A BROOKLYN TALE......PART II

I'd like to thank an alert reader for bringing to my attention something he saw at FINSLIPPY, a blog published in Northern New Jersey by writer Alice Bradley. You see, she and her family have lived in the Montclair area of New Jersey for three years, but now, she's had it. Done!



Earlier, I told you of two friends who decided to ditch their long-time home of Brooklyn for greener pastures in Florida and Arizona. They're doing it to save money, but Alice Bradley, it seems moved to Jersey with her husband, looking to spread their wings, smell grass and the like. She explains it on her blog (www.finslippy.com) in the form of "Frequently Asked Questions"


Didn't you, like, just move?

Actually we moved three years ago. And you call yourself a faithful reader? You sicken me.

Didn't you say you liked New Jersey?

Sure, there's plenty to like here. We just like it better in Brooklyn.

Why did you move in the first place, stupid?

I do believe you answered your own question.

No, really.

Why did we move? It's all a blur. We were young and foolish. Our parents asked us when we were going to grow up and get a real place to live. Our friends moved out here and loved it. We thought we wanted a yard. We believed that house ownership would be intrinsically rewarding. We thought it wasn't too far from our friends and family. We were sure our other friends would follow our move.

And now you're moving back. Tell us more.

About a year ago, Scott told me he wanted to move back to Brooklyn. I actually fought him on it. I was all, "But the space! And the, uh, space! And Henry has space! And did I mention the space? So much space. Spaaaaace." We squabbled for about fifteen minutes, and then I came to my senses.

We miss our friends. Our family members are either in Brooklyn or much closer to Brooklyn than New Jersey. I loathe having to get into a car to do anything. Scott hates our damn yard. And we both think home ownership is highly overrated. We'd much rather spend our weekends going to the park or museums or flea markets or ANYTHING than spend our time tending to a house. We miss looking out the window and figuring out the weather based on what people are wearing. We miss take-out. We miss feeling like we're home.

I live in a big city. Should I never move to the suburbs because you didn't like it?

Yes. You should also like purple, because it's my favorite color. Also, Earl Grey tea is your new favorite. Write that down.

We have many friends out here who love it, who can't imagine going back to the city. These people are smart and hilarious and trustworthy. We have other friends who can't imagine living anywhere but in a city. I think it's safe to say we fall into the latter camp. We just had to leave the city to figure that out.