things I like about Boise

We departed lush, green Arkansas 1.5 months ago for the northwestern state of Idaho, specifically a town not that far from Oregon that has a distinctly Portlandia vibe. Besides my job and my colleagues (both AWESOME), we've found a lot to love about Boise since landing here in July. In no particular order, they are:

• The climate. Oh, my, the climate. This morning, I'm sitting in my robe enjoying the chilly morning air which will warm to the 80s today. And because it's not humid, 80s is pretty fantastic for being outside (with proper sun protection, of course).
• Biking. We have discovered that it's basically easier to get anywhere near the downtown area on bike than it is via car. And we don't have to pay for parking! Boise abounds with bike lanes and the Greenbelt, which is the way I travel to work every day. I actually haven't driven the car in weeks, and L only drives it when he's running errands. Bicycle racks abound. And since skateboarding is also a thing, I noticed the other day on campus that the library had a skateboard rack to stash a skateboard. Amazing.
• Secondhand things. We basically furnished our house on secondhand, thrifted goods. L obtained a bunch of new clothes that were awesome, including some biking gear, from secondhand stores. He even built a portable dishwasher from secondhand parts and a free dishwasher obtained off of Craigslist. Score.
• Running places. I can run on the Greenbelt. I can go up to the foothills and run trails. I can run by myself or with a huge running group. The variety is incredible, and it means I won't get bored with what's available.
• Also, few insects. We keep terrorizing people with stories of ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes. It's pretty entertaining.
• Food options. We have a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, the Boise Co-op, a Natural Grocers, not to mention L's favorite place on earth, WinCo. What is this WinCo, you ask? Why a massive, employee-owned grocery store that has bulk items and all kinds of delightful things for a reasonable price. We are also members of the local co-op, where you can get 10% every month as an owner, which means your beer and wine are also discounted. Which my Fayetteville friends will totally get why we're excited by that.
• Restaurants. We haven't really eaten out much, but every place we've been, including a diner-type place, had gluten-free options for me that didn't suck. And there are lots of places doing local food. And there's a whole restaurant that primarily makes fries (of course! with burgers on the side!), but since they don't fry anything else in their fryers, I can eat there. Guys, I can go and eat french fries any day I like.

These are just a few things that come to mind right now. We've also been exploring the great outdoors, which is also pretty amazing--Boise is down in "the valley," but if you drive out a bit, you're in the mountains. We had a chance to camp up in the Sawtooths a few weeks ago, which I fell in love with, and we're headed out again next weekend for a "running retreat." L is tagging along to hunt mushrooms, which also grow like crazy around here.

We're really looking forward to sharing our new town with our friends, so make a plan and come visit us!