I thought I would hate living in a high-rise apartment. I grew up in the woods of northern Minnesota, watching deer and the occasional bear wander through the backyard.
I’ve spent my adult life in suburban townhomes near large park reserves, a compromise between rural landscapes and the job opportunities of the Minneapolis metro area.
However, my husband of 15-plus years has long fantasized about urban living and skyline views.
Whenever we drove by downtown apartment buildings, he gazed wistfully at the units on the upper floors. When we were planning a trip to Tokyo, he pored through online reviews to find a room with the best panoramic skyline view. At home, he watched YouTube videos of cityscapes and scrolled through real estate listings for urban condos.
A successful marriage is all about compromise, so by the time we hit our late 30s, I offered to give urban living a try for one year, on a part-time basis.
Since we don’t have kids, it was feasible to split our time between our suburban townhome in the northwest metro and a 19th-floor condo we rented in downtown Minneapolis.
As we lugged our furniture up the freight elevator on move-in day, my husband was thrilled about this exciting adventure. I was skeptical.
For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by asphalt and multi-story buildings. Instead of a shady patio and a lawn, we had a small balcony perched above a busy street.
The traffic noise was constant, punctuated by sirens from emergency vehicles going to and from the nearby fire station and hospital.
Our downtown life is more pedestrian-focused
But as we settled in, I started to see the perks of urban high-rise life.
When my husband and I travel, we gravitate to walkable city centers and compact towns, using walking as our primary mode of transit. Now I can take that same approach to my daily life.
Three different grocery stores are within a 10-minute walk, and on Saturday mornings, the year-round farmers market is a five-minute walk away.
Evenings out became centered on walking rather than driving, with the orchestra hall, ballpark, and multiple theaters within a mile of our condo.
Minneapolis has a diverse dining scene, and now much of it is within walking distance, from an Eastern European deli and Latina-owned coffee shop to an Indigenous restaurant and chic Italian spot.
Living in a high-rise apartment building makes it easier to socialize
We also lucked out with the social scene in our particular building.
In the suburbs, we never really connected with our neighbors. Social events were geared to families, and as a childless couple, we didn’t have much in common with our neighbors.
However, the majority of units in our building are one- or two-bedrooms, and most inhabitants are empty nesters or fellow childfree couples.
Not having kids is less of a barrier to socializing, and there’s an impressive lineup of events, from book groups to an annual building-wide holiday party.
During the Super Bowl and World Cup, people gathered in the common room to watch the games on the big screen. Last spring, I rocked a thrifted dress at the building’s first “prom for grownups.”
We’ve made friends with a few other couples in the building, and it’s convenient to get together when we can walk to a restaurant a couple of blocks away.
Beyond our building, I like feeling like a part of a vibrant urban area. In the suburbs, I mostly saw cars driving back and forth. When I’m downtown, I can step outside and see people of all different backgrounds sharing the same public spaces.
I appreciate the views from our condo of the Mississippi River and the Minneapolis skyline, but my favorite part is watching the people down below, playing lawn chess, walking their dogs, or lining up at the neighborhood ice cream truck.
We’re ready to make downtown life permanent
A few months into our lease, my husband and I realized that one year wouldn’t be enough. We both wanted to live downtown on a long-term basis.
When we reached out to our landlord, we discovered that she was planning to sell the unit as soon as our lease was up. So, we put in an offer and are now negotiating the final purchase agreement.
Once we’ve closed on the condo, we’re planning to list our townhome and live downtown full-time.
Although I’ll miss my long runs in the park reserve, I’m ready for the next chapter. It’s time to swap suburbia for the convenience and connection of urban life.
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