kodokan

The town classes were very sparse - AZ, where no one wants to pay taxes - and usually all snapped up quicker than H1b visas.

YMCA was about half an hour's drive from us, which, for two separate 45-60 minute classes, through rush hour traffic, would've got old really fast. Plus there was a real advantage, other than convenience, to using the gym a mile down the road. It really helped make us part of the community, as lots of kids from my daughter's school went to classes there and we'd constantly bump into other martial arts families in the supermarket, etc. The gym also did community events, like an Easter egg hunt, and Parents' Nights out babysitting sessions. In a way, it our equivalent of joining a church for the social life

Kmaidment

thank you all for your help, it's given my husband & me a lot of food for thought.