After a lifetime in New York City, I moved to a charming small town. Five years later, all I want is to go back home.

There are things I love about my town, but I find myself missing New York City.

Chris Doka

I grew up in the Bronx, the NYC borough known as the birthplace of hip-hop and the home of the Yankees. It's the third-most densely populated county in the US, with around 1.4 million residents.I loved my home, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I longed for more space. So, my husband and I left the apartment we occupied in my parents' home and moved 45 minutes away into a split-level house on a half-acre plot with a babbling brook.Now, we live in a village with around 8,000 people. It's easily accessible by train, and there's a flower shop, a local coffee spot with an attached bookstore, and an ice-cream shop with homemade flavors like roasted pistachio and fresh cantaloupe.I love our cute village and all the nature that surrounds us — but I'm also paranoid about ticks, and lawn work takes my husband a whole day every other weekend. I still haven't adjusted to the lack of convenience, and I miss my family.That's why, three years into living here, we started itching to move back to the Bronx.There was a lot we hadn't considered when we moved here

Our town is charming, but it's not very walkable.