My wife and I moved to Lambertville from New York City three years ago to escape COVID-19 and seek a quieter lifestyle.
We have met many other people who have moved to this area and are curious about what motivated them. I have done a brief survey and this is what I have learned from other transplants:
Joan Milsaps moved to a senior research position with one of New Jersey’s pharmaceutical companies. She gave her Realtor a very detailed description of the sort of home she would like, and found it in Lambertville. Sometime later her employer offered her a senior position at its operation in Shanghai, China.
She sublet her Lambertville home for six years, until she was transferred back here.
Bill Jersey, a well-known maker of movie documentaries and an accomplished painter in his retirement, moved to Lambertville from Los Angeles. He wanted to live close to his son in Princeton. The scenery in this area appealed to him as did the prospect of living in an artistic community.
Dr. Thierry Poirot was a pharmaceutical executive, running his company’s Asian operations out of Singapore. When he was transferred to New Jersey, he found his Shangri-la in New Hope. In his retirement he is also a painter.
Massimo and Antionette Schiavon reopened the T54 restaurant in January of this year. She went to Genoa in Italy in 2000 to teach English for three years. There she met Massimo. They moved to Manhattan in 2005, where he was employed at the Hotel Pierre. They returned to Hopewell, N.J., in 2017 and finally were able to invest in their dream restaurant.
Ricardo Zapata, originally from Cali, Colombia, is a psychologist by training. He has always been a people person. Looking for a suitable position on the Ideal website, he landed his current position as manager of the Fisherman’s Mark pantry in Lambertville.
Juri P. escaped from a repressive regime in the Balkans nine years ago. He found political asylum in New York. COVID drove him away from Manhattan to Lambertville, which he liked as a gay friendly city. He works six days a week at his job here.
Jonathon Henry moved from West Virginia, seeking a better education in this area, where he met his wife.
Diana Liberatore from Peru visited her sister in Flemington, N.J., 20 years ago. She met her American husband and settled down here.
I have been taken by the number of Latin American people living and welcomed here. There is certainly plenty of work for them. Many I’ve met are refugees from violence in their home countries.
One example is Olga whose brother was kidnapped and then killed when no ransom was available. She was able to obtain a compassionate visa for herself and her daughter. Unfortunately, it was time limited and she has not been able to obtain an extension. It has been nine years since she has been able to visit her family back in Mexico.
Rosa’s husband fled from violence in Guatemala to visit friends here. Rosa was able to join him. They still await work visas. Like many other refugees here, she is entrusted to take care of peoples’ homes, even when they are away.
We are so fortunate to have people like Olga and Rosa who are hard working and trustworthy. Also, where would we be without the local Latino gardeners, construction workers and service providers?
John Seidler moved to Lambertville in 2021.
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