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They can be expensive, but some of the little Westchester towns on the river are very quaint and cute, like Cold Spring. We've taken Metro North there a couple of times there and some other little towns to hike and go to a restaurant to get out of the city for an afternoon.
Cold Spring is actually a bit further away, in Putnam County, but is a lovely area.
An area you might consider, since you do not have children, an will be renting at first, would be Nyack. In the same general area, Piermont might also be worth a look. The only problem with these areas is the commute, since there is no direct access to Manhattan via rail. You can take a TappanZeExpress bus to the Tarrytown Metro-North station from Nyack. There is also bus service to the Port Authority, but there are days when you will want to tear your hair out because of the return commute. The areas are slightly less expensive than Westchester, and it is possible to take NJTransit rail from areas like Pearl River to Secaucus Junction and then to Manhattan. Nyack, in particular, is an area that could be described as quirky, artsy, etc. Piermont has a local music scene and is an area that was reclaimed from an industrial wasteland.
On the other side of the Hudson in Westchester, you may be able to find an apartment in an area like Hastings or Tarrytown, if you don't mind being in a commercial sector, possibly on the second floor. Villages like Hastings are expensive, but every now and then, apartments do come on the market that are not exorbitant.
In New Jersey, you might like someplace like Summit, which again is not inexpensive, but you could potentially find a rental in a converted house that has a few apartments in it.
Do you know where your husband will work? If it's the east side, Grand Central and areas to the north offer a faster commute. If it's the west side, then commuting through Penn from NJ and Long Island can be faster. Nyack would be through Penn or the Port Authority, both on the west side, though the PA is close to the Times Square shuttle, which would bring you to Midtown East at Grand Central.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I've been holed up in a really gloomy English town, unemployed, in a terraced house for the last 15 months. I'm surprised I even managed to find this forum.
Cold Spring is actually a bit further away, in Putnam County, but is a lovely area.
Oh is it Putnam! My bad, sorry about that. It is beautiful though. And it didn't seem like a far train ride; though I don't know how it would feel commuting from there daily. There are so many other cute little towns I have been meaning to visit on a weekend.
I'm only here to be with my husband--am not a big fan of the UK, in part because I have a condition that gets a lot worse in cold, damp places. (Ah, the things we do for love.)
I think it's apples and oranges with US/UK towns. I like the village of Aylesford, which is close to me in Kent, but it's really teeny tiny. I just find it interesting because it's such an old settlement, with some of the original structures.
Brighton is kind of cool, too. Sevenoaks and a lot of the towns around that area south of London are green and gorgeous (but of course, pricey). I'm in love with the countryside but as I don't have a UK license it would be tough.
But again, apples and oranges.
I lived in Richmond, VA for nine years and loved the contrast of city/parkland there. It's a lush, gorgeous town with incredible architecture, a love of eccentricity, and a thriving cultural scene.
It was easy to get around and for them "traffic" was maybe a fifteen minute delay. (Unless you were coming from the airport in rush hour, which could get hairy.)
I grew in a suburb of Chicago which was pretty, but I can't imagine ever living there because it was so typically suburban with that weird expectation that everything is great all of the time. Does that make any sense?
I'm sure with our budget we'll be priced out of any really white picket fence scenes.
I just don't want to feel like I'm going to get mugged when I'm bringing the groceries in. Been there, done that in Chicago. Am too old to fight loud neighbors having thumping bass parties.
Know what I mean...?
If I had my choice I would go to one of the Carolinas. I love Raleigh-Durham & Charleston. But like most we're following the work....
Thanks for all the detailed info mc33433 & bmwguydc. He'll be by Union Square. I've posted my query in the New Jersey section as well, and a number of people have also suggested Nyack. (How do you pronounce that...?)
Cold Spring does indeed look lovely! Thanks for that!
Availableusername, dude, I'm afraid it is not awesome. My husband calls Gillingham, where we live, the Hell's Kitchen of London. There are a few nice neighborhoods, but this ain't one of 'em. A few weeks after a moved in someone threw a petrol bomb at a car, inches from where I was sitting on our "lounge," which is basically on the sidewalk. That's just one example. As the locals would say, "it's not a pleasant spot."
If he's by Union Square its just one stop on the express subway from Grand Central, and that opens up a whole bunch of towns in Westchester. Look up the timetables for the New Haven line, Harlem line and Hudson line from Grand Central. Cross off any town with a ride of more than, say, 35 mins, and go from there. Try Irvington on the Hudson line, Mamaroneck on the New Haven line.
Availableusername, dude, I'm afraid it is not awesome. My husband calls Gillingham, where we live, the Hell's Kitchen of London. There are a few nice neighborhoods, but this ain't one of 'em. A few weeks after a moved in someone threw a petrol bomb at a car, inches from where I was sitting on our "lounge," which is basically on the sidewalk. That's just one example. As the locals would say, "it's not a pleasant spot."
Ok I gotcha. I'm thinkin the black sabbath fan in me has this romantic idea of some medieval English town with old brick houses everywhere and castles in the background.
I just looked it up, and yeah that's pretty much what I was picturing.
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