Well, this is awkward. By some miracle you have accidentally stumbled upon this corner of the Internet or reluctantly submitted yourself to my shameless self promotion. But I’m glad you’re here, and regardless of your origins, welcome.

Despite being a child of the digital age I have yet to embrace the blogging phenomenon, much less the silliness that is Twitter and Snapchat (Facebook and YouTube have their uses). I’m hoping that you can encourage me to go through with this startup, because this time I’m serious. Really. No joke.

Oh, excuse my manners, a bit about myself. I am a graduate urban planning student in Seattle, with a recent undergrad degree in architecture. I decided to switch professions when I realized architecture is a passion and planning is of social importance. ‘Great’, you think, ‘he’s just another disillusioned idealist’. Not so, I tell you. Architecture certainly has its merits and is absolutely relevant. It’s just that design studios taught me I’m not suited to heated discussions on artistic influences and long late hours designing door handles and flashing. No, I was drawn to urban planning because of my need for order and penchant for practicality.

I love cities. You see, I’m a smalltown boy by birth, and I’ve been itching to get the urban experience ever since I got addicted to SimCity and traveling the U.S. on family vacations. My hometown is a little city nestled among the trees and water of the Puget Sound, and I did my undergrad at a college town surrounded by wheat fields. So you understand I need to get out. Badly.

Now I’m moving to Seattle, the hub of the Pacific Northwest. And boy, am I excited. I’m going to go on adventures! And meet new people! And ride a bike and go to protests and shop at farmer’s markets and smoke pot and drink coffee and everything else those Seattlites do!

I kid. Partially. I’m writing this to document my experience as an urban newcomer, in the sense that I’ve only passed through cities for pleasure or brief business. I’ve learned a lot about Seattle since I decided to go to school there, and (I think) I know a lot about cities and current urban issues. But until I move next month, I feel it may have been vicarious.

Join me as I become enlightened on planning practices and urban living. Maybe you’ll learn a little yourself. I’m planning (pun oh so intended) on discussing many topics, ranging from public transit to green roofs to carbon emissions. I’ll also be taking about local and regional news that affect the quality of life in the Northwest. I hope you’ll find me entertaining, informative, and honest. Stick around, because we’ll talk again soon.