Just a quick question here: how many of you can find Idaho on a map? (And no, Idaho is not Iowa. And yes, people have asked me that). Kelly and I love to travel and share our vacations with you all, but over the next few days we’re going to share with you our homes. And mine, is Idaho.

I bet you’d be surprised to hear that Boise’s nickname is “The City of Trees”, because you probably think it should be “City of Potatoes” or something like that. Not alllll the stereotypes are true, though I do love my french fries. There’s an awesome Buzzfeed article about why Idaho is the most “Underrated State” with some pretty great photography you should check out if you’re curious what it’s really like here.

I didn’t grow up in Idaho, but fell in love with Boise after going to school here (Go Broncos!) and living here almost 7 years now. I always love telling people about Boise (pronounced Boy-See), so when RelayRides approached Kelly and I to each write a post about our cities we jumped at the chance. RelayRides is a peer-to-peer car sharing service, allowing individuals to skip the middle man at the rental service and rent a car from the owner. Say you have an extra car sitting in your garage. You could list that car on RelayRides and someone visiting your city could rent it from you for a few days. Learn more here! They consider themselves to be a “Hidden Gem”, so they asked if Kelly and I would share some hometown hidden gems of our own!

The District Coffee House
Whenever I am downtown, I always stop for coffee at The District. The first time I stopped was just because it was in a convenient location, but then I had the best mocha I have ever had, so I had to keep coming back! Since then I’ve learned that The District is actually a non-profit organization, they host live music, church services, sponsor orphans in India, display local artwork…need I say more?? As if I needed a reason to drink more coffee, I can feel a little better about spending half my paycheck on mochas when I’m spending it at The District.

Trip Taylor Booksellers
I adore used bookstores. I could spend all day scouring the shelves and getting lost in the books. Do I even need to mention the smell of used books?? It’s heaven. Trip Taylor is two stories of floor to ceiling books and I can always, always, find a book (or two. or three) that I convince myself I need. Plus, Apollo the poodle is roaming around and will give you some attention if you get lucky!

The Mixing Bowl
Another one of my go-to shops in downtown Boise is The Mixing Bowl. As a baker, you just need that mini loaf pan or that tea towel or more adorable cupcake liners…am I right?? I have to limit my spending when I come in here or else I would buy everything. I always shop here first when I (actually) need new kitchen gadgets because A) I like to support my local businesses and B) I’m kind of biased because I know the owner 🙂 Lauren and I go way back to campus Children’s Center days, when parents entrusted 19-year-old girls to watch their infants and toddlers (best birth control ever). Biases aside though, The Mixing Bowl has everything you could possibly need! Today I bought some pie weights and when my dad visited he bought a roasting pan. Seriously…everything!

I hope you don’t mind me sharing a little bit more about where I live instead of a recipe today, but I can promise you I whipped up something tasty this afternoon and will be sharing it next week! Hint: it has strawberries.

If you’re curious about other “hidden gems” across the country, make sure you check out RelayRides Pinterest board and Kelly’s post about her home town, Elk Grove, California. Have a great weekend!

~Stephanie

Disclaimer: RelayRides is sponsoring the Hometown Hidden Gems series and approached Long Distance Baking to write this post. However, all content and opinions are our own.