Everett Collection/20th Century FoxEven though New York is the subject of glamorized tales in which women run around town in stilettos, drinking $15 pink cocktails and carrying puppies in purses, the reality is more like this: We commute long distances on a subway that often smells of trash and urine, abject poverty shares the sidewalks with glamazons, and the standard work week is usually a good deal longer than 40 hours. It's the most exciting city in the world, "they" say, yet even the most high-achieving among us talk in hushed tones at parties about what would happen if we escaped the glittering skyline and teeny apartments to embrace a better quality of life. And that's just what Cathy Halley did.
What led you to sell your apartment, quit your corporate job in New York, and move half-way across the country?
I'm a very lucky girl because I moved for love and money--well for a perfect-for-me job. Everything just fell into place the way it does two, maybe three times in your life. I'd been dating someone who lives
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