Ah Waco - I guess I should give it a second chance. I'm sure it's not the same as in 1984 when I attended Baylor for one year, then escaped for New England to finish undergrad because the Baylor/Waco scene was not my vibe. While extended family has always lived in and around Waco over the years, we've intentionally zipped in and out without much effort to experience all the change.
However, I will say Jasper's BBQ was my most memorable dining experience. They opened at 11 and slapped smoked brisket on your paper plate, along with a couple slices of white bread and you grabbed a bottle of soda. When the meat ran out, they closed.
With your write up, now we have names of places to try!
I love reading about my old college city. While I couldn't have stayed after graduation, and I know that now, I desperately wanted to at the time. I had a job lined up with the Baptist Press Association that fell through and I was devastated at first, but it was for the best. For those four years, though, it was Narnia to me, and I love that Fabled uses the Narnia reference for kids too. Thanks for taking us back there to this beloved, complicated, messy place. Keep Waco Wacko! :D
Thank you so much for sharing this with us, and for always providing nuanced perspectives, as so many of us arrive to so much of live with preconceived notions of what people/places will be like. So grateful for you.
What a beautiful story. You would love the Fayetteville, AR area, where I live. It's a little refuge of blue in the sea of the red of Arkansas. But the Northwest Arkansas area is booming and we are faced with an affordable housing crisis, among other growing pains that come with such rapid development.
I believe you've been to my fair small city of South Bend, Indiana at least once -- if I remember correctly, it's where you were first introduced to Fozzie, right? Even without that special connection, it's a pretty great place.
Fun fact: I've lived in South Bend three separate times in my life! I was born here and my family moved away when I was four. Then I returned to attend undergrad and bought a house during my first year of marriage. After moving away to attend grad school and travel/teach English a bit, my husband and I returned to take positions at our alma mater. Sixteen years later, we're fully entrenched in the community. It was never my dream to live here, but I can't imagine living anywhere else at this point.
Another fun fact: Travel+Leisure *just* published an article highlighting SB's position at the top of the list of affordable cities in the US. Go SB! We got a horrible grade on crime and weather (the reason why every winter I ask Eric, "Why do we live here???"), but everything else is pretty damn great. We have good parks, a growing local restaurant scene, access to local food through some of the best co-ops and farmer's markets, and a robust community of non-profits all working to make our city and the world a better place. I'm a bit biased about that last one, as I work at one of those non-profits and have seen firsthand the beautiful culture of collaboration that exists throughout the city.
Most importantly, my community is here. People who have faithfully walked alongside me and my family for over a decade and a half--some for longer--are hard to imagine leaving. And yet, it feels like I'm just getting started on experiencing the full potential of what that community can do.
I am compelled to throw Wichita, Kansas into the hat! While it's technically the biggest city in Kansas, the laidback atmosphere and down-to-earth people make it feel like a small town. I am a freelance writer who has bounced back and forth from the Southeast (NC and FL) to the Midwest (KS and OK) a few times now – really, I could live anywhere. But Wichita has surprisingly snagged my heart. Rich history, aviation mecca, accepting community (as someone in the LGBTQ community), rapidly growing food/brewery/entertainment scene. But most important for me beyond the people – owning a peaceful 3-acre farm, and it's just 20 minutes to downtown. No doubt Wichita is undervalued, but maybe that's the blessing behind it remaining a special, slower, humble place and people.
Ah Waco - I guess I should give it a second chance. I'm sure it's not the same as in 1984 when I attended Baylor for one year, then escaped for New England to finish undergrad because the Baylor/Waco scene was not my vibe. While extended family has always lived in and around Waco over the years, we've intentionally zipped in and out without much effort to experience all the change.
However, I will say Jasper's BBQ was my most memorable dining experience. They opened at 11 and slapped smoked brisket on your paper plate, along with a couple slices of white bread and you grabbed a bottle of soda. When the meat ran out, they closed.
With your write up, now we have names of places to try!
I love reading about my old college city. While I couldn't have stayed after graduation, and I know that now, I desperately wanted to at the time. I had a job lined up with the Baptist Press Association that fell through and I was devastated at first, but it was for the best. For those four years, though, it was Narnia to me, and I love that Fabled uses the Narnia reference for kids too. Thanks for taking us back there to this beloved, complicated, messy place. Keep Waco Wacko! :D
Thank you so much for sharing this with us, and for always providing nuanced perspectives, as so many of us arrive to so much of live with preconceived notions of what people/places will be like. So grateful for you.
What a beautiful story. You would love the Fayetteville, AR area, where I live. It's a little refuge of blue in the sea of the red of Arkansas. But the Northwest Arkansas area is booming and we are faced with an affordable housing crisis, among other growing pains that come with such rapid development.
I believe you've been to my fair small city of South Bend, Indiana at least once -- if I remember correctly, it's where you were first introduced to Fozzie, right? Even without that special connection, it's a pretty great place.
Fun fact: I've lived in South Bend three separate times in my life! I was born here and my family moved away when I was four. Then I returned to attend undergrad and bought a house during my first year of marriage. After moving away to attend grad school and travel/teach English a bit, my husband and I returned to take positions at our alma mater. Sixteen years later, we're fully entrenched in the community. It was never my dream to live here, but I can't imagine living anywhere else at this point.
Another fun fact: Travel+Leisure *just* published an article highlighting SB's position at the top of the list of affordable cities in the US. Go SB! We got a horrible grade on crime and weather (the reason why every winter I ask Eric, "Why do we live here???"), but everything else is pretty damn great. We have good parks, a growing local restaurant scene, access to local food through some of the best co-ops and farmer's markets, and a robust community of non-profits all working to make our city and the world a better place. I'm a bit biased about that last one, as I work at one of those non-profits and have seen firsthand the beautiful culture of collaboration that exists throughout the city.
Most importantly, my community is here. People who have faithfully walked alongside me and my family for over a decade and a half--some for longer--are hard to imagine leaving. And yet, it feels like I'm just getting started on experiencing the full potential of what that community can do.
Travel+Leisure article: https://www.travelandleisure.com/south-bend-indiana-most-affordable-city-in-america-8625011
That’s a seriously generous portion of beer in the flight! I like it.
I am compelled to throw Wichita, Kansas into the hat! While it's technically the biggest city in Kansas, the laidback atmosphere and down-to-earth people make it feel like a small town. I am a freelance writer who has bounced back and forth from the Southeast (NC and FL) to the Midwest (KS and OK) a few times now – really, I could live anywhere. But Wichita has surprisingly snagged my heart. Rich history, aviation mecca, accepting community (as someone in the LGBTQ community), rapidly growing food/brewery/entertainment scene. But most important for me beyond the people – owning a peaceful 3-acre farm, and it's just 20 minutes to downtown. No doubt Wichita is undervalued, but maybe that's the blessing behind it remaining a special, slower, humble place and people.