I miss you, New England (Boston, Newton: rentals, how much, home)

[canyontothesky]

Hey, all,

I grew up in Newton, and I spent a lot of my time up in the Andovers. Two years ago I moved to Manhattan, and for the past several months I have been so nostalgic for New England, well Massachusetts more specifically since I grew up there. And I'm trying to see if it's possible to move back next year. Nothing will ever compare to Manhattan prices, but still for New England, rentals aren't cheap.

Truth is, I spent all my childhood wanting out, but when you grow up and you stop trying to rebel against what you know, you realize how much you love where you are from. I miss friendly waitstaff, some peace and quiet, strip malls, I-95, Stah Mahkit, the cape... so many things.

I'm so sad. I miss home. Anyone else miss NE, especially anyone stuck on this island in New York City with me?

[renault]

Originally Posted by canyontothesky

Hey, all,

I grew up in Newton, and I spent a lot of my time up in the Andovers. Two years ago I moved to Manhattan, and for the past several months I have been so nostalgic for New England, well Massachusetts more specifically since I grew up there. And I'm trying to see if it's possible to move back next year. Nothing will ever compare to Manhattan prices, but still for New England, rentals aren't cheap.

Truth is, I spent all my childhood wanting out, but when you grow up and you stop trying to rebel against what you know, you realize how much you love where you are from. I miss friendly waitstaff, some peace and quiet, strip malls, I-95, Stah Mahkit, the cape... so many things.

I'm so sad. I miss home. Anyone else miss NE, especially anyone stuck on this island in New York City with me?

Know that you are not alone. I am also a Mass expat living in New York and the longer I stay in NY the more I miss New England. Growing up in a small NE town made me yearn for bigger towns where all the excitement was. Now that I've seen what the bigger towns in other places have to offer, small New England towns are looking good to me again. We always want what we don't have. There's still time to go back home. Good luck.

[mommytotwo]

I lived in Brooklyn for two years. I didn't mind it, but did miss home and have since moved back to MA. I really haven't missed Brooklyn one iota, except for maybe the vegetable stores and the, oh, god, what is the walkway on the ocean down by Bay Ridge@the Verazzano bridge? Boy, I am losing it. Anyway, that was a fantastic place to take a walk. There is nothing like that around here.

[KarynO]

I live in NH & I miss Massachusetts!! Mass people have a certain something running through their blood....I can spot a Mass person from across the room whether I'm in NH or away on vacation & I like people from Mass. Where I live, there are people who actually have signs on their trucks "M*******s go home"
The problem with Mass...$$$$$$$$$$
Here is the best Sunday drive in the summer or fall....rt. 127 Beverly, Manchester by the Sea up to Rockport...Beautiful!

[canyontothesky]

Yeah, I can't afford Mass, I've decided. I'm looking to move to either the Portland or Portsmouth area, but I'm having a really difficult time leaning towards one or the other without visiting them both right now.

[KarynO]

Coastal Maine is beautiful....I'd go with Maine.

[lrfox]

^It's beautiful, but it feels a world away. If you want to feel a world away, then the Portland area is a good bet because it's stunning, but Portsmouth offers a good amount of what Portland has yet it's a lot closer to the urbanized area in and around Boston.

[canyontothesky]

Yeah, the draw to Portland IS the beauty. That part of NH just doesn't have it, but, practicality is more important in this situation, lol.

[clevedark]

New York can squeeze the life out of you. I grew up in NJ and spent 13 years living and working in NYC. Even so, when I moved to Mass eight years ago, I missed it so much I felt like I was being punched in the stomach.

Now I don't miss it so much--eight years is another lifetime. It's just tough for me to wrap my head around all those memories and places and layers that are never going to come back to me. I guess that's part of aging.

Anyway, you sound much younger than I, and I hope you find the perfect place to settle. It's a good thing to support yourself in NY for a while, it gets your head screwed on straight and banishes any illusions you might have about yourself. You get knocked down a few times and have to pick yourself back up. Anyplace else is going to be much easier.