I love old houses. Really. I totally get this from my mom, but there is something really satisfying to me in living in a place that is old and has a personality and you can fix up and make you own because it needs the work. It helps to feel like you have taken ownership of a place when you have put your sweat and muscle into it.
So, I get teased a lot by my Ann Arbor friends about living in "Ypsitucky." It is the poorer city, the city that everyone goes to who can't afford Ann Arbor. It has crappier schools and the downtown is worse and it can't keep a business the way A2 can... you get the point. But I love it. So... most people don't feel safe walking around alone at night, but Ypsi has a lot to offer. There are quite a few local businesses and good restaurants here as well, they just might not look as nice. Heh.
But, anyway, I like that Ypsi is usually pretty empty and you never have to wait to eat anywhere downtown or really hunt for a parking spot. I like that there is one house between me, the library and my favorite coffee shop in the area. And I also like that the police station is a block away and the post office is only two houses away.
I live in the historic district of Ypsi. It IS a really interesting area because there is so much difference in the quality of homes from one block to the next. There are these huge, beautiful old homes from 1845 and up, followed by these squat little houses that are falling apart. It is shady and hickish and beautiful. See, and we thought New Richmond was terrible. Not so different, really. Minus the river and nicer weather.
Here are some pictures of some of my favorite houses around my neighborhood:
3 comments:
You are totally not the only who geeks out about old buildings. You should see Jonmikel get excited about the old places around here. In fact, we can't even buy a house unless it is AT LEAST 75 years old (unless its a kickass log cabin). He has owned two houses that were built in the 1800s, a farmhouse in Virginia that was built in 1880, and then a Victorian in Montana that was built in 1896 (which is way old by Montana standards).
He just said he think your house is really cool, and he wants to move in with you. :-)
I think new houses are pretty lame. Not that I would complain if I had one. Me, I'm hooked on the Craftsman houses, and the Arts and Crafts style houses. I think if I had a million dollars I would totally buy a Frank Llyod Wright house.
I realized I love New Richmond, if only because it has to potential to be something that other towns arn't. It's beautiful, but no one cares for it. Moscow even more so. Although the beauty there is someone dampend by the fact that you will get cancer and die if you live there.
Plus I can't leave it now because I'm stalking Jennifer Crusie.
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