Anyone who has ever made reference, even in passing, to Kelowna (or the greater Okanagan) in my presence will likely be all too familiar with my disdain for my hometown.
However. Even I know that, to be fair, this ignorant and indolent (wanna-be) city has its upsides. So in a sudden and inexplicable burst of goodwill, I have decided to list some of the things I really do, deep, deep down, love about K-Town and would no doubt (don’t expect me to admit this again later) miss if I was gone for good:
+ Eating fresh fruit right off the tree – cherries (today), peaches, apricots, plums, apples – and in no small volume. Ditto other fresh produce not grown on trees – carrots, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. etc. etc.
+ Being only a 15-minute drive from about three different lakes, and scads and scads of beaches.
+ Being no more than 20 minutes drive from pretty much anywhere in town.
+ Being able to ride your bike in the spring/summer/fall because traffic isn’t that horrendous and the hills aren’t too daunting. And in the thick of tourist season, it’s almost faster – if you can bear the heat . . .
+ People on their morning walks say “hi” or “good morning” to each other when they pass on the street.
+ You’ve got all the amenities of a city, but you’re just minutes away from the great out doors, where you can hike, bike or just sit and contemplate stuff and feel like you’re farther than you are from the maddingless crowd.
+ There’s no shortage of independent shops, boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants to spend your dollars. In fact, someone once told me that Kelowna has more restaurants per capita than any other city in Western (or was it all of??) Canada. I could turn that into something negative but I’ll refrain.
+ When it’s dry, it’s dead grass, brown hillside dry - - but when it’s green, it’s gorgeous. With the exception of the little drawback of being a semi desert (take away the lakes and we’d wither into nothing), there are flowers and well-maintained landscapes everywhere. Hanging baskets ornament shops and downtown streets, and most residential yards are colourful.
+ When it rains (like it’s doing now), the drops are big, juicy wet ones that explode deliciously upon impact. Just five or six of them could soak you – and few people object to walking umbrella-less in them.
+ People here, for the most part, lead much more active, relaxed lifestyles than they do in bigger or smaller cities. Probably because of the weather – hot summers and temporate winters, and also because we’re big enough to have lots going on – and tonnes of stuff outside – but still small enough to be casual about stuff.
+ And finally, probably the most obvious attraction (for me) is having my (almost) entire family in town – brother, sister, neice, nephew, mom, grandparents, aunts, cousins – as well as Kyle’s kin, all living within a few blocks (see #3) from me.
There, that wasn’t SO bad. Although it was sometimes a challenge not to counteract with a “yeah, but…” rebuttal to some items. Perhaps if my positive attitude continues, I’ll add more items later – or come up with an entirely new list. Maybe there’s hope for me yet . . . but don’t hold your breath!
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6 comments:
Well, I AM shocked. Here I thought I was the only one who actually LIKED Kelowna, especially, obviously, the freely-scattered art that can be found hither and thither about the place.
For the sake of contrariness, I could, perhaps, make a list of all the good things about MY city. Then again, there's probably not enough cyberspace.
You are CRUEL!!!
Oh come on, Kelowna is the place to be. We have the hottest summers and coldest winters around. It's the best of both worlds. We get to go sledding and snow boarding in the winter, and then relax on the beach eating the best fruit in the world during the summer. I think we have it pretty darn good.
Remember that the tacky art work is all getting vandelized or stolen anyways. Maybe someday we will be rid of it for good..
Clarification: I agree with everything you said, except one - we do not have the coldest winters around. That honour is held by 1) Nunavut or 2) Manitoba (it's a toss-up, I understand). Our winters are wonderfully mild, with temperatures reaching only a few degrees below zero for most of the winter. In the valley, we're sometimes lucky to get snow! My wedding, in January, was a case in point. But it is definately a four-seasons playground, with lots to do year round (including ice wine picking for the truly stalwart, if/when the mercury drops to -8 C or less, which it sometimes doesn't do). I can't believe you've got me DEFENDING Kelowna now!
Okay, well those cold places also have fairly cold summers. In comparison to our hot summers we have cold winters. They used to be colder then they are now though.
Hot... cold... I don't care as long as I can enjoy a hot shower in the morning.
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