Maryland, the Budding Obsession

[altarflame]

I've spent the entire evening:

-hearing about how awesome Kristin's new Takoma Park neighborhood is
She's been given printed directions, a phone charger, coffee, bottles of wine, and invitations to a potluck and a holiday party, by neighbors, already - having asked for nothing. These people also had her (and Carina's, and their three children's) 28 foot moving trailer emptied in under two hours, and have recommended the best thrift store and explained the local co-op style PARK...apparently they've turned a vacant lot into the place for everyone's outgrown swing sets and big plastic toddler toys, hung a tire swing, and bring food out there to eat dinner together when kids don't want to come in O_O She's been in a total state of shock since ordering Indian food for delivery at 10 pm.

-interrogating her mercilessly about neighborhoods, highways, train lines, and so on

-having another whole-family meeting about the move, over dinner
I'm really, really happy that everyone seems on board with this. Ananda and Aaron have some hesitations because of their friends, but it helps that their best friends are in D.C. every summer anyway, and that we'll come back here for visits, as well. Even they are swayed by factors like, "actually seeing Dad sometimes," and "less time on the highways." The little kids have been confused about what we would be able to bring - there seems to be a new amazing idea every day. We can take the TRAMPOLINE? HOW?! We can bring PETS? HOW WILL WE GET THEM THERE?! Etc. Now that they are reassured that there will be food in our new kitchen (?), the stuff on our walls can come down and be transported, and so on, they are just like SNOW?! STAIRS IN OUR HOUSE! SIGN US UP!

-researching the University of Maryland psych department
Entrance requirements don't look problematic at all - 2.7 GPA? Done and DONE. Also - they have a neuroscience minor option! That is not as stringent as UMs, which was really impossible for me to do with the kids! It is a much closer option that UM or FIU would be, here.

-researching local dance schools
The only ones that even come close to Dance Empire are in D.C. - but hey, I've already looked at several great houses blocks from train stations that would make that a 20-25 minute trip WITHOUT A CAR INVOLVED.

-researching cello options
Our new acronym would be MCYO. Maryland Classics Youth Orchestra requires private lessons on the side, and that would probably be a good idea for Annie anyway, since their audition requirements are a little beyond her current abilities.

-average utility bills
They look significantly lower than we pay, which is a relief, since we pay a lot. Our electric (and water) bill in the summer is always at least $530ish per month, and has ranged up over $600. There's a lot more variance to adjust to - water bills coming separately and quarterly, and paying for gas heat in the winter - but the average over the course of a year still seems to be about $250 per month TOTAL for all utilities which sounds...amazing.

and, of course, combing Craigslist in small groups for affordable 4+ bedroom places that allow animals and are at least somewhat walkable
There are actually a lot, most of them different from the ones I saw a couple of weeks ago. I'm not really sure if there's any point to perusing them yet, since many are immediately available and seem to have high turnover, and we aren't going anywhere for a couple of months. But it's fun ;)

It is definitely looking like we're going - Grant's boss needs/wants him there more and more, and is impatient about it. I'm feeling excited about an adventure, and good about "planting" my kids somewhere safer, prettier and more laden with opportunities than my parents did me.

Comments

[moobabe.livejournal.com]

My mother lived in Takoma Park for several years. She was in a wonderful neighborhood with an easy walk to metro, a super-cool music stores, and (memorable to young me) a spectacular bakery. Hope you end up somewhere like that. :)

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

This is very similar to things being described to me :) Kristin and Carina do have a higher income to work with than we do (IBCLC, and NP, respectively, both working fulltime). Still and all, there is some great stuff to choose from!

[keilababe.livejournal.com]

Wow can you imagine your hair without all the Florida humidity? The humidity here is terrible, and I have to go to great lengths and expense to fight the frizz.

Anyway, I'm excited for your new adventure!

I'm excited, too!

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

I do not bother to fight any frizz at all. Ok, I guess I use RIDICULOUS amounts of conditioner in the shower (like tennis ball sized). And I only brush it before the shower. And that's it. Basically when my hair seems ridiculous it's time to wash/condition it again (every 2 to 3 days).

I do like it better in winter though, so yeah...except...it would be cold :/ COLD, UGH! :p

[brighidh.livejournal.com]

I agree with alexparte. Our reason for moving here is redundancy in job options. There was one game in town in OH and here my husband could have another job at the snap of his fingers and when I'm done with school, same. The other member of the house hold is also looking at same, even after military retirement. I don't really trust the metro, either, but they're routing a new piece of it out to my area and I may give it a whirl later. Also, you can't get anywhere in under an hour if you're between 7-9 am and 4-6 pm. One of the members of my family is doing Univ of Maryland and he has had very good experiences.

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

I really think anywhere in the world is gonna seem slow and unreliable to you, compared to NYC. The kind of public transportation I'm used to involves busses that take circuitous routes to just a few stops, and break down often. If I drive 45 I can get to a rail stop, but the rail goes to a VERY limited number of places. If Grant takes it to the tri-rail instead of driving the whole way to the tri-rail, it takes him an extra hour each way. Just. It's SO BAD!

Anyway, I like what you have to say. Why are you a big DC hater? Is it all about traffic, or...?

[brighidh.livejournal.com]

I must have missed that you're moving so this came as a surprise. I live in NoVA -- the only thing I think you may have a bit off is the utility bills. We live in a townhouse and while it does face the sun, our electric in the summer approached $600 and we're only cooling about 2500 sf.

Also, vehicle taxes are higher here than they were for us in OH, NC or LA but that's VA, not MD -- I'm guessing they're similar.

Beyond the settling in (and it has taken us about 6 mos to really settle) we find we're in love with this area and likely won't relocate again. Our original plan was Seattle.

Maryland

[(Anonymous)]

I lived in Anne Arundel County, MD for most of my growing-up years. It's a great place to learn & grow up: field trips (Smithsonian/D.C. in your backyard!) and it's a very culturally diverse community. Hope your move is smooth! :)

-Lauren

Re: Maryland

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

:)

Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

You might want to be more cautious and realistic about money. Living in an urban area is very expensive. And there's no way you can get from Maryland to downtown DC in 20 minutes.

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

......do you think that it's wreckless and unrealistic to start researching these things months in advance? I mean we're moving mostly for job stability and a salary hike, so that's at least relatively responsible, I would think. It's also going to save us a large portion of the $1500+ that we're currently spending on commuting and other transportation costs.

I was also extremely pleased to see the plethora of BJ's locations in the area :p I don't think I could go back to non-warehouse grocery shopping at this point...

Anyway, I was basing the time frame on what Google Maps told me. Part of the reason why I post info like that here is to get feedback from real people who might have differing experiences.

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

Also; I was initially pretty shocked in both Boston and NYC by costs of things like parking, tolls and restaurants (although we have all of those things in "urban" parts of Miami, and avail ourselves of them). What else do you recommend I keep in mind, as far as costs of "urban living" in the greater DC area? I'm knowledgeable/prepared re: rent prices, and as I understand it nearly all the historic and museum style stuff in DC proper is free.

good luck with your move

[(Anonymous)]

Good luck with your move. I hope you find everything you are looking for. As someone who has lived in a cold climate I would never recommend people living here. Living in a cold climate cost more, winter clothing , winter tires and heating cost. renting after owning sucks and trying to find a place with animals is really hard.
maybe you can get a part time job when you move to help with expenses.

Re: good luck with your move

[altarflame.livejournal.com]

This is directed not just at you, in particular, but at whoever is having the same or similar set of concerns and is reading, because it seems like I need to clarify:

I do not need to get a job. I don't think people are understanding this situation accurately.

Grant's job pays really well. We're doing fine as it is. We got behind on our mortgage and it caused a lot of people to assume a lot of things, which is to be expected, because this is the internet. Anyway, as a moving package, his company is paying for us to visit Maryland three times to check the area out and find a house, giving us $5,000 in moving expenses, and adjusting his salary up to compensate for the higher cost of living. That is all their standard relocation package and does not include the promotion and raise he's going to have soon after for the project he's working on that is centered out of Maryland. Additionally, we are currently use to paying over $1,500 per month in gas, tolls, car maintenance, car insurance, and his train fare, and that is going to go down drastically after we're there. We are already budgeting for winter clothes and heating expenses. There are tropical expenses, too, like how we had to pay $15,000 for a new roof when we moved into this house because the codes are so important, and how we have to spend a couple hundred dollars every summer on hurricane supplies, and of course replacement shutters and missed work, not to mention home damage, when one comes through. Fences and decks rot much more rapidly in south Florida, cars and bikes even rust faster!

Almost all of the rentals I've looked at so far say they're fine with pets; Kristin just moved with 4 cats. Additionally, along with Kristin, my sister and father in law are both also currently transitioning to renting (by choice) because they are tired of paying the sky high property taxes and insurance down here (ours is over $10,000 per year), and having to deal with maintenance and repair costs themselves.

We are going to get a chunk of money when we sell our house, to have in the bank and move with, because we owe much less than it's worth (we'll get somewhere between $40 and 80k, after paying the realtor, depending on how much more the market swings up by then - $40 is the minimum we'd profit now, and it's been going up for awhile).

All that said, I am not trying to discount your comment and appreciate your well wishes. And, I hadn't thought of snow tires, so thank you for mentioning that. I am feeling frustrated that I'm getting comments here and questions over on tumblr that range from implying to flat out saying, "You have no idea what moving is like and are so ridiculous!" I realize you're not being rude like that and apologize if you feel attacked, here.

[sistersunshine.livejournal.com]

It sounds like Grant is getting a very sweet deal to move out to Maryland. When are you going out to check it out? I'm not sure if you are looking into different ways of moving, but we used ABF moving cubes when we moved here. It was the most affordable option for us. We packed the cubes ourselves and they were moved that way. We had professional movers before (military moves)so it was our first solo move! It was two years ago so things may have changed by now so who knows.

We've never had any special winter snow tires even when we lived in VT and MI. Most winters there is little snow in the DC area, and when there is snow almost everything is closed down. I may have to google snow tires tonight haha.

Metro can get a little pricey to ride, but it sure helps that almost everything in DC (museums,and zoo) are free. And it can be slow, especially when they are working on the tracks. We can walk to the metro from our townhouse it's about a 20 minute walk. We have only one car so this was a must for us. Our community has a free shuttle that goes to the metro during peak hours too which is a plus. We made sure to find a community that has a swimming pool for the summer. We keep our electricity bill down by spending a lot of time at the pool and cooling off before bed time. We even camp out in the basement when it we had a terribly hot stretch.

I think the hardest thing to find would be something similar to the free music program your kids participated in, and Aaron's dance lessons. There are free classes at the Botanical Gardens from time to time though.

It can be hard to start over in a new town, it's nice that you already know someone living close by! I'm sure it will help you have a smoother transition. We've been here almost three years and I am just now feeling settled.

[the-waker.livejournal.com]

OMG. Awesome.