[Tubulus]

My fiance is being relocated to New Haven (Yale Hospital), and I work on the Stamford/Greenwich border. We are in our 20s, no kids. Moving from Manhattan, but we're not exactly party animals. Want to live somewhere wth some "life" - ie we see other people outside, some restaurants, maybe a bar with good music within a walk or at least a short drive - but don't need a real party scene. Good food is a must. I have an aversion to character-less townhouse developments - would prefer to rent in a real house or nice apartment building. Completely undecided at this point on where to live - had a few questions.


1 - Has traffic on I-95 (west in the morning, east at night) eased up with all the job losses - ie how far east could we live that my commute to stamford would be reliably less than 40 minutes? Fairfield? Black Rock? I imagine her drive (into New Haven in the morning) will be relatively painless.
2 - Is Black Rock "safe" - at least as safe as NYC? Sounds like a decent area for us - on the water, a little bit of culture/nightlife/etc. SoNo seems similar, but less safe.
3. If we lived in East Norwalk or Fairfield, would we feel like fish out of water without kids?
4. Any other suggestions?

Sorry for the rambling post, but totally confused right now.

[jjbradleynyc]

Black Rock would be a great "central point" location for both of you with respect to your jobs, but your commute into Stamford/Greenwich border area would be pretty rough--if leaving between 7 and 9am weekdays. I-95 is awful going into NYC (as-is the Merritt), and travelling back and forth between Stamford/Bridgeport on weekday mornings is rough. Black Rock is pretty safe and quiet for the most part, but stay below Ellsworth (I think that's the street...). The taxes are high there, but it is a very cute and "getaway" kind of neighborhood. I like it a lot.

As for South Norwalk, I have friends that live about a 1/4 mile away, and they've never had any issues with crime. South Norwalk is usually hopping and a lot going on--it definitely beats out Black Rock for clubs, bars, restaurants, etc.

I'd really suggest you live in either New Haven (long commute for you) or Stamford (long commute for her)--because both have the nightlife and safety (mostly in general with Stamford--East Rock/Westville w/New Haven) that you want.

Take another look at south Norwalk though...it could be the best option for you both.

[Tubulus]

Thanks for the advice. I've read on these forums and elsewhere that SoNo on Washington St is nice, but once you get anywhere further than a block away it turns pretty nasty. Has this changed? Where approx do your friends live that is decent?

[JayCT]

Traffic into Stamford on I-95 and the Merritt is still bad. Stamford is a major employment center and the recent downturn in the ecoomy has not changed that. I seriously doubt it will in the future either. I strongly suggest you consider traveling by train. There is excellent service into Stamford and there are a number of ways to get around Stamford once you are at the train station.

I also would like to point out that your fiance's drive into New haven wil not be easy either. New Haven is also a major employment center and there is significant traffic on major highways entering and leaving during rush hours. I would encourage her to take the train too. I believe there are shuttles offered to Yale Medical Center.

As for where to live, there are people without children in Fairfield and other similar towns, but they are in the minority. It is hard to say if you will feel uncomfortable or not. Black Rock might be a good option. Another town to consider would be Milford. good luck, Jay

[Currency Pair Crocodile]

From my house to get to I-95, which is hardly more than 1 mile, I spent 10 minutes.

Once in I-95, 10 miles take 10 minutes.

Getting to I-95 is so annoying in Stamford

I think this would be the same no matter where you live in Stamford.

[nyc2ct]

Originally Posted by Tubulus

2 - Is Black Rock "safe" - at least as safe as NYC? Sounds like a decent area for us - on the water, a little bit of culture/nightlife/etc. SoNo seems similar, but less safe.

I suggest that you spend some time in Black Rock during the day time and night time to get a feel for the neighborhood. Talk to the people who actually live there.
Last weekend my wife and I spent a few hours driving around and checking out random open houses in Black Rock. Coming from Manhattan we're expecting to see South Bronx, Crown Height type of neighborhoods. On the contrary what we saw were beautiful houses, well-manicured lawn, young, healthy-looking couples walking their kids to the park. The neighborhood does look depressing above Ellesworth st.
Areas near the university reminded me of Red Hook, Brooklyn, abandon warehouses with broken windows everywhere... places you don't want to go near when night falls.

[Tubulus]

Thanks for all the advice. We're strongly considering renting a house or floor of a house in East Norwalk, right over the bridge from SoNo, basically the area between Veterans Park and Calf Pasture. Is that area very safe? Will we feel safe walking around at night, say if we walked to dinner in SoNo?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Tubulus

Thanks for all the advice. We're strongly considering renting a house or floor of a house in East Norwalk, right over the bridge from SoNo, basically the area between Veterans Park and Calf Pasture. Is that area very safe? Will we feel safe walking around at night, say if we walked to dinner in SoNo?

You might ask this question in a new thread to get some attention. I think this area is okay at best. I am not sure I would want to walk around at night though, but my knowledge could be tainted a bit from years ago. Jay

[Silli]

Is there no way for you to take the train to your job in Stamford (perhaps there is a connecting shuttle bus?) That would allow for cheaper and nicer housing closer to New Haven, or at least a nicer commute from Black Rock.