Experiencing city living

[Mimidae]

"for the first 6 months I just wanted to leave. It was somewhere around the 8-10 month point where I changed my mind and after 12-15 months I couldn't imagine leaving. 12 years later . . . "

Can you expand on this, DriveCarePhilly? What was it that made you want to leave at first, and what was it that made you love the place, eventually? Just to play devil's advocate, a detractor of city living could argue that you grew numb to things that bothered you, and rightly bothered you, in those first 6 months. Or was it that certain charms of city living just didn't reveal themselves to you until you had been here a certain length of time? I guess what I'm saying is - in what proportion was your change of heart just "getting used to the bad" and in what proportion was it based on "discovering the good"?

[Mimidae]

To the OP: I think you have a good idea, go for it! Who knows, maybe it will change your and your wife's minds about not ever living in a city permanently. Or maybe it will make you think "Allright, that was interesting; now we know for sure we want to stick to the suburbs". (And I absolutely don't use 'suburbs' as a dirty word). I would say go for the nicest (and I'm including walkability in that, not just 'most upscale apartments') neighborhood your money will buy. $2000 a month should open up most of the city to you. If this might be the only 3 months in your entire lives that you live in a city, make it count. I envy you the ability to do this. Good luck!

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by Hallouise

"for the first 6 months I just wanted to leave. It was somewhere around the 8-10 month point where I changed my mind and after 12-15 months I couldn't imagine leaving. 12 years later . . . "

Can you expand on this, DriveCarePhilly? What was it that made you want to leave at first, and what was it that made you love the place, eventually? Just to play devil's advocate, a detractor of city living could argue that you grew numb to things that bothered you, and rightly bothered you, in those first 6 months. Or was it that certain charms of city living just didn't reveal themselves to you until you had been here a certain length of time? I guess what I'm saying is - in what proportion was your change of heart just "getting used to the bad" and in what proportion was it based on "discovering the good"?

It's because I was in my mid-20s and my social life was in South Jersey. Once I established one here it was far more robust than the one I had before and I couldn't imagine going back to it.

The trade-off was more trading incredible convenience in South Philly for the trees and grass of South Jersey. I still like trees but it's not that important.

I moved to South Philly from a rowhome in Collingswood so the stuff that's annoying didn't change very much.

[Mimidae]

That makes sense, DriveCarePhilly. I have the opposite problem (which probably bodes well for a move to Philly): I live in a neighboring state, but because of an arts scene I've been involved in for a long time in Philly, I now have more of a social base in Philly than where I live.

Now I just hope my husband can, like you, grow to love it.