paging yssie...how is upstate NY?

[slg47]

Hi yssie-FI has an interview in upstate NY (I think similar to where you are) and I was wondering how you like the area? How is life?

 

[yssie]

Oh how exciting - congrats to FI on the interview!! Can I ask where he's interviewing? There's not that much out here so I could probably guess


What do I think... I think it's AMAZING and FANTASTIC and you should absolutely come!!! It'd be lovely to have another PSer around



Hah. Seriously though, y'know... I'm adjusting!! Well, you *do* remember that I wasn't keen on this move at all, but now I can say with sincerity that it has it's plusses. And minuses. It's definitely very different from living in Cali - there we'd go up to SF every other weekend, there was always tons of stuff to do locally, there wasn't ever icy snowy slushy muck on the ground for weeks on end! Here, it's quieter - not Middle of Nowhere by any means, not even really what I consider classic "small town", but it's quieter. And there's of course still stuff to do locally if you make friends with your neighbours! We both work in Niskayuna and we live in Clifton Park, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE our house so that's a big plus! We have an orchard behind us (that also occasionally sells llamas apparently) and we *just* missed the apple picking season

In terms of day to day life - well, like I said before, there really isn't much for couples to do locally. There are a few bars and a broadway theatre in downtown Schenectady, but all in all pretty much everything in terms of entertainment is geared toward families with young children (as opposed to just being family-friendly, if that makes sense?) and the *big* attractions - museums, zoos, festivals, those you'd have to drive to NYC or Buffalo for. NYC is 3hrs-ish and Buffalo is I think another 3? Saratoga Springs is only a half hour from us though (thank everything that's holy), and Lake George another half hour, so we just drive up when we need a couples-only break - probably once a week or so. There are tons of cute restaurants and resorts and stuff up there. Cost of living is surprisingly high, lower than Stanford - gas is 3.65ish right now. Bad Traffic usually means a 10-15minute delay

Me, probably the hardest thing to adjust to was - people's perceptions of my role in the family, I guess? In SF when DH and I met new people they'd ask us what we did and expect answers from both of us. Out here I can count the number of times anyone has asked what I do on one hand, and when we started looking around for our mortgage both banks asked DH where he worked and what his salary was and just left it at that, and he had to explicitly clarify that both of us worked. I don't actually know what the assumption is - I can guess - but there usually *is* some assumption, and career-driven as I am, well, I didn't take well to that at all! But... my work is a big part - probably too big - of how I think of myself, and I know it's childish to need that sort of validation, so maybe you'd have a more mature outlook from the get-go!

All in all - I'm happy here. I love my job and our house, which are HUGE parts of that. I could be equally happy elsewhere, if I have a job I really like. We do want kids in the next few years so I can appreciate that the place is so child-friendly and that the school system is excellent, and I can be satisfied with driving to work around it, but there are much better fits for a childless couple that's planning to stay that way. You'll have a graduate degree in chemistry, right? So out here you'd be fine, too - GE Global Research is right here (that's where DH works)...


ETA: Sorry, that was a ramble

 

[slg47]

Oh how exciting - congrats to FI on the interview!! Can I ask where he's interviewing? There's not that much out here so I could probably guess


What do I think... I think it's AMAZING and FANTASTIC and you should absolutely come!!! It'd be lovely to have another PSer around



Hah. Seriously though, y'know... I'm adjusting!! Well, you *do* remember that I wasn't keen on this move at all, but now I can say with sincerity that it has it's plusses. And minuses. It's definitely very different from living in Cali - there we'd go up to SF every other weekend, there was always tons of stuff to do locally, there wasn't ever icy snowy slushy muck on the ground for weeks on end! Here, it's quieter - not Middle of Nowhere by any means, not even really what I consider classic "small town", but it's quieter. And there's of course still stuff to do locally if you make friends with your neighbours! We both work in Niskayuna and we live in Clifton Park, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE our house so that's a big plus! We have an orchard behind us (that also occasionally sells llamas apparently) and we *just* missed the apple picking season

In terms of day to day life - well, like I said before, there really isn't much for couples to do locally. There are a few bars and a broadway theatre in downtown Schenectady, but all in all pretty much everything in terms of entertainment is geared toward families with young children (as opposed to just being family-friendly, if that makes sense?) and the *big* attractions - museums, zoos, festivals, those you'd have to drive to NYC or Buffalo for. NYC is 3hrs-ish and Buffalo is I think another 3? Saratoga Springs is only a half hour from us though (thank everything that's holy), and Lake George another half hour, so we just drive up when we need a couples-only break - probably once a week or so. There are tons of cute restaurants and resorts and stuff up there. Cost of living is surprisingly high, lower than Stanford - gas is 3.65ish right now. Bad Traffic usually means a 10-15minute delay

Me, probably the hardest thing to adjust to was - people's perceptions of my role in the family, I guess? In SF when DH and I met new people they'd ask us what we did and expect answers from both of us. Out here I can count the number of times anyone has asked what I do on one hand, and when we started looking around for our mortgage both banks asked DH where he worked and what his salary was and just left it at that, and he had to explicitly clarify that both of us worked. I don't actually know what the assumption is - I can guess - but there usually *is* some assumption, and career-driven as I am, well, I didn't take well to that at all! But... my work is a big part - probably too big - of how I think of myself, and I know it's childish to need that sort of validation, so maybe you'd have a more mature outlook from the get-go!

All in all - I'm happy here. I love my job and our house, which are HUGE parts of that. I could be equally happy elsewhere, if I have a job I really like. We do want kids in the next few years so I can appreciate that the place is so child-friendly and that the school system is excellent, and I can be satisfied with driving to work around it, but there are much better fits for a childless couple that's planning to stay that way. You'll have a graduate degree in chemistry, right? So out here you'd be fine, too - GE Global Research is right here (that's where DH works)...


ETA: Sorry, that was a ramble

OH no, thank you for the ramble! That was helpful! I actually dated someone from Clifton Park in college, haha...Anyway, he is interviewing at Colgate which is...~80 miles from you guys (so not too far for the occasional PS upstate NY GTG). That's strange about the 'housewife assumption'...well, strange to me anyway since my time in upstate NY was spent in college where women were obviously studying/getting jobs/etc. I actually have a master's in chemistry but am in a science education PhD program so I would need to find something (hopefully at a college or university).

This whole job search thing is super stressful-apparently the job market in academia for theoretical chemists is just dismal this year, and on top of that FI's graduate advisor 'forgot' to send in some letters...making it even worse. The good thing is that he can stay at his post-doc for another year and apply next year...so we will see.

 

[yssie]

Oh, memories I didn't know you went to college up here! Where'd you go?

Colgate isn't too far at all! I've never been down there though, so I'm no help there I'm afraid! Is it a tenure track position?

I can totally understand why he's stressed out - and *you* must be, too DH was originally looking to stay in academia, the position he's in now is apparently about as close to leaving that door open as you can get in industry. So we'll see, I suppose! That's awful of his advisor DH's best friend's PhD advisor is terrible too, forgot to submit funding info *and* the papers for his TA position once so he was up the creek that semester... If you stay for a year and he continues his postdoc would you be able to continue your PhD programme out there?

 

[slg47]

Oh, memories I didn't know you went to college up here! Where'd you go?

Cornell...oddly enough we have several PSers who went there!

Colgate isn't too far at all! I've never been down there though, so I'm no help there I'm afraid! Is it a tenure track position?
yes it is! so that is good.

I can totally understand why he's stressed out - and *you* must be, too DH was originally looking to stay in academia, the position he's in now is apparently about as close to leaving that door open as you can get in industry. So we'll see, I suppose! That's awful of his advisor DH's best friend's PhD advisor is terrible too, forgot to submit funding info *and* the papers for his TA position once so he was up the creek that semester... If you stay for a year and he continues his postdoc would you be able to continue your PhD programme out there?

yeah...he didn't have any problems with his advisor in grad school...and the letter his advisor wrote him was extremely positive, he is just very scatterbrained/disorganized and did not send lots of them, which...makes things difficult especially when jobs are few and far between. as far as me...I should be at a 'writing' stage and able to work remotely, so hopefully that would work out....I definitely don't want to be in a long distance marriage
anyway, if he does get the offer, we will have to consider the benefits of moving now vs waiting another year.

 

[lizzyann]

Hi there! Just wanted to jump in and say that I don't live too far from that area too! Saratoga is such a fun place! I live in the western part of Massachusetts. I have a friend in Menands, which is in the Albany area and it takes me about an hour and a half to get there. If you end up settling out there, the three of us should get together! Good luck coming your way to your DH on his interview.

 

[neatfreak]

Yssie, are you talking about Proctor's? I used to LOVE going there as a kid to see plays.

Lizzie, where are you? I grew up off Exit 2.

 

[yssie]

Ooh we should definitely have a GTG!!

Yssie, are you talking about Proctor's? I used to LOVE going there as a kid to see plays.

Lizzie, where are you? I grew up off Exit 2.

Yup, Proctor's! DH and I went a couple of weeks ago - it was fun!! We're on Grooms off 8A

Hi there! Just wanted to jump in and say that I don't live too far from that area too! Saratoga is such a fun place! I live in the western part of Massachusetts. I have a friend in Menands, which is in the Albany area and it takes me about an hour and a half to get there. If you end up settling out there, the three of us should get together! Good luck coming your way to your DH on his interview.

I had to look up Menands Saratoga is adorable We probably *do* go once a week and I enjoy it every time! We've gone down to NYC a handful of times and up to Canada twice (including a trip to Niagara for New Years, we were prepared for snowed-out roads and closed attractions and totally forgot about the freezing mist, oops!)

 

[yssie]

Oh, memories I didn't know you went to college up here! Where'd you go?

Cornell...oddly enough we have several PSers who went there!

Colgate isn't too far at all! I've never been down there though, so I'm no help there I'm afraid! Is it a tenure track position?
yes it is! so that is good.

I can totally understand why he's stressed out - and *you* must be, too DH was originally looking to stay in academia, the position he's in now is apparently about as close to leaving that door open as you can get in industry. So we'll see, I suppose! That's awful of his advisor DH's best friend's PhD advisor is terrible too, forgot to submit funding info *and* the papers for his TA position once so he was up the creek that semester... If you stay for a year and he continues his postdoc would you be able to continue your PhD programme out there?

yeah...he didn't have any problems with his advisor in grad school...and the letter his advisor wrote him was extremely positive, he is just very scatterbrained/disorganized and did not send lots of them, which...makes things difficult especially when jobs are few and far between. as far as me...I should be at a 'writing' stage and able to work remotely, so hopefully that would work out....I definitely don't want to be in a long distance marriage
anyway, if he does get the offer, we will have to consider the benefits of moving now vs waiting another year.

Tenure track - oh good luck!! That's fantastic

I kinda think "advisor" and "scatterbrained" are often synonyms! Based on what DH has told me anyway. I do hope you're 'writing' by then - that'll make it easier to decide, at least. From what I understand those sorts of opportunities are few and far between?

 

[slg47]

Hi there! Just wanted to jump in and say that I don't live too far from that area too! Saratoga is such a fun place! I live in the western part of Massachusetts. I have a friend in Menands, which is in the Albany area and it takes me about an hour and a half to get there. If you end up settling out there, the three of us should get together! Good luck coming your way to your DH on his interview.

thanks lizzy! FI is actually from western Mass, haha. anyway, yes we should definitely have a GTG if we move out there!

 

[tuffyluvr]

My mom grew up in Schenectady (SP? That looks wrong to me and all her family is there, Voorheesville and Latham. I always liked it there, though I never lived there. I was born in western MA too--Longmeadow to be exact. It's a nice part of the world. I love the seasons. So beautiful!! Anyways, I really don't have any useful info--just buttin' in

 

[Imdanny]

I lived there between 2 and 14. It had advantages and disadvantages. I'd imagine the hardest thing to get used to for anyone coming from a warm climate would be the cold!

 

[lizzyann]

Yssie, are you talking about Proctor's? I used to LOVE going there as a kid to see plays.

Lizzie, where are you? I grew up off Exit 2.

Neatfreak, I live off of Exit 3! I actually used to work off Exit 2 in Pittsfield, MA.

 

[slg47]

Imdanny---yes I was hoping to NOT return to the cold...I went to college up there and froze! But I think we could get used to it.

tuffyluvr-FI is from Longmeadow! small world

 

[mjr1]

I am a true "lurker" but thought I would chime in-I live in Clifton Park too! How funny ...... I live off exit 8. I am a housewife though.......

 

[neatfreak]

Yssie, are you talking about Proctor's? I used to LOVE going there as a kid to see plays.

Lizzie, where are you? I grew up off Exit 2.

Neatfreak, I live off of Exit 3! I actually used to work off Exit 2 in Pittsfield, MA.

So funny! I grew up south of Pittsfield--my parents still live there!