House Tour - Outside

 

I decided to stay motivated and consistent for myself, I'll share some house tour posts on Fridays.

Today, we'll start with the outside!

First, some orientation. We moved to New Jersey but we really aren't far from New York. It's a 40 minute drive to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We are basically on the opposite side of Staten Island. If you drew a line from where we live now, you'd cut through Staten Island and end in Bay Ridge.

We live on the waterfront of the Raritan Bay. Here is a good picture from Wikipedia. The lighter green color is the Raritan Bay. Our area is right around the tip of Staten Island where the water splits into the Raritan River and the Arthur Kill River separating New Jersey and New York.

 

There is a large park directly in our "backyard" with a walking path the goes along the waterfront. I tried to get a good picture of the landmarks you can see from the park but of course the photo makes things look tiny and impossible. Here is the photo out of the camera.

 But in person, you can see several things from this vantage point. I'll circle them.

On the far left is the Outerbridge Crossing which connects New Jersey to Staten Island. The next circle shows the top of the World Trade Center Tower One in Lower Manhattan. The next circle is the top of the Verrazzano Bridge which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn at the base of Bay Ridge (our old neighborhood). The far right circle is Coney Island.

Basically, the major selling point of this area for us was the location. We feel outside of the city but not so far away. Plus, it's beautiful. The grounds are well maintained and there is plenty of space to spread out.

We also love the massive park directly behind the house. It has huge ball fields, a walking path, playground, pavilion area, and small beach. It has really been a major perk for us since we were cooped-up inside since March with little to no access to open spaces. We all love to run in the grass, go to the beach, and walk around the neighborhood.

The commuter train is a few blocks away so we can hear trains all throughout the day. It's basically a dream come true for Kip to be able to see trains on a regular basis. And I like hearing the sound of the train all the time since it reminds me of the rumbling of the Subway in Brooklyn. Every few days we walk to the end of the road and stand by the tracks and watch the "ding dings" go down and see the train go by. This photo is sort of terrifying. We aren't actually as close as it looks and we have firm boundaries with Kip about not going past the yellow block. Plus, someone is always holding him tightly.

Now, to the house! It is technically a town house. Some people may not consider this a "real" house. But for us, it's a HUGE upgrade and a good transition from previously apartment living. We also love that it's in an HOA. We like this because it means the grounds are really well maintained and we don't have to worry about mowing and what not. The neighborhood is a mix of town homes and big mansion-sized houses that run along the waterfront. The area is great for walking and there is also a community pool!

We share a wall with one neighbor but are otherwise on the end of a unit so we have a sort of side yard that faces our other neighbor.

And here is the front door that Mandy decked-out for fall.

Around the back we have a small patio area. It's not a fenced-in backyard which I think is the ONLY thing that is missing from the home. But regardless, we never had any outdoor space to call our own so even this little patio is a blessing. There is a grassy area for Kip to play and we have a stoop and place to put a table. Just being able to step outside for a bit without loading everyone and everything into a stroller is huge for us. Kip can play out there. Dan can grill. We can all get unencumbered fresh air. 

Kip can finally have chalk, a bubble machine, and outdoor toys!

The trees in the area are mature so there is shade and beautiful fall leaves coming down. We are all looking forward to jumping in leaf piles, building snowmen, and water play next summer.

I don't have photo of the "front" of the house because it's basically the garage that faces the street. The front is more the side. But I'm sure I'll share it eventually...maybe with Christmas lights!!

Here is the walkway up to the front with the solar lights.

 

Hope you enjoyed. Happy Friday!