Rockin' Tha Suburbz

Yeah, I know. I've been MIA for a while. This is mostly because I have relocated myself from the hip Davis Square area of Somerville to Suburbia, aka Norwood, MA.

Wait, having a hard time finding Boston on that second map? Look up in the top right corner. Oooooooooohhhh...there it is. Yeah, Somerville is just north of Boston. Right on the T and everything. Norwood is a fair distance south and west. We still have the commuter rail where I live, so I could get into town without a car if needed, but most people drive.

So many of my friends have commented on my "selling out" and moving to the 'burbz. But LET ME TELL YOU, my friends, suburbia is the place for me. Behold, the top 5 list why I love (at least my little segment of) suburbia:

5. The post office is open until 7 every night, except Saturdays when it's open until 3.

4. My neighbors are all really friendly and nice, and are not 19-year-old college students who will throw "ragers" every weekend. It's a family neighborhood. (Yes, I recognize that listing this makes me sound
old.)

3. My commute is 3 miles shorter and 15 minutes faster; PLUS it's mostly highway...no more of this stop-and-go crap through town.

2. My car insurance got cut in HALF when I moved. No lie.

1. 24-hour, DRIVE-THROUGH Starbucks. (That's right, the only one in the Northeast except for one in Long Island. And yes, it's not in Boston, it's in my little suburban town.)

I recognize that this is a top 5 list, not a top 10 list...but gimme a few months, I've only been here 4 weeks and 90% of my time there has either been in my new place painting, or at the Starbucks getting a chai so I can continue to paint late into the evening.

The real reason I think I like it so much there is because I was raised in the suburbs. This is where I wanted to end up anyway - this is what feels like home to me. I had a friend ask me if I'd miss being walking distance to so many bars. But here's the thing - I totally loved Davis Square. It had tons of great restaurants, and a really unusual vibe to it, but I paid a lot of money to be walking distance from it, and I very rarely went there.

I totally get that there are people my age that would kill to be where I was. I totally get that it makes me sound old to want to live in a neighborhood and sort of "nest." But that's who I am. I'm a nester. I don't go out drinking too too often anymore.

And I've decided it's OK to be that way. It's also OK to be like my friends who love to live near all the bars. It's OK to go out all the time. I just don't. If you think that makes me boring, fine. I didn't say you had to move to Norwood with me. But for my life, and the way I live, it's so much better to live in the suburbs, and take the train in when I want to get all crazy and then crash on someone's couch. It's nice having the balance of being young enough to do that, but being old enough to want to live in a nice town with nice neighbors and save money on insurance and groceries and gas.

And guess what? There are some fun bars and restaurants within walking distance of my house. Yes, that's right folks, even suburban towns have bars. And they can be fun. No, I won't get the culture exposure I did in Davis Square (not even close), but that's why I plan on being back in Boston on a regular basis. I do own a car, after all. And with the money I'm saving on insurance and gas, I can afford to pay for parking now. =)

So, that's what I've been up to. Rockin' Tha Suburbz. And it has been a GOOD TIME. Feel free to come and visit!