Many people want to retire to small towns or cities with great, warm climates as they age. But when my widowed mother reached 65, she longed to live in New York City again. So she got on an airplane and flew east from Santa Barbara. Manhattan was perfect for her. With big sidewalks and amazing public transportation, my mom could walk to the small grocery stores with their shelves of small-sized products, local restaurants and the public library. She could take a bus to Broadway shows, parks, grand department stores, fabulous art museums and a huge variety of movie theaters. From her apartment window, she could watch life go by. Out in the streets, she reveled in the hustle and bustle -- the sheer excitement and energy that is always present in New York.
Having been born in New York, she was back in her element and in the home town she loved so much.
That's one reason the lead article "A Rocking Chair Called Manhattan" in the Sunday, August 14, 2011, Real Estate Section of The New York Times caught my eye. Of course, the other reason, is because the piece focused on how people really do want to stay in their homes as they age. New York has many, many services that make aging in place relatively easy. And with the population aging rapidly, those services are a very good thing.
The article is well worth reading. I'd love to have readers comment on their experiences with aging in place in New York or any other urban area. What services do you use? What makes city living right for you?
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