Any information or special reports about various countries may be published with photos/videos on the world blog with bold legit source. All languages are welcome. Mail to lucschrijvers@hotmail.com.
FDNY EMS Lt. Alex Gomez sleeps in his SUV at Harlem Hospital rather than endure the long commute back to the Poconos in Pennsylvania each night, Oct. 12, 2026. (Ben Fractenberg/The City Reporter)
As the city’s cost of living has climbed, more New Yorkers have hightailed it for the Poconos, trading the concrete jungle for bucolic scenery and more space. These New Yorkers have helped transform a cluster of towns along Interstate 80 into some of the most diverse in that region.
There, salaries stretch farther — including for housing. In East Stroudsburg, about an hour-and-a-half drive from the city when traffic is calm, a recently renovated three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch-style home on an acre of land is currently listed for $315,000. A similar home on Staten Island is priced more than twice as high, at $760,000.
Alex Gomez, an East Stroudsburg resident who works as an Emergency Medical Services lieutenant for the FDNY, sleeps in his SUV in a parking lot after punching out of his Harlem Hospital station at the end of his work day. He says he has done some version of this routine three to four days a week since 1997, when he bought the Poconos home where he lives with his wife and raised their two children.
“Everybody at work jokes around,” says Gomez. “They call it ‘Hotel RAV4.’”
Gomez is one of many FDNY EMS technicians and paramedics, who receive the lowest pay among the city’s first responders, to have made a home in Pennsylvania. The dynamic has long vexed New York labor leaders like Anthony Almojera of Local 3621, which represents EMS officers.
“What kind of society are we that the people who are specifically here to help us in our time of need cannot afford to live in New York City, the city that they work for?” he says.
A high around 67 and sunny during the daytime. A low near 48 and mostly clear at night.
MTA 🚇
Midday in Brooklyn, J express trains make local stops in both directions at Hewes Street, Lorimer Street and Flushing Avenue. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.
Join a live taping of The City Reporter’s FAQ NYC podcast Wednesday evening at the Tenement Museum, where reporter Gwynne Hogan will join co-hosts Christina Greer, Katie Honan and Harry Siegel for an episode all about November’s election and how the candidates are talking about immigration. Join a mini-tour of the museum afterward, followed by a reception with the hosts.
Get your tickets here. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the recording is from 7 to 8, and the tour and schmoozing take place from 8 to 8:30.
Happy Hour With The City Reporter and Friends
Join The City Reporter, New York Focus and Documented for a very special community happy hour on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bowery Beer Garden (93 Bowery) for an evening with your favorite local journalists and local news fans. This will be a ticketed happy hour, but one ticket buys you a free drink! Purchase your tickets here.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten