The NYT has a long article about families making the big decision to move out of the city--on accounta the kids, and includes a lot of seemingly helpful practical tips: don't move on a whim; find the town--or the street--first, then the house; get involved with groups, etc. Apparently, the verdant, multi-room isolation of the 'burbs is hardest on "newly at-home parents," [who, in the case of this story, happen to all be moms]. The men, meanwhile, all have to learn to deal with commuting.
And eating in. "But one thing many transplants never adjust to is the food. Barbecues aside, 'the food in New Jersey is some of the worst food I've ever eaten in my life,' Mr. Aloe said, citing the generic quality of many restaurants. 'How can you explain a 40-minute wait to eat at Chili's?'"
Game, set and match to the city.
Is it worth it? [nyt]
related: City Mouse or Country Mouse? [metrodad, from march 2005]
We are making the move ... heading a bit North to Westchester for the house, yard and schools. Of course I'll be commuting back and mom will be at home with the kid. It was just time for us. The city is great, but we'll be sure to Bugaboo it up while walking the mean streets of Katonah.
OK, that's it..the gloves are coming off. There are scores of excellent restaurants in Northern NJ. We live within walking distance of a Raritan Valley line station for commuting into the city, and we can also walk to one of the best restaturants in the state which is located in our small downtown. Sorry to break this to the black-clad city dwelling masses, but NYC does not have a monopoly on fine dining. Who told the author of that article to even walk into a Chili's, let alone wait 40 minutes for a table?
Maybe this dim bulb in the article's problem isn't "The Suburbs", maybe the problem could be categorized as "user error". Anybody who waits 40 minutes for a table at Chili's deserves to wait 40 minutes for a table at Chili's.
Besides, I hear Artie Bucco runs a nice place called the Nuovo Vesuvio.
PS- what's a "Tudor Style" apartment in Larchmont? Wattle and daub chimney, everybody sleeps together in the loft and throws all their waste out the window into the street? At least they have indoor plumbing in NYC.