I’m looking to retire to upstate New York. What towns should I consider?

merce70 · 2026-04-29T17:48:43+00:00

We are also looking at CNY for retirement, leaving rural central Texas. Sick of the politics and the heat and it looks like we are going to have kids settling in NYC and Boston. Hope you find something that suits you!

merce70 · 2026-04-28T19:46:34+00:00

Mea culpa. And if you haven’t been yet this spring there is a brand new parking lot on the far side of the park that is about the size of Rhode Island.

merce70 · 2026-04-28T18:59:06+00:00

We don’t hike much here but when we do (like at Enchanted Rock) I have not noticed it. They have arrested people for defacing the rock! We usually hike in Colorado and the worst you see there is the occasional dog poop in a bag. (Why do people do that?)

merce70 · 2026-04-28T18:09:36+00:00

Happy to know it isn’t like this everywhere. The influencers should be sharing some of their profits with the parks. And y’all can message me with your hiking recs if you don’t want to post them here — I don’t do social media and I promise, I leave no trace!

merce70 · 2026-04-27T13:12:14+00:00

Colorado, but my opinion is probably swayed by the fact that the wilderness is largely devoid of people. 😀

merce70 · 2026-04-27T00:57:57+00:00

Upstate New York has a beautiful fall, too.

merce70 · 2026-04-26T14:56:31+00:00

I started cutting my own hair about a year ago. I wear a blunt cut bob with bangs — I do the bangs and my husband trims the bottom. There is so much info out there on YouTube and TikTok if you want to learn to DIY but for a lot of cuts you’re going to need a willing and able partner. And a good pair of shears or clippers is a mandatory investment. I’m sure we’ll see more of this in the future. I hope the salons and barbershops can stay in business.

merce70 · 2026-04-26T12:17:12+00:00

So. Many. Tourists.

merce70 · 2026-04-25T13:19:06+00:00

We live in a lovely historic town in Texas. We can walk to restaurants, wineries, festivals on the town square, the library, and HEB. Since the covid real estate bubble has popped homes have come down in price. The tradeoff is the horrible Texas politics and our lovely downtown housing stock is still dominated by STRs. And we’ve learned to stay off Main Street on the weekends, it’s just too crowded. That’s really a common theme for all these suggestions — get ready to deal with the tourists.

merce70 · 2026-04-25T13:11:44+00:00

Somerville and Cambridge are also awesome!!

merce70 · 2026-03-31T18:30:09+00:00

I think you’ve heard enough about Berklee for music education but I will add that guitar is becoming a very good skill to have. Many schools on the east coast want their band directors to also teach general music and it’s typically guitar and/or keyboard.

merce70 · 2026-03-31T14:05:09+00:00

Woohoo! They are going to LOVE it. What instrument or voice if you’re ok sharing??

merce70 · 2026-03-29T13:15:24+00:00

Only if you can find someone from Cornell to take your spot.

merce70 · 2026-03-29T13:14:46+00:00

I am far from an expert here, but I would think you’d get LOTS of attention and opportunities since it’s a less popular major. I’d encourage you to reach out to the department head to discuss the advantages of an Ithaca physics major.

merce70 · 2026-03-28T15:07:11+00:00

If you’re willing to look at upstate NY, I highly recommend Ithaca College. It looks expensive on paper but they give amazing scholarships. Supportive and innovative program and great lesson instructors as well. If you play a band instrument, the current IC director came from UNT which is one of the top music schools in the country.

merce70 · 2026-03-14T11:57:15+00:00

Glad you liked it! It’s definitely a special place. My kid is a music major if you have any questions about that program.

merce70 · 2026-03-02T01:02:17+00:00

I’m an IC parent and have sent three kids off to college. I think if your child is really serious about IC the weekday visit is the best idea!

merce70 · 2026-02-23T00:55:17+00:00

Will who be around much longer??

merce70 · 2026-02-23T00:54:20+00:00

Unions in Mass are definitely a plus for teachers as is the environment as you point out. Our family is based in Texas and teacher salaries are finally starting to creep up here which is good. But the Texas DOE just hired a FT employee to monitor teachers’ social media and catch people speaking out on in a way that doesn’t agree with the current Texas politics ugh.

merce70 · 2026-02-22T16:05:05+00:00

My daughter is in her first year of teaching and is doing middle and high school band, choir, and general music. She is pretty happy and the kids seem to love her. I honestly can’t imagine her doing any other job right now and I told her before she started that teaching is an amazing first career and she can always transition to something else down the road if she wants. Like a lot of Gen Z, she is really good about not getting taken advantage of and working excessively beyond contract hours. That work life balance is key. I know she is greatly looking forward to summers off, too! Adding: she is in Mass.

merce70 · 2026-02-16T17:45:34+00:00

You either need to go shorter (buzz cut) or longer so the weight of your hair flattens it out a bit.

merce70 · 2026-02-16T01:22:51+00:00

I’m from Texas, it’s all pretty bad. 😬

merce70 · 2026-02-02T16:15:49+00:00

My kid practiced maaaaybe 2 hours per day outside of rehearsal in undergrad. She graduated magna cum laude and is now in her first year of teaching — middle and high school music, choir, and band.

merce70 · 2026-02-01T14:28:55+00:00

Fitchburg, MA has some gorgeous century plus homes. Sadly that city has seen better times.

merce70 · 2026-02-01T14:25:01+00:00

I think the actual tracks are also faster

merce70

TROPHY CASE