NY to NASHVILLE
- heathertvshow
- Jun 29, 2022
- 4 min read
#NYTONASH 6/29/2022
The inspiration behind this blog is the comments I have received from close friends and people that I have just met. "You are so brave" "I could never just pick up and move" You are an inspiration"
I appreciate the comments however, I need to say a few things, I have no children. I couldn't keep my house during the divorce, so it was sold, and I continued to rent it until I moved, my Boston Terrier, Herbie had just passed away which is still so devasting to me. I sold my pet service business and wasn't attached to a job; I don't have elderly parents that I would need to take care of and I couldn't sit in the suburbs as a single woman anymore! I had NOTHING to lose! Am I brave? Maybe, you can be the judge of that. I was never afraid of change.
Four weeks ago today, I packed up my car and drove from Long Island, NY to Nashville, TN. Why do you ask? I got divorced in 2020 (for those of you who know my comedy), People ask "Did Covid cause the divorce? no, "signing a marriage certificate did"
I just wanted to get out of Long Island, and I wasn't sure where I wanted to go so I visited a few places like LA and Charleston but neither was for me. A few people I knew had moved to Nashville and would post photos and stories on Facebook and it started to pique my interest. Finally, I came to visit in April 2022, and I loved it! I went apartment hunting in different areas that were suggested to me like Germantown, Bellevue, Brentwood, Franklin, and Downtown.
I chose to live in a neighborhood called Germantown which is a 5 min car ride, or 20 min walk to downtown. Many of you heard of "Broadway" where all of the tourists and Honkey Tonks are. I did not want to live near Broadway among the loud party buses with screaming bachelorette parties’ day and night. It is however must-see in Nashville. Broadway is fun, don't get me wrong but I like to go either during the day or on weekdays and not often ha!
Germantown is a lovely neighborhood and deemed "Historical" filled with fantastic restaurants and some of the best places to go in Nashville including the Tennessee State Museum, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Nashville Farmer's market, Tennessee State Library, First Horizon Park, and Glow. There is so much to do here and it's all walkable, but it is not cheap! I chose to live in a luxury building with a pool, a gym, a rooftop with a beautiful view of the Nashville skyline and it's dog friendly!! Keep in mind, that we are in the highest-priced housing market in decades, the highest inflation in decades, and gas is over $5 a gallon. It's not cheap anywhere right now. I wanted to rent for a year and get my career going down here and then decide if I want to buy next year.
My advice to anyone that wants to move is to join social media groups before you go. I was already in at least 4 different FB groups for Nashville, "New to Nashville", "Nashville Singles" "Ladies of Nashville", "Things to do in Nashville" and a couple more. I learned a lot from these groups. Places to go, things to do, and learned that almost everyone in Nashville is in the same boat as me. They moved here from another state. Especially over the last 2 years. I found it to be comforting. "Where are you from"? Is the new hello. I also encourage people to join "Next Door" a neighborhood APP and MEETUP Groups. There is absolutely no reason for you to ever feel alone. I joined a Hiking group, Networking group, and Singles group and I even started my own Meetup group, a walking group in Germantown, and have met some fantastic people already. I'm keeping busy and exploring Nashville, but it wouldn't be fair if I didn't say that I get lonely, frightened, anxious, and nervous daily at some point. It's just more important to me to let the positives outweigh the negatives. There are cultural differences between the North and the South that I've witnessed so far but I expected that. I mean I was told not to go to the closest "supermarket as us Long Islanders call it" Krogers because it's not safe. Yes, there are still some racial divides here, but the neighborhoods are being more and more gentrified. I left NY state 4 weeks ago when it was a no-carry state. Fast forward 4 weeks later and NY is a carry state, so I am not going by the "norms" anymore. How could any of us at this point?
My hopes for this new chapter in my life are probably what most people want. Live in my dream home (whatever that means to me), meet my people (having that circle of friends that I call family), have a career that will give me financial stability and bring me joy, and continue being healthy and active. Maybe even get remarried someday. Who knows?
I'll leave you with these cliches' Life is too short so make the best out of it. Without risk there is no reward and if you are afraid to make a big life change just ask yourself this. Five years from now, will you be regretting or wish that you had taken a chance? Those 5 years are going to pass whether you like it or not, but you have the choice to make a change.
Until next time,
By
Heather Lehrman
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