Breakfast downtown and some “crazy” thoughts

Today V took me downtown for a yummy breakfast. We sat outside of the restaurant, bathing in the morning sun while slowly seeping our coffees. After breakfast we took a stroll, talked, joked, watched all kinds of people passing by. We’ve been to older part of town many times before, but for the first time we started dreaming of what it would be like living here? Don’t get me wrong, we love our semi-detached house and are grateful that we were able to buy it. But we kept wondering of what our life would be like, had we made some choices differently? Like renting an apartment in brownstone downtown instead of buying in the suburbs? The big question on the table was: have we settled in our location and the lifestyle it has to offer too quickly?

I feel like we have.
Not that I feel too disappointed, just curious. For some reason I always felt that downtown life is for single people only. That if you get married and plan to have kids one day, you’d be better off in a house with a backyard and close to parks with playgrounds rather than in some old apartment. That downtown would be too crowded, too loud and unsafe to settle down in. Don’t ask me how I got these ideas, but that’s exactly what I believed in for a long time. I thought we’d be better off in the area we know already, close to stores we know, living the lifestyle we never thought we would be questioning.
Now I see everything completely differently. I see that there are lots of families living downtown, there are beautiful parks and museums full of activities, lots of interesting people to meet. And every day seems like an adventure for both, parents and kids.
Perhaps, I’m romanticizing this way out of proportion, perhaps it’s a clear case of “the grass is always greener on the other side”, or it could be that I’m just drunk on downtown air, but I just tell you how I feel and being honest.
With one year behind as a homeowner and a devoted renovator, I suddenly feel like I want to quit and go back to renting. In downtown Ottawa.

How crazy is that?