Big City, Small Neighbourhood

Uptown Waterloo may be the centre of a city of 100,000 people, but it still feels like a neighbourhood. I like this about Uptown, and I guess it's not unusual for neighbourhoods that border on a university campus. St. George campus in Toronto feels the same way. You meet people! Yesterday on my bike going to work I met no fewer than 4 people who have some level of significance in my life.
First it was Mary-Lou Klassen, calling a greeting as we met going opposite ways in the bike lanes on Father David Bauer. Then, a minute later I recognized the slouching shoulders of Tim Corlis from behind as he walked along the gravel path in Waterloo Park. He was on his way to teach a class and tells me that he, Sara, and Claire, are leaving Waterloo so that he can begin a PhD at UBC in the Fall.
Then I encounted Will Winterfeld as I often do coming the other way on the path through North Campus.
Lastly, there was Richard Janzen, waiting at the lights at Bearinger Dr.
This is the great thing about a bikeable/walkable city...you meet people and have the choice to interact with them. Sure it's a little slower than a car, but I think the quality of life aspect far outweighs simple speed. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I would rather spend 25 minutes on a bike in the morning, getting my heart rate up in the fresh air of an uncongested city than 15 minutes in a car breathing filtered air in heavy traffic. (Blogger doesn't recognize "uncongested" as a word. I guess I really am in the minority... Like the Inuit with their words for snow, you think we'd have a few words for traffic jam.)
On the way home I saw Tierney and Steve from Grebel. I saw Leah coming home from work on my way to yoga. It turns out that my yoga instructor Andrew has a PACS minor from Grebel. Connections abound.... Then in the evening, my actual neighbour Mohrgan and I walked to the band shell at Waterloo Park for Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall 1971.
Somehow two days morphed into one there, but that gives you the idea. We live in a wonderful little city. Hopefully it'll hold its character as Waterloo becomes even more the hub of technology, leading research, international and peace studies. It'd be hard to find a better place to call home.