New York: 10 Reasons to Love It

As long as we're on the topic of loving our neighbors, and as long as I have a day off at home with the kids, here are the top ten reasons to love our mighty neighbor to the north, NEW YORK STATE:

10) Meet the Parents is set on Long Island.

9) New York City: sometimes you just have to take comfort in its hugeness, its proximity, and its immense variety of seething humanity, with attendant cultures, religions, cuisines, and direct overseas flights.

8) That long, long border with Canada...largely unprotected.

7) It was the first state to outlaw talking on a cell phone while driving.

6) Those fake ruined castles along the Hudson River, which are just about the pinnacle of anglophile pretension.

5) Saturday Night Live's dramatic portrayal of Gov. David Paterson's scathing, hate-filled rants about New Jersey.

4) Saturday Night Live's dramatic portrayal of Gov. David Paterson.

3) There's widespread, popular resistance to drilling for Marcellus shale even among rural people in New York State, which demonstrates a concern for the long-term effects of turning a quick buck, as well as some forward-thinkingness.

2) The Adirondacks and the Catskills.

1) The vast, beautiful Allegany State Park, which is an almost pristine slice of western Appalachian heaven, or basically what our Allegheny National Forest would be if its recreational potential were maximized, its environmental well-being considered, and if it were protected from rampant logging and drilling. (If you don't believe me, hike the North Country Trail from the ANF into New York State sometime and see the difference!)