Living in Santa Fe - 3 Month Assessment
We've been here three months now. Things I really like here compared to where we came from:
The house. This home just suits us -- the layout, the access to patios and back yard, the size and decor feel much more "us" than what we came from.
We had a lovely home in Connecticut and it was new-built and totally ours and I did love it. But the layout was tricky (front door all the way to the side, limited back entry, no side door, laundry room in the garage entry hall, awkward kitchen, narrow porch, master bath that opened to the living room, huge windows on the north side, carpeting that got worn, etc.) I struggled with those issues and more, but I did like the look of our home and we were very happy there for a long time.
This house seems to solve for all of those inconveniences. It works much better for us. I marvel as I wander easily in and out to the back courtyard through the big glass doors. The kitchen is brighter and bigger. The dining room is central. The laundry is right by the bedrooms. Floors are all easy care tile.
The geographic compactness. We are at the edge of a small city that has everything we need except for an Apple store. Everything is a mile or two away from us. The dentist is 1.5 miles from our house (I used to drive 15 miles, including highway, to get to the dentist.) Our new doctors and the urgent care center are 1.9 miles away (I used to drive to Newington, and Jim to Manchester -- long, inconvenient drives.) My hairdresser is 2 miles from the house -- I used to drive 8 miles back into West Hartford for a haircut. Living in a quiet suburb in New England, we just weren't near anything.
Here Lowe's and the mall and the post office and the UPS store are all a mile away. It used to be a much longer drive to get to those places. Nothing is very far away here.
Restaurants. So many great choices, all close by. Not to mention farmer's markets, street fairs, art galleries, and shopping.
Scenery, Sky and Landscape. So beautiful. Open sky, endless blue, brisk cool air and warm sun, mountains ringing the city. I can't believe I live here when I see what is around us. No humidity.
Gardening. There are challenges here, but no deer, no voles, no ticks. Yes, we have pests, and it's searingly dry, but . . . let me repeat: No deer. No voles. No ticks.
Neighborhood. We are in a city and it's busy with people coming and going, a school up the street, cluster housing with neighbors only feet away. I like the activity -- walkers on the path by our driveway, cars up and down the street, kids biking home from school, dogs barking in the distance, and yet it's peaceful and comfortable. In Connecticut we were at the end of a cul de sac and, despite having good friends for neighbors, it felt isolated.
Okay, there are a few things I've found I don't like after 3 months.
The dust. It gets into the house and it's the price paid for living in a dry climate. Windows need washing as soon as they are cleaned. It's very dusty here. There is a new housing development going in nearby, and we went to a neighborhood meeting to discuss issues with the builders -- primarily the dust kicked up by construction. They try to mitigate it, but.
Sense of Security. The cluster mailbox stand on our street was broken into, twisted open and had to be replaced, as some others around town have been. (The post office quickly replaced it.) There have been reports of stolen cars in other neighborhoods, although not here. We have a security system and we arm it at night and when away. And yet, in Connecticut we were broken into and the house was ransacked, and so I'm not sure if this is any different. I'm more aware of it here.
The master bath. I love the layout and efficiency of this house, but the master bath is the one room I don't like. It's painted swine pink (which we could change), it has ridiculously tall windows that don't function, and it's too hot in summer and too chilly in cold weather despite fiddling with the heat register. There's not enough lighting, and the shower stall is cramped. The bath tub has no slope, so it's hard to recline (although I take limited baths here -- I'm so conscious of water use). I like the tiles, but not much else about the master bath.
At this early stage of our move, we really like it here and the pros far outweigh any other impressions. Neighbors have been friendly, and I've met two master gardeners in the neighborhood who offered me help and advice and their time right away.
Tradespeople, clerks, servers and contractors have been unfailingly polite, friendly, and open with us. Even Motor Vehicles. Even the post office. All pleasant.
I think we'll stay.
The house. This home just suits us -- the layout, the access to patios and back yard, the size and decor feel much more "us" than what we came from.
We had a lovely home in Connecticut and it was new-built and totally ours and I did love it. But the layout was tricky (front door all the way to the side, limited back entry, no side door, laundry room in the garage entry hall, awkward kitchen, narrow porch, master bath that opened to the living room, huge windows on the north side, carpeting that got worn, etc.) I struggled with those issues and more, but I did like the look of our home and we were very happy there for a long time.
This house seems to solve for all of those inconveniences. It works much better for us. I marvel as I wander easily in and out to the back courtyard through the big glass doors. The kitchen is brighter and bigger. The dining room is central. The laundry is right by the bedrooms. Floors are all easy care tile.
The geographic compactness. We are at the edge of a small city that has everything we need except for an Apple store. Everything is a mile or two away from us. The dentist is 1.5 miles from our house (I used to drive 15 miles, including highway, to get to the dentist.) Our new doctors and the urgent care center are 1.9 miles away (I used to drive to Newington, and Jim to Manchester -- long, inconvenient drives.) My hairdresser is 2 miles from the house -- I used to drive 8 miles back into West Hartford for a haircut. Living in a quiet suburb in New England, we just weren't near anything.
Here Lowe's and the mall and the post office and the UPS store are all a mile away. It used to be a much longer drive to get to those places. Nothing is very far away here.
Restaurants. So many great choices, all close by. Not to mention farmer's markets, street fairs, art galleries, and shopping.
Scenery, Sky and Landscape. So beautiful. Open sky, endless blue, brisk cool air and warm sun, mountains ringing the city. I can't believe I live here when I see what is around us. No humidity.
Gardening. There are challenges here, but no deer, no voles, no ticks. Yes, we have pests, and it's searingly dry, but . . . let me repeat: No deer. No voles. No ticks.
Neighborhood. We are in a city and it's busy with people coming and going, a school up the street, cluster housing with neighbors only feet away. I like the activity -- walkers on the path by our driveway, cars up and down the street, kids biking home from school, dogs barking in the distance, and yet it's peaceful and comfortable. In Connecticut we were at the end of a cul de sac and, despite having good friends for neighbors, it felt isolated.
Okay, there are a few things I've found I don't like after 3 months.
The dust. It gets into the house and it's the price paid for living in a dry climate. Windows need washing as soon as they are cleaned. It's very dusty here. There is a new housing development going in nearby, and we went to a neighborhood meeting to discuss issues with the builders -- primarily the dust kicked up by construction. They try to mitigate it, but.
Sense of Security. The cluster mailbox stand on our street was broken into, twisted open and had to be replaced, as some others around town have been. (The post office quickly replaced it.) There have been reports of stolen cars in other neighborhoods, although not here. We have a security system and we arm it at night and when away. And yet, in Connecticut we were broken into and the house was ransacked, and so I'm not sure if this is any different. I'm more aware of it here.
The master bath. I love the layout and efficiency of this house, but the master bath is the one room I don't like. It's painted swine pink (which we could change), it has ridiculously tall windows that don't function, and it's too hot in summer and too chilly in cold weather despite fiddling with the heat register. There's not enough lighting, and the shower stall is cramped. The bath tub has no slope, so it's hard to recline (although I take limited baths here -- I'm so conscious of water use). I like the tiles, but not much else about the master bath.
At this early stage of our move, we really like it here and the pros far outweigh any other impressions. Neighbors have been friendly, and I've met two master gardeners in the neighborhood who offered me help and advice and their time right away.
Tradespeople, clerks, servers and contractors have been unfailingly polite, friendly, and open with us. Even Motor Vehicles. Even the post office. All pleasant.
I think we'll stay.
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