Browsing Tag: Tri-Cities, WA

    Tri-Cities, WA

    Why I Don’t Follow a Lot of Local Folks on Twitter

    November 17, 2011

    snowTwitter is one of my favorite ways to keep track of local news here in the Tri-Cities. And not just news, but it’s also great for keeping in touch with some of the great local people I’ve met through business networking and local events.

    A lot of these folks follow me, which is very kind of them (thanks!), but some get a little disjointed when they learn that I’m not following them back.

    But actually … I am following them, just not in Twitter’s normal way.

    I follow close to 500 local Twitter users via a Tri-Cities Twitter list that I’ve made. Everyday when I launch TweetDeck, the list is right there and I see tweets all day from local friends and businesses … even though I don’t directly follow most of them.

    Like yesterday, when the first snowfall of the year arrived, there was my Tri-Cities Twitter list going nuts with tweet after tweet about the weather.

    I do this because Twitter is, for me, a business tool. I directly follow a lot of accounts that I need to have in plain view because of my daily news work as Executive News Editor at Search Engine Land (and soon in the same role at Marketing Land, too). So I purposely limit the number of accounts that I follow directly.

    Still, I want to be able to see what my Tri-City friends are tweeting about, so I created that Twitter list and it’s been a great way to keep connected to local folks and local businesses.

    So hey — if you’re one of my Tri-City friends/contacts and you’re wondering why I don’t follow you, I actually do. Just not in the traditional sense of Twitter following.

    Tri-Cities, WA

    Why We Live in the Tri-Cities

    September 20, 2010

    Actually, the title just begs for what would be a really long post, because there are a lot of reasons why we decided to settle here. But whenever the subject comes up, especially when someone finds out that I bailed on a TV sports career in the process of settling here, Cari and I always mention that the Tri-Cities is a great place to raise kids. Low crime, great schools, the right pace of life … you name it.

    And now that’s pretty much official. From Cari’s real estate blog:

    Kiplinger: Tri-Cities is One of the Best Places to Raise Kids

    Tri-Cities, WA

    What could have been…

    July 26, 2010

    Some of you may recall that, earlier this year, we came very close to buying a new home. In a seven-day span, we found a wonderful home, fixed up our current house, and wrote an offer … only to have to walk away when we got bad news from our accountant about how much we owed Uncle Sam.

    It sucked.

    For me, probably the biggest attraction about the other house was that there was nothing behind it but mountains and sky to the west. I took this photo tonight. This is what could’ve been:

    What could have been...

    If we’d bought that house, that would’ve been our backyard view. Every night. I’d have sat with my laptop out on the back patio and been completely unproductive.

    I showed the house to Cari’s mom a couple weeks ago when she was visiting. I think she agreed with me that the house itself isn’t all that grand.

    But the view is something else.

    Tri-Cities, WA

    Why I Love Where We Live

    January 9, 2010

    Very early in our marriage, I used to tell Cari that someday I wanted to live in (or build) a development where everything that mattered to me was, like, really, really close to our house. I wanted all of my best friends to live on the same street so we could hang out without having to travel far. I wanted all of the important public services close by — stores, gas stations, our church, schools, etc. I basically wanted my own little, 3-square-mile version of utopia where nothing important was more than a five-minute drive away. How cool would that be, right?

    Here we are, married 18+ years and slowly it’s starting to happen here in West Richland! Have a look at the map:

    ourhouse

    Our house is inside that big circle. When we moved here in late 1998, the area was pretty dead. But as you can see, we’re slowly getting most everything we need right around us.

    Elementary School: A little south of us is the elementary school where both kids have attended. This opened the first year we lived in West Richland. It’s less than a mile away.

    Middle School: This is where Sean goes now, also less than a mile away. It opened … 3-4 years ago, maybe?

    Fitness club: This will open on Monday. I just signed up yesterday, because about a week ago I stepped on the scale and weighed more than I ever have. Yikes! That bicycle purchase I made a year ago didn’t work out as far as helping me lose weight and get in shape; just never rode it often enough.

    Grocery store: A Yoke’s grocery store opened up about 4-5 years ago, I think. It’s also less than a mile away. We don’t do all our shopping there because, frankly, the prices are pretty high. But it’s super-convenient for quick shopping trips.

    Gas station: Once Yoke’s opened, all kinds of new businesses opened up around it, including a gas station that also has a Quiznos inside. Nice.

    Fire station: This was already here when we moved in, but it’s comforting to know that fire trucks are a mile away, God forbid anything happen.

    Sports fields: Also already here when we moved — it’s a nice little sports complex with four baseball fields, a soccer/football field, and a concession building. Very convenient when Sean spent a couple years playing Little League. And it also has a nice park with playground equipment that our daughter always loved. Back before I started working from home, the daycare that we sent both kids to was right across the street from the sports complex — again, super convenient to have that so close.

    Post office/Public library: These were also already here when we moved, but again – nice to have them so close. There’s also a nice restaurant right across the street from the post office, and a good pizza place right near the library (that many say is the best in the Tri-Cities).

    Still Missing

    First and foremost, all our friends. I haven’t been able to convince anyone to relocate here. Yet.

    Our church could be a bit closer. It’s about … maybe five miles away and not on the map.

    The nearest branch of our bank is way too far away. It’s a 15-minute drive to the mall for that.

    We also need an urgent care-type medical facility. A new medical office opened last year about two miles away, but we need a walk-in facility, too.

    A dog park for Sparky would be cool. There’s one in Richland, about 6-7 miles away, I think. Wish that was closer.

    Guess that’s about it. No place is perfect, but this place keeps getting closer with all the new stuff being built.