I had originally hoped to buy a house one or two suburbs over, ever so slightly closer to the city (it was a bit of a long shot, to be honest).
I’m glad I didn’t. It worked out for the best.
I love that there are so many great places to run and walk with the pup (and a dog park around the corner). Two major cycleways/walking paths, one that passes horses and vineyards. A short bush/forest trail, even.
I love that we are close to crazy cheap supermarkets and grocers, and down the road from an amazing bakery.
And I love the fact that I can actually get a seat on the train (because it fills up FAST along this line).
I live nearly equidistant from two train stations – they’re about 20 minutes walk from home, though one is slightly closer and can be easily done in 15 at a brisk pace. The train station is just a couple of minutes from my office at the city end. And the train is just so darn civilised – it’s smooth, great for people watching and occasionally there’s wifi.
There is a bus stop practically on my doorstep but it’s slightly more expensive and less frequent. Plus, traffic. Ugh. There lots of roadworks on nearby so it takes forever to get to the motorway (but at least once on the motorway it’s fine, plus the sea views and the horses near the onramp are easy on the eye). It is a longer walk at the city end to my office (10-15 minutes) but slightly less walking overall still, and it’s more sheltered if it’s raining.
This week’s links
Luck matters – more than you might think
The biggest wastes of time we regret
Succumbing to lifestyle inflation
A better approach to networking
Convincing a partner to get a better job
And a succinct but bang-on summary of the Auckland housing market
Pup?! You hava a dog? Yay!
When I used to commute to/from the city, I sometimes would ride back 1 stop to try to snag a seat. Although this was usually on the way home because I got on at the last stop out of the city. I know people who did this regularly on other stops though.
My favorite link was the luck link – I’ve always said that I’m lucky, and no matter what is due to talent (which, by the way, is also luck) and hard work, it is a much happier worldview to be thankful for good luck.
Great point about talent being luck as well – can’t believe I never made that connection before. Sheesh.
Did you see this challenge on The Spinoff? Love it.
Sure did, shared it on my social media accounts! The Spinoff is the best.
You seem so happy! Awesome 🙂
A cyclepath that passes horses AND vineyards?!?! Wow, we’d have to drive almost an hour west to have that kind of view while bike riding. The commuter train I used to take before I worked from home didn’t have wifi. It really should because so many people are working on their laptops, tethering from their cell phones.
Sounds like your house is in an amazing area. 🙂