We are just back from our trip, and I have to say - what a lovely area!

We were pleasantly surprised, as sometimes you read in guide books how nice a place is, and when you get there, reality does not match your expectations. Not so here.

We didn't get in until 2pm (got lost a few times), and had lunch at Mason's. What a great place and a great meal. Walked around Easton a bit, then checked in at Bishop's House.

Sat. we went up to Chestertown. Since our breakfast at the inn wasn't until 9am, we didn't get there until 10am, so the Farmer's Market was winding down, I think.

Our one disappointment was the cold. Is this usual? I was so cold being outside we opted to drive around Chestertown rather than walk. Cute little place. Had lunch at Blue Heron, which was good, but I preferred Masons.

Back to Easton, then dinner at Scossa, which was great if a bit pricey. Great atmosphere and service.

Sun after breakfast we headed to St. Michaels. How VERY cute! I fell in love with the town, and made my husband stop at any house with a "For Sale" sign and flyer. Of course we could afford none of them. Fun to dream, though! Again, pretty cold, so we drove more than we walked.

We did end up driving to Tilghman Island, which I'm glad we did. Really pretty. There is a nice development out there also, I forget the name. Nicely done. Tilghman is too far out for us though and far too small.

Then lunch at Purser's Pub at Inn at Perry Cabin. Quite the place. I had a crab cake sandwich, which was delicious. Not cheap, but nice atmosphere.

Then on to a little more of St. Michaels and then Oxford. The drive from St. Michaels to Oxford was beautiful. Loved the countryside. We loved, loved, loved Oxford. Too bad so pricey! I dream of having a house on the water there!! But again, realistically, too small for everyday life.

Sun night we were pretty full from a late lunch, so walked into town (Easton) with no plans and stopped in at Scossa for some wine and dessert, then walked back to the inn.

We are definitely putting this area on our list for possibilities for retirement. I think Easton fits our needs best. We like the larger size. I don't know if we will be able to find something in our price range of 350K - 375K or not. We just want something very modest.

Thanks to whoever it was who mentioned Easton Village and Easton Club East. We went to both, and I even got my husband to go IN a model at Easton Village, which I really liked. It is hard to judge, as only one or two homes are up.

We like that Easton has a hospital, library, some shopping (a Talbots!), great restaurants, some "big box" stores - Target, etc. and seems to have lots going on there and in the area as far as festivals. It seems to offer more than Chapel Hill area we were looking at, and of course has the water, which is a big, big, draw for us, as we are a block from it now.

Would love to hear firsthand good and bad of living there. It may be that my husband retires and I stay working. I am a Financial Advisor. Not sure about finding work. I don't think I would consider commuting to Annapolis, although I know people do it.

Does the hospital have an OK reputation? We have a small hospital where we live - 46 beds, I think, but if we need really specialized care, we have to go to Boston.

What about veterinary care? We have a cat.

Crime?

Friendliness of people? I found people not quite as outwardly friendly as in Chapel Hill where everyone waves to you, but it's more like here. Are outsiders welcome?

Someone please tell me what is the story with Cambridge. We did not make it down there, but noticed in the real estate publications that the prices are DRASTICALLY less than anywhere else in that area. Why???

Thanks to all who made this a great trip! We will be back to explore more.

We didn't take many pictures, but here's the few we did.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&h=1&y=86y662

i'm glad y'all enjoyed the area. there are so many articles written in the new york times and the washington post, etc. that romanticize the area that it is nice to hear that it lives up to some of that reputation.

as for the cold, that is pretty normal march weather. every year you think it will start to warm up in march but it never really does until april. it was windy this past weekend which made it feel colder than the 50 temps.

i went to grad school at carolina and since you liked faerington village, i was pretty sure you'd like easton village. i think it is going to be a really nice community when completed. did you go to the del webb easton club or the easton club off oxford road? the latter isn't new construction, but it is a nice community. they have a nice configuration of townhomes too which aren't one after the other. those might be in your price range right now.

we live in historic st. michaels and when we were looking at homes (almost a decade ago) everyone kept trying to steer us to oxford saying that st. michaels was just too busy with all the tourists and oxford was more laid back. what we love about st. michaels is the activity of all the people. i think i might have gone nuts in oxford. it is dead here in january and february and i find myself going a bit stir crazy. to each their own, i guess. though every time we go to oxford i find myself thinking how gorgeous it is. and those houses along the choptank river are so beautiful.

i really don't have many complaints about living here. we lived in nyc and the nj suburbs before moving here and the ease of daily life is just so wonderful. everyone is so unbelievably friendly and laid back. you run into very few hassles.

the biggest complaint most people have is the lack of good shopping. target just opened about 3 weeks ago and everyone is thrilled. there is a proposal on the table to add a kohls, best buy and michaels to the center. last thanksgiving, lowes opened its new huge store which is so much better than the old one. hopefully a decent department store will move into the old lowes building.

but, annapolis is less than an hour away and has a great mall, trader joes, whole foods, costco is a bit further and just about any other store you'd want. salisbury is about an hour and also has most stores. so it really isn't too bad.

i can't really comment on healthcare. i think the hospital is pretty good and they are planning on moving it. i know there is controversy around that but haven't followed the story. when i needed surgery, i went to baltimore. i didn't even consider a local person because i wanted a good specialist.

there really isn't much crime. most people leave their doors unlocked even when they aren't home. a couple years ago i had jury duty and was picked for a murder trial which is very rare for talbot county. there is a drug scene but the bad areas are pretty well contained within a few block area (funnily enough right near the easton police station).

what kind of financial advisory work do you do? there is a lot of wealth in talbot county and so most major brokers have offices here. there are also independent personal advisory firms.

and as for cambridge, it just isn't as nice as easton and it doesn't have the cache of talbot county. and the extra 15-20 min down rt 50 makes it even less commutable to the western shore. but you'd have to assume that as the eastern shore grows, cambrige will only get more desirable. i know a lot of younger people are moving there since they are priced out of talbot county.

Yes, really liked Easton Village, and if I have my way, and we move out to MD, that is where we will end up. Even though we live in a house built in 1765 now, which has been updated, older homes have their problems, and as a retiree, I don't want to have to deal with that.

Easton Village seems like a good compromise - new homes, nice development, and close to both Easton and St. Michaels center. I'm not sure we could afford a home in the historic center of Easton anyway, could we? (My husband's wish).

Yes, we were pleasantly surprised, and I mean no disrespect, but alot of times we have read travel guides that rave about a place and we get there and say "Huh??" Not so here. I want to keep quiet so I don't ruin the "secret", although we worry that the wealthy Washington people will ruin it for us before we get a change to move (2-3 years).

I was at Smith Barney for 10 years (noticed that they have a Smith Barney/Citi branch in Talbot Town!!) and now am at a local bank running their investment program. I would likely want to join an existing group as a partner, or at the very least share office space.

How's the summer weather, i.e., how many "brutal" months where you just don't want to leave the A/C?

It's good to know people are friendly. Some places you move as an outsider you are never accepted. That's one thing we liked about Chapel Hill. Alot of transplants, so people are from everywhere. What I don't like about Chapel Hill, and want to avoid is the "silent" crime. Where it has become known now that the legal system is not tough on crime, that gangs are encroaching the area and infiltrating from Durham, etc., and innocent people like that poor UNC college student are being killed, execution style. I don't want to have to worry about that stuff when I am older - that I can't go to the ATM or walk down the street by myself without worrying about getting shot.

I'm with you on the touristy thing. Doesn't bother me. Have alot of it where I live now.

I've included a link, the first few photos are the town I live in - looks remarkably similar to Easton, not that we are trying to duplicate, just found it a coincidence!!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/massa...tos-their.html

Thanks again for all of your help.

lolfn, pretty much covered it all for you. I'm glad you liked what you saw. Our early spring is usually cool but can also be unpredictable and have much warmer days as well. We always joke that you can go from heat to a/c in the same day sometimes around here.

The hospital is associated with the University of MD. It has 183 beds.

Summer is hot and humid but if you love being on the water you must be used to that type of weather. I think tolerance is based on each individual so can't really help you with that. I personally love summer and hate to be cold so I welcome the heat. Winters here are definitely milder than your area.