When I left New York City, I headed straight for Montclair because my then-husband grew up here. Coming from the city, this town was just right for me. But some of my New York friends wanted a smaller town feel. They headed straight for Maplewood.

The first time I visited Maplewood, I thought, this is what Montclair would feel like if it were a village. Vibe-wise, the two towns are nearly identical. 

I love the walkability of Maplewood – how, wherever you live, you’re never too far from downtown and the direct-to-Manhattan train. And also how peaceful it is to stroll through neighborhoods – walking the dog or pushing the stroller.

One of the things that was important to me when I left the city was to live somewhere that felt vibrant and creative. And Maplewood is that!

Words, one of my favorite New Jersey bookstores, attracts crowd-pleasing authors like Mark Bittman as well as up-and-coming local talent. There’s plenty of local music, including the annual Maplewoodstock – an all-weekend, family-oriented, art and music extravaganza that’s been taking place in Memorial Park since 2004. And the South Orange/Maplewood Adult School offers classes in everything from pottery to pickleball.

If you love the outdoors, nearby South Mountain Reservation is a force to be reckoned with. Spanning over 2,000 acres, this massive nature reserve includes miles of hiking trails, great sledding hills, and a magical waterfall. 

I love that you can hop on the train and catch dinner and a show in Manhattan. But I also love that you can have dinner and a show right in your own backyard. Downtown South Orange is close by and has a wonderful performing arts center, which has won the Discover Jersey Arts People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Small Performing Arts Center” for four consecutive years. Neighboring Milburn offers great theater at the renowned Papermill Playhouse. And Montclair’s Wellmont Theater is great for rock and roll or comedy, and is a quick half hour drive. 

As walkable towns go, Maplewood gets high marks. If you think it might be a good fit for you, I’d love to take you around!

As Thanksgiving approaches, I (like most) spend a lot of time thinking about food, but even more time thinking about all I’m grateful for. Work-wise, I immediately think of the people who have entrusted me to help them buy or sell their homes. (Thank you!) And my colleagues, who offer advice and guidance when I’m faced with a challenging [...]

Even though I’ve always inherently understood that “cities” tend to be more liberal than rural areas, I never really took any time to think about why. This New York Times piece was an interesting read on how liberals and conservatives tend to organize themselves geographically.

Montclair is a decidedly liberal town. We are a village that tries to welcome all residents with open arms, but the truth is, conservative bumper stickers on these streets are not very typical fare.

But the other truth is that we have plenty of conservatives living here – happily, I might add. I’d always wondered why a right-leaning homebuyer might choose this town (which is about as blue as they come). And, although I can draw plenty of conclusions from this article, I chose to read it as a kind of treatise on how walkability can be one of the great political unifiers. (I know, I know – I’m a walkability nut – but what else can explain the harmony we typically have here in Montclair besides the fact that we all really like that we can walk to Java Love for our morning coffee?)

Over the years, I’ve worked side-by-side with many of my more right-leaning neighbors – on the PTA, on boards, and even in the business of selling homes – and I’ve noticed that, for the most part, our ideals are far more similar than they are different.

Because the third truth is, it's simply a lot more difficult to have an “us versus them” stance when we’re all sharing the same sidewalks. (And bike racks. And train seats.) Or at least that’s how it seems to me. If you’re looking for a change – upsizing, downsizing, or a place to start a family -- I’d love to show you around my town; it can win the hearts and minds of practically everyone.

If, like me, you are a fanatic about walkability, you will love this article I came upon in Huffington Post. It's very comprehensive and includes almost anything you want to know about who wants to live in a walkable area and why. The biggest takeaway for me was neither revolutionary nor surprising: [...]

I have a friend who, whenever she moved into a new place, always took one of the smaller bedrooms for herself (and her husband), giving the master bedroom to her young daughter. Since I've known her, she's lived in three different homes and has done this each and every time. I thought it was crazy, but she'd always explain that her daughter [...]

I often tell clients how living in a walkable suburb just feels better, but have never given much thought to quantifying it. However, others apparently have! There's an article in the New Yorker ("How Trees Calm Us Down") that talks not only about how people feel healthier the more trees are around, but also goes on to say that the benefits [...]

Montclair has long been seen as a destination for families of all shapes and colors. Those of us who have raised children here know that our kids all have friends with two moms or two dads - as far as they're concerned, it's just another family. How heartening it is to think that soon that may become the sentiment in suburbs all across [...]

I consider myself a very accepting person, but I also hold some very strong opinions. One of them relates to attached garages.

First, please let me say that if you have an attached garage, this is in no way meant to disparage you or your carport. But if I'm being honest, I've never really liked the way a garage looks when it's attached to a [...]

Soon after starting a family, we moved into our first house in Montclair, which was across the street from a park. And although the playground was in need of a facelift back then, the park had a paved path, a climbing tree, a baseball diamond, a big pond, a fountain and a few weeping bushes that kids could tuck themselves into for [...]

Regular readers of my blog know that I tend to write about general trends and issues of interest to home-buyers and sellers; Occasionally I write a post about a specific piece of real estate. Today I have a listing for a home that strikes me as quintessential [...]