Wednesday, March 13, 2013:
As I walked down the steep and curvy grade of Requa at 7:25 this morning and eventually came upon the horde gathering on the train platform, I smiled, thinking, “So, these are my new neighbors.”
As I walked down the steep and curvy grade of Requa at 7:25 this morning and eventually came upon the horde gathering on the train platform, I smiled, thinking, “So, these are my new neighbors.”
I immediately imagined introducing myself in a memorable way,
“Hi, I’m running for mayor of this here town.” Alas, my little fantasy never fruitioned
and like the rest of the herd, I simply plowed forward upon the platform, trying
to decide what would be the optimal place to be when the train arrived.
As anticipated, the ride was uneventful. It was quiet, as
most of my fellow commuters either read the paper, scrolled through their
Kindles or snoozed.
Today is my first day of my commute from Peekskill, my new
hometown. It’s a quaint little town with almost 9,000 homes and over 5,000
families. Former New York Governor George Pataki grew up here; Mel Gibson, Paul
“Pee Wee Herman” Reubens and Stanley Tucci all were born here; Jackie Gleason
retired here; and L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, was inspired by the
“yellow brick road” he had to walk every day to the military academy that was
here for 135 years, before the New York Jets took over the campus to use as
their summer training camp.
Formerly, an early American industrial center,
Peekskill is now a blossoming hotspot for Manhattan couples who are eager to
find a safe, quiet and yet exciting spot to raise a family.
That’s why were
here now.
With four boys in tow and a little princess along the way,
we made our move and bought a 12 room Victorian on Smith Street.
And that’s why I’m commuting today. Although it means that I
must wake up at least an hour earlier every day now, I sincerely aim to make
the most of it.
For instance, coming out of Grand Central Station like bees
from a hive, I was fascinated by the rivers of people streaming downtown via Park
Avenue.
Vying for a little exercise, I tried to keep up with the
sprite young girl with the turquoise sports jacket, a pony tail and water bottle in hand at first, but
then latched on to the guy with the blue shirt and backpack, once I lost her.
I was happy to see that I passed a fruit stand along the way
as well, and fully intend to make it a pit stop from now on, so that I can fill
the wooden bowl that has been sitting empty at my office window for the last
six months.
And although every day for the last two weeks has been a
workout consisting of packing and lifting and moving heavy boxes almost every night until midnight, I
am genuinely happy that I have to live out of the them for the next couple of
weeks until we are fully settled in.
Lorenzo
AKA The Peekskill Commuter
p.s. Watch this new CBS Toni On! New York video clip about Peekskill.
Just scroll down the page and click on the first video screen. We are looking
forward to visits from all our family and good friends this summer.
