December 20, 2012
My first job out of college was in Bakersfield, Calif., far from the Northeast where I was born and raised.
There were a multitude of differences that required not only an adjustment but also a complete recalibration of what I expected from the world. Bakersfield was far from a culture of Sunday brunches, The New York Times and Woody Allen-loving moviegoers. In those early 1980s, New Yorkers were still unabashed Allen fans.
By far the biggest difference was the everyday role that guns played in the lives of many friends and colleagues.