S. California to New York State? (Syracuse, Clay: credit, attorney, loan)

[Ham Sandwich]

hey B-
Basically, my writing was a "warning" to a so cal person moving here--BEWARE the hinterlands... and the University as well. Things are not so nice as they seem.

And as for the burbs to the North... I have seen the school systems, and delt with them. parts of N. 'Cuse rate very high on the boards for how they are doing to comply with things like NCLB (No Child Left Behind)--Unfortunatly, the reality is no so good. They slice the testing to not include children with disabilities, they do other things too... I will not get into that.

the land is VERY VERY FLAT to the North of Cuse. I personally find that annoying (I'm originally from the Green Mts of Vt--We were taught to dislike "the flat lands"--it was (supposedly) full of people of who did not have wisdom or an understanding of the land.. I moved to S.Ca., and found my home in...the mountains.

Moving here, I found that there is a level of racism...and yes, it extends to the 'burbs of Northern 'Cuse. Friends live in the burbs (who are LGBT) and must be very careful of who they introduce theselves to and how...are they partners? Sisters? Cousins?... WHY do they even have to have this menytal gymnastics before being part of the community????

So my rant about the rural areas has it's overflow into the burbs....

I meet too many people in the Burbs of 'Cuse who like to state things like "Why, some of my best friends are --- [fill in the blank]." They are about 30 years behind the rest of the world. IF these people are your "best friends" why do you have to mention it? Why aren't you marching in the streets for *their* rights? And, most of all, why do you consider YOUR rights different from THEIR rights? (there is no difference--the minute the rights of another person are attacked--MY rights are attacked!!!!)

oopps, sorry, got off on a tangent... the whole point of my post was to WARN a potential person moving here about what they can/will experience in a small town.

Knowledge is a powerful thing...
Peace and Justice.

Ham Sandwich
(Ps- my moniker is from a quote by a 2nd cir. ct judge about grand juries... "A NY grand jury would indict a Ham Sandwich!" Wise words by Sol W., too bad he ended up so sadly... His rulings are some of the proudest, and most fair,in Ny State history...)

[Ham Sandwich]

Sorry- I meant to mention this in the original post... "What I would have done differently.."

1.) Rent a house FIRST, and explore neighborhoods. Spend time there, in each one, in your off moments, see what the people are like.

2.) Attend a BUNCH of different churches of my sect-- I'm Methodist, and Methodists range the gamut. Different churches have different outlooks, and what they do within the community, etc. Depending on your religion (which may or may not be important for you) when you move..how close are you to a place where you are comfortable... Is you house of worship important, and if so, each place will probably have a different impact on the community (ex: United Church v. United Church if Christ...there's some difference...the difference may be important to you, and if so, you need to investigate this) From what I've noticed, even the Catholic churches have some major differences out here, in terms of how much the "do" and how active they are within the community...

3.) make sure that the cultural life in the area, or the area that you are willing to travel to, is what you want. Upstate ny ISN'T So. Cal. Be warned. I was used to being able to find a cultural "something" within 30 minutes of my house, at any time on the weekends...it's NOT SO here. they are trying, (very hard, I might add) to revive the Arts... But it hasn't happened yet.

The best bet is to rent and explore your surroundings...THEN find the house to buy!!!...

As to B's comment.. I chose my house (and my community) site unseen (in actuality) with only pictures from my husband's camera. We (actually HE--he had a week, a camera and a budget while I sat in So. Cal and on the intenet judged his pics... I was "accepted" in Grad school and we were moving... So We looked at a Church (remember--this is for a home to live in!) in N. Cuse, a former car dealership by the lake (My husband is a contactor & could turn an insulated 3000 sq ft area into a home), and an old hunting logde in Constantia before we found out home...

Our home: Acres and acres... Two waterfalls, one pond, lots of paddocks and pastures, 5 barns (and one with 8 box stalls!!! EEEHW! Goodie!!).. one house (a fixer-upper)... at a sale price of less than the assessed value, BY A LOT!... For the price of a trailer on .3 acres of land in So. Cal... Hm... Privacy, my own waterfalls, horses, and did I mention PRIVACY????

To find my house one must go off the beaten path...and then seriously off THAT path. I love it. I am close enough to a viable city to be part of LIFE, yet far enough away that I can withdraw when ever needed...

Unfortunately, I did not know, when I moved here, that the place was in such a time-warp... I thought the WORST that something could be was like VT-- lots of Libertian-Socialists (ok, it's an oxymoron, but they exist in VT!) that wanted small govt, to be left alone, welcomed all people, and maybe, just maybe wanted to sececed from the Union... " Vt speak: "Yuuught, can get theur frum heeehr." (It took me 3K and an army of seech pathologists to lose that accent!!)

Comparatively, the tiny communities of Vt are far more far-sighted than Upsate NY.

If you want to move here from S. ca....Just know what you are moving into!!!

Peace and Justice,
Ham Sandwich

[bellafinzi]

Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich

Around Feb, after 3 straight weeks of -29, you're ready to do something terrible to something...or someone..

Well, just to clear this up with real facts. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Syracuse was -26, which happened in the 1970s. The coldest Syracuse was last winter was -8. You might be confusing wind chill with actual temperature, which does make a difference. Syracuse is a Zone 5, very close to a Zone 6 the last few years. I couldn't grow many of the plants I grow if Syracuse had weeks of -29....that's almost a USDA Zone 3. Syracuse's average temperatures in the winter are very similar to Chicago, but Chicago is actually colder in January. The difference is that Syracuse has over three times as much snow as Chicago.

[bellafinzi]

Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich

4.) The media around here is awful. The local news is subpar: They cover a lot of inner city crime and not much else...perhaps there isn't much else to cover? There's very little in the way of Arts and Culture (The Red House, Warehouse, T3 and things run by the University...) The radio stations are limited. If your like 70's rock (if I hear Jackson Brown or Lynrd Skynrd one more time...I WILL SCREAM!), if you're into C&W or Debbie Boone, your OK. There is ONE classical station, ONE Jazz station, and they play (sorry folks) very standard fare. The NPR station DOES NOT broadcast World Cafe, BUT does have some great local things (interveiws with Profs, etc. at the U.) If you think the cultural input will be what you are used to...you are very, very mistaken.

I agree with you 100% on this point.

I personally stopped listening to Syracuse radio altogether a couple years ago. Not only were the radio personalities whining and complaining constantly....what a downer!!!...but the music is just awful. Classic Rock makes me want to shoot myself. Country is boring and not my taste. The 93Q's of the world play too much rap and other annoying music too often.

The Local News. This is very frustrating for me. I really desire to know what's going on locally, but watching Syracuse local news puts me in a bad mood. It's degrading and insulting to your intelligence. So many mistakes, so much bad reporting, so much un-professionalism. There is only so much I can watch before I need to change the channel and recollect myself. I never knew Syracuse local news was so terrible until I lived somewhere else and came back. The difference is amazing. And the local news wonders why they have poor ratings!

Believe it or not I tried to get the word out on ways to change the local news for the better a few years ago. Every time I spoke out, they thought many made fun of me. So I gave up.

[Miker]

Wow, Ham Sandwich is the king of drama queens. His "negative" comment number 3 claiming there are 3 staight weeks of -29 temps in upstate NY is my absolute favorite. Hahahahahahahaha!

[Miker]

Originally Posted by Miker

Wow, Ham Sandwich is the king of drama queens. His "negative" comment number 3 claiming there are 3 staight weeks of -29 temps in upstate NY is my absolute favorite. Hahahahahahahaha!

Oops, after re-reading some of the posts it appears Ham Sandwich is actually a female. Either way, he/she is "a little touched" as they say.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich

Moving here, I found that there is a level of racism...and yes, it extends to the 'burbs of Northern 'Cuse. Friends live in the burbs (who are LGBT) and must be very careful of who they introduce theselves to and how...are they partners? Sisters? Cousins?... WHY do they even have to have this menytal gymnastics before being part of the community????

As an openly-gay socially-liberal male myself, I have caused a LOT of controversy living in an upper-middle-class, conservative, WASP suburb near Scranton, PA. Most in my generation (18-24) couldn't care less about what you are. They are more concerned with who you are and what you can contribute to the community, which is a step in the right direction, in my humble opinion. However, you then have the domineering Baby Boomer crowd here that "doesn't take kindly to..." if you catch my drift. I hate to sound like a snob, but a lot of it stems from many locals being horribly uneducated. I've met many blue-collar factory workers with just high school diplomas who hang out at the corner bars everyday after work drinking, watching the game, and making cruel jokes to one another about blacks, Jews, Arabs, gays, and anyone else who doesn't live up to their lofty standards of "high society."

As someone who is taking a HUGE risk by aspiring to run for public office here someday on a socially-liberal platform, I honestly can't wait for the influx of more socially-progressive, NON-racist types from NYC and NJ to creep down from the Pocono Mountains into Scranton. My point of this reply isn't to pat myself on the back; it is to show you that EVERY area of this nation has its fair share of narrow-minded, uneducated morons who just sit around bashing minorites all day because they are too stupid to actually have a coherent debate about politics, religion, Darfur, or anything CONSTRUCTIVE.
I'd care to bet that even uber-liberal Ithaca has some residents who cross the PA line from time to time to attend Klan rallies, just as I'm sure uber-Conservative areas like Tupelo, Mississippi probably have bleeding-heart liberals hiding in the shadows.

It was HIGHLY unfair of you to assume that your part of Upstate NY was the only area that has these sorts of issues when you'll find the problems you seek in areas like Newport, RI and Boston, MA as well if you look hard enough. It is due to my own OPTIMISTIC outlook on life that I'm able to overlook the shortcomings of many of the prejudiced, narrow-minded Baby Boomers here to how much better life will be when they are dead, and my generation is at the helm to bring positive change to Scranton.

[ScranBarre]

Bella, while I normally agree with everything you have to say and enjoy your photo tours, I must also heartily disagree with your perceptions of "beauty." Coming from someone who has been called a "pretty boy" numerous times, I can tell you that I still consider myself to be quite ugly for how my suburb's "Stepford-ness" has begun to rub off on me by giving me a somewhat abrasive and snotty personality. In this case beauty truly IS only skin deep---what good is a six-pack if the heart that is housed within this body is cold and forboding? On the other hand, I've met some unbelievably generous, congenial, altruistic, down-to-earth folks who are, well, "pleasantly plump." When I was trying to hide my sexual orientation in high school I dated a girl that everyone would make fun of behind her back for how "ugly" she was. Nevertheless, I found that she had a lot to offer someone willing to look past Hollywood's notions of what beauty SHOULD be into a the eyes and heart of a girl who had become socially-awkward due to her appearance yet had kind maternal instincts second-to-none when I used to keep her company while she baby-sat. My current boyfriend has the worst breath I've ever come across; my eyes even water when we're in the car together with the windows up. Nevertheless I love him dearly because of what lies inside his heart and soul. I'd rather turn blue from trying not to inhale through my nose when we kiss than to dump someone so cuddly and loveable for something so superficial.

You want to know the type of woman this "pretty boy" would be dating if he were straight? Watch "The Office" sometime and wait for Phyllis to come on. She's totally my type. She might be a bit heavy, but she just seems so wholesome, down-to-earth, and loving. I cringe to think of how many women (and gay men) have become anoerexic or bulimic because they felt they weren't living up to Hollywood's expectations of themselves. I have a news flash: NOBODY is perfect. While I might have perfect teeth, neat hair, and a tight stomach, I also have Jell-O thighs that look like lava lamps when I run! Cindy Crawford has a mole on her face to mar her otherwise "perfect" looks. We've become a very shallow, superficial society, and it's not something I'm proud of.

[Miker]

Originally Posted by bellafinzi

Sadly, there are many gullible people out there who take these over-exaggerations seriously. That's the only reason I try combat them with facts and logic......

It is very sad how gullible the "sheeple" are. I've lived in upstate NY all of my life (37 years now) and don't know of one single day that hit temps as low as Ham Sandwich claims lasts for weeks...even with wind chill factored in.

[I'minformed2]

maybe he/she is confused thinks they live in Saranac Lake?