We are New Yorkers who work in New York City. We’ve lived in the metropolitan area, the surrounding suburbs, and beyond. Right now we are way beyond - in the Poconos, Pennsylvania.
These are our Top 12 reasons for why we chose this particular parcel of land to buy and build our home upon.
Reason #1: I've always dreamt of building a house. It remained only a dream, until Steve.
Reason #2: Steve is a builder. He's built many custom homes before. He's been dreaming of building us a house for years. Our search began with vacant land, rather than a fixer-upper.
Reason #3: Mother Nature. Fresh crisp mountain air. Wild animals.
Steve is a modern-day version of Snow White. He loves to be still and blend into nature (be one with Eywa) observe wildlife in their home – birds, deer, turkey, coyote, bear. I enjoy getting dirty in the garden, cooking outdoors, especially over an open fire.
Reason #4: S p a c e. When we lived in the city, we were always starving for precious outdoor space. Honestly, we were starving for space period. Personal space, social distancing space, storage space.
Reason #5: The dog. He is the biggest reason we craved outdoor space. Imagine waking up one morning to a blizzard and the dog needs to pee. Can’t just let the dog out. One such morning, our conversation probably went something like this, “Babe, this sucks. Wanna try living in the Poconos temporarily to see if we like it?” We rented a house while we canvassed for land in the area.
Want to know more about Archer? Read my post: Meet Archer
What we discovered: We love to run/bike on the converted railway path along the Lehigh River. The pine groves in the state parks are pure heaven for hikers. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard in the summer, ski mountains in the winter. Campfire burning in the backyard most nights.
Our conclusion: the Pocono Mountains perfectly suits our outdoor needs, but that 2-hour each way thing is the deal-breaker.
The Location
We found 4.5-ish acres of land located in the hamlet of Tomkins Cove, one of the more rural communities in Rockland County, NY. It’s sandwiched between two state parks, Harriman and Bear Mountain. Harriman and Seven Lakes Drive is a mecca for serious cyclists. Tomkins Cove prides itself on having a cut-through section of the famous Appalachian Trail.
Fun Fact: The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, measuring roughly 2,190 miles in length.
Reason #6: Not too big. Not too small. Four and a half acres is just the right size for us.
Reason #7: Proximity. It's closer to the city. Our land is about 20 miles up the Hudson River.
Reason #8: The commute itself is absolutely beautiful.
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is THE most scenic road to escape the concrete jungle. It’s super quaint at just two lanes wide, parallel to the Palisades Cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson, handsomely tree-lined the entire 38-mile length (from the George Washington Bridge all the way to the Bear Mountain Bridge). A sweet motorcycle ride. Trucks and buses are prohibited, hooray!! Stunningly breathtaking, especially in the Fall during peak foliage, ranked among the best drives for avid “leaf peepers”.
The Neighborhood
Our vacant lot is called ‘unimproved land’ in a fairly new private residential development.
Reason #9: Light traffic. There are only two streets in this neighborhood. Our property is on the road less traveled. So far, the only vehicles that pass by are the mail, UPS or Amazon van, and Grampa Joe in his golf cart.
There are a dozen or so established homes already, some with spectacular panoramic views of the mighty Hudson River. Our land is just that – land. No house yet. Not much of a view, yet (but promising!)
Reason #10: A promising view. On a clear day you can really stretch your vision and see for miles across the Hudson River.
See more pictures of our promising view in my post: We got a Building Permit
The Environment
The terrain itself is very rocky and hilly uncleared woodland. It's tucked away behind a hill making it feel secluded.
Reason #11: It is super quiet. No city sirens, no trucks or buses, no highway noise; nothing… but nature. Occasionally you can hear in the distance a barge on the river, or a train.
From our property, we can see only one house that’s across the street and sort of above us.
There’s only one next-door-neighbor but we can’t see them. On the other side is Wayne-Washington Lookout Park, a dedicated historically marked site rarely, if ever, visited.
Reason #12: Privacy. This is dream level privacy for us.
Fun fact: This hill above the Hudson River played a role in the American Revolutionary War strategy concerning the Hudson Highlands. The Lookout Park marks an observation point used by General George Washington and Colonel “Mad” Anthony Wayne to plan a surprise attack on British troops in the Battle of Stony Point, July 15, 1779.
Thank you for reading all of our Top 12 Reasons.
Comments