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Have you heard of the 3,3 and 30 approach? If you had 3 months to live how would you like to live? 3 years? 30 years? For most of us, this only gets us so far as you have to be able to afford those choices.
VA Beach may not be "compelling," but it's the only location that meets all my needs. Cute small town, proximity to large city, seaside, not too far from family and activities and other destinations, temperate. My current hobbies probably wouldn't "work" in NYC or St. Augustine, for that matter, but I suppose I could find new ones.
What's confusing to me is that if I had just "x" months to live, I'd head straight to someplace like Murrell's Inlet SC which has a wonderful, natural, undeveloped beach, or maybe the Outer Banks.
But that won't do as a lifestyle for next 30 years, so I'd have three different answers... Maybe most people would? It'd be St. Aug for the next three months, VA Beach (or just staying here and constantly traveling) for the next three years, and NYC for the next 30 years.
Not sure about that method!
Renting in Florida (or anywhere) seems prohibitively expensive now. If money were no object, I'd just go from hotel room to hotel room or rent six months or a year first in one place and then another until I'd been everywhere, but money IS an object, and I need a home base/investment.
Last edited by otterhere; 05-03-2024 at 03:02 PM..
VA Beach may not be "compelling," but it's the only location that meets all my needs. Cute small town, proximity to large city, seaside, not too far from family and activities and other destinations, temperate. My current hobbies probably wouldn't "work" in NYC or St. Augustine, for that matter, but I suppose I could find new ones.
What's confusing to me is that if I had just "x" months to live, I'd head straight to someplace like Murrell's Inlet SC which has a wonderful, natural, undeveloped beach, or maybe the Outer Banks.
But that won't do as a lifestyle for next 30 years, so I'd have three different answers... Maybe most people would? It'd be St. Aug for the next three months, VA Beach (or just staying here and constantly traveling) for the next three years, and NYC for the next 30 years.
Not sure about that method!
Renting in Florida (or anywhere) seems prohibitively expensive now. If money were no object, I'd just go from hotel room to hotel room or rent six months or a year first in one place and then another until I'd been everywhere, but money IS an object, and I need a home base/investment.
Sounds wonderful! I love wildlife, too, but as a young-ish single retiree, I need some human contact and mental stimulation. As Little Edie Bouvier famously said, "Even cats and racoons get a little bit boring after TOO long a time!"
I am so sorry to hear that you must deal with such a disability.
I hope that you can seek therapy for that condition.
As for me, like many fellow combat veterans, I prefer to limit my exposure to other people.
I live in a state that is over 92% forest. My land is mostly dense trees, with a quarter-mile of riverfrontage where we can go kayaking at any time. We see a lot of moose, deer, turkey, bear, etc in our yard. yesterday I was watching two young eagles playing in the sky, less than 40 feet above me.
There is something to be said for that. I am someone who lived all her life in suburban NJ and commuted across the creek (Hudson River) to NYC for most of her working life. I spent a great deal of the years 2016-2022 in a rural area in Ontario and was prepared to spend the rest of my life there until fate in the form of illness and death intervened.
Back in NJ, working in NYC again, and for now, that's working for me. It won't forever, I don't think. I remember the magic of that place. Maybe I'll find another like it someday. But when you don't know what to do, a city can be a great distraction while you figure it out.
I can switch easily from city to country and back again. The bright side of never actually belonging anywhere. As I age, I'm becoming OK with that.
Considering how long OP has been looking - will anything ever happen?
We did three continents, metros and no neighbors in sight. Every place had its special appeal. We changed, our needs and wants changed.
There is something to be said for that. I am someone who lived all her life in suburban NJ and commuted across the creek (Hudson River) to NYC for most of her working life. I spent a great deal of the years 2016-2022 in a rural area in Ontario and was prepared to spend the rest of my life there until fate in the form of illness and death intervened.
Back in NJ, working in NYC again, and for now, that's working for me. It won't forever, I don't think. I remember the magic of that place. Maybe I'll find another like it someday. But when you don't know what to do, a city can be a great distraction while you figure it out.
I can switch easily from city to country and back again. The bright side of never actually belonging anywhere. As I age, I'm becoming OK with that.
I don't post much but have been around C-D for decades. Having been a long time resident of NYC and a couple of times chasing more afforable rent by moving to Jersey City, I tend to remember names of posters with a NYC or NJ-NYC connection. Mightyqueen, if memory serves me correctly, I remember you talking about retirement in posts before you retired and then after you've retired. Now you're back in the workplace. Good for you to have the option to choose.
I'm 10 years away from the official retirement age but doing the math, I don't have enough retirement funds stashed away. Not to mention that I'm still paying back student loans. As long as I'm alive, I'll have to work until I'm literally physically unable to do so or forced out due to age-ism.
Va Beach was voted the safest city in America a couple years ago. I live there now and have my whole life. It is also a larger city than Norfolk by far. However, Norfolk does have a larger downtown area but we usually only visit Norfolk to go visit one of my sons.
I was considering Brighton, but am now also considering Rockaway; I just haven't visited there yet.
Thanks!
What other neighborhoods in Brooklyn have you been to? Brooklyn can be very different in culture and costs.
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