We hope this issue finds you well and happy.

A little more than four years ago, after having my second child, I shared my concerns with my husband about finding the best pediatrician in the area.

I insisted there had to be a good resource that parents could utilize for finding local, reliable advice. He wondered why I didn’t just do the obvious: ask a neighbor or go online and do my own research. My concern was that online research and reviews can be skewed, biased and sometimes unreliable.

And having just moved to the area, we were not yet connected with new neighbors to get their suggestions and input. In addition, Northern VA is a transient town, and your neighbor today can be easily replaced by a new resident in a matter of weeks. I hadn’t found the time to belong to a mom’s group or meet a steady set of friends. I was where most women are today − too busy and feeling overwhelmed.

I paced and grumbled, asserting that there had to be a magazine for women in a similar situation. With that, my husband took a long look at me and said, "You do it! Publish a magazine that you would read."

So here we are four years later, publishing the Best of Suburbia issue in I AM Modern Magazine. Why a Best of Suburbia issue? It seems every magazine does a "favorite this" and "best of that" issue. So why are we doing it? The answer is easy: we did NOT do it. You did! We set out to do a survey, and hundreds of you stepped up to the plate to choose the finalists and to provide a resource that families can rely on. So, without further ado, here are your choices. And to join the fun, we squeezed in just a few of our favorites as well.

Thank you for taking the time to vote and, as always, enjoy this Best of Suburbia issue.


Hulya Aksu,
Founding Publisher
Modern Mom Media Corporation