APRIL GUEST BLOG BY MARC STERN
Marc Stern is one of The Gosselin Group's newest Associates, along with Léana Lu and we are excited to start a monthly guest blog for them here. I will preface his guest blog by saying that Marc is way too humble to tout his musical accomplishments, but his band Thursday Habit is fantastic and you can "Like" their Facebook page here. Read on for a NYC musician's viewpoint on moving to the 'burbs....
Why Do People Say that Maplewood/South Orange is Awesome?
Part One: The Local Music Scene
By Marc Stern
When my wife and I decided to move to the ‘burbs (17 years ago, coinciding with the birth of our first child) I thought we were moving to Siberia. As a musician, I thought I’d never play my guitar again. Boy, was I wrong… Stumbling into a local hardware store to buy a hammer and nails (I lived in NYC, it wasn’t my job then!) there was a full band set up in the back room. Both salivating and in shock, I introduced myself and (of course) asked to play music with them. I was immediately invited to a local house party where I met future friends including town council members. Over the years the local music scene has continued to grow, and now features a yearly two day music and art festival (in it's 11th year!) called Maplewoodstock that has national headliners each year in addition to local talent. Of course not everyone is musically inclined, but I use this as one example (more to follow in my next blog posts) of how welcoming and cultural these communities have proven themselves to be.
I have grown to know neighboring communities and all of them are special and have something different to offer. Maplewood and South Orange in particular are vibrant, accessible and diverse communities that welcome people and pets of all kinds. Other awesomeness includes a palpable community spirit, great school system, easy commute to NYC, plenty of green spaces and a quaint yet bustling downtown with amazing restaurants, art galleries, shopping galore and a cool old movie theater. Having recently joined a fantastic team of realtors (The Gosselin Group, with Prominent Properties Sotheby's), it would be my pleasure and privilege to take you on a tour and show off our towns. If you are already a resident looking to transition, I'm happy to help you pursue that in any way I can. Please reach out to me with questions, bad jokes, comments on my blog post or dinner invitations at Marc@GosselinHomes.com.
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