Before my husband and I moved to this town four years ago, I had never been to Idaho Falls before. Man, I never knew what I had been missing! Now as we are moving away to embark on a new adventure, I look back on some simple, but warm experiences from living in this area.
My husband and I were newlyweds when we moved here. We found a basement apartment near downtown and would take late-night walks over the railroad tracks to stroll through the streets of downtown and admire all the small shops and restaurants even though most were closed that late at night. We discovered the alleyways with unique art and murals and made note of all the places we wanted to visit in the daytime.
The very first day we moved to Idaho Falls, my husband and I took a walk around the greenbelt. I wonder if Idaho Falls natives take this beautiful piece of the city for granted. I think we ended up taking pictures of one another sitting on every single unique bench around the river! We chose to live in I.F. because my husband attended BYU-Idaho and I had been going to ISU before we got married. I would take Riverside Dr from my apartment to the ISU satellite campus in my mighty Geo Metro. For me, that little commute was a piece of heaven the way the tree-lined road curved around the peaceful river and past the temple.
I will miss many of the businesses that we have grown to love in Idaho Falls. Obviously, shopping malls are not unique to Idaho Falls, but the Grand Teton Mall is where I landed my first job when we moved to Eastern Idaho and it holds many memories for me! When I would close the store at 9:00pm, my husband would pick me up and we would head over to Hastings to rent a movie. Our lives greatly improved when we discovered the Snake River Landing. When we noticed some locks on the river overlook, we immediately bought one of our own and etched our initials into it before throwing the key into the river. Well… it was actually winter and the water was frozen, so the key ricocheted off the ice a couple of times before resting on top of river.
One thing our little family loves to do is take drives in the car. They are long drives, but we stay close to home. We regularly drive around the neighborhoods near Tautphaus Park and the numbered streets commenting on what parts of houses we would like for our future home.
These things may sound simple, but I’m sure they are relatable in some way. I’ve found that it’s all these simple things put together that have helped my love grow for this beautiful town. I feel privileged to have called Idaho Falls “home” for four years and can’t wait for the day when we move back again!
