Seriously, where do you live? Do you like it? BECAUSE YOU GUYS. The grossest thing happened last week, I can barely type it out…

Here’s the scene: We’re hanging out at our favorite West Village playground. It’s the evening golden hour, and rays of sunshine are slanting through the trees. I’m chatting with two friends, while our kids play with toys in the sandbox. Then Toby comes up to me and says, “Mama! I’m a doctor, are you sick?” And I say, “Oh, yes! I have a bellyache.” He holds a little plastic toy thermometer up to my mouth, and I kneel down to play along and I’m basically licking the thing, when suddenly my friend looks over and gasps and says, “Joanna, that is a used tampon applicator!”

!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was dying. New York can be so disgusting sometimes!

It made me think: Should we move somewhere a little…less gross? With more grass and space? The astrologist told us we should move to California, after all. Is it time to leave?

But we also love New York–especially on these spring days, when it’s so magical. And the idea of moving kind of freaks me out. We’ve been here for so long! Is it scary to move? Have you ever made a big move? Honestly, this is so dorky, but I was homesick when we moved from the West Village to Battery Park City! And it’s 5 minutes away!! And another friend admitted that she was traumatized when she moved two houses down on her block. We’re all such creatures of habit. :)

I’m SO curious: Where do you live? Do you like it? Would you recommend it? Where do you want to raise kids? I’d love to hear!! xoxo

P.S. How not to look like a tourist, and 9 crazy things about living in NYC.

(Photo by James Nord)