I recently passed the one-year mark for living in Old Greenbelt, which prompts me to reflect on the big move from Takoma Park after 26 years there.  No deep thoughts, just some of my Favorite Things about the change, now that my seven months of construction and painting are over and I’ve had five months to start to connect with the town, including starting this blog in July.  I conclude with just a short list of least favorite things.

My Favorite Greenbelt Things

– The vibrant community, made possible by volunteerism in action, and a whole town committed to making the town work.  Takoma Park feels like a community, too, but most folks there are  focused on their jobs in the city.

– Walkability.   I used to live about a mile from the center of Takoma Park where there ARE more dining options than we have here but I couldn’t walk to much else.  I love being so close to the Center, and getting there via the inner walkways.

– Recreational opportunities here.  No one holds a candle to Greenbelt in this department.  What goes on at the Community Center alone blows my mind.

– The lake.  Naturally.

– The many Boomers here, largely retired or working from home.  In Takoma, socializing is far more focused on kids.

– The 75th Anniversary celebrations and Eric Zhang’s Greenbelt2012 blog.  What a year to move here!  I’ve learned to recognize so many faces from Eric’s blog and will sure miss it when it ends, presumably on January 1.

– The News Review.  Such a great community resource!  I’m in awe of what editor Mary Lou Williamson and her team have accomplished for so long.  Takoma Park has nothing like it.

– Night life?  Who’d have thought?  The New Deal! The GAC!  Old Greenbelt Theater!  All gems.  The absence of nightlife in Takoma, despite all the musicians living there, is a shame and a puzzlement.

– Affordability.  Takoma has gotten so expensive, only doctors, lawyers and lobbyists can afford to buy there, and I’m only exaggerating a little.  Here, people don’t have to be house-poor to live in a great place.

The Negatives

– Construction is never fun but renovating my GHI home was made pretty hellacious by the whole GHI process, including asking for a variance.  It was bad enough that I hesitate to recommend that anyone move here unless they can find the home they want AS IS, though I do have hope that the process will be made easier and more welcoming in the years to come.  (Despite the arduous process, I love the result!  The bath reno is here, the kitchen reno here, and the screened-in porch here.)

– I miss the plants in Takoma, where the majority of homeowners seem to garden.  I’d love to see more shrubs, small trees and perennials here, rather than so much lawn and metal fencing.  (The house I bought in ’85 had a chain-link fence around the front yard but I covered it with vines so I wouldn’t have to see the damn thing, and eventually replaced the fence altogether.)  But again I’m hopeful that GHI yards will slowly become more wildlife-friendly and people-friendly spaces – gardens.

– One more negative that has to do with living here and visiting friends in Takoma and D.C. – the Beltway!  Nuf said.