vanlife in the city (expectations vs reality)

the opportunity to see so many different small towns and cities I'd normally never otherwise get the chance to visit, especially a place like Port Townsend. Port Townsend is a quaint little port town on the northeast side of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It's super out of the way and kind of easy to miss but it shouldn't be. It's surrounded by water and has all these beautiful boats. It has the perfect summer weather, not too hot and not too cold. There's a cute little historic downtown area with all of these quirky shops and plenty of places to eat and go out for drinks. It's a lot of fun but it's a city so it's noisy compared to where I usually park my van overnight and instead of waking up surrounded by trees, well, let's just say the view out the window where I am when I wake up, a few things are almost always the same. It's mostly the view that tends to change but I will say when I wake up in a city, it just feels different. Some cities are more friendly and welcoming towards the van lifestyle than others. I'm not on edge, just extremely aware of my surroundings. I always want to be respectful of the place I'm in and be careful not to overstay my welcome so there's a sense of urgency when I'm in a city compared to being out in the middle of nowhere. I think some cities are definitely worth staying a night or two because they're worth exploring and they have a lot to offer but most of the time, for me, cities are just places to pass through and get chores done. Sometimes it can be a challenge to find a place to park overnight even if you use resources like the iOverlander app or FreeCampsites.net. What was once maybe a good spot is now no longer an option. I also like to keep my town days to a minimum because the longer I'm there, the more money I tend to spend anyway and it adds up quick. I find I'm usually drained by the end of the day in town because the real reason I'm there is to get shit done. Okay, we gotta get gas. We gotta get groceries. Food co-op. We gotta empty trash. We gotta get water. We gotta do laundry. Clean sheets! Wait, wait. I'm dirty. I'm dirty. Two nights in the city is enough for me. I'm ready to leave. So much traffic in the city. One car, two cars. Why did I choose to film? So many things to do today. The gas station. The gas station. The gas station. Where can I find the gas station? There it is. There it is. There it is. There it is. 389 buggers. Oh, yes. Okay, go. Go, go, go, go, go. Right, Nala. It's a chore day when we're in the city. It's a chore day indeed. Chore day for me. A breeze for you. Get that gas, baby. Get that gas. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, dear God.