Brooklyn Bridge in the snow, by Randy Lemoine. Photo via Flickr, some rights reserved.
Michele Forsten, the director of communications for New York City College of Technology/CUNY, bought a condo in Ulster County in order to get away from the big city. But the big city, in the form of legions of Brooklynites who live transplanted lives in the Catskills, is never far away, she writes in a column in this week's Brooklyn Eagle:
It’s been four years since buying the upstate condo, and I’m still meeting many Brooklyn “expats.” Just the other day, Barbara and I went to a tag sale run by a couple in their sixties. “Where’d you get that?” asked the husband, pointing to my “Brooklyn” sweatshirt. Instead of answering, I asked him what neighborhood he was from.
“Kings Highway and Bedford Avenue,” he answered. “Did you go to James Madison High School?” I said, taking a guess. “Why, yes I did.” “That’s where my uncle taught Phys Ed.” “What was his name?” the man asked. “Herb Fine.” “Sure, I had him for gym. I remember he had perfect posture!” he excitedly said. “Hey honey,” he shouted to his wife, “this woman’s uncle was my gym teacher!”
Forsten admits that she's secretly glad of the Catskills-Brooklyn connection. It makes the country a little less foreign, she writes:
So these days, I’m grateful for the encounters I have with former Brooklynites upstate; they make it easier to leave the city. When Barbara and I first became second homeowners, I was a reluctant participant. Now I can say without hesitation — I love country life!
