By Arts & Culture Editor Joan Kirschner
By last spring, it was clear that it was time to make a move. I was resistant because I knew it would be daunting in many ways, expensive, and exhausting. However, we were increasingly unhappy with our crowded apartment, its ever-escalating rent, and limited amenities. Our quality of life felt as though it was deteriorating. What to do? Where to go?
For most of my adult life, I’ve been a “City Girl.” I’ve lived in all the major Northeastern cities, moving from my native Philadelphia to Manhattan, then Brooklyn, with a U-turn to rural southern New Jersey, and then Boston. During the New Jersey phase, I worked in Baltimore part of the time, commuting home on weekends. The places I’ve called home over five decades range from the tiny walk-up apartment that suited my then-single life and much later a spacious three-story Victorian house where I took up gardening, wrote articles for the neighborhood newsletter, and served on the civic association board.
After a lot of thought and research, we decided to go back to Philly, where I still have a network of cousins, memories linger, and I retain a deep sense of locational familiarity. Another factor in our decision was that the cost of living would be somewhat lower, and if we chose well, we would also no longer need the expense and hassle of a car.
Conversations with the Philadelphia cousins were encouraging. We settled on Mount Airy, a very walkable neighborhood in the city’s northwest that offers landmark-level architecture, a deep well of fascinating history dating back to the Revolutionary War, an active civic association, a variety of shops and cafés, and convenient public transportation that whisks us into the dense heart of Center City with its vast cultural offerings.
Moving, however, is not an easy thing. Sorting through possessions, and making decisions about what to keep, toss, or donate was stressful. Unexpected mishaps by the moving crew were frustrating and expensive. The first few weeks in the new place were physically and mentally draining. And, then there were the challenges of finding new doctors, dentists, and health plans, locating resources and creating new routines for accomplishing everyday chores like food shopping without a car.
But time passes and we got through it. Now, six months later, we feel almost entirely settled in. Though we’ve moved things around several times to find the best arrangement, the boxes are gone, we’ve purchased some appropriate new furnishings, the pictures and other decorative items are hung, and we are regularly discovering new resources in the neighborhood and nearby.
The words that are most useful to remember when considering and scheduling a move all seem to begin with a “P”: Planning (start as far ahead as possible), Preparing (make a spreadsheet of all necessary steps and all the tasks you need to accomplish, and USE IT), Pacing (allow yourself to enough time to rest, eat properly, and sleep during all phases of the move), Possibilities (be open to the different and unexpected experiences you’ll encounter in your new surroundings, and don’t expect to recreate the setting you had previously), and Perspective – most issues are surmountable given time and with, yes, another “p” word, Patience.
Philadelphia is gearing up for the Semiquincentennial (aka America’s 250th) with a huge number of commemorative and cultural events (and for sports lovers: March Madness, the FIFA World Cup, the All-Star Game, and the PGA Championship) so if you plan to visit, book your hotel early! Events will be happening all over, but I encourage travelers to also visit the historic Germantown/Mount Airy/Chestnut Hill area where the pace is a little slower but there’s plenty to see and do. Photos from the neighborhood…
Cliveden is a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Battle of Germantown was fought here in 1777.
Wyck is another historic property in the area, known for its garde
ns. The annual Celebration of the Roses is May 23rd.
For violin bows, this is the place.
We love the treats at The Frosted Fox bakery. A new coffee shop will soon open next door.
Joan Kirschner is a freelance writer and editor who reviews books, museum exhibitions, theater, film, music, and travel experiences. 
Her commentary previously appeared on SonsiWoman.com, UllaPopken.com, WomenofGloucesterCounty.com, Trazzler.com, and IndieReader.com. She attributes a lifelong love of reading and cultural events to parents who encouraged her early on. Joan began as a retail and mail order catalog copywriter in the pre-digital age. She advanced through the ranks and changes in technology, adding corporate communications, social media, and digital advertising and promotion to her experience. Surrounded by the babble of languages in Manhattan and Brooklyn and sympathizing with the challenges of non-English speakers, she earned a certificate in the Teaching of English as Second Language (TESOL) and began teaching and tutoring adults and college students. Joan is a reviewer at Reader Views and covers books and the arts on her blog, No Shortage of Words.