NJF: How did you end up in Summit?
DH: We were living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where I grew up. Bret (who grew up in Kearny) has always worked in NJ and his commute was taking a toll, so we started looking at some of the typical towns Brooklynites moving to NJ look at: Maplewood, Montclair, etc. We ultimately expanded our search to Summit, Chatham and Millburn, and we really fell in love with Summit’s downtown.
NJF: What do you like best about Summit?
DH: We love that we can walk to town and the train station from our house. Plus, there is a real sense of community here—Growing up in the city where you barely know your neighbors, I never realized how nice it is to be friends with the people on your street. When we moved into our house almost everyone on the block baked something to welcome us. It was so “small town, USA” but in a really good way and something I was totally not used to. We also love that we can walk to dinner, to a movie, to the YMCA or the library. Though, one of the things I miss about living in Brooklyn is awesome ethnic food.
NJF: How are the schools?
DH: So far we’ve been very happy with Lincoln Hubbard Elementary School. I was worried when we left private school in NY that all the arts education would be lost, but I have been so happy to see there is still a lot of focus here.
NJF: What are your favorite shops in town?
DH: The Beauty Lounge is amazing—stunning jewelry and gorgeous clothes. I also love The Bar Method, which is a great workout and also an amazing community of strong women. I’ve met so many people by taking classes there.
NJF: How do you handle childcare?
DH: We had a nanny when we first moved to Summit because I was working in the city as a magazine editor, but now that I’m working for myself from a home office, I just piece childcare together with babysitters.
NJF: What are your favorite things to
do here?
DH: We’re still figuring that out! The playground at the Watchung Reservation is the best one around. We recently found the roller rink on Route 10. Our favorite restaurants are Huntley Tavern (3 Morris Ave.), Roots (401 Springfield Ave.), Fin (37 Maple St.) and Marigold’s (426 Springfield Ave.). Trap Rock (279 Springfield Ave., Berkeley Heights) and the Stirling Hotel (227 Main Ave., Stirling) are fun places to go for a drink. Overall, we love how much easier life is out here and how happy the kids are to have a lot of space to play.
—As told to Michele Silver
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