If you have children, why do you like to live in Manhattan? (Arlington: big house, neighborhood)

[moonsky]

Originally Posted by bluedog2

You sound like my sister.We grew up in a city but she got married and moved to the suburbs to raise her own family while I doubled down on city life and moved to NY. Now, the only time she doesn't talk badly about city life and wonder how people can stand it is when she is going on and on about how great it was growing up in the city and what a wonderful childhood we had.How do your kids feel about the plan to move to California ?

My older one is under five and excited. My younger one is less than 2 yrs old. We will be sururban area near the family. They will see and play with their cousins.

I didn't say living here is bad but it is not easy with children. Now, it is not that bad because they are still young. But what's about when they are in teenager age? Don't kids want to have their own rooms or privacy? It is difficult to do here. Also, I just think it is not easy to save for retirement when the living cost here is so high.

[moonsky]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

Children are only part of your issue. If you really like having a "15 mins drive to the nice/big shopping mall," then you'll never be happy in Manhattan, with or without children.

I really hate shopping actually. Most of the time, I shop on-line. I point it out to show that it is closed to everything that majority of people would like.

[moonsky]

Originally Posted by omigawd

Manhattan offers opportunities for your children that you will never, ever find anywhere else.

That "big yard" won't mean squat once your kids are a bit older --- as a matter of fact, many suburban families I know who have kids say their kids barely get to use their "big yard" because they're rarely home: at school, day care, sports, running errands on weekends, etc..... Same thing with the beach. Everyone I know on Long Island says the best thing about LI is "the beaches" yet, when you ask them, they admit they only get to the beach maybe 1 or 2 times a summer.

Anyway, from your post, you seem to be a suburban person and that's probably where you'd be most content.

I guess I just don't like to live in the tight space and somewhere very crowded.

Anyway, when we live in CA, we went to the beach at least once a month and Disneyland almost every two months.

I do like museums here. I wouldn't mind living here for short period of time.

[Viralmd]

Originally Posted by moonsky

I really hate shopping actually. Most of the time, I shop on-line. I point it out to show that it is closed to everything that majority of people would like.

Ah - the point is that HERE the majority of people don't find that a selling point. And we did have our own rooms growing up in Manhattan! It's a personal preference.

A friend was recently given an opportunity to relocate (completely paid for by the company) - one of the 'selling points' was that the new area was near 'XX Mall.' She said, 'I live in MANHATTAN. Why do I want or need a mall?' Needless to say, she and her family are staying in Manhattan.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by moonsky

Also, I hate winter here.

That's going to be an issue anywhere in the northeastern quarter of the United States and then some, from Maine to Montana.

Originally Posted by moonsky

The price of a nice house over there will get me only a tiny 2bd/bths in Manhattan.

NYC certainly is expensive. A lot of the people who enjoy raising kids in Manhattan neighborhoods like yours either can afford the space that it requires and the private schools, or they learn to make do with less space and prefer that lifestyle to being in the suburbs.

There are some people who are just city people and couldn't imagine living anywhere else, and some who think a place like Manhattan is a better place to raise kids because they are exposed to so many interesting things. It seems like you're not in that camp.

Manhattan may not have many malls, but I hardly think it's closed to people who like shopping. There are plenty of stores for all tastes and budgets, you just take a cab or walk instead of driving to a giant parking lot.

Personally, I appreciate California but wouldn't live there. I made the decision to leave NYC because I didn't think the cost of housing was worth it, but if I had to choose between Manhattan and California, I'd choose Manhattan. But I am a northeasterner to the core who feels most comfortable in the city.

[Rachael84]

I don't know why people are saying kids have museums, events, theatres at their fingertips when suburban kids are just a short train ride away. I can bet you I went to museums and theatres just as much as the kids growing up in Manhattan. It's not that difficult to spend a few hours in the city doing this stuff. It also helped that my grandma lived in Manhattan and I stayed with her a lot as a kid. But besides that, my parents regularly drove to the subway and we did different things in the city.

[Coney]

There are tradeoffs no matter where you live. My father was not mechanically-minded. He never wanted to live in a house and worry about trying to fix things. He preferred being able to get maintenance staff to make repairs. He also didn't like the idea of having to deal with a car since he was really mechanically "challenged." I did have to share a room for a while until we moved and I got my own bedroom, but many of my friends shared a room. Sometimes, their parents would make some sort of room divider so that there was privacy, especially if it was a brother and sister sharing a bedroom, which is sometimes a necessity. My mother loved shopping in the large city department stores, when they existed. You can buy hard to find items and things you can't find anywhere else in Manhattan. I got a great music education here. My teachers played in the NY Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, taught at Manhattan School of Music, Julliard, etc. There was no problem finding a top notch instrument repairmen and you could find any piece of sheet music that you needed. My artistic friends studied art at the Art Students League of NY, had opportunities to show their student works at NY galleries. You don't have these types of opportunities any place else. Instead of going to a little neighborhood movie theater, we saw movies at Radio City and as a student, I had access to the biggest library in the US, not to mention the very unique performing arts library in Lincoln Center. And as a kid, I had exposure to theater, ballet, concerts, etc. that cannot be matched in any other part of the country. When your children turn 4, take them to see The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, a children's art class at MOMA or the Met, a science class at the American Museum of Natural History and the planetarium, a class for preschoolers at the Bronx Zoo, while you are still here because they will not have this opportunity any where else.

[SeventhFloor]

Originally Posted by moonsky

Why do people like it here so much and wouldn't mind living in a tiny place?

because they are comfortable with where they live, that pretty much sums it up.

[TarheelsInNJ]

We just had our first baby a few months ago, and are really conflicted about leaving Manhattan. Our particular circumstances are such that we can't afford a bigger apartment until our baby is about 2, and since we're in a 1-bedroom we're beginning to feel cramped. I think we'll end up moving to the 'burbs (hence my screen name!) but we'll really miss being here.

For us it's more basic... we've been here 5 years, and our close friends and church are here, plus favorite restaurants, parks, etc. This is our home! All of the things we enjoy about our daily life here are what we want to share with our kids. We can take the train in to visit museums and such, but may not be as inclined to take the train in just to stroll around the neighborhood for an afternoon. We'll miss that.

[ohiogirl22]

I don't understand how people can miss the mall when they are in manhattan. Manhattan IS a mall! Whats next people saying they miss having a street of bars?

I grew up in Suburbia and I think it would be so lonley to be a mom in suburbia, staying home all day in a house while my husband is at work with kids. I know my mom said she felt trapped. To me, Suburbia feels so isolated. so detached.

Plus once me and my sister where out of the swing set phase no one wanted to play in our XXL back yard and my parents had to pay tons of money for landscaping. Later we build a pool which took up a quarter of it. After 12 a yard means nothing and kids don't really care