Exploring My Own Backyard

I've lived in Columbia/Ellicott City my whole life, but these past two weekends have made me realize how little I know/have explored about my own backyard. I get too excited about exploring new cities away from home that I forget about what remains to be discovered in my very own hometown.

What sparks this sudden urge to go exploring more of Columbia? Well, two things:

1) I've been spending a lot of time in downtown Bethesda due to running and biking and have really fallen in love with that place. They are trying to turn downtown Columbia into something similar to Bethesda Row. At first, I was not in the least bit excited about all the construction that this will bring to Columbia, as it will draw in more crowds and traffic. But now that I see all the cute little places there are to hang out in Bethesda and how little of those places we have around here (have you seen how packed Tutti Frutti gets every night?!), I am kind of excited for Columbia to have more locations to hang out. Plus, I have come to terms with the fact that Columbia is just going to get more and more built-up/city-like and crowded whether you like it or not, so either roll with it or move further out into the countryside.

2) I have recently started running with the Howard County Striders and discovered that Howard County is filled with plenty of walking/running/biking trails! I didn't even know we had a fitness trail by the Restaurant Lake! What's even sadder is that I didn't even know that lake was called Lake Kittamaqundi! For 23 years of my life, I always thought it was just the "Restaurant Lake." Running with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club has opened my eyes to all the parks and trails available in MoCo, so it's time I start learning more about HoCo!

So who wants to go exploring?!