I grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, without any knowledge of Westchester County. I think at one point I thought it was upstate (I know, I know!). As a city kid, it seemed like a distant and unknown place, especially one I’d never call home!
Fast forward to life in my 20s and 30s when I became a mom. Life – in my then Brooklyn apartment – was cramped, expensive, and seemingly unsustainable. After years of thinking – should we stay or should we go – my then-husband and I decided to take the leap to the burbs after seeing a listing for a home in Mount Kisco, always with the thought that we can come back if it doesn’t work out.
At that time, I was a mom to three kids entering into a world of suburban living with new schools and a whole new way of living, including driving, which I didn’t know how to do.
My then-husband commuted to the city, and I worked from home, where I quickly realized I had to learn how to drive. Thankfully, we connected with an amazing mom who helped with daycare drop-offs and the new school bus to take my older daughter to school, but my former day-to-day life of walking or taking the train wouldn’t quite cut it.
So, in December of 2015, I bit the bullet and started driving lessons. At first, it was incredibly clunky and weird. I had no connection to cars at all growing up and didn’t even quite understand the terminology, but little by little, I was getting it. And after around six lessons, I took my test and passed. One check mark off the suburban list.
The next part of my new Westchester life – which I didn’t realize I craved – was community.
As a writer, editor, and social media manager, I have mainly worked remotely, balancing parenthood with the need to work. In Westchester, I connected with a new crop of entrepreneurial and business women, as well as incredible women from the city and locally, which has only continued to grow over the years. I was pleasantly surprised by this new wave of solid adult friendships and connections that I continue to foster.
Probably one of the most surprising parts of life in Westchester has been my re-focus and dedication to theater. I was a theater minor in college – with a focus on playwriting – but never really sure how to “make it” and sustain. My career took an editorial focus where I dabbled in playwriting “on the side” until it dissolved.
In 2018, I saw a class at Westchester Community College in their Continuing Education Department for playwriting, and something sparked in me. I signed up, and it really changed the next wave of my life in Westchester, where I started writing plays again, and eventually started my own playwriting company in 2021 called Let’s Make a Play, where I teach kids and adults how to write a play. We also have improv, acting, and monologue writing, too!
I also really love how I can hop in my car and expose my kids to the best of both worlds, where we still go into the city for adventures, but we also love everything Westchester has to offer.
The hikes, trails, excursions, nearby day trips, theater, restaurants, and so much more have become a part of our lives where every day is a new and exciting discovery.
As a contributor, I’m so excited to share more about Westchester and its incredible offerings as I enter a new stage as a mom of two teenagers and a preteen! Wish me luck.
