Place you live: Missoula, Montana

Place your photo was taken: View of the Clark Fork River while walking over the Higgins Street bridge in downtown Missoula

Occupation: Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management student at the University of Montana

Preoccupation: Morning light. Chai. The mountains. The rivers. The road.

A perfect day in Missoula? Breakfast down the road at Bernice’s Bakery with a group of friends, sitting at the benches near the river, smoking cigarettes, dipping croissants in chai and coffee… Spending the day down at the river reading, feet in the cold water, throwing stones across the river, watching kayakers in Brennan’s Wave… Spending all day sitting on the porch in the sunlight.

For the visitor? Walk around town and talk to all of the amazing people. Watch the kayakers on the river. See a movie at the Wilma. Get coffee and a pastry at Bernice’s Bakery. Go to one of the various festivals/farmers markets/art walks that always seem to be taking place downtown. Get some ice cream from the Big Dipper. Hike up one of the hills near the edge of town and watch the sunset over the valley.

A perfect meal in Missoula? A pot of tea, any entree on the menu, and black sticky rice for dessert at Sa Wa Dee.

Best thing about spot: All of the festivals and farmers markets in town take place in Caras Park, right off the Higgins Street bridge. There are people doing tricks on Brennan’s Wave in the Clark Fork basically all year round and tons of people floating during the summer. There is normally music nearby. It is right near downtown. The light is gorgeous… It is everything that I love about Missoula.

Favorite photographers: Ana Cabaleiro and Robin Mellway

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