Just What is This All About?
Two former New Yorkers visited Philadelphia and fell in love…
Our Philly Row is our story about falling in love with Philadelphia and finding an amazing 1852 Greek Revival rowhouse after trading in our formerly chaotic lives in Manhattan for a slower, more fulfilling, and enriching life in the birthplace of America. It is also a story about old house love, restoration, renovation, decoration, and to be sure, old house woes.
So, how did we get here?
My husband Y and I were both die-hard New Yorkers (35 years combined) living a very comfortable life in a doorman building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But finding ourselves comfortably in middle age and well employed, we both knew there is more to life than just working to live. Then a series of events near the end of 2016 propelled us to rethink our futures… It was time to find more balance in life.
Y and myself (left) enjoying our new life in Philadelphia.
The question became…. Were we ready to leave New York?
In late 2016, we reached the point where we were willing to let go our our New York dreams (or was it just a fantasy?). New York City was no longer the city we dreamed of in our youth. Vast levels of incoming wealth have wiped away the very qualities which drew us to begin with. We realized that we could simplify our lives tremendously while increasing our overall quality of life at the same time, just by moving to a less expensive place.
The easy part… Where to go.
There were absolutes… It must be very urban, it must be easily reachable from New York City, it must have culture, it must have history, and it must be affordable. It didn’t take long before Philadelphia rose to the top of the list. After looking at housing in Philly, we discovered that we could trade our New York apartment for a home free and clear in Philadelphia. Not having to spend all of our energy focused on working to live, we can both focus on doing what we enjoy, rather than what we have to do to keep up with the Joneses.
Do we miss New York?
We miss New York MUCH less than we expected! Throughout our first year in Philly, we found ourselves falling deeper and deeper in love with our newly adopted city. Philly may not be the most aesthetically beautiful city in the country, but it has so many hidden charms. Our neighborhood of Pennsport is wonderfully diverse and filled with old timers as well as newcomers who have much pride in the neighborhood. Looking back, there is but one thing we both miss… Having a doorman to sign for our packages. It’s a small price to pay for a much more relaxed life.
I hope you will stick around and follow along with our journey…
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