I grew up about 20 miles east of Seattle, in one of the suburban cities you pass before you reach The Cascades that separates Eastern and Western Washington when you take I-90. My hometown had a certain… je ne sais quoi about it. It is downright gorgeous but the running joke is that it’s the epitome of the homogeneous and well-to-do suburban nightmare.

It’s the kind of town where when a girl reaches the ripe age of 16, receiving a Fendi purse and a silver Lexus is almost uncomfortably common. It’s the kind of town where every teenage boy can almost deceptively pass as the average All-American school boy until you realize his Seven jeans and skin-tight Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts give away how much money his family is used to having. At the time, I never criticized my peers for what they had, but rather what their demeanor was like. There was always a sense of entitlement I found in the children of the affluent that I just never got around to respecting. Don’t get me wrong, there were more than plenty of down-to-earth people I met throughout high school that were a joy to be acquainted with but the pretentious atmosphere was too strong to ignore. That was what drove me away. I wanted to run to something different.

This is why I say moving to the city of Seattle was the best decision I ever made. I’m a wanderer, a curious explorer, and an ambivert that just wants some alone time. Disguised in my anonymity, I can go all around the city, be surrounded by all sorts of different people, and still get the peace of being alone. I can clear my head in a place that looks like the scene from a movie.

I’m a café connoisseur, coffee critic, parks explorer, and a regular at several used book stores.

I like to disappear to places where no one will find me.

I realized a little later in my life, almost as soon as I started college, that life passes you by too quickly if you fall into a pattern. This summer, I started working a full time job (that I’ve actually been going overtime to lately) at a top luxury salon, and though I absolutely love my job, after a while the days started to blur together as I went from shift to shift, day after day. The month of July passed me faster than I could imagine while the month of June seemed to linger twice as long because I was doing different things other than going to my job. So to break the cycle, I went and did something else… anything else.

I now explore cafes all over the city and I make note of which ones have a unique atmosphere and which ones have better coffee. I go to used book stores in Capitol Hill, Downtown and U-district and I hardly ever walk out of one without buying something. (“This is $7 bucks??? What a steal!”) Sometimes while I’m running, I’ll try to find a new park I haven’t been to before and see the surrounding area. More than once, I’ve been enchanted with what I found.

I’m sure there are more mysteries of Seattle I haven’t discovered yet, but I’m in no rush… I like stumbling across them one at a time. It adds an element of mystery and surprise to residing here.

If you find yourself thinking about where you’re going to be next, whether you’re moving or going off to college, I’d highly suggest giving the big city a shot. You could be surprised by what you run into and you might find someone or something that’ll change your life. The possibility is just there for you to feel curious and be exhilarated by.