About Andrew Cusack
Writer, web designer, etc.; born in New York; educated in Argentina, Scotland, and South Africa; now based in London. read more
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What A Difference A Line Doth Make
I have always considered myself a patriotic New Yorker as well as being rather partial to the County of Westchester; the former being the greater whole to which I owe my loyalty, and the latter being the more familiar portion of which I am very fond. Yet a mere eight miles northeast of my place of birth, growth, and residence there lies a foreign land by the name of Connecticut. Now Connecticut is a fine little land in its own right, possessing natural beauty, some pretty towns and villages, and an ancient seat of learning. Living in Connecticut, one imagines, would not be a bad thing. The Connecticutian even enjoys the privilege of being able to serve in either company of the Governor’s Foot Guard or Horse Guards. Could I ever be a Connecticutian, then? No, I think not. It may just be an imaginary line separating Westchester in New York from Fairfield County in Connecticut, but no, I don’t think I could ever tear myself from the Empire State (nor would I want to!). Imaginary line perhaps, but a damned important one if you ask me.
At any rate, both my patriotism for New York and my suspicion of Connecticut suitably affirmed, I’ve decided to share with you a little amusing snippet I discovered while flipping through an edition of the William and Mary Quarterly, the premier scholarly journal on early American history published at the College of the same name. I must admit that reading it filled my heart with not a little admiration for Lewis Morris, despite scandalous support for and signature of the Declaration of Independence.
“It is my desire that my son Gouverneur Morris may have the best education that is to be had in England or America but my express will and directions are that he be never sent for that purpose to the Colony of Connecticut least he should imbibe in his youth that low craft and cunning so incident in the people of that Country which is so interwoven in their constitutions that all their art cannot disguise it from the world tho’ many of them under the sanctified garb of religion have endeavoured to impose themselves on the world for honest men.”
— Will of Lewis Morris of Morrisania, Westchester County, New York, November 19, 1760, Wills of New York County, Vol. 23, p. 430.
It also reminded me of that quip of Chesterton’s that God tells us to love our enemies and our neighbors, probably because they’re usually the same people.
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You can never see yourself in CT because you have yet to be forced to pay Westchester County property taxes. Trust me on this, it is a big deal.
Sort of reminds you of that quote of General William T Sherman. “If I owned Hell and I owned Texas I would live in Hell and rent out Texas”, maybe?
RP: You’re probably right, but then there’s always Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, and all the other counties of New York.
Uncle Matt (I presume, lacking rank or familial identification): I like that quote. Texans might not!
May I suggest Michigan. We have three penninsulas: Upper, Lower, and Florida. I’m fairly certain that any one of them will offer lower propertiy taxes than New York. And, what with all the water, it’s quite beautiful.
You are quite mad Mr. Cusack. The line is not imaginary at all. The road surface deterioates enormously once one departs Connecticut for New York.
Oh, and the smog is much thicker too.
Card: I’m sure your peninsulas (-peninsulii?) are wonderful, but they nonetheless are outwith the Great State of New York.
Mrs. P: We will not stand for your outrageous perfidy! Empire State roads are infinitely superior to those of Connecticut. Whenever I drive over Connecticut highways I always hear that stupid “ka-chunk.. ka-chunk” from going over repeated grooves. And smog my foot!
I’ll tell you this much, I’m certain the roads in both New York and Connecticutt are better than the roads in Michigan.
If all you hear is ka-chunk when you drive around here, count yourself lucky.
My advice: Stick to waterways. After all, this is The Great Lake State.
Those grooves of which you speak are done on purpose. They are a technique ddeveloped by the men who care for the Autobahn. You see like Germany, Connecticut is full of performance vehicles and, as a result people there tend to drive swiftly. The grooves allow the water to get off the road preventing hydroplaning. Also they help drunks to realise they are changing lanes and will, with hope, wake up those who have fallen asleep behind the wheel.
For fun, look up the promise that Gov. Cuomo road over very bumpy, laden with pothole roads all the way to Albany : He promised to fix the roads of New York.
Alas, when Cuomo got into office and decided first to liberate the people in institutions, the road money was diverted in a creative way. It went to help New York’s ‘new’ street people.
Card & Mrs. P: Outrageous perfidy! Outrageous perfidy!
Don’t look at me, Fiendish, Mrs P is the one who hates New York. She’s a New England snob, a regular Mitsy Cabot Vanderholt. (“The wogs begin at the New York border.” I’ve heard her say it many times.)
I was merely advising Andrew on property taxes.
I don’t hate New York. I’m quite fond of it. It push came to shove, I would even choose it over Connecticut. (But never Lyme or Southport over New York) The best meal as well as the best pizza I’ve ever had was in Port Chester. Had I not had the good fortune to live where I live now, then I would not have the proper architectural appreciation for the New York bedroom communities of Manhattan. The elegance of both the homes built the 20′-30’s and the 50’s in the country have yet to be matched.
The roads in Connecticut are superior but that’s because they’ve worked very hard for 30 years to have them be. If memory serves correct, Andrew drives a German performance vehicle and even his little thoroughbred can tell the difference. Andrew just didn’t. But now he knows. Here’s a curve ball, the best roads by far are in the state of Maine. Nothing fancy, just a superb surface if you enjoy going fast.
Hmmm…Connecticut would make a nice parking lot for New York. Just about the right size.