[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by ronda

We have a house in TV and one in Toms River (TR). Yes, TR ans surrounding areas have many retirement communities (Holiday City, Leisure Village etc). They are fine, but do not compare to TV. We are, having grown up in TR, partial to TR and the Jersey Shore. We love living in TR in the summer months, and love the Beaches in Seaside and Ortley Beach. There is also proximity to NYC, Atlantic City and Cape May. All can be day trip excursions.

How do you feel about having to leave the community and contend with the traffic in the area when it cones to getting to appointments and doing errands?

[Cmpwillard]

Originally Posted by paulat585

There are at least 2 locations that are similar to TV, but not quite in the Northeast. Lakeside Chataqua in Lakeside, OH and the Chataqua in Western NY state have lifestyle & activities very similar to TV but on a smaller scale. My sister goes to the Ohio one every summer and I just visited there. You can rent. Other Villagers (don't know their names) live there during the summer.

Lakeside Chataque is my family’s favorite vacation spot and they go there almost every summer for the last ten years. My siblings live on the east side of Cleveland so it’s a two hours drive from their homes. I have been there for few times myself as for our family reunion vacations there. It’s a beautiful small quiet community with Normal Rockwell and Victorian themes.

[Fratrick8]

Originally Posted by paulat585

There are at least 2 locations that are similar to TV, but not quite in the Northeast. Lakeside Chataqua in Lakeside, OH and the Chataqua in Western NY state have lifestyle & activities very similar to TV but on a smaller scale. My sister goes to the Ohio one every summer and I just visited there. You can rent. Other Villagers (don't know their names) live there during the summer.

Just visited Lakeside yesterday. Make that much smaller than TV and living on Lake Erie in the winter would be only for the hardy. Also some of the nearby restaurants and shops close off season after Labor Day.

[ronda]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

How do you feel about having to leave the community and contend with the traffic in the area when it cones to getting to appointments and doing errands?

Are you asking about leaving TR for appts in NJ, or leaving TV for appts in tv?

[Frank Giardino]

A nice area in NY is in the wine country part of NY, the weather is milder then further north, you have the lakes and great scenery. There are a lot of activities during the summer months, and its not far from larger cities like Rochester, Syracuse. Can't figure why I don't live there, always enjoyed it.

[PennBF]

We lived for many years in New York on the Hudson and my recommendation would be Rhinebeck, New York and a rental. It is a great community, close to a number of places to go to and not far. Some examples: Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park/Roosevelt homestead, the Catskill Mountains, Olana Castle in Hudson, NY, The Dutchess County Fair which is one of the best in New York and beyond, Restaurants on the Hudson, a lot of visitors and residents come to Rhinebeck on the weekends and there are some rather notable people who have homes there on the Hudson. Also you get some of the best fruit during the season. Guess I have said enough. Just a place to look at to get away for a few months. Hudson which is about 1/2 hour away is a center for Antique shopping and a fun place to walk around. This kind of gets you away from the "organized" way of living vis vis the Villages. Also, Woodstock is not far away and a fun place to visit on the weekends. You can always catch a train at the small station there and take the train to NYC for a day (about 1-2 hour ride down the Hudson) and through all of the small villages on the Hudson. A movie was just made about the ride. If I were to go back for a couple months and rent I would probably choose Rhinebeck. Good Luck

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by ronda

Are you asking about leaving TR for appts in NJ, or leaving TV for appts in tv?

Neither! Wondering about the convenience vs inconvenience re exiting the NJ retirement community to face the traffic that exists on the outside of it! You couldn't pay me to contend with the misery that exists there between the young drivers and older drivers taking their driving frustrations out on each other! I stopped going there because of all of those folks on the road there!

[Tripngirl]

My answer would be Cape Cod. Wellfleet, Truro, all the way to Provincetown. No, it's not going to have a golf cart to ride everyday but you will hear the ocean and walk the beaches

[Tripngirl]

I have to agree! Camden is beautiful. Bring your camera and if you paint or sketch great spots can be found to do this as you relax.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by lolvet

I have lived all of my life in Florida and now that I am retired I would like to fly north for the summers. I would love a Villages in the Northeast area, but I know it does not exist. Any suggestions on where I should look? I love the Maine upper northeast part, but I'm open to suggestions. I would like an active retirement community. Thanks!

The name for residents of Florida who want to go north for three or four months in the summer is SUNBIRD. A northern resident who goes south during winter months is a snowbird. Having said that, renting for the first year makes a lot of sense. That is especially true now when there are more buyers than sellers and real estate generally is currently over priced in the current market. Good luck.

[Ben Franklin]

Before my wife decided to get a cat rescue, we would pick a state we wanted to explore and then rent a house in that state. So whatever you want to do then pick a state. We loved Colorado, Maine, Vermont and Pennsylvania. Then the cat came. Rental houses that allow cats are far and few in between, not to mention the pain it is traveling with a cat.

Btw, Chautauqua communities are all over the US. There's one in Boulder, CO, PA, NY, OH... Enjoy!