Downtown Liverpool

As mentioned in the previous post, my husband and I enjoy neighborhoods that are walkable/in close proximity of shops, cafes, parks, etc. As a result, we considered the village of Liverpool as a potential neighborhood during our neighborhood/house hunt earlier this year.

One afternoon, we parked our car near the library, and began wandering the downtown streets. It's not a huge village center, but there's a fair range of businesses. From our count there was one really nice restaurant (The Retreat), several bars, a BBQ joint, two coffee shops (including one awesome nonprofit we had delicious sandwiches at), an independent grocery store, a liquor store, quite a few salons, the library, a couple summer-only venues (including a cool lighthouse-shaped restaurant), a couple museums, and more.

What really made us like Liverpool village, however, was its location beside Onondaga Lake. While this lake is not yet suitable for swimming (a huge clean-up is taking place after years of pollution/contamination/neglect), and may not be during our lifetimes, it is beautiful and surrounded by lovely walking paths (at least a large portion of the lake is) and greenery.

We actually walked along the lake at sunset the other day, and part of me wished we had focused more on Liverpool during our house search. Then again, we did not see very many village houses for sale/houses we were interested in, so that was pretty much a deal-breaker.

We look forward to hanging out in Liverpool, though; it is conveniently located between our new home and my parents' house in Baldwinsville.

Importance of walkability

Living in Somerville, Massachusetts, my husband and I were used to being able to walk pretty much everywhere, including cafes, bars, restaurants, drug stores, parks, bike paths, public transportation, and the list goes on. Proximity to businesses was a key factor in our Syracuse house search; we are happy to have found a home within walking distance of several business districts. More specifically, we are about a 15 minute-walk from the Eastwood business district, a 15-minute walk from Shop City Plaza, and a 15-minute walk from Riley's - a supposedly awesome restaurant/pub near Schiller Park.

We haven't yet ventured out to these places, so these times are based on Google Maps estimates. I will get back to you on our actual experience walking to these locales, but it seems like the outings will be completely doable. It was difficult to find a home - or even neighborhood - in Syracuse that's a close walk to shops and other destinations. We consider ourselves pretty lucky! Hopefully, the overall situation in Syracuse will improve over time, as there are many benefits associated with walking/neighborhood walkability.

First night in the new place!

Yesterday, my husband and I successfully closed on our new place (woohoo!), began moving items from my parents' place in Baldwinsville, and "camped out" overnight in our sleeping bags. (Our one-year-old daughter spent the night in her playpen.) It was a lot of fun. We have so much left to move (most of our items are arriving from Boston tomorrow), but at least we are making progress. Early this morning we met our first neighbor, an older gentleman out walking his pet poodle. He said he frequently walks by our place; it looks like there are quite a few other "regular" walkers as well. I'm so excited to explore our new surroundings in the coming days.

Back in Syracuse

So here I am, back in Syracuse. Well, technically I am currently in Baldwinsville. And I spent the majority of my youth in Fayetteville. But I have returned to the area, and tomorrow my husband and I are closing on a house in Syracuse's Sedgwick neighborhood. We are so excited to get to know our new neighborhood. Even though I was born in the Valley, grew up in Fayetteville, and attended S.U for my master's, I have lots to learn about the area and more specifically the city. Having just moved from a thriving city north of Boston (Somerville), I am eager to be a part of a new "city community" and all it has to offer.