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My husband and I attended college in Boston. One of our favorite places that we lived was in Davis Square in Somerville, MA. It had lots of restaurants and bars, some unique stores, coffee shops within walking distance and we were close to the subway. I really loved it there, however most of my friends and family are in the NY/NYC area so I'm seeking something similar here.
Of course I love NYC, but it's so costly. I was wondering which, if any, of the towns in Westchester that have a Metro North stop would be a good option for me. Do any of these towns have an environment like that? Ideally I'd love a place with a few late night eateries, a few bars, somewhat walkable to shops/restaurants, a coffee shop, and a 30 or 40 minutes Metro North ride to NYC.
Right now we live in Danbury CT and we're not loving it. There's not much around to do, and we're longing for a little more excitement.
White Plains has the quantity of restaruants and bars that you're looking for but lacks in the uniqueness category. Tarrytown is smaller but very cool and worth checking out (plus it's on the river!). Pleasantville is a little more quite but has one of the nicer business districts in Westchester. Mount Kisco also has a sizable downtown and is worth a visit.
Pleasantville is very quaint and has a good mix of restaurants, as well as the Jacob Burns Film Center (and a conveniently accessible train station). But if you're looking for more excitement and family/schools are not an issue, have you considered Hoboken? Lots of young professionals, nightlife, culture, etc. My friends who live there like to call it the "6th Borough".
I don't know if there's a town that's exactly like the "squares" along the Red Line, many towns have the quaint feel but are a lot smaller. Then the bigger ones don't have quite the same charm and quaintness. White Plains, while great in other ways, certainly doesn't. Hoboken, NJ kind of does in that there are restaurants and culture and it's a subway ride of sorts from Manhattan, but I still don't think it's quite the same "vibe" (i.e. not really the atmosphere that having Harvard and MIT in the neighborhood adds, although there is a college called Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken).
What you are looking for can be found in some of the neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Prospect Park, Brooklyn Heights, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene etc offer varying degrees of that atmosphere.
As for Westchester; Portchester has many restaurants etc that draw people from neighboring Rye, Mamaroneck, and Greenwich. The towns and villages are all really close together in that part of the county. That area along with White Plains might be worth checking into.
Thanks everyone I really appreciate the responses since I am not very familiar with a lot of these areas. I want to check these places out, and move in a year or so (since we have work commitments in Danbury for at least another year).
I've been told that Stamford, CT is a fun place to live. I need to check it out for myself, but is there an easy way into NYC by public transportation? There is no metro north train correct?
Mt. Kisco/Tarrytown/Pleasantville/Portchester I will have to check out. Also, what about Irvington/Dobbs Ferry/Hastings on Hudson? White Plains, I've only driven through briefly, but I didn't get a great "feeling" from it...seemed kind of cold to me...but that's only a first impression.
I have a friend in (Bay Ridge) Brooklyn, and I do like the area a lot, but it feels a bit grittier/much more urban than Davis Sqare did. I could definitely see just my husband and I living there, but we do plan to have children maybe in 5 years or so, and I don't think I'd want to raise them in Brooklyn.
I've never considered Hoboken, but it sounds like I should at least give it a look. I'm wondering about Long Island as well.
We're having a really hard time deciding where to live. We love city life and want to be as close as possible to all of the excitement, and at the same time we want to someday have a family and enough room to raise our future children. I'm sure it's a pretty common dilemma, but it is such a struggle. All I know is that I miss our "city life" in Cambridge terribly, and Danbury, CT is not making us very happy (except for being pretty close to NYC).
Maybe we should consider another part of the country entirely (Seattle? San Francisco?), or go back to Boston, but I'd like to try and see if something near NY could work because it's close to family.
The problem may be that in Cambridge, you have more college students, and stores, bars, etc. that cater to those students than you ever will have in suburban NY.
Have you looked at Tarrytown yet? It has interesting stores, restaurants, and a somewhat warm emotional climate. Bronxville is marginally influenced by Sarah Lawrence College. Bronxville is right next to NY.
Pelham, on the Sound side of the county is a small town, and a short ride to NY. Pelham will be getting Fairway soon, which is an awesome grocery store. But the town is very very sleepy and small. There are ongoing initiatives to make it more vibrant that work very very slowly.
Thanks everyone I really appreciate the responses since I am not very familiar with a lot of these areas. I want to check these places out, and move in a year or so (since we have work commitments in Danbury for at least another year).
Virtually all the places listed are commutable to Danbury, so you wouldn't have to wait for a new job/work commitment.
Someone I think mentioned New Haven, but not as a suggestion. While most of the city itself is quite urban, the East Rock neighborhood is nice (including schools) and it and the area around Yale does have a bit of that "square" feel you want. But it would be a bit far for commuting to anywhere in NY (though some do it) and you'll have a lot of traffic going to somewhere like Stamford or Danbury. But from the standpoint of being near your family it's pretty doable
The areas I listed in Brooklyn are nothing like Bay Ridge. I was specifically referring to the neighborhoods that I listed.
Also, Stamford CT does have train service. It has a large station downtown on the New Haven line.
Thanks, I will look into those areas in Brooklyn. I'm going to devote a lot of my upcoming weekends to checking these areas out.
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