When we moved to Pleasantville in 2007 it was only because there was a house for rent here that was a new construction. Coming from a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, we decided that we weren’t going to pass that up. “But there are no school busses in Pleasantville,” a long-time friend new to the suburbs said to us.
As parents of a young child, we wondered why no one had ever mentioned that to us and quickly came to realize that it was because… in Pleasantville, it simply doesn’t matter. And the longer we lived here we believed that the absence of those busses was actually a little part of the magic.
Living in a town where people walk to and from school, to meet friends for coffee, to go to the movies, out to dinner or the local book store enables us to create and maintain connections that make life special. Running into a friend or neighbor while out walking Ruby, our golden-doodle, results easily in knowing who needs dinner delivered or what issues are being discussed at the village board meeting.
This walking town has also been and continues to be an integral part of Lucy and Sadie’s childhoods. Being able to walk home from school by themselves or in to town after school on a Friday with friends is not only fun but it’s also a boost to their confidence and self-esteem; small gifts all because of some well-maintained sidewalks and a lovely community.
“If I could get paid to be the Pleasantville Welcome Wagon, I would!” is what I’m often telling people I meet who are new to our little town. I’m so excited for them, for the greatness that they don’t really know they’ve found.
