A Sealey gas generator. Photo by Flickr user Mark Hunter.
Post-Irene, generators are suddenly a luxury status symbol. You know it's true when the New York Times writes a long feature story about "power envy" that lauds the sudden passion for gas-powered generators among the flatlander/weekender set in the Catskills.
The NYT story quotes Courtney and Bronson Bigelow, who own a second home in Barryville:
“The first time we had a power outage, it was kind of romantic,” Ms. Bigelow said. “But then it kept happening. When you’re trying to squeeze every second of your weekend, it’s a huge bummer. You can’t wash dishes, you can’t wash yourself, and it’s 20 degrees. This summer we had this freakish weather, torrential rains over Fourth of July, then these weird microburst thunderstorms, and then Irene.”
“It’s a luxury,” she continued, “but also peace of mind. If the power goes out on a Monday, you don’t have to drive all the way up to check on your pipes. When the snow came last Saturday, and the power went out and the generator kicked in, I have to say we were feeling pretty victorious. We invited a bunch of neighbors over to share the power, and also to gloat a little bit.”
The story also quotes builders and second-homers in Connecticut and Cope Cod.
That juxtaposition has led one online news outlet, Business Insider, to describe the Catskills as a "snowy, upper-crust locale like Greenwich, Conn." That's a new one for me. But who knows: Maybe the Catskills are the new Greenwich?
