A couple lived in New York City for over a decade, building careers, relationships, and a creative community. By their mid-30s, rising rents and exhaustion made the city feel less sustainable. After a landlord raised rent in April 2024 and their lease ended, they moved temporarily to the wife's mother in a small Maryland beach town. They bought a newly built house in August 2024 to enjoy more space, morning ocean walks, and a calmer pace. Late summer and early fall felt idyllic with nearby restaurants and outdoor events. Less than a year later, winter prompted growing regret as they missed nearly everything about city life.
My husband and I lived in New York City for more than a decade. It's where we fell in love, got engaged, and built a beautiful life together. We had a thriving creative community, a friend group we adored, and endless options for food and culture. But by our mid-30s, the city started to feel less exciting and more exhausting. Our rent had increased significantly over the years, and when our landlord raised it again in April 2024, we decided we'd had enough.
When we closed on the house in August 2024, everything felt idyllic. We were 10 minutes from the beach, and surrounded by bustling restaurants, nonstop outdoor events, and concerts in the park. We spent the late summer and early fall settling in. We cooked elaborate dinners in our new kitchen, hosted friends from New York on the weekends, and reveled in the slower pace of life.
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