Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

I live here

A beautiful little bungalow, a diverse neighborhood and lots of places to explore make St. Petersburg tops.

NORTH KENWOOD, ST. PETERSBURG

While driving to Ultimate Frisbee practice early one Sunday morning, my friend John convinced me that buying a house in St. Petersburg was the absolute best thing to do.

My wife and I had just moved here for my new job as a mapmaker.

At first, we were apprehensive about moving to St. Petersburg because my memories of the area were based on a few trips to the Dali museum with my parents in the mid '90s.

In those days, St. Petersburg wasn't considered a happening a place.

When we moved here, we rented a house close to downtown for a few months before we plunged into the housing market.

It's been more than two years since that early morning chat, and we sincerely love our little North Kenwood house, St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay area.

When we started looking at houses, our requirements were simple (or so we thought): hardwood floors, a large kitchen and an affordable price tag. We also preferred an older home. The location was important but not critical.

After two months, we narrowed down our search to a beautiful little 1922 bungalow, previously owned by a man who restored antique airplanes for a living. His love for detail can still be seen in the way he meticulously took care of our house.

I like to think of our neighborhood as the all-American neighborhood. Certainly not the kind you see in Desperate Housewives. Just on our block live Asian, Hispanic, black, white and mixed-race families.

These households are affiliated with all major political parties and cover the complete spectrum of sexual orientations. Our neighbors are teachers, engineers, cooks and DJs. And at the heart of our neighborhood is our 90-year-old neighbor, Elsie, who has lived on this block since the '60s.

When Hurricane Charley threatened St. Petersburg last year, race, politics and sexual preference did not matter. Our combined first priority was taking care of Elsie. There isn't a day that goes by when someone on this block doesn't stop by Elsie's to see if there's anything she needs.

St. Petersburg and the Bay area have so many little secret and not-so-secret treasures to offer, and we continue to find new ones. During our very first trip to the Home Depot (and it certainly seems like there have been thousands since), we encountered the friendliest Home Depot employee who insisted that we visit the Tampa Theatre.

Like this magnificent Florida treasure, we have since "discovered" so many other great venues: Fort De Soto, the Saturday Morning Market, Tampa International Airport where traveling is a pleasure and the Studio@620 just to name a few.

And this list doesn't even include our favorite places to eat or catch a sunset, or the fact that the National Ultimate Frisbee Championships are held every year in nearby Sarasota!

Since moving into our home, we've been fortunate to add two more members to our family: our dog, Stella, and our daughter, Norah.

We are indeed lucky to own a home in a great community. Now, if only the city would start curbside recycling. ...

We're looking for readers to tell us, in 400 words or fewer, why you live where you live. Please include your likes and dislikes. Send essays to gadsden@sptimes.com and please include a daytime phone number.