From whence I stay.

Right now I am in the middle of about 11 highway cloverleafs, in between 16 big-box stores, surrounded by cheap townhouses made with Chinese drywall. In other words, I am in darkest suburbia for focus groups, this time in Westchester County, in a town called Elmsford.

Here are some things Wikipedia has to say about Elmsford:

"Elmsford's road system connects to numerous major highways and thoroughfares, including Interstate 287, the Saw Mill River Parkway, and Route 9A; the North County Trailway and South County Traolway bicycle paths terminate there...Convenient to White Plains, Yonkers, New York City and Connecticut, the village is a significant center of commercial traffic and distribution. It is home to the large Local 456 of the Teamsters union....

"...A longstanding legend holds that Elmsford is the birthplace of the term "cocktail". According to the tale, a local colonial tavern (sometimes said to be established by town father Isaac Storm) had run out of wooden stirrers during the war and started using the quills of roosters' tailfeathers to stir their drinks...."

There is no mention of either Elms or Fords.

On the way up here we passed the shopping center I was born in. In the center of the center stands a six-story building that used to be sheathed in blue brick. It was until about 20 years ago Cross County Hospital. Then, until recently, it became Mercy College. Today the building is covered in glass and steel--an homage to what was modern in the 50s--and appears to be an office building.
I live now about nine miles south of Cross County Shopping Center.  I am at focus groups about nine miles north.

I haven't gone very far in my life.