Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Why I love Naperville

Welcome to Naperville, Illinois!

Why did we sarcastically say "Welcome to Naper-thrill" when we were teenagers? What were we thinking, wanting to get out of here all along, when now I can't wait to come back?

Here is a non-comprehensive list of what I love about my good old hometown:


10. Band concerts in the park

We were here for the 4th of July bash, with cannons!



9. Community Activities-Ribfest, The Last Fling, Haunted House, etc

8. Beatiful parks and playgrounds, plentiful biking and hiking trails, outdoor art

7. The Naperville Riverwalk
Here we are feeding the ducks.





6. Herrick Lake- hiking, biking, boating, picnicing

Yes we did get caught in the rain, but we loved it! Yeah, the humidity is....sticky....but to actually have rain was really refreshing!

5. The DuPage Children's Museum

For grown-ups as much as it is for kids. Chris and I came here on a date when we were engaged!









4. The Morton Arboretum-hike, bike, drive tour.

Open virtually every day of the year. It has something like 17,000 acres. What a beatiful place!



3. Good Eats--Chicago-style pizza and of course, hot dogs at Portillo's!!! (Enough calories in one meal that it is probably a good thing we only visit twice a year...)

2. Visiting Chicago (Watch for an entire post dedicated to the city, coming soon to a blog near you!)




***AND NUMBER ONE***


1. Visiting my family!

My parents and my brother's family, which includes 2 out of my kids' 3 cousins. They sure have a blast together! Plus, mom and dad have an Endless Pool!!! Talk about endless fun!













Naperville was recently rated the 3rd best place to live, and has repeatedly been rated highly for walkable community, raising kids, public libraries, etc. If only I could afford to live there!

6 comments:

Rebecca said...

Interesting post. I'm finding that I find 10 top things I love about where ever I live. It's very nice to visit family, but it's even nicer to come back home again, where ever that is! I'm glad you are enjoying your trip.

Thom and Jamie Stansfield said...

oh man i agree! i only visited there once with you back in the college days and it was fabulous! I would love to live there too! Or even visit...so when you guys move back there someday we will so totally come visit!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow, you really managed to cram a lot of fantastic highlights into your vacation. It was a perfect visit for us too. I'm so glad we could oblige with perfect weather and great venues! I am really missing the grandkids this week! Come back soon! (On the other hand, I just finished editing 370 pages of dissertation. Now I have to enter my changes into the computer, so don't come too soon!) Mom

angela michelle said...

Wow--I had no idea Naperville was such a place! I hear we'll be seeing you here in a couple days--you're quite the traveler!

Nancy Sabina said...

I guess I just missed you in Texas. Bummer. I think "home" is always better once you leave (as far as your parents home I mean). I was never a big fan of Texas until I left. Now I scheme to get back there all the time! But Naperville does sound especially nice.

Sarah Stiles said...

Sounds like you have been having a lot of fun! Certainly it sounds better than your Vegas trip. Naperville does sound like a nice place.

I really mis my old "hometown" of San Antonio, TX. SOOOO much to do there. Someday Craig and I want to take a family trip there. Hmm, let's see - Riverwalk, Alamo, Fiesta Texas, Sea World, Zoo, Schlitterbahn - am I missing anything? Probably. Like I said, lots to do there!