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. :)

[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!

[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

[(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.

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.

[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.