In about a week we will celebrate our 5th anniversary of living on the East Coast. For the first 4 years we lived just outside of Manhattan and enjoyed frequent trips to the city and getting to know our new area. This last year we decided to make the move to the beach, known here as the Shore. Before moving East, I had never been to the NYC area or New Jersey but I had many ideas of what I might see based on social media, what others "warned" me about and stereotype including crime, rude people, all cement cities, dirty beaches, high taxes (oh wait, that is true), big haired women with name necklaces in gold (oh wait, that one is true too) -- just to name a few.
In the 5 years I can happily say that many of the pre-conceived notions I had were incorrect and those that were accurate really aren't that bad.
The City. New York City is my favorite city in all of the World and that is saying a lot considering I'm a travel writer and the first time I set foot in the city was when we moved here. I still find myself in awe at its size and unending opportunities to see/do/eat and most importantly BE anything you want. The diversity of the people and areas as well as the history adds to the charm and aside from Times Square and Chinatown, it is easy to escape to quaint areas within the city to "get away".
the city
"Family". We have met more people in these 5 years that have become as close to us as our actual family -- far more than anyone we met in the same amount of time (or longer) in other locations we have lived. Yes, people here tend to be more upfront and tell you what they think, but what is wrong with that? I find it much more refreshing than the passive aggressive "politically correct" friendships that we found common on the West Coast.
NJ. New Jersey isn't just dodgy Newark and the turn-pike. And yes, that terrible show has given the Shore a bad name (you know most of those people are from NY, right?) and at times there are some questionable Italian themed crimes, but hey--- there are always going to be a few bad apples to spoil the bunch no matter where you are.
the real Jersey Shore
New Jersey is diverse-- such a safe, small town feel in all of the townships and boroughs-- many only minutes from Manhattan--with individual culture and history. Farm towns are just 30 min outside of Manhattan where the famous Jersey blueberries and tomatoes are grown and the beach towns have some of the most gorgeous beaches complete with white sand and surrounded by boardwalks I love to run, "carnival" games and rides for all ages and all the fried food you'd ever want! The Shore attracts day visitors as well as summer renters that come down each year from NY, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and other surrounding states to spend their summer at the beach.
enjoying a day at the beach
General area. Just outside of Manhattan, less than 30 minutes driving, are ski-hills, white water rapids, beaches and big cities to get any and all of the culture, food or scenery you want. Go a little further by train or car and you can be in multiple surrounding states (DC, Boston or Block Island (RI) are just 3-4 hours away).
Sun--sweet sun. I love sun. I love to be tan. Out here, I can plan outdoor events for days--even weeks-- in advance without having to worry about the weather. Yes most winters are cold and snowy, but on the East Coast they have these things called snow plows and after a big snowfall the main roads are generally cleared within hours, and its sunny almost every day in the winter.
It does get Africa hot in the summer and the humidity sets in around late June and sticks around for a few months, but it is almost always sunny. The ocean temps are in the 80's, the number of prescriptions written for insufficient vitamin D is low and for the first time in my life, if I know I'm unable to get outside to enjoy the sun for a day or two in a row--I don't worry about it as I know the sun isn't going anywhere (side note: growing up in Seattle's gloomy weather left permanent scars and it took me a good 2 years here not to be glued to the weather forecast on the news each night during the summer to "see if it would be sunny tomorrow").
I can't think of too many other areas in the US where I would love to live as much as here. I'm an East Coast girl at heart and pretty sure I always will be!
;)
Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 7:38PM 
