It's been nearly three weeks of life at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Greenville, South Carolina. I'm doing an Airbnb with two busy 20-something roommates in a really charming neighborhood, just south of downtown. I've committed to a month here, as I experiment with what life-in-one-place feels like, in a location I'm considering as a "holding spot."
My current neighborhood is Pleasant Valley (honestly), which means cycling from home to the Swamp Rabbit Trail has re-trained my legs in the past few weeks. I will now be able to use my calves to hammer in my tent stakes next month. That said, I've ridden the Trail nearly a dozen times, and while it's grand to be off-road for 30 miles, on the weekends it's filled with dogs, baby carriages and tourists, so it's a slow, cautious ride. I'm now avoiding Saturdays altogether!
This is my third visit in two years, but there's no telling what the city will become by 2021. Greenville still feels like a small town with a population of 70,000, but it's the fourth fastest growing city in the country, with a metro area of nearly a million people. The name still fits though, as there is plenty of green space! Greenville actually reminds me of a small Portland, Oregon, including the weather that keeps it green! The weather here is definitely on my radar.
Besides working, devouring books, and binge-watching Netflix, I've had a few intellectual pursuits from a poetry reading to a presentation on Jackie Kennedy Onassis that has changed my perspective on this soft-spoken, fashion icon. And, while I haven't ventured the 60 miles to the Appalachian Trail, I have enjoyed some local walks. Otherwise, I'm catching up on life duties, and penciling in 2019 visits and travel plans.
People are courteous here and still say "hello," yet I haven't met one single person to hang out with in three weeks. My bike "Meet-up" has been rained out for two weeks, but my fingers are crossed for this Sunday. It's interesting to me that I can meet more people in the woods than in a city of thousands. Of course, I'm not really living here, and I'm not ready to be sitting in one place scheduling the day.
There's a half-dozen more items on my Greenville list, so more to come before I roll back into my tent on May 1st!
My current neighborhood is Pleasant Valley (honestly), which means cycling from home to the Swamp Rabbit Trail has re-trained my legs in the past few weeks. I will now be able to use my calves to hammer in my tent stakes next month. That said, I've ridden the Trail nearly a dozen times, and while it's grand to be off-road for 30 miles, on the weekends it's filled with dogs, baby carriages and tourists, so it's a slow, cautious ride. I'm now avoiding Saturdays altogether!
This is my third visit in two years, but there's no telling what the city will become by 2021. Greenville still feels like a small town with a population of 70,000, but it's the fourth fastest growing city in the country, with a metro area of nearly a million people. The name still fits though, as there is plenty of green space! Greenville actually reminds me of a small Portland, Oregon, including the weather that keeps it green! The weather here is definitely on my radar.
Besides working, devouring books, and binge-watching Netflix, I've had a few intellectual pursuits from a poetry reading to a presentation on Jackie Kennedy Onassis that has changed my perspective on this soft-spoken, fashion icon. And, while I haven't ventured the 60 miles to the Appalachian Trail, I have enjoyed some local walks. Otherwise, I'm catching up on life duties, and penciling in 2019 visits and travel plans.
People are courteous here and still say "hello," yet I haven't met one single person to hang out with in three weeks. My bike "Meet-up" has been rained out for two weeks, but my fingers are crossed for this Sunday. It's interesting to me that I can meet more people in the woods than in a city of thousands. Of course, I'm not really living here, and I'm not ready to be sitting in one place scheduling the day.
There's a half-dozen more items on my Greenville list, so more to come before I roll back into my tent on May 1st!
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