Getting a handle on Westchester (White Plains, Ossining: apartment, lease, attorney)

[MacheteJames]

Hey everyone.

I moved here from suburban Boston (where I grew up) last fall. I moved here for a job and live in Ossining. I've spent the last 8 months trying to acclimate myself to this new environment and I'm having a tough time. The stereotype that I had of Westchester prior to moving was that of a classier Long Island. I had first heard about it while watching Law and Order years ago (there's always an episode here and there involving a sleazy doctor or attorney with a house in Scarsdale). It is very beautiful here... the Hudson and the Palisades can be breathtaking. There's nothing like the scenery here where I'm from.

That said, what I'm struggling with are a few things:

-the cost of living is outrageously awful. I make a middle class salary but live paycheck to paycheck. In Massachusetts, what I make here would be considered pretty decent money, but a dollar doesn't go nearly as far here as it does in northeastern MA. As the price of seemingly everything here goes up and up and out of sight, I'm having to resort to a college student culinary lifestyle with PBJs and pasta all the time. Not what I bargained for.

-Everyone is on speed. Is it me, or do people here have no clue how to slow down and enjoy their lives? I feel like I'm gonna get run off the road every time I get into the car. You have these "parkways", which are really just narrow two lane roads with no shoulders and a de facto 80mph speed limit due to the complete lack of traffic enforcement around here. I've had tons of close calls, especially on the Taconic (Hollywood could easily have filmed one of those cheesy 70s Death Race movies by just setting up a camera on the Taconic... it's that bad.)

-You've got easy access to one of the world's great cities, gorgeous scenery, all the culture you could want, yet everyone I meet is MISERABLE. People here hate each other and I can't put my finger on why. Perhaps it's a side effect of all the wealth disparity, with the financial industry elite and migrant workers all in relatively close proximity? Or maybe the diversity here causes people to just retreat into their shells? What is the deal? You make eye contact with someone and say hello and they look at you like you might mug them. We're not exactly in the South Bronx here.

-NO good food. Please, please correct me if I'm wrong, but where are the good restaurants? Those that I've seen have fallen into two categories: mediocre pizza places/delis or high end, formal dress-required restaurants for the elite. Do normal people get to eat decently here once in a while too? And where is the seafood? Do NY types not like seafood the way we New Englanders do? The Atlantic is only a few minutes away, after all.

So I've written as many statements as questions here. What I'm getting at is this: I need to decide if I belong here or not. I always have the option to move home eventually. I'm a single twenty-something with nothing holding me back. Is it just the particular part of the county that I live in, or is the picture I'm painting pretty accurate? I've considered moving to Tarrytown or Mt. Kisco when my lease here is up, just to be in a place where there is more going on. White Plains is a possibility too, although White Plains seems like a place that can't decide whether it's a city or a suburb. Thoughts?

[dma1250]

Honestly, I don't personally get what you're saying. Which isn't to say its not true. I'm from the city, so it seems very laid back and relaxed to me here. And one of the reasons I like it here is that everyone seems so much calmer, happier, and more content than in NYC. I get a general sense of neighborliness and politeness in upper Westchester--as opposed to the totally self-involved, in a rush, and status-consciousness that is prevalent in the city. I lived in Brooklyn 99% of my life and people there are so full of themselves and seem so miserable to me. So, I suppose it is a question of what you're used to and what you're comparing it to.

I will say that I can't imagine being a single 20-something here or in any suburban area. Move to the city--any city! That's where young folk should be. You can leave after a few years, but you should experience it.

To be constructive: On the restaurant front, get a Westchester Zagats or check out Chowhound Boards - Chowhound (and go to the tristate area forum and search for the towns in the area). There are a fair number of good restaurants around that are not too expensive. Definitely check out those in Peekskill--good food with reasonable prices. Close to you, go to Unami, Ocean House, and the new Tapas place in Croton--all good and not formal or too expensive.

You're young and single--if you're not comfortable, move on.

[newtoli]

No good food???? Where are you eating? I moved to LI from Westchester and miss the good delis. And bad pizza? Coming from Boston, maybe you're not used to NY Pizza. Where are you going out to eat? Out of all your statements, this one floors me the most, because there are so many choices in Westchester for dining, from smaller casual places, to chains, to middle of the road decent dining, to super fine dining. No seafood? Tons of seafood places all over the place.

The entire NY metro area is very expensive. I'm not sure how you didn't know that before you moved here, it's pretty much common knowledge that this is one of the most expensive areas to live in in the country. That isn't going to change any time soon.

I've traveled to Boston quite a bit, did you drive when you lived there? The only drivers I've found to be on par w/ NY drivers in terms of speed/aggressiveness are in Boston, so that confuses me a bit as well. Did you live in a real Boston suburb or more out in the sticks of MA?

In closing, I wouldn't base your choices on where you move on information from Law and Order!

[AnNYYankee]

Originally Posted by newtoli

No good food???? Where are you eating? I moved to LI from Westchester and miss the good delis. And bad pizza? Coming from Boston, maybe you're not used to NY Pizza. Where are you going out to eat? Out of all your statements, this one floors me the most, because there are so many choices in Westchester for dining, from smaller casual places, to chains, to middle of the road decent dining, to super fine dining. No seafood? Tons of seafood places all over the place.

I have to second this. I lived north of you for 17 years and always found great food, though I have to say not much in Ossining. If you like Mexican food go to Gudalajara on 9, just south of Arcadian; its great. I'm in NC right now and would give anything for an NY pizza from an oven not owned by a corporation. Just like you I'm having trouble adjusting and would like to return to NY so I guess its whatever you're used to.

I find your comment about making a "70s deathrace movie" on the Taconic interesting. When I was a kid (early 1970s) there was a commercial for Ford where the announcer said "We've taken this car out on the famous Taconic Parkway to show you how well it handles..." When I asked my Dad what they meant he said its because its dangerous and curvy and they want to show you how the car performs. Its always been known for that, and if I'm not mistaken it runs into MA.

Westchester was conceived as a bucolic type of place and so you find more of these types of roads than you do elsewhere. I honestly like it that way.

Good luck to you.

[MacheteJames]

Thanks for the replies!

I actually didn't come here because of Law and Order, but rather because a really good job opportunity came up and I took it. I grew up in the "real" suburbs of the North Shore and lived in the city of Lowell for a while also. Living in NYC and commuting north is not an option because there is no affordable parking to be found in NYC and my office is 2 very steep uphill miles from the Metro North station, necessitating the use of a car to get there.

Re: the drivers - drivers in Boston are damn aggressive, but the NYC area drivers are on a whole different plane of scariness. The fact that people lean on the horn if you don't immediately floor it when the light turns green is a new one for me too.

It occured to me after I wrote my message that most of the people I work with live up Putnam, Dutchess, or Orange counties, because the home prices are too exorbitant in Westchester. I work for local government and it's kinda sad when municipal employees can't even afford to live where they work.

I LOVE NY style pizza. Boston pizza is garbage in comparison. The pizza in Westchester (in the rivertowns, to be specific) is only a pale imitation of the stuff I've found in NYC proper. Why is that? I've still gotta reinforce my point that seafood is nonexistent in the rivertowns. Do I need to head over to the Long Island Sound side of the county to find some?

I won't be moving anytime soon but just am trying to find out what makes this place tick. It's 220 miles from home but may as well be another planet sometimes. The class divide here is what's giving me the most culture shock. I haven't found much evidence to show that a middle class exists here, unless you consider six figures middle class. The impression I get is that the middle class has migrated upstate and over to Rockland, leaving the wealthy and the working poor behind. Is this correct?

[newtoli]

Ok, so by Rivertowns you mean Ossining/Peekskill/Croton? I grew up in Mt Kisco, never really hit those areas often. For food, you need to head to White Plains, I could give you tons of recommendations... or just check Zagats. There is a HUGE variety of places to eat there.

if you want to go closer and head over to Mt Kisco, there is a really good seafood place called the Fish Cellar - Fish Cellar & Mt. Kisco Seafood. There is also a place called Conte's Fish Market that also has a restaurant inside that sells SUPER fresh seafood. If you like Japanese, there is Mt. Fuji, which has really good sushi. Mt. Kisco Pizza or Marcellas makes very good standard pizza there as well.

You are true that a lot of the middle class has moved. My family was very middle class, for my High School, I was considered poor. Everyone has left except for my Dad and Sister who are getting by fine, just not living lavishly. I moved to LI where the cost of living is just as bad. I woudl love to go back to Westchester however, I love the green spaces, shopping, restaurants and more country feel compared to LI.

[ghguy]

Single and twenty-something, living in Ossining and unhappy? Can't say I'm surprised as all the towns within 10 miles of you are suburban, family-oriented towns. Move to White Plains, spend some time with more people your own age, then make a decision.....

[metropolistraffic]

Ha. White Plains. You will regret mentioning that.

White Plains is, hands down, the absolute best place to live. on this whole planet.

Everything is here. It's like a mini-manhattan.

Born and raised there, I don't think it's possible to compare any other place to it.

However, a middle class income is not going to get you anywhere. The poor is at least, upper middle class. ;/ Or at least it was in white plains, for the good areas, that is. You are definitely not going to want to live near Battle Hill or Ferris, or South Lex. You're going to want to get in something off of Mamaroneck avenue, at least. Rosedale is gorgeous. Or unless you want to live downtown, but, 700k for an apartment mine-as-well get you a cute house in rosedale.

Westchester is a whole different lifestyle. Nothing can really compare to it.

As for the taconic, please. It's really not that bad, it's fairly straight, actually. But, then again. You need to be a real new york driver to handle that.

[ambarstone]

Originally Posted by metropolistraffic

Ha. White Plains. You will regret mentioning that.

White Plains is, hands down, the absolute best place to live. on this whole planet.

Everything is here. It's like a mini-manhattan.

Born and raised there, I don't think it's possible to compare any other place to it.

_____
Metropolistraffic: I second your statements about White Plains 110%!!!
What a great place to live!

Machete: Give WP a try if you can...
I'll agree with you that people in the area are a bit...agressive? They do love to look for trouble with each other (or hate each other like you call it). This is just the way it is...nothing anyone can do about it. If it is too much and you don't get use to it, move on and try new things to see what fits you better. Your youth is on your side.

[rubygreta]

Ossining is a terrible place for singles to live. You really need to move closer to White Plains.