marathon in Downtown Detroit, and it was amazing. It's one of the most fun races I've run in a really long time. In my 14th half marathon I also finally broke the two-hour mark. It's been the bane of my running existence ever since I set my half marathon PR of 2:02 in 2012.  I will start with probably the only negative thing to mention about the Cocoa Classic - packet pick-up. It was terrible. First off it was in Birmingham which, for those of you playing at home, is not downtown Detroit. It was inconvenient to get there, and pick-up was outside on a sidewalk. I also had to deal with two kids fighting over who wanted to give me my swag (a hoodie and a knit hat which are great). I have about zero tolerance for teenagers in general. I want to get my stuff and...

I've always been a commitmentphobe when it comes to staying in Michigan. Part of me always thought that I would eventually end up somewhere else - probably closer to family in Virginia or West Virginia. Even after eight years in Michigan I always kind of assumed at some point we'd move. It has been really difficult to wrap my head around staying here for the duration. Somehow, like that guy in his late 20's who finally decides to propose to his long-term girlfriend, the decision has been made. I'm staying in Michigan.  Last year my husband and I looked at a fabulous historic home in downtown Lansing. We dreamed of buying it. This week we made a deal with the owners to do just that. We're moving to downtown Lansing, about a half a mile from our offices (assuming there are no surprises with our inspection...which would break my heart.) There are a lot of reasons to stay in Michigan - family, friends, jobs we love, the inexpensive cost of living that allows us to t...

After a long, brutal winter, I think we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (knock on wood). Last weekend during my run I had to take my gloves off because I was too warm. Yesterday I attended my first ever Tigers Opening Day at Comerica Park in Detroit. The weather was flawless - sunny, temperatures in the low 60s. Detroit was humming with anticipation of Tiger baseball, but there was more. It is springtime in Michigan's flagship city, and the air was filled with hope and (dare I say it?) idealism. Enjoying a great lunch at Fountain Bistro with my friends Detroit hasn't had the easiest road. It's easy for people to look at what's happened in Detroit - political scandal, the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy - and write it off as untenable. Those people, however, just don't get it. They don't understand that the City of Detroit is the linchpin in making Michigan the kind of state that is attractive to young, talented workers. ...