Do you ... in Poughkeepsie?

posted by Helen

I'm going down to Poughkeepsie today to bring my parents back for a visit.

Thanks to the movie "The French Connection" I used to be very reluctant to tell people I was from Poughkeepsie. In college, I discovered quickly that if I told anyone where I was from, the immediate response was "Oh! And what do you *do* in Poughkeepsie. Do you ... ?" Even now I can't quite bring myself to type the infamous line.

Anyway, whenever the subject of where I was from came up, I would reply vaguely "upstate New York" or "the Hudson Valley". For a while I told people I was from "near Wappingers Falls" because that happened to be where I went to high school. Then Tawana Brawley made headlines (she even went to my old high school) and I stopped using that as a reference point.

Finally, Dave noticed my subterfuge and asked me about it. I realized then that it was just a little crazy to let such a small thing bother me. Now I tell people right out "Poughkeepsie" and have been surprised that not one person has mentioned The French Connection.