Woman Trades NYC Traffic Jams For Deer Interruptions And Calls It Progress
KEY POINTS
- •Lydia Warren lived in Brooklyn for seven years, then moved to a suburb on Long Island before relocating to a rural town in the Catskill Mountains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- •She left a town of 25,000 people with easy Manhattan commutes for a 1,600-resident town surrounded by wildlife such as bears, deer, and groundhogs.
- •Traffic disappeared but was replaced by concerns about snowy roads and foggy mountain driving, while doctor's visits became shorter and more attentive than back in the city.
- •Small-town friendliness surprised her, with constant greetings, real connections, and quicker service at places like the post office compared to her NYC experience.
Lydia Warren fled Brooklyn, then a Long Island commuter hellscape, finally surrendering to Upstate New York’s Catskills during January 2021’s COVID rollercoaster. She swapped a bustling 25,000-pop town with a 40-minute Iron-Man train ride to Manhattan, for a 1,600-resident commune inhabited by both people and far sassier wildlife: deer, bears, and groundhogs. While the Long Island traffic made her factor in an annoying extra 30 minutes for a 20-minute drive, here Google Maps actually tells the truth, unless the snowplows and aggressive mists have other plans. Doctor wait times? Now seconds, not hours, with bedside manners so box-office Hollywood could envy. And yes, everyone actually says 'hello' to strangers, like a creepy version of Cheers. No train within 45 minutes but hey, convenience is overrated when you have trees and existential peace.
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Moved from NYC’s endless honks to mountain bears and deer that actually run you off the road. Trading gridlock for wildlife drama — progress? Spoiler: doctor visits now resemble TV dramas without the commercial breaks.
From subway sardines to sharing sidewalks with groundhogs—city living got exchanged for forest life goals, but now winters come with a high chance of getting audited by Mother Nature.
Turns out the number of fellow humans in your town inversely correlates with how often you encounter actual bears. Subway ads or bear warning signs? Tough choice.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 11/30/2025 | Author: Lydia Warren
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