What do you love about where you live? Says Cup of Jo reader Katherine: “Kitsilano, a seaside neighborhood in Vancouver, is stunning year round (even in the rainy winter) but it shines brightest in the summer when Vancouverites flock to Kits pool, the longest outdoor pool in North America!” Here, 11 other readers share what’s great about the places they call home…
“Chicago is where I met my husband and where our kids were born — it is home. I love that it’s a city of neighborhoods, each with its own flavor; home to world-class restaurants and museums; and, that for five months a year, people flock outside and are reminded of, despite the cold winter, how awesome the city is.” — Clothilde, Chicago
“Brussels can be quite rainy, but at the end of the day we always get one or two hours of rosy sunshine. It’s the perfect time to go for a walk, get a €2 waffle and pet dogs (see also: the bazillion sunset pics in my phone).” — Gabrielle, Brussels, Belgium
“I love how safe Taipei is. People here don’t hesitate to save seats in cafés and restaurants by putting their handbags or phones or computers on the table. I once left my laptop in a neighborhood cafe while I ran home to grab my charger. It never occurred to me that it wouldn’t be there when I came back.” — Kathy, Taipei
“What I find so endearing about Portland is, of all things, the garages! Since space comes at a premium, you’ll often find neighboring houses sharing a garage — with a line down the middle to separate their distinct halves, which are decorated to match the main house. How cute is that?!” — Sophie, Portland, Oregon
“I live in Northern Michigan (aka ‘Up North’ for Michiganders). Winters can be tough, but the picturesque towns, sand dunes, beaches with Caribbean blue water, and endless adventures make them worth it. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (pictured here) feels like you’re standing at the edge of the world.” — Erin, Northern Michigan
“In Barcelona, I love bumping into buildings from the Catalan modernist movement. They always leave me in a state of awe. This one — architect Antoni Gaudí’s first house in the city — is just two blocks from my apartment.” — Diana, Barcelona
“I live in Edmonton, Canada, which is the northernmost city in North America with a population of over one million. Why would I live in this land of snow and ice, you ask? The Rocky Mountains and the proximity to grandparents.” — Kara, Edmonton
“We live on a farm in a small town called Tulbagh in South Africa. What I love most about it is being able to start and end each day with a striking view of the mountains. Our home is a serene space with a feeling of peace and gratitude. A safe haven after a long day of work.” — Bongi, the Western Cape, South Africa
“I live in Brooklyn with my husband and our daughters. I love how many different cultures we get to experience. In a single week, we might go uptown to Barney Greengrass for bagels and lox, stop by a Mexican bakery in Sunset Park for pan dulce, and eat dim sum in Chinatown. My girls get especially excited when we meet someone who speaks Spanish, like they do. Thankfully, in New York this happens a lot.” — Melina, Brooklyn
“I live in Ohio to be close to family and because of Lake Erie!” — Emily, Cleveland, Ohio
“It’s hard to sum up in one picture, but what I love about Dublin are all the ways that one can access the Irish Sea. A quick bike ride, swimming costume and towel, and I’m in the ocean. The water is never warm but we get in anyway. A cup of tea from a flask warms us up after, and post-swim chats feed the soul. Dublin, you beauty.” — Trish, Dublin
What do you love about where you live?
P.S. 12 readers share their cozy spots at home and who do you live with?
I love this post so much! We are currently looking for a new spot, help! Currently live in Denver (lived here most of my life, love the Rocky Mountains but need something new).
Four kids, would love access to water, mountains and urban. Any recs??
Okay but can you do a version with “boring” places? More Ohio’s please.
I recently moved from a gorgeous waterside town to middle America suburbs…. I need some inspiration on THAT lol
I live in Montreal. I love this city because it’s filled with people from all over the world. We experience four intense seasons, and our winters are much too long, but that’s what makes people so excited when summer finally arrives. The city becomes electrifying, and I have never experienced this kind of energy anywhere else. It’s an international city, filled with delicious food, art, and streets on a human scale. I feel at home there because I can consider it’s my own, even though I wasn’t born there. Viva Montreal!
The views in Seattle. I didn’t realized how hilly Seattle is until I moved here a year ago. Stupendous views of the trees, the surrounding waters, mountains, downtown, the neighborhoods, are everywhere and it’s glorious.
I love my parisian neighborhood, the lively and happy market, the friendly bookshop, the generous baker who treats me for coffee, our popular café where the expresso is 1euro…
I’m from the DC area and I empathize with the Taxation without representation. So unfair. I live in Northern Virginia and I truly enjoy the 4 seasons. I like being close to Dulles Airport and flying to Europe easily. I like that I’m close to the city but have peace and tranquillity in my neighborhood with tall mature trees. I don’t like the politics of the city and power trip many people are on because of the political environment.
I have been fortunate to have visited Vancouver and have swum in the Kitsilano pool. Ammaaazing. I’ve also enjoyed Sleeping Bear Dunes at Lake Michigan. The water was crystal clear. Best swimming in a lake ever. Gorgeous places.
I live in a small town in Northwestern Connecticut and truly feel at home when I’m here. My favorite things are the neighborly interactions that happen when I sit on my porch or go out for a walk in town. I’ve only lived here for a few years, but I always see someone I know whenever I go to the Town Hall, one of the handful of restaurants, or for a walk along the river. There are nice opportunities for skiing, biking or kayaking here, and there’s often live music being played outside by a local band. I’m happy that my teenagers are growing up in a place where they’re friends with our neighbors of all ages. It’s a special place and I feel lucky to call it home.
Do you live in Stars Hollow?!
My husband, kids, and I live where we do because our parents, our siblings, our extended family… everyone’s here. I wonder about living in other places, but the proximity to grandparents feels like something that keeps us here–for all the wonderful reasons, of course. But how do you decide to make a change if it means leaving your family? curious to hear from those who have done that.
We were the first to leave the “everyone’s here” place, and we did it because our quality of life rose exponentially when we moved. We could buy a home, I could stay home when the kids were little, we have access to all the things we care about (mountains, beach, city), and are still able to drive to see all the family. Grandparents drive up a few times a year, we drive to each of them once a year, so we still see each other every 3-6 months. It was 100% worth it.
Hi, Elle: We have just done that. A month ago we moved to another country from our little “everyone’s here” village. We know our family will miss us and our children but you only have one chance to live the life you want, and not the one that circumstances allows. Hope it helps!
I live in Delft, the Netherlands. I really like biking to farms just outside of the city where you can buy groceries. Also, the small-town vibes and the canals..
However I just moved back (after 15 years), and I am yet to meet new friends. Anyone from Cup of Jo living in Delft (or The Hague, or Rotterdam)? I’d love to meet up!
My sister lived in Rotterdam for about two years. I had such a lovely time visiting her. Taking the train to Delft was a highlight. Such a charming place!
Marianne, I am in The Hague and would be happy to meet up! I am on insta as mrskoelewijn – send me a DM there are we can make a plan. 🙂
Rocky River, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The houses are older and not cookie cutter, there is an abundance of beautiful trees, and I can walk to 6 different entrances to Lake Erie. We are close to Cleveland and it is a great foodie town, has an excellent art museum that is free, great theater, and so many wonderful walking neighborhoods. January and February are dismal, but the rest of the year makes up for it. I’ve also lived in Ridgewood and Glen Rock, NJ which I also loved. But family is here.
I’m from Copenhagen and live (just outside of CPH) and work here, and I just love the city with everyone biking around and having so much water surrounding the city – there are many bathings zones in Copenhagen habour so people are gathering and enjoiyng the water. Even in winther, people are swimming here – you can be member of winther bathing clubs with saunas :-). We have lots of great restaurants, old buildings and parks – and woods and lakes just outside of the city. The BEST thing about Copenhagen is that it is so SAFE. You never need to worry about anything when walking around the different neighbourhoods.
BUT winther here is tough – cold and grey (from Nov-April). And I would love to have near acces to mountains and skiing. For that we go to Sweden or Norway (6-8 hours drive to skiing resorts). Also, the city is not that diverse. And people are not as open to speak with random people as they are in the US. I would love that!
I’m dreaming of Vermont and the chance to live there for a little period of my life in a small cozy city, being able to ski and enjoy nature there. Looks so nice 🙂
I just moved to Brasilia from the US and there are so many things I miss (iced coffee! a walkable city!) but I love how welcoming Brazil is towards families. Most of the restaurants we’ve been to have playgrounds or play spaces for the children to go to before the food is served, or if you want to hang out after you’re done eating and the kids are getting fidgety. The play spaces are even monitored and it makes us feel welcome and my kids feel less like interlopers in an adult space.
I’m also loving how friendly people seem. At least where we are, every conversation starts with “Good morning/afternoon/evening, how are you?” Even via text! We went up to someone working at a national park and said “Excuse me, how do we get to the hiking trail?” and he responded, “Good morning, how are you?” It’s a good reminder that we’re not in too big of a rush to be polite and friendly.
I’m about to move to a new city: Charlotte, NC! Hoping to buy a house, be closer to family, and just have a new adventure. I hope I like it!
I live in Belfast and absolutely love living here. I’m from Armagh which is a wee town about an hour away and after living in Scotland and Australia for a good part of my twenties, I settled a little closer to home and have been here the last 8 years.
A few reasons why I love living in Belfast: the people (I’ve never met people as witty and as friendly as the Irish, one of the big reasons why I came home), pints of Guinness in a cosy pub on a wild winter day, sea swims every week (I live 5 mins drive from the sea), sunrises from Cavehill, all the micro breweries & distilleries that are popping up across the city, running along the rugged coastline on my lunch break while looking out at the sea that changes colour every day, working in an office overlooking the dry dock where the Titanic was built, the food scene (there is so much good food here now and it feels like a new restaurant is opening every week!).
Bonus: you’re a short drive away from the stunning Mourne mountains, Dublin, the north coast dotted with ruined castles and Donegal (my favourite county in Ireland and, according to her recent Instagram post, Sarah Jessica Parker!)
Of course Belfast (and the rest of NI) has been through turbulent times and our local political parties still have a long way to go but at the end of it all, the majority of the people here want to do good and really care about their community. It’s a special place and I love that tourists from all over the world are coming here more & more to discover how special it is.
We moved from Seattle to London nearly five years ago, but both London neighbourhoods we lived in previously were chosen by commute rather than, like, vibes… UNTIL NOW! We just bought a house here in a part of Hackney that is so much more US. More tattoos and piercings and inclusivity and liberal politics, while still reflecting much more diversity than our part of Seattle had.
We love that we can now pop out of the door and shop at amazing yummy local shops and cafes, get really nice coffees, and – get this – we are literally 3 min from our kids’ school and nursery. It’s wild. We’ve NEVER had this level of walkability, and it’s also much easier to go places in the car than it was in our more central neighbourhood. (We love not *having* to drive much, but it’s nice for it not to be a pain when you do.)
Neither of us has a commute right now, so we’ll see how future proof this choice is – but I’m loving the location and amenities and the blend of things that are for our kids as well as for us grown-ups. My soul feels far more satisfied here. Just hoping it sticks!
I hope the
I love my city Vancouver, BC. I love that I’m in such close proximity to so much nature. I can hike on the North Shore (Cypress has a few favourite hikes) and then have a picnic on the beach later on. 3rd beach is my absolute favourite, Spanish Banks a close second.
I live in orange county and absolutely love having quick access to the beach.
Denver, CO. I love when I stop at a traffic light or get stuck in traffic I get to look one way or another and see the mountains. You can see the mountains pretty much all the time you’re driving down the street. Unless trees are blocking the view, which is pretty great too. Great parks, bike trails and coffee, too.
It’s so fascinating to see how many of your readers have lived in multiple cities…and countries, even! I’ve lived within the same three mile radius my entire life…sixty years…in Spokane, Washington.
Spokane – my home and my favorite place in the world.
Cheers to family & Lake Erie, Emily. Same, same.
Bongi, your beautiful photo and words brought a tear to my eye. I’ve never been to SA but my husband is from East Africa, I know it’s a big continent and this comment doesn’t even make sense logically, but I miss mama’s skies and we can’t go “home” now because our place is in war.
I’m from a rural town in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. My favourite thing about where I live is that the cashiers at our grocery store keep juice boxes and fruit under the counter to give kids during checkout.
Fellow Canadian who visited Cape Breton for the first time this year. Gorgeous place, lovely people. What an amazing corner of our country you live in 🙂
This such an inspiring post…and has me thinking of where I would really love to live!
Love this post- I’ve moved a lot in my life and with our biggest move yet (other side of the world) coming up this year this topic is at the forefront of my mind (browsing real estate is my #1 pastime).
Grew up in the Hudson valley NY, college in NYC then LA. Did 10 years in LA (Malibu, Santa Monica, Pasadena), then 3 years on the central coast (San Luis Obispo) before moving to Maui 2 years ago!
Living on Maui is a dream for so many but is such a dichotomy to live here. Beautiful paradise, but insanely expensive, a ton of homeless, trash problems, etc.
of everywhere I’ve lived I think my favorite is San Luis Obispo, Los Osos to be specific. Right at the bottom of Big Sur, a sleepy coastal town. Foggy dune walks, farmers market closing off streets downtown. 3 hours from San Fran or LA. Good schools and hospitals.
Our next move is to Australia and I’ve spend endless hours trying to find our San Luis Obispo/Los Osos there. Any reader suggestions? On my list are sunny coast, Pittwater area ($$$!) and Mornington peninsula. Would love any advice!
I don’t know about Australia but just wanted to say hi from another SLO resident 🙂
Aussie here – look up Tasmania (Hobart, specifically). World-class food and a great farmers market culture, foggy walks, breathtaking mountains… it’s my favourite place in the world but too cold for my tropical husband.
Do you specifically have to live in any area in Australia for work? Or is the entire country open to you? Aussie living in Melbourne here. I’d say LA is most like Perth in weather, but Sydney in vibe. My favourite sleepy coastal town might be Margaret River in Western Australia, but Byron Bay has big California vibes to me, too.
I moved to my dream life a year and a half ago after saving up for a decade! My little family and I live near Glenwood Springs, Colorado and I have burst into happy tears exiting the grocery store, which has an unbelievable mountain view. My toddler and I spend summer days in the hot springs pools, paddle boarding in alpine lakes, hiking, camping and biking. Winter brings skiing, snowshoeing, etc etc.
I truly cannot believe I get to live here and raise my babe in this wonderland 🙂
Just here to say I love this post so much! Really nicely done.
I’m happy to call San Francisco home. I love the free concerts at the bandshell in Golden Gate Park, the people, riding the bus with my kids, Lafayette Park, Tunnel Tops Park, the activities and museums – but mostly, it’s that every day can look like a different painting depending on the light and the weather. The colors here are phenomenal. The week when pianos are set throughout the botanical gardens so people can play or listen to music in fresh air is moving. Picnics and sports days with friends in the park, the feeling of energy and enthusiasm, fulfillment and curiosity that I get from the people I interact with – people are what make this place special. It is also really great to meet people from all over the place – their perspectives and experiences are so enriching for me. I feel included, encouraged to be myself, inspired to shine here. I am a part of this community and I am grateful to be here.
I also live in San Francisco and although I’m saddened by some of the changes ( the closing of Anchor Steam brewery after 127 years) we are a phoenix and will rise again. It’s still a beautiful and special place. I’m grateful to be here too!
I moved down to Orange County, CA (Irvine to be exact) right before the pandemic. It was a big change from my home city of San Francisco but has slowly started to feel like home. I love the beautiful (warm) beaches, the diversity (so much good food), and being sandwiched between two larger cities, as well as easy access to the desert and mountains.
i chuckled while mentally taking that sweet paragraph about the safety of taipei and applying it to oakland, or even berkeley, here in the bay area. things here are…different. very different.
I live in Oakland and I had the same thought! I love it here but it sounds dreamy to live in a place where constant vigilance is not required in public.
yes, same here – living in San Jose where you cannot leave ANYTHING in your car or out of sight. I had my banged up bike in the car and took it out last night because I was afraid that someone might want to steal it overnight and smash the window of my car for that … it’s sad (this is a fairly nice neighborhood). While I am not in love with the city of San Jose, it has beautiful surroundings to enjoy year round. Sunset at Westcliff in Santa Cruz, drive up Sierra Road for a little hike, it looks different each month, from the green winter hills to the current yellow dried out scenery, and I love each of these views. Any of the smaller local Redwood parks. The scent of Redwood forest. Not the touristy stuff, there is so much more to the Bay Area.
I’m a Texan transplant to Boston, and I love my neighborhood of East Boston – friendly dogs, harbor views and a real neighborhood feel. In the larger city, I love the bookstores, live theatre, historical buildings and high concentration of brilliant folks from all over the world. (we have 60+ colleges and universities!).
I love that you said “friendly dogs”. 🙂
I’m originally from Chicago and lived in Brussels. I loved seeing these cities on here and feel they are both underrated! I currently live in Amsterdam and it is truly a dream. As sterotypical as it sounds, I adore the biking culture, even when I’m cycling through rain and wind for 25 min to work. I’ve become much more resilient while living here 😉
I am going to Amsterdam for the very first time next week, and I am MOST excited about the bikes! Haha
A part of parenthood that I never anticipated is being introduced to your children’s inherent passions. My oldest is just 4 and has the most random passion: garage doors! Our car and walking routes are designed to visit neighborhoods with the most interesting garages. My YouTube history is cluttered with garage door repair, garage door accidents, and garage door installation videos. We picnic in our garage. Family members report the status of their garages regularly to update my kiddo.
I visited Portland for the first time this summer on a business trip. I noticed how special garages are there right away. You better believe I was sending photos galore back to my kid! I can’t wait to plan a family trip to bring him directly to the source very soon! Portland garages….I’m telling you!
It’s so funny to hear this! My son just turned 8 and he has LOVED garage doors ever since he was a very young toddler. We 100% thought he was the only one in the world with this interest! He still passionately loves garage doors and wants us to stop walking every time we pass one that just might open.
I live in Toronto.
In my life, I’ve also lived in Newfoundland, Montreal, the Ontario Countryside and even a short stint in Texas.
I feel pretty confident when I say it’s the greatest city for living. I actually tried to leave because it’s pretty expensive here, but I came back. It’s kind of a Goldilocks city. It’s big, but not the biggest. We get all the seasons but nothing too extreme. I don’t know, I’ve always found it easy to build community here but others may disagree. Winters here are quite gray but the summers are amazing.
For me, it’s an excellent city for walking (this is crucial for my mental health). Then I see people I’m the neighbourhood on those walks and have a
quick chat (also important for my mental health). It sort of feels like the olden days when people lived in tight knit communities before there were cars. I still go to the meat store, the produce store, the drug store, the toy store.
It’s a simple blueprint for a good life. It just works. I wish more cities would include it in this long term planning.
100% echo everything you’ve said about Toronto. Every time I go away I enjoy the experience of exploring somewhere new, AND I feel grateful that Toronto is my home. Walkability, community, restaurants, and all the amazing perks that come with being Canadian in terms of access to social services (Could it be much, much better? YES! But it’s infinitely better than many other places I’d otherwise consider living.).
I grew up in Texas and lived there almost my whole life. While I will ALWAYS consider Texas my home and I think people who aren’t from Texas unfairly criticize its culture sometimes (it’s so much more diverse than people give it credit for), I have to admit that the heat and the political climate were the two main factors that drove it away. I live in Denver now and I think I might stay here the rest of my life. It’s such a fun city, I’m close to the mountains, the weather here is amazing, and I don’t have to worry about getting life-altering reproductive and feminine care should I need it. There’s a reason so many people are flocking here! My mental health has never been better since I’ve moved here.
Trish!
Your photo is so beautiful. I am starting to plan a trip to Ireland for 2024. Where is your photo taken? I want to go to this EXACT spot! 💕
Not Trish here but I think that is Sandycove Beach, around the corner from the iconic Forty Foot. Hope you can fit a swim into your trip!
Let me know if you need any advice on what to do and eat/drink in Ireland! I live in Belfast but have travelled all over the island and love giving tips to anyone travelling here 🙂
I live in DC and love my liberal, international city. Many of the people I meet are smart, driven and doing interesting things. There are incredible free museums, great restaurants, kid friendly neighborhoods, bike-able streets and good transit (ha yes I said it – people love to complain about it but I think its incredible). The size of the city feels manageable and there is always something interesting going on. I also love having seasons and access to beautiful parks.
One thing I don’t love, which not enough people know about, is that we do not have voting representation in Congress and the people of DC do not have complete autonomy over our own budget and laws. This is a act of voter suppression by Republicans and a major social justice issue given that the majority of our city is black and brown. We are American citizens, we pay taxes, we serve our country and we deserve to have full autonomy over our city with congressional voting representation.
Fellow Washingtonian here. AMEN
DC is gorgeous and in my opinion does not get enough love. I was a concierge for twenty years. We had guests from all over the world who would often be traveling through different states. I would always encourage them to visit DC. It’s such a beautiful city. The locals are polite friendly and the food science is great!
I’m struggling with this as I feel totally unconnected to the place I live now (a suburb of a large city). We moved to the city for a great job and bought in this neighborhood because it was affordable (and it was a good decision financially). I feel more spiritually connected to pretty much every city I’ve lived in (Seattle, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro). Currently we are trying to save aggressively to move somewhere with more character but it still won’t have the natural landscape of the cities I love 🙁
Sending you the biggest virtual hugs Lo, I am in the same boat. It is really bittersweet to hear about how much others love where they live (happy for them, but sad when reflecting in my own situation). I am glad you have a plan in place for the future to possibly move.
I am in the same boat. Living in Delaware where my husband is from but feeling disconnected from the places I’ve lived (Dublin, NYC, Burlington, VT; Newport, RI) and loved the most (the Catskills). I never pictured living here, and now that I am I am struggling to find my “3rd place”s and my home.
I completely hear you… but as a buddy told me once when I was absolutely inconsolable about where I was living and was back visiting my home city (which is featured in this article!): “You get to live different places. Do you know how lucky you are to do that? I grew up here. I can’t leave. But you get to experience other places, good or bad. Remember that.”
Worcester, MA. Overlooked but close to sooo much and so diverse. We can go skiing after work, make a day trip to the beach, do a weekend hike in the mountains, or make a quick trip to a bigger city like Boston. But there’s so much to do in town too that I can either walk to or drive to in under 15 minutes. We go to our local park every day and after 3 years I haven’t gotten over the diversity. The Russian speaking grandmas, Greek speaking grandpas, the Dominican dominoes players, the Vietnamese American kids riding their bikes, and everyone else playing and having a great time. It’s the neighborhood I always dreamed of living in.
Yay! I went to Worcester on a work trip a number of years ago and LOVED it! Have you ever been to Vincent’s? I have a soft spot for dive bars and still think about that place.
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