Things Gained Topeka, KS

After being in Topeka, KS for two weeks - there are a couple of things that we've really enjoyed - since the last post what on what Lititz, PA had that we'd really miss.

• Everything is within a 5-minute drive of our house (West Ridge Mall, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, restaurants, you name it...)
• Our house has everything that was on our "wish list" in a next house (dishwasher, gas fireplace, studio, space for piano, quiet location, attached garage, dsl or cable internet access, driveway with room to play, no leaves, some landscaping, close to work, medium-sized yard, cul-de-sac dead-end street)
• Topeka has a fairly decent ethnic diversity for the midwest.
• Be in the city one minute and feel like you are in the country the next.
• Kansas doesn't have annual auto inspections with the DMV.
• Interesting weather with good weather reporting.
• Straight roads, you start going west and you will end up going west (in PA you never knew which direction the dumb road would end up).
• A culture of courteous and open people (for example a local store allowed me to take an item and serviced my mower without paying for it and trusted that I'd come back to pay for them when a part I ordered came in, or the propane place that didn't really deal with grill propane tanks but said they'd take care of it for me anyway with no charge, or the guy in Home Depot that re-keyed our locks for free)
• Enormous refueling airplanes flying overhead every 15 minutes because of Forbes Field, Joshua loves the 'pains' that fly by
  
• Burger King is one block from where I work (I may have to switch loyalties)
• Over ten different wifi signals in our neighborhood, thanks to mr. 'default' for not setting up any encryption so that I could freeload until we got our internet up and running
• Crystal clear analog TV reception (at least until Feb. 18, 2009)
• Family is close by, we can grab a bite to eat or hang out whenever we want
• Taking walks on sidewalks with no broken slabs of cement (couldn't do that in Lititz, PA)