Moving to the suburbs may not be for everyone. My family lived in Brooklyn for 10 years before moving out to Maplewood in 2003. I’ve compiled my own top 10 reasons to move from Brooklyn to SOMA (South Orange /Maplewood) and 5 reasons why you shouldn’t:

 1.     Your own backyard. Never again will you have to turn on the National Geographic  channel to see what grass looks like. Plus you’ll love to BBQ while the kids run around in your own safe private space.

2.     Great commute! Midtown direct (no need to change trains) and a roughly 30 minute train ride. When it’s nice weather and have more time, take the New York Waterway ferry to Hoboken, grab a craft beer or beverage of your choice from the convenient store in the station, and hop on the train waiting for you on the track .

3.     Your own driveway. No alternate side of the street parking rules! And it’s really convenient when returning from the grocery store.

4.     Great schools! No waiting lists or application process for middle & high schools. Your child is guaranteed a space in your school district.

5.     South Orange/Maplewood Adult School! Take a class, brush up on a foreign language, even learn to sew. I made my own window treatments for my daughter’s room after taking the sewing class!

6.     A pantry. Never go hungry or be unprepared again. 12 boxes of pasta, a case of chick peas, 50 rolls of paper towels from Costco, you get the picture.

7.     Property taxes are still cheaper than NYC private school tuition.

8.     Town pool! Several pools, swimming lessons, and good food.

9.     Great restaurants! Maplewood has several critically acclaimed restaurants.

10. Your friends have already moved here!

5 reasons that will give you second thoughts:

1.     Lack of access to good, cheap, ethnic food at any hour.  Good luck getting Thai food or a Falafel at 11pm.

2.     It gets quiet. You may have a hard time falling asleep without the constant sound of white noise aka traffic and various sirens from emergency vehicles.

3.     Frequency of trains. The Mid-Town direct comes every half hour as opposed to the F train which comes every 8 minutes.

4.     You’ll need to buy a car. I loved walking everywhere and shopping my way down Court St. from Atlantic to Carroll Gardens, but 10 years and two children later, the novelty wears off and it becomes quite appealing to throw bags in the trunk of your car.

5.     Driving issues. Where else can you find signs on the highway all saying “Turnpike” with 3 arrows pointing in 3 different directions? Also, be prepared to take all left turns from the right lane (jug handles) and if you miss your exit, it may be several miles before you can turn around. And when you figure out what exit 15X is off 95,  and how to access it from either direction, please let me know. It’s been over 17 years and it’s still a mystery to me!