Top 9 Things I Love About Moorestown

. (Technically a year and 48 hours, but who’s counting?)

In the last 367 days, I’ve grown to love, like and—well, hate’s a strong word—not be too fond of a number of qualities of our fair town. I say “our” because, yes, I live here too.

But let’s focus on the positive, because there are far more things I like about Moorestown than not. So here I present to you the top nine things I love about Moorestown. Why nine? Because everyone does a top 10 and I wanted to be different.

• Walkability. I live right near downtown and I’m within 2 minutes walking distance of pizza, coffee, sandwiches at , , , the list goes on. So I’m never at a loss for something to eat, or drink. I also enjoy the quaintness of my walks—of which there are many thanks to my 1-year-old beagle puppy Lucy—through Moorestown’s various parks and neighborhoods. (And a special shout-out to the people who actually stop for me and Lucy in the crosswalks downtown.)

• Speaking of Passariello’s, their pepperoni roll is another reason I love Moorestown. That thing is sinfully delicious.

• I love having a nice downtown. , but the last two towns I lived in didn’t have true downtowns, or their downtowns left a lot to be desired (sorry Sunbury, PA). Moorestown’s Main Street is pleasing to the eye and has a nice mix of just about everything you’d want in a downtown (unless you’re a drinker).

• The smell of baked goods wafting from the —especially early in the morning.

• The way the old seems (to me) to blend seamlessly with the new. Part of Moorestown’s charm is how the past has persisted in the present. Old buildings repurposed for modern storefronts (). The continuing presence of historic structures like the Swede Run barn and the —not to mention the .

• Speaking of the Swede Run barn, there’s . And that .

• The students. Moorestown is known for its academics; it’s one of the major reasons families move here. In the past year, I’ve had many opportunities to learn exactly why. Whether through one-on-one interviews with graduating seniors or visits to for plays and other activities—and a host of other experiences—I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the young people of Moorestown.

• The people who love Patch. This is a little self-serving, I’ll admit. But it never gets old when someone comes up to me at a festival—, —or anywhere for that matter, and tells me how much they enjoy what I/we do. I’m even glad for the people who don’t always love Patch, but are engaged with it anyway. Thank you.

• The abundance of generosity for all of Moorestown’s various causes. It’s been talked about so much to the point of becoming a cliche. , the , the Swede Run barn restoration, MooreKids, the , , the list goes on and on. It seems like every week I’m writing about some new fundraiser or nonprofit. You’d figure at some point people’s charity would dry up, that someone would say, “We didn’t get any donations.” But it never happens.

There’s my top nine. What about you? What do you love about Moorestown?