Suburbs vs. City

So we've been living in the suburbs for 2 months now...you might be wondering, "how are they adjusting?"  Wellllll pretty good, but there are a few things we've had to adjust to.  Here's my pros and cons list...


Pros about moving out of the city
1. You get to grill!  We have grilled many times since we moved and the cold doesn't stop my husband.  His Christmas presents were grill-inspired...cookbooks, mitts, tools, night lamp, apron, etc.
2. Building fires...nothing more cozy about a blazing fire.  I think the clean up is even worth it...but I like to clean.
3. New, Bigger furniture!  We bought a sectional couch that can comfortably seat 4-5 people. love it.
4. Functional kitchen...every time and i mean EVERY TIME I turn on the dishwasher, the disposal or put away the dishes I think, wow this is great.  I love the space and having all our things that make up a fully functional kitchen.
5. Storage space...although I'm the opposite of a hoarder, I still need places to put linens, photo albums, files, appliance boxes for our next move, sports equipment, etc.
6. Guest room...we love having visitors, but most of all love making sure they are comfortable.  The new Gupta B&B boasts a queen size bed and full bath for its guests.
7. Space for Cole...big dogs need space to roam in.  Sometimes we'll be downstairs and he's at the top of the stairs just hanging out.
8. Big Box stores...love Target, Costco, and reasonably priced grocery stores.
9. Nature.  Trees, deer, parks, it's nice to be in a clean neighborhood with some greenery.
10. Saving money...cooking more and eating out less, lower rent and multiple other things put $$ back in our bank account, which was basically the prime reason for moving.

Cons about moving out the city
1. Things close.....and they close early. Grocery store closes at 9, pizza place doesn't deliver past 8, we couldn't get a Christmas tree after 6pm during the week.
2. No good food deliveries...yes, NYC spoiled us when every single restaurant imaginable will deliver...but still chinese has a $35 minimum on deliveries and they are 5 miles away....WHAT?
3. There are good local restaurants around us....but we miss having AMAZING restaurants at our fingertips
4. Driving everywhere.  It takes us about 15 mins just to get out of our community...we drive a lot these days
5. Lack of interesting neighbors...I loved our diverse and eclectic neighborhood.  The old man on the stoop...the garage guys who gave Cole treats...our coffee shop baristas. Everyone talked to you and had a story.  We have met a couple neighbors, but people pretty much stay in their homes...boring.
6. Missing the "feeling in the thick of it"...nyc lives and breathes the latest news, trends, music, etc. 
7. I have to decorate...small spaces limit your decorating...large spaces mean you have to do it!  I'm not a decorator by nature, so it's effort and work for me.  But I will get there...
8. Lack of doggie friends for Cole....we always ran into at least a dozen other dogs during our walks, friends to sniff and romp around with. Plus we've found that suburban dogs are not well socialized and can be nasty

At least the pros outweigh the cons!  haha.  We're only 45 mins to the city...so its definitely easy for us to go in and do/see all our favorite things.  Every place has its quirks and I'm lucky that Nick and I adjust very easily to change, in fact we do a great job embracing it.  So far our move has been a good one and we're happy we did it!