Thoughts on Leaving NYC

I wrote this post about a week before leaving the city.  A small update since then... We flew JFK-LAX and the flight went perfectly.  Neither of our girls made a single peep the entire 6.5 hour flight. And we woke them up at 4am.  I am still baffled on how that happened, I'm sure it was the first and only time!

Auntie Beana's wedding was amazing!  We had such a great time and we're excited to welcome Antonio to our family.  We spent a few days after the wedding decompressing, and then packing for 5 days in Mexico.  San Felipe was as great as ever, you can watch the 5 minute video of our trip by clicking this link.  After Mexico, we bought a car (hooray!!) and finalized our plans for the move north.  Just this week we drove up and are staying in a 2.5 week sublet in Cupertino (45 min south of San Fran).  Scott has had several interviews and hopes for more now that we're in the area.  Life is a whirlwind and some days I feel more overwhelmed than others.  I know we will get settled and in a routine soon enough, and I should just enjoy this time.

Back to the original purpose of this blog post:

Things I will miss about the city:

• Being able to walk to the grocery store.  It's nice to have a quick 2.5 block walk up to the store to pick up a few things.  And only 1 block to the 99 cent store! Yeah, I'm going to miss that!  
• Not having a car.  It's nice to never worry about parking, oil changes, insurance, traffic... all the cost and hassle that comes with driving.
• $6 eyebrow threading.  I just love LOVE Anju and getting my brows done.  It takes about 5 minutes instead of 35 minutes of plucking, and grows in noticeably slower.  I always feel so great about myself and my life once I get my brows done.
• The long crossing signals.  You have like 40 seconds to cross the street here.  And there is a countdown for you.  Whenever we are away from the city I am so shocked by how fast the signal changes!!
• The fact that I walk everywhere I go.  I got a FitBit which shows me just how much I do walk and it is a lot! I'll miss the exercise I get without even thinking about it!
• Living on Riverside Drive.  We have so loved being beside some trees and water- it has made living in NYC nice for us. We would feel too urban and stuffed up if we didn't look out onto a river walk and take frequent strolls there.
• The community feel in my neighborhood.  I wave to Grismilda at the hair salon multiple times each day, I know the girl who checks me out at Rite Aid and the grocery store.  I'm friends with the family at the Chinese Food shop at the top of the street... Anju from Nepal who does my eyebrows.  Victor who does the bag check at the grocery store.  Franklin, the super in our building.  I have relationships with the people who I see all the time. 
  

Things I am looking forward to in suburbia:

• Being able to drive to the grocery store!  This way I can just put my groceries in the car and drive them home instead of hefting them around-- what a dream.  
• Having a car!  Just being able to get around!  Packing a picnic and driving it to the park instead of hauling all our gear everywhere!  Driving to a trailhead to take a hike!  Going anywhere specific and being able to go right there, it sounds amazing!
• A disposal.  Hopefully my garbage won't stink so bad so I won't have to take the garbage out as frequently.
• Laundry in my apartment.  I'm REALLY hoping this is my new reality, though with the prices and market in the Bay Area, who knows...
• Less fighting and swearing and smoking and begging in the streets. It is quite remarkable what some people are made of.
• Being in proximity to a Joann Fabrics and being much closer to Target.  Target trips have about killed me off in the city, and I so look forward to shopping there and getting home in peace.
• Not smelling urine pretty much everywhere.  The city stinks most places, but when I was pregnant I was painfully aware of how much it really stinks here.  
• Having outdoor space to live and enjoy life.