Stylish Westchester's Move from New York City to Rye, NY

Instagram influencer, Zineb of Stylish Westchester shares her move to Rye, NY story. She moved from the Upper East Side to Scarsdale, NY and now lives in Rye, NY. Here is Stylish Westchester’s Move from New York City to Rye, NY.

Tell me about your move from New York’s Upper East Side to Scarsdale, NY

We moved from the Upper East Side to Scarsdale, NY when our boys were 5 and 2. We moved to Westchester mainly for our children’s education because we wanted our children to attend the French American School of New York (FASNY) in Westchester.

I am from Morocco and my husband is American so it is important that our children are bilingual. We chose Scarsdale because of the close proximity to FASNY and to a local children’s gym that I bought after leaving my corporate job in the city.

After attending FASNY for four years, we felt that the boys had a solid enough foundation in French to make the move to an American Public School. We then chose the Rye Neck school district because we knew a lot of French families that moved from FASNY to Rye Neck and have heard a lot of good things about the school!

We loved the fact that it is a small district with a great sense of community. It is sort of odd because the school is actually in Mamaroneck but our home in Rye is zoned to it!

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Can you share your experience living in Scarsdale, NY versus living in Rye, NY?

So far I like my experience in Rye a lot more than my experience in Scarsdale. When you move into a new town, I believe that your local school serves as an anchor for the community and a way for new families to connect.

When we lived in Scarsdale, since we were going to a private school, we didn’t really get a chance to connect with other local families in our neighborhood and that made us feel like we didn’t really belong.

Our experience in Rye Neck, going to a local public school in a small district where your neighbors are also the parents of your children’s classmates made a world of difference! Furthermore, Rye has so much to offer! It has a beach, local parks and a vibrant main street with cute stores and great restaurants. It is also on the water which is a huge plus for me!

What are the top 3 things you like about Rye, NY?

I really love being so close to the water! Being a few minutes walk to the sound and a few minutes drive to the beach is such a blessing! I also love pretty Purchase Street with its shops and restaurants and all the beautiful parks in the area!

What do you like to do with your kids in Rye?

We live right by the Marshlands Conservancy so we love going on walks there. We also love Rye Town Park and Oakland beach. It’s so beautiful and peaceful! We got a kayak recently so I am looking forward to more outings on the water.

Stylish Westchester's Move from New York City to Rye, NY

What are some things you don’t like about Rye?

I am still in the honeymoon phase with the area. I really feel blessed every day to live here and don’t have anything negative to say.

After living here for many years, how would you describe Rye residents?

I have made friends with parents from the Rye Neck school system. Some of the families live in Rye and others in Mamaroneck.

I cannot say enough good things about this community! Everyone is so friendly and welcoming! It’s a very tight-knit community and I really do feel like we belong although we have only started attending the school for a year.

What are your favorite restaurants in Rye?

Fogama, Rosemary & Vine and Ruby’s Oyster Bar

What are your favorite places in Rye?

Go Figure Barre Studio and Numi Hair Salon

What has your experience been so far with schools in Rye?

We’ve only attended the Rye Neck school district for a year but so far I couldn’t be more pleased. I do feel like my children are challenged without being overwhelmed and they’ve gotten lots of support from everyone at the school as transfers from FASNY. It was a big change for them to move from a French school but it went a lot better than I had hoped!

Do you or your husband commute to the city? What has your experience been with the Metro-North train commute?

My husband takes the train to the City and has no problems with it. He actually enjoys the downtime on the train- he reads or uses the time to respond to his emails. He bikes to the Harrison train station which is 5 minutes away.

If it’s raining or snowing I drive him and it’s only 2 minutes by car. We live in Rye, go to school in Mamaroneck and use the Harrison train station! That’s Westchester for you!

Any tips/advice you wished someone had told you when you were looking to move to Westchester?

Westchester gets complicated with school zoning! When we first lived in Scarsdale we were zoned to a New Rochelle school and now we live in Rye we are zoned to a school in Mamaroneck! When looking at houses, double-check the school district zoning.

About Zineb

Zineb is an instagram influencer. She uses @stylishwestchester as her fashion lookbook. It is a space for her to share style inspiration and her love for fashion with others. Zineb started her account as a hobby after she sold her children’s gym business to stay home with her two boys. She loves connecting with other local bloggers who share similar interests. Other than fashion, she enjoys barre class, hiking, biking, skiing and being active in general. Zineb lives in Rye, NY with her husband and two sons.

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