最近和以前同住紐約的室友聊了下天，忽然想起在紐約租房的日子，其實印象裡最深刻的就是當時居住的 Forest Hills 小區，會租到這個小區的房子也是誤打誤撞，當時剛好有個朋友也住在這個小區，正和我說他的房東人很好和房子很可愛，結果第二天我就租到我朋友樓上的房子，剛好也是同一個房東，算是非常神奇的巧合。
這個小區的生活機能算是非常健全，附近除了超市、咖啡廳外，也不乏酒吧和健身房，因為這個區域起源於傳統的英國村，房子大都是獨棟建築且歷史悠久，整個社區很有古色古香的感覺，它也由於景色美麗和治安良好而曾被評為「最佳社區」。
雖然在我居住期間租屋旁的地鐵站裡發生槍擊事件，但紐約處處有槍擊，也見怪不怪了，除了槍擊外，至少我敢在大半夜獨自在小區的街上行走，所以個人覺得這個小區的治安還是非常不錯的。
而且這個小區比起其他地方感覺很有質感，不過質感具體很難形容，只能說我特別喜歡在這個小區裡東逛西逛，因為該小區有很多美麗的建築，所以下雪的時候走在街道上真的尤其美麗。
唯一美中不足的地方就是我當時上班的地點在曼哈頓區，雖然坐地鐵可以直達，但是每天通勤時間也長的有點可怕，坐地鐵的生活百態也算是我租房歲月裡的一大記憶點，但是無論如何，直到現在，我偶爾還是會想起這個美麗的社區。
I recently caught up with a former roommate from New York, and it suddenly brought back memories of my days renting a place there. What stood out the most was the time I spent living in the Forest Hills neighborhood. It was almost by chance that I ended up renting a place in this area. A friend of mine happened to live there and was telling me about how great his landlord was and how charming the house was. The very next day, I ended up renting an apartment right above his, with the same landlord. It felt like a pretty amazing coincidence.
The neighborhood had excellent amenities—everything from supermarkets and coffee shops to bars and gyms. Since the area was originally designed as a traditional English village, most of the houses were standalone and had a lot of historical charm. The whole community had this vintage, old-world feel to it. Because of its beautiful scenery and good safety record, it was once rated one of the "Best Neighborhoods" in New York.
That said, there was a shooting at the subway station near where I lived during my time there. But in New York, shootings are unfortunately common, so it didn’t feel all that surprising. Apart from that incident, I felt safe enough to walk around the neighborhood alone late at night. Personally, I thought the area had pretty decent security overall.
The neighborhood had a unique kind of vibe that’s hard to put into words. I just loved wandering around and exploring it. There were so many beautiful buildings, and walking through the streets when it snowed was especially magical.
The only downside was that my workplace was in Manhattan. Although the subway provided a direct route, the commute was painfully long. Riding the subway and witnessing all the quirks of city life became one of the most vivid memories of my time renting there. Even so, I still find myself occasionally reminiscing about that beautiful neighborhood.
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