House Hunting and the Pros and Cons of Leaving NYC

Since I last talked about our plans, we've decided not to rent our place but instead to sell it and look to buy a house in one of a very small handful of suburbs outside of the city.  So our place is on the market and we are on the hunt for a house.  I don't think either Mark or I are 100% gung ho on leaving the city -- we've loved raising Lyla here.  But on balance, considering our growing family, I think it is the right choice.

We'll miss a lot of things about living in the city, especially around this time of year in particular is amazing.  It sounds silly, but mostly I'll just miss walking around on the weekends.  When the weather gets nice, we often make a plan for one destination and end up meandering through different neighborhoods, stopping to eat at little outdoor cafes and finding streets we've never seen before.  I'll also miss that landmarks recognized around the world serve as Lyla's playground.  The girl can name all three of the bridges in lower Manhattan.  In the correct order -- Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg.  We ride bikes past the NY Stock Exchange on a regular basis.  NBD.  She knows we take the 2 train to get to Penn Station.  She practically took a bath in Bethesda Fountain in Central Park a few weeks ago.  To her, Times Square is simply where the Disney Store is located.  Again, NBD.  That is pretty remarkable if you ask me.  We've made a real effort to expose her to all this great city has to offer.  And even for a three year old, it has a ton to offer.  She knows New York City as her home and when we ask her if she wants to move, she confidently says no.  That this is her home.  Pretty convincing argument to stay, huh?












But on the flip side, I'm just really looking forward to having a house.  A place to stretch our wings.  A place to nest.  A place that can grow and meet our needs as we grow and change.  Thinking of the less fairy tale-esque aspects of NYC life, I can't wait for Lyla to be able to play without having to elbow other kids out of the way.  I can't wait until I don't have to keep my eyes glued to her when we go out to play.  I can't wait to sleep with my windows open without the sound of garbage trucks or nighttime construction.  I can't wait for life without scaffolding.  I'm looking to just stepping outside to play, instead of packing up a stroller for every possible contingency and walking 20 minutes before reaching a patch of green space.  There are other conveniences I'm looking forward to as well.  Having a car sounds heavenly.  Having a basement for storage is just sheer bliss.   For Mark, moving to the suburbs means has three perks -- Direct TV, huge grocery stores and stadium seating movie theatres.



(Mark's picture of Lyla and I butterfly watching while a homeless guy nodded off on the bench next to us in City Hall park) 


 So that's a quick sneak peak into my brain and the type of things I think about on a daily basis.