"From Milwaukee to West Allis"

The decision has been made.... I will be moving. And I'll be doing so within the next three weeks. For all of you that have kept me in your prayers, thank you. It took me a week to decide, but I'm finally ready for the adventure! :)

Earlier this evening (after dark), I went out and explored my new neighborhood. My decision had already been made by that point, but it was still helpful to get a feel for the area. In my case, I just don't feel comfortable with a place until I get out there and explore it -- see what it has to offer. That's just how I am. After two and half hours on foot, though, I'm sold. It's not quite the same as my present neighborhood, but it has a lot to offer -- and a lot yet to be discovered.

Right now, I live IN the city of Milwaukee, although right on the far western edge (a few miles from the downtown skyscrapers). My present neighborhood could probably be defined as... "cozy". All the streets curve and flow through quaint residential areas. It's quiet. Peaceful. Lots of trees. There's even a beautiful parkway system that snakes it's way along-side a small creek.

A few blocks to the north of me is the city/village of Wauwatosa, founded in 1840. They're a community steeped in history, and adamant about preserving it. The quaint riverside downtown is evidence enough of this, however, one could also point to the numerous buildings, the Greek Orthodox church (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright), and three entire districts that reside on the National Register of Historic Places.

To the south of me, is West Allis. This is where I'll be moving. It's a small city founded in 1906 as a result of the massive Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. that built their western-most Milwaukee factories there (hense the name, "West Allis"). The massive industrial buildings are long gone now, but the town that grew up around them remains. And in many ways, West Allis still has that All-American small-town feel. There's a distinct main street with all sorts of shops, the streets are straight, the city blocks are prominant, and city parks abound.

My new apartment is actually right off "main street", and only 10-15 blocks from the heart of downtown (West Allis). It's near a commercial intersection, and still has easy bus access to anywhere in metro Milwaukee -- this time, however, right outside my front door. There are also quite a few restaurants within walking distance, and a surprisingly huge city park with a gorgeous wide-open view of the night sky mere blocks away.

I grew up in a small-town Wisconsin farming community... lots of corn fields, rural roads, and plenty of wide open spaces. When I moved to Minneapolis near my high school years, I got a taste of living on a major metropolis. Then it was back to Wisconsin -- to my present neighborhood -- for college. And now, ironically, I'm moving back to small-town Wisconsin, only with an infusion of "big city Milwaukee". When I think about it, I've sort of come full circle.

This'll definitely be an interesting adventure. And as my landlord reminded me, change is good. It helps us grow. If I play my cards just right, it may even lead to successes I can't even dream of. For now, though... I think it's time to start packing!

Have a wonderful Thursday all! Until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:38 PM  I   I  0 comments