A Westportversary

Three years ago, I decided I wanted to relocate back to the New York City area. But where? I spent my teen years in New Jersey, I spent some time in the Hudson Valley. Having a teen I didn’t want to move to NYC or Long Island. The Hudson Valley seemed like it was in a depression with their local economy and I decided to give Connecticut a try. With working on a photography project out of NYC, I was driving to Stamford catching the train to Manhattan, I could get a lot done by living closer. I use waze and waze would have me go in other directions when 95 was clogged and I started to like Fairfield County. I was thinking of looking for work in Stamford and living in Cos Cob area. But I really was not sure where I was going to end up and was looking for a good spot for Carolyn to spend her teen years and where I want to spend a good chunk of my life at.

I remember seeing “Westport” on job listings.
I recall hearing about accidents in the Westport area on both 95 and Merritt Parkway.
I remember reading articles about Westport on The Hour’s website and recall hearing stories on WCBS 880. – I didn’t know anything about the town.

But little did I know, I would fall in love with this town and so quickly.

Its been two years, two years today that I first drove through Westport because I was in the wrong lane and halfway across the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge I was in love. The flags were out, and downtown Westport was a glowing in the remainder of the morning light and it hit me. After a year and half of figuring out where I wanted to be in Fairfield County, I found it. A town called Westport.

My first year was spent answering this question “What is Westport? and What is there?” I spent a lot of time on Craigslist and Zillow trying to find apartments to rent, and to get a feel of what the cost of living is, I spent a lot of time on the town’s website trying to figure out places to go and what Westport has to offer. Compo Beach, Sherwood Island State Park, Downtown, Saugatuck were places I found myself noting to visit. Five months later, I fell in love again with Compo Beach and I knew again, this was the town for me.

Two years later, I am still trying to relocate. I stuck to my promise and said I wouldn’t relocate until I found a position to know what my income would be that would let me know what I can afford (Westport is not cheap). I never imagined I would have started a blog and meet the people who have crossed my path. It only made me wish I could have relocated to Westport sooner in life instead of my time in Pennsylvania, The Hudson Valley and Maine. But those places lead me to Westport in some cosmic way.

When I look back and see all that I have accomplished from the photoshoots I have had at Compo Beach to the street photography of Downtown to the conversations and the friendships I have made I have to stop to remind myself,

it’s the journey, not the destination