Boise, ID

If I read Cosmopolitan rather than making fun of it, I might not have used the words hankering and Boise in the same sentence on a first date. Alas I did, thankfully he laughed. Though I'm still not sure what's funny about the sentence, "You know, I've always had a hankering to visit Boise". Definitely not flirtatious, but funny? At least his reaction seemed genuine, a rarity on such occasions. I'll just add this to my list of accomplishments.

Looking back, I could've used "wanted" instead of "hankering" but that would've implied longing. I wanted to visit Boise, but I didn't long for it enough to use my precious vacation days there. It was a hankering, an odd hankering which began at the grocery store. For a few years Boise seemed to be on every checkout magazine list, "Top Ten Cities to Live In", "Boomtowns for Entrepreneurs", "Best Places to Live". Eventually the media conditioned my travels because the hankering turned into a need and I had to stop in Boise on my way to Utah.

True, I was had by the greater powers that rule our lives yet I didn't feel gipped. I couldn't have asked for a nicer pit-stop. It was October and I was in the heart of the city but the air was like a warm cobbler. People were having a lazy brunch, children rang the Liberty Bell replica, an older gentleman passed by and tipped his hat to me, it was all just so darn cozy.

But a cozy city? Indeed! Look at our friend here, basking on a bench in the Basque block (forgive me, it's been a while since my last pun). A cozy city does sound like an oxymoron, but after roaming around this quaint block, the Boise hype was warranted in my opinion.

Length of Stay

2 hours

Docking Index

     

Five anchors. Even though I fell in love with Ellensburg, WA after two hours, for some reason I need to spend more time in Boise before deciding one way or another. (Phew, I can still make some decisions on my own.)