Our journey was extremely quick and somewhat seamless.

During the early stages of the pandemic, we decided to take refuge outside the city in monthly Airbnbs. One month, we decided to give Westchester a try as my husband had always considered it to be a place we would move once we were ready to move to the 'burbs. I had never spent meaningful time in Westchester so it was a good opportunity to give the area a trial run.

I never realized that I could get MORE from the suburbs than I do in the city.

In the warmer months it's hard for me to believe that daily walks along the beach or sandy sunsets with a drink in hand are my reality. My toddler has access to incredible educational resources - from a nature center's outdoor campfire where she met a snowy owl and made s'mores, to taking weekly art lessons in a museum; and tons of daytrips to quaint New England towns with fantastic restaurants; incredible beaches; family-friendly nature trails and hikes; and loads of museums, galleries, and historical homes (I highly recommend getting your hands on a CT Art Trail pass!). I also thought I would quickly lose touch with the city, but being less than an hour drive away means we take advantage of NYC almost weekly! I truly feel like I have landed in the best of both worlds.

My biggest fear was lack of a social network, slowly losing touch with city friends and culture, and "boredom."

I am still struggling with a lack of social network, especially given we moved during a pandemic when people are hesitant to introduce people into their "bubbles." Darien is known to have an extremely robust "newcomers" outreach so I am confident that once vaccines are more widely available and infection rates decline, it will be much easier to feel a part of the "community." I have also had to adjust to "darkness" once the sun sets - we took the street lights, busy storefronts and restaurants, and unending pedestrian movement in the city for granted. Don't expect to take many evening walks or strolls around town in the winter evenings!