Trapped in the 'Burbs

I'm taking a break from writing about baseball for just a moment to talk about the fact that suburbs have a lack of great restaurants.  At least the suburbs that I live in and are nearby.  I was talking with a co-worker about eating at restaurants every once in a while because by the time we get home from work, no one feels like cooking.  You don't have to cook after work, but you feel like that is part of the daily life cycle.  Wake up, go to work, come home, make dinner, relax, sleep, repeat.  If you live close to established neighborhoods or districts, there tends to be restaurants that are not chains.  As nice as it is to know what kind of quality meal you are going to get from an Olive Garden or an Applebee's, part of the fun is exploring new restaurants.

So, back to my co-worker.  Her and her husband live in a neighborhood in St. Paul that has developed over the years with local shops and restaurants.   During our discussion, she talked about how in the spring/summer, they just ride their bikes to restaurants or bars.  How nice for them.  We have to drive everywhere.  Not very convenient.  While they dine in actual neighborhoods, we are stuck in strip malls and urban sprawl.  To say it's disgusting is a bit of an understatement.  She talked about all the options and different styles of restaurants that were close by.  And I died a little inside.  This is why I don't really want to live out in the suburbs.  To find cool restaurants, you have to travel into the cities (insert dramatic organ music).  We have no problem going into the cities if we want to, but it's a matter of timing.  After working all day long and then commuting home, who wants to get back in the car and deal with traffic?  Just for a meal?  I shouldn't say we don't have restaurants that aren't chains, but we have been to them all.  A couple of times.  They aren't exciting anymore.  

Whenever we do make it into the cities, we make a day of it.  Whether it is early in the day and have lunch or an early dinner, we try new places.  Places we have never been or heard of.  Places that at least have beer on tap.  Until we move (and hopefully somewhere near none chain restaurants), we are trapped in the suburbs and will feast on Olive Gardens, Buffalo Wild Wings, and the like. 

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