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My friend lives on Staten Island. She has woods across the street (city or state land), no sidewalks on her road, there's a lake close by, and she's a few blocks from a main road, so you drive through a suburban-looking wooded area to get to her house. You would never know you are really in NYC.
But no, lol, most of Staten Island does not feel as if you are in a large city. It will be the next borough to be heavily developed, though, because it's the last one that isn't.
Pretty sure the Goethals community is safe from crime. It's close to the bridge (Goethals goes from SI to Elizabeth, NJ) so it's more along the lines of a place people would pass commuting and never know it's there, and with the bridge there, there's also a PAPD command. I definitely don't think it's your kind of place, though. Nor mine.
I worked in the city all my life, except for a few years across the creek in JC after our workplace was destroyed, and I always thought I might like to live there, at least for a year. But now, average rents for a livable 1-bedroom for someone who doesn't want five roommates and isn't in their 20s and happy to walk up five flights is around $4,000. That ship has therefore sunk.
My eyes have turned toward Pittsburgh because that's where the kid has landed for now, and it's quite interesting. A city in transition, great healthcare facilities, not that I think about that but at this age I know I am supposed to think about that, and the activities and amenities one expects from a good-size city.
Well, I ultimately figured Boston was close enough to NYC. Pittsburgh is great, one of my favorite cities in the US! It is architecturally like a smaller version of what NYC used to be, the rivers are beautiful, the people are decent, the restaurants are of all varieties, the cost of living is moderate (including housing), Andy Warhol Museum has so much material that they can change exhibits all the time. The only downside of retiring to Pittsburgh is that PA has unfavorable inheritance laws.
But since I already have my primary place in the East, if I were to get the second home in the US again (which I now seriously doubt I will), it would be in the West: Las Vegas area, Santa Fe, Four Corners area - those would be places of interest for me, if I retain that sort of interest in the US at all. It has to be sufficiently different from Boston for the full efect of having a second home - it must be a total change of scenery.
It's a fine idea, but see my post above. I can't drive a house-sized vehicle. Only if that trailer is permanently grounded - but I like to live in large cities, where a permanently grounded trailer likely doesn't exist, or if it does, it will be be taxed exorbitantly as a second home (ie, if the megatax for second homes doesn't get blocked in San Francisco, it will likely rapidly sweep all other major cities in the US too), so we are back to the square one..... To me, the only solution to assuring the rhythm of change of scenery seems to be buying a second condo in some other country, ie, where people show no signs of desire to go insane. Specifically I am thinking of Bangkok, but the DISTANCE! Traveling between Boston and Bangkok 6 times a year really does give me a pause - it seems it would lead to total exhaustion, as much as I normally love travel.
I can't drive a house sized vehicle, either. Some of those RVs are tractor trailer size. But I drove a minivan for years and I can certainly drive a pick up truck. If I can drive a pick up then I can tow a trailer. Or such is my reasoning. Yes, there would be a learning curve but I have a good driving record and I'd just take things slowly until I got the hang of it. It also helps that I do have a husband who is much more adept at that sort of thing than I am. Of course a couple will need a bigger trailer than a single person would. If you want to travel in retirement this would be one way to do things but if you want a fixed address maybe not.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by springfieldva
I can't drive a house sized vehicle, either. Some of those RVs are tractor trailer size. But I drove a minivan for years and I can certainly drive a pick up truck. If I can drive a pick up then I can tow a trailer. Or such is my reasoning. Yes, there would be a learning curve but I have a good driving record and I'd just take things slowly until I got the hang of it. It also helps that I do have a husband who is much more adept at that sort of thing than I am. Of course a couple will need a bigger trailer than a single person would. If you want to travel in retirement this would be one way to do things but if you want a fixed address maybe not.
Spouse has a 'mini RV'.
Fits in std parking spot
16-20 mpg
Full Sized shower (+ outdoor shower, my favorite)
Genset / power, Microwave/ AC / furnace
Huge picture window
All equipped for hobbies and travel.
Can seat (8) belted in, so we take seniors who had to give up their RV out 'Camping', and we stay in a tent (as usual). I bring along a ADV motorcycle or one of my 50mpg econo sports cars, and escape often.
Nice rig. My mom bought one for $12k with less than 50,000 miles.
They have a quirk (Transmission), but very easy to mitigate. (Add a $200 cooler + more sump capacity)
Fits in std parking spot
16-20 mpg
Full Sized shower (+ outdoor shower, my favorite)
Genset / power, Microwave/ AC / furnace
Huge picture window
All equipped for hobbies and travel.
Can seat (8) belted in, so we take seniors who had to give up their RV out 'Camping', and we stay in a tent (as usual). I bring along a ADV motorcycle or one of my 50mpg econo sports cars, and escape often.
Nice rig. My mom bought one for $12k with less than 50,000 miles.
They have a quirk (Transmission), but very easy to mitigate. (Add a $200 cooler + more sump capacity)
Roadtrek is similar 'van' option (but much smaller to live in). Mom bought one at an Estate Sale for $11k and sold 10 yrs later for $16k
Ha! Not bad! Maybe that could be driveable?
But I just looked up Roadtrek van, and new ones cost $150k to almost $200k. I could buy two condos in Bangkok for that (in gated communities with swimming pools), and not have to drive them :-).
I can't drive a house sized vehicle, either. Some of those RVs are tractor trailer size. But I drove a minivan for years and I can certainly drive a pick up truck. If I can drive a pick up then I can tow a trailer. Or such is my reasoning. Yes, there would be a learning curve but I have a good driving record and I'd just take things slowly until I got the hang of it. It also helps that I do have a husband who is much more adept at that sort of thing than I am. Of course a couple will need a bigger trailer than a single person would. If you want to travel in retirement this would be one way to do things but if you want a fixed address maybe not.
With today's technology in RVs you would have no problem whatsoever. May have to keep your co-driver aka spouse restraint though. For me they are easier to drive and set up than trailers.
I spent the last 30 years expecting to move overseas when retired, at first to some nice but very inexpensive country. Then as I got closer, to my shock, my savings did pretty well & I could now afford moving to some pleasant parts of the US or Europe. I had waited to claim SS at 70 & now I find myself in the totally unexpected position of having more income than I ever expected... happily dumbfounded, although it may be due to living very frugal previously.
But a parent lived well into her 90's & then Covid hit... when I was finally able to move & settle on a spot in Europe, after 3 months I was psychologically & physically exhausted. So at that point in my 70s & solo, I realized I was chasing a rainbow thinking to start completely over in a new culture then.
I'm pretty happy here in NYC, lots to do & my nondiscretional expenses are very cheap believe it or not. So now I'm thinking of renting for a few months each year somewhere in a spot I have visited & considered as a second home: Ireland, where I have extensive extended family & am a dual citizen; or the Southwest somewhere (but not in summer).
Well, I ultimately figured Boston was close enough to NYC. Pittsburgh is great, one of my favorite cities in the US! It is architecturally like a smaller version of what NYC used to be, the rivers are beautiful, the people are decent, the restaurants are of all varieties, the cost of living is moderate (including housing), Andy Warhol Museum has so much material that they can change exhibits all the time. The only downside of retiring to Pittsburgh is that PA has unfavorable inheritance laws.
But since I already have my primary place in the East, if I were to get the second home in the US again (which I now seriously doubt I will), it would be in the West: Las Vegas area, Santa Fe, Four Corners area - those would be places of interest for me, if I retain that sort of interest in the US at all. It has to be sufficiently different from Boston for the full efect of having a second home - it must be a total change of scenery.
Would be interested in what you mean by that, but it is off-topic for this thread.
Boston is a cute, smaller city. Lots of history. Have a niece in the suburbs.
Neither PA nor MA will tax my NYS pension, either, which is something I have to keep in mind.
The last thing I want at this age is to own more STUFF. Whether it happens to be located in one house or not. If I want a place to sleep while away from home I'll pay to use someone else's. They get to take care of it. I want more variety in where I travel. If I owned two abodes chances are I'd end up spending travel time working on it. If that's what I want, I can do that at home. Why do it on a trip?
I spent the last 30 years expecting to move overseas when retired, at first to some nice but very inexpensive country. Then as I got closer, to my shock, my savings did pretty well & I could now afford moving to some pleasant parts of the US or Europe. I had waited to claim SS at 70 & now I find myself in the totally unexpected position of having more income than I ever expected... happily dumbfounded, although it may be due to living very frugal previously.
But a parent lived well into her 90's & then Covid hit... when I was finally able to move & settle on a spot in Europe, after 3 months I was psychologically & physically exhausted. So at that point in my 70s & solo, I realized I was chasing a rainbow thinking to start completely over in a new culture then.
I'm pretty happy here in NYC, lots to do & my nondiscretional expenses are very cheap believe it or not. So now I'm thinking of renting for a few months each year somewhere in a spot I have visited & considered as a second home: Ireland, where I have extensive extended family & am a dual citizen; or the Southwest somewhere (but not in summer).
Sounds like a plan Hefe!
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Nor mine.
To me, the only solution to assuring the rhythm of change of scenery seems to be buying a second condo in some other country, ie, where people show no signs of desire to go insane. Specifically I am thinking of Bangkok, but the DISTANCE! Traveling between Boston and Bangkok 6 times a year really does give me a pause - it seems it would lead to total exhaustion, as much as I normally love travel.
