Back in NY
 

We love TV but it's good to be back in NY for awhile. They know my name at the corner deli and know exactly what a bagel and schmear means. I don't get funny looks when I ask for a hard roll and my coffee regular is always perfect. This will soon pass and I'll be back among my friends in TV with all its variety of activities. It's good to have two homes and the best all worlds.
We are truly blessed.

I may be wrong but I still think there is something about the water in New York, that makes some foods taste better. The food quality in TV leaves something to be desired, but fortunately for me, I don't have a discriminate palate.

It's all good. :smiley:

I will try to get some water from New York when I make the sauerkraut on New Years Day. ;)

I thought it was OHIO water.

We miss you BlueDog....hurry back to your southern home. Joe, You still talk funny. Cawfee...uh huh!!!

How can you beat the restaurants in the New York city area?

Nothing beats New York. It's HOME. The Villages is just where the stuff is. And yes ... the water is much much better without having to put a filtration system in place.

Have you not been to the Original Brooklyn Water Bagels @ 514 N US Hwy 27/441 in
Lady Lake? It is dang close to what NYC has to offer and a far cry from what you can get in the gorceys stores or Panera's!

We love it there. We miss NY Bagels and these are pretty close. You can also get Chocolate Egg Creams there.

I agree that the bagels there are pretty good if you're into bagels

Also miss the italian bread, hard rolls (as mentioned by the OP) pizza, bialys...basically anything involving flour and water. Except or Brooklyn Water Bagels, which is very close, there is no comparison. NY wins hands down. (Yes, the restaurants...ah, the restaurants!)

Glad to be home in TV
 

We must be the only people who are glad to be back home in TV! We love visiting our children and our grandchildren, but we could never live there again. The weather was wet, cold and miserable ........... when it warmed up a bit the fog rolled in and you could not see a thing. Driving at night was a nightmare. Yes, the restaurants were great, really superior, but I can make do with what we have here to live in this beautiful weather. I stepped out of Orlando Airport and felt 10 years younger just to see flowers, the sun and everywhere clean. We were too tired to do anything much last night so we went up to Glenview, had a really good burger with toasted bun and came home by golf cart and crashed. Yes, it's great to be home.

Yup, it's a very nice place, run by fools.
NY has become one of the death spiral states.
That is where less than 50% of the residents support the majority of residents.

I hope I can get out from under that burden before owning property there is a losing proposition.

My opinion of downstate is worse. Superior dining, yes, just not worth the trouble.

This post sounds like a bunch of home sick New Yorkers. I've visited there at least 3 times and couldn't wait to get back to the south for a good breakfast with grits. Don't even try to compare BBQ ribs............My point is that we all like where we grew up and and prefer the food there but don't down grade the rest of the world which you are only a small part of.

Hence, as the song goes...
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere, it's up to you New York, New York!
��

Used to live in W-burg, when my aunt moved to ozone park I remember her carting bottles of bklyn water, she used to say queens water tasted funny.

Ahh but Mike - are they REAL egg creams????
A real egg cream is only made with one kind of syrup - FOX'S U BET !

That, my friend, is what is in a REAL Brooklyn egg cream !!!!

You apparently haven't had Dinosaur BBQ from Syracuse NY.

Yes, I have. Great stuff. They opened one in Troy ( I think ) but I only got in once because it was so crowded all the time.

You're not alone. I'm in Boulder right now with the extended family and originally from a suburb of NY.
TV is much better.
I haven't gone to the bagel place but I will. Bagels freeze so I'll buy a bunch. Fresh Market handles my NY/NJ bread fix.
I cook better then most restaurants. So I would rather have friends over and share a meal then go anywhere else.
I do miss my family. There are no substitutes for them.

the only thing I like about new York is the departure gate at LGA!

Funny stuff!

Having a little less fine dining experience is a small price to pay for all of the great things in TV!!!

Weather in the 80's at the end of December. I love it!!!

Before
 

Before we get too romantic it may pay to remember the shoveling of snow, the driving in the snow, the traffic in NYC, the high taxes, the crooked politics, the long train rides to NYC and arriving in the commuter traffic at Grand Central, etc. BUT we should also remember that the water comes from the Shokan Resovoir and has been voted the best in the USA many times and that is why the bread tastes to much better, remember the great shows on Broadway, the terrific music. Which is better which is worst..I vote for THE VILLAGES where life is just good. :pepper2:

I vote for New York. No need to drive in snow if you don't want to since we are mostly retired and don't have to deal with it. You can be out past 9 and eat any style of food you wish. Plus the people are real.

Diane, what are you doing in TV? Life is too short to live somewhere you dislike so much.

I agree and working on it

Actually, in her case she was correct! Water in Ozone Park, Jamaica and several other areas in Queens were supplied by Jamaica Water Co, and the water was not the same as in the rest of NYC! Smart woman!

My family is in N.Y. That is what I miss.
And the food.
N.Y. will always be my "hometown."

I think a lot of people miss their hometowns and move back.
Also why so many people are snowbirds.

Whatever works for you and makes you happy is what's important.

That is funny!

miss Pa
 

I miss good scrapple and slippery pot pie and all those other Pennsylvania Dutch foods like really good Utz pretzels from the Lancaster Pa area.
I would not go back though. I can visit and bring some back here with me.
I miss family and friends nearby to go out to lunch or dinner with or just get together to chat.

Yes the people are real
 

With the authentic folks in New York City, what you see is what you get.


Having had numerous aunts/uncles/cousins who called New York City "home", not to mention my father & grandparents, I can truthfully say that visiting N.Y.C. was always fun plus a cultural experience. Certainly not boring. Diverse & mentally stimulating. Sometimes I wish I had been raised there.


When my father's relatives would visit us in New Jersey, they would joke that they were in the "sticks"......which it certainly was not. They were all fashionistas ahead of their time; dressed to the hilt.....just to visit the "sticks". Furs, jewelry, nice suits, etc. They knew how to dress, for sure.


As young couples living in New Jersey, we'd enjoy the great restaurants of N.Y.C., the theatre and so forth........but most of all, we frequented the museums.


Guess it all depends what one's interests are. However, N.J. was our home as we were born there. Plus can't forget the Jersey Shore......still have family in the Garden State of New Jersey. It isn't just oil refineries as seen from the N.J. Turnpike.


New Yorkers are mentally stimulating & accepting of the idiosyncracies of a myriad of personality types, nationalities, food choices (the very best delicatessens & bakeries anywhere) as well as superb restaurants............can't be beat anywhere.


When beginning our family, we relocated to a small town of 16,000 souls (which population remains the same today) & felt like it was the "best fit" for the children & for us for the better half of our lives...........having remained in this small New England town which is a "cradle to grave" sort of town for almost 50 years, with just a few short detours to the south & back. Nothing much around us but farmlands & national forest, but we do have a museum in town plus several colleges. Self contained town; NOT suburbia.

We've enjoyed the exceptional beauty of all of God's nature while living up here. The natural beauty. Not artificial attractiveness. We still are in awe when we travel our own state. My own mom retired up here, enjoying a good 30+ years in what she lovingly called "GOD'S COUNTRY". Passing at age 91, she is buried in her beloved Green Mountains. She always mentioned that she never thought she'd live in such a place of beauty.


Thus, it depends if one is looking for non stop cultural immersion with great restaurants, museums, theatre, etc....then choose New York City...........where I will repeat, people are very accepting of diversity, whether in nationality or religious beliefs......plus the restaurants are to die for, the delis are superb, & all cultures are represented in the food markets.


If a cozy, laid back existence is your thing.......then choose a small town........where people still wave hello in the morning, remember you from grade school & high school/college, etc.; remember your parents, your children, etc. & now get just as excited about your grandchildren as you yourself do.


A cradle to grave sort of town. A town where merchants co exist next door to doctors, dentists, engineers, schoolteachers, lawyers, store owners, craftsmen, firemen, policemen, retired people living in same neighborhoods with families with children NOT suburbia at all. NOT city. Just small town living at its best.


Where people actually go to your funeral.


That said, I have very fond memories of my New York City family, plus Brooklyn, as well as those on Long Island, Staten Island & New Jersey.


When we watched "A Miracle on 34th Street" this Christmas, it reminded me of when my father's sisters (my aunts, my Godmother, etc.) would take me to Macy's Department Store in N.Y.C.........or when they'd take me on the elevated train.......or down in the subway.......or to Saint Patricks Cathedral on Easter Sunday...............so, all GOOD. Nice memories. Where the people are authentic, for better or worse.

Thank you for "getting it". If you haven't lived there you cannot understand how awesome New York is

That's Funny:popcorn: I can say the same thing about Missouri, Texas, Nebraska, and Ok. But, for me this is my home now and I WILL make the best of it.

Well, house prices have gone considerably in The Villages. You could probably make a tidy profit.

And that comment was needed because ......

Ultimately home is where the heart is
 

You are welcome, for sure. I certainly do "get it".

Good luck on your next adventure. Nothing in life is "cast in stone". Change is good. Follow your heart.

I just ordered & received overnight some hand made Italian mozzarella cheese & ricotta cheese for my baked ziti, plus some fennel sausage which I plan to make for my husband's upcoming birthday. The "real deal", not Kraft shredded in a Ziploc bag.
Overwhelmingly moist, fresh, delicious......will melt perfectly.

I've discovered some great N.Y.C. Jewish deli's as well as Italian stores in both N.Y.C. & Brooklyn, plus Philadelphia.......that can supply a "treat" or more when the nostalgic feeling strikes.......FEDEXED overnight with ice bags.

My husband & visiting kids/grandkids are all IN LOVE with the half sour pickles from Zabar's Jewish Deli in N.Y.C.......a long time tradition. Excellent corned beef & pastrami, etc. plus so much more.

Nothing but good memories of New York City. Our New Jersey nieces & nephews just took their little ones to see the tree in Rockefeller Center a few days ago.......great photos. Ice skating, etc. What fun.

Young moms (friends of mine) up here take the train down with their little girls to go to The American Girl Doll Store for lunch, etc. in New York City.........can't be beat.

New York State also has great skiing (not just Vermont & Colorado) upstate........plus beautiful fall foliage in the autumn.

We also miss the wonderful Chinese restaurants, Japanese restaurants, German restaurants and so on.......found in N.Y.C., a cultural mecca. Not the boring same old, same old which a lot of chain restaurants provide (actually frozen food with tons of additives). Any fans of Anthony Bourdain know that real food is cooked from scratch.

Wish I could teleport down to Little Italy for just a casual grocery shopping excursion........ending at Ferrara's Bakery.

When we were dating teenagers, we'd drive over from New Jersey to see the United Nations Building, the big library, the Metropolitan Museum, etc., etc., etc.........have lunch, go to the movies, etc.

New York City was "date night" for us........also side trips to Patricia Murphy's restaurant. Not sure if that is still there.
Or, the restaurants near CENTRAL PARK. We would take our little New Jersey nieces & nephews (now in their 50's) to play in Central Park.

We'd see the Rockettes dance......plus so much more. Never boring in or around New York City.........plus all that theatre. My sister in law was a huge fan of N.Y. Broadway theatre performances & still takes her own grand daughters when she visits N.J. from Arizona.

My father would always take us to Times Square around New Years (not late at night)......it must have been his own teenaged fave.
He's long gone, but I still remember........when I was about 5 years old. Also, the beaches around & including Coney Island, which now is inhabited by many Ukrainian transplants, plus Far Rockaway, also Jones Beach, etc..........

My New York City father "courted" my New Jersey mother in the 1940's with boat excursion trips around Manhattan Island.

Let's just say there is something for everyone.........in N.Y.C.

However, ultimately, "home is where the heart is" & that becomes very personal to each & every one of us. So, all should enjoy their own home sweet homes in peacefulness & good health during 2015 & beyond.

We are set for a DEEP FREEZE up here.........but this too, shall pass. Looking forward to springtime & the apple blossoms, lilacs & more new babies, another big family reunion upcoming.........

............again, home is where the heart is. Where your memories are most profound. Where you feel the love. Good luck.

NY water??? There is a car wash place in Inverness that is called NY Car Wash. I guess they use some of that magical NY water to clean your car. Just north of there on rt 41 is a place that advertises "precision haircuts" and then the sign says to REALLY impress people "trained in NY".
I can't understrand why anyone would want to live here when there is such a paradise just 1000 miles north of here.

I'm sure many of us could say the same about the places we left behind. Every place has it's highs and it's lows. What some love, others hate. :highfive:

Sorry, but NYC is not a paradise. Neither is Boston where I grew up - although it is a heck of a lot better than NYC.

You can buy Brooklyn water on 441/27 at the bagel store - why go 1000 miles north to buy it?

What are we down here? Chopped liver?

Apparently.

You won't like it down here. We are not as smart as you. Stay put.