Check out the November/December 2006 issue of RELAX Magazine for Ruth's latest story on Sydney, Australia..."OPPOSITES ATTRACT". Check it out at www.rlxmag.com
and click on the latest issue, then on the bottom bar where is reads "jump to" type in page 72, for the entire story.
RELAX Magazine Nov/Dec 2006
Opposites Attract by Ruth Carlson
Sydney, Australia
or read the story here
Opposites Attract
By: Ruth Carlson
Remember when Superman had to combat “Bizarro World?” The comic book series described a place that looks similar to earth, but everything is the opposite. Recently I discovered the Bay Area’s parallel universe. It’s New South Wales, Australia, coincidentally, the filming location for the movie “Superman Returns.”
The NSW landscape resembles ours, the weather is similar, the population is diverse, and they speak English. But Aussies are our opposites: they drive on the left side of the road, their summer is our winter, and they live down under, while we believe we’re on top of the world.
Even the tourist attractions are bizarre. The biggest city in New South Wales is Sydney and visitors and locals pay up to $225 US for a three and a half hour climb across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the largest steel arch bridge in the world. My husband Rich convinced me to give it a try, even though I’m catatonic on mere Ferris wheels.
If you think a shot of courage will get you through the ordeal, forget about it. You have to pass a breathalyzer test to make sure you’re sober. You also have to complete a simulated climb on a raised platform. When the woman in front of me fell to her knees and threw up, it didn’t boost my confidence.
After changing into a jumpsuit, I was clipped to a safety harness that is attached to the bridge railing…making the groups of climbers resemble chain gangs. After all the buildup, I hate to disappoint you but the climb is actually similar to a stroll in the park…except for the catwalk section. Here I climbed on narrow ladders with cars and trains whizzing below which is the closest I’ll ever come to a Lois Lane adventure.
Once you’re standing at the highest point, overlooking the Harbour, Opera House, and the Luna Amusement Park, the staff member snaps a photo so you have proof of your breathtaking feat for the folks back home.
From the heights of Sydney we traveled to the depths, for a behind the scenes tour of the Sydney Fish Market. Every Thursday morning you can see a live Dutch auction of various kinds of exotic fish. Huge clocks, which rotate backwards, remember it’s Bizarro world), dominate this warehouse. Restaurateurs, grocery stores and caterers sit in bleachers and press buttons to indicate their price, bidding on up to 1000 cases of fish an hour.
Our guide had no qualms about picking up fish and asking if we’d like to hold them. We saw everything from sharks to mudcrabs and fish I had never heard of; barramundi, balmain bug, flathead, leather jacket, and mullet which does not resemble the hair cut.
The tour ends in the public section with restaurants offering dozens of different types of oysters, caviar, and clam chowder. There’s also a great bakery and an espresso shop if you’ve had enough of fish.
On the way back to our hotel we visited the Royal Botanical Gardens and found the Tropical Centre trees covered with bats that fly over tourists heads in the daytime! Now do you believe that this is Bizarro world? Don’t miss the palm grove with different kinds of palm trees from various parts of the globe.
One of the best reasons to visit New South Wales doesn’t cost a dime…the beaches. You’re never far from a stretch of white sand here and our biggest problem was so many beaches, so little time. You can reach most of them via inexpensive, efficient public transportation…unfortunately our opposite of the Bay Area.
Bondi Beach, a popular swimming spot, is probably the most recognizable. If you take the plunge, be sure and stay within the poles or the lifesavers, (they get piqued if you call them lifeguards!), won’t protect you. The poles indicate the safe swimming areas away from dangerous rip currents.
At the end of the beach you’ll find a sea cliff walk that has just been expanded to Maroubra. Waves break next to the path so it can be slippery and railings are intermittent, but unlike sue-crazy California, Bizarro world assumes folks will use common sense. Stop for lunch along the way at an outdoor cafe in one of the beach towns like Coogee and catch a bus back home to save your tootsies. Hiking the entire coastline trail takes about three hours.
Palm Beach is the playground for the rich and famous. Keep your eyes open for a crew filming the popular Australian soap opera “Home and Away.” Stars such as Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett have mansions here, but you can enjoy the same views for free!
Locals will tell you that you can’t say you’ve been to New South Wales if you haven’t ventured out on the water. The options include all budgets and timetables.
Travel in style by booking a ticket on a yacht, such as the MV AqA. This 92-foot motor boat is a five star private cruising experience and if you’re lucky you just might find yourself in the middle of one of the numerous sailing races that begin in Sydney Harbour.
Champagne tastes but a beer budget?Head for the Quays (pronounced Keys in Bizarro world--they speak their own version of English). You’ll find ferries that will take you on a day trip to Manly Beach or a sunset cruise around the Harbour.
Like San Francisco, the area around the ferry building is the place to hang out. Head for the white building that resembles a bird in flight, the Opera House. No matter what’s playing, get a ticket, because there are no bad seats. You can tour this building, one of the most recognizable in the world, but it’s not the same as sitting in the audience and having a performance envelope you. Afterwards, enjoy the free concerts along the street. The Opera House is surrounded by restaurants and bars with musicians entertaining the stylish crowds and it’s an ideal place for people watching.
You can’t go home without some souvenirs and thankfully Bizarro World isn’t so bizarre that is doesn’t have great shopping. To find a one of a kind gift, save money, and help the community all at once, visit the outdoor Paddington Market. Held every Saturday from 10am to 4pm, 250 stalls sell original items made by emerging young art, fashion and jewelry designers. A portion of the profits is donated to community projects. The Market is located on hip Oxford Street, where Sydney’s chic set gathers for espresso and shopping at Australian-owned boutiques including my favorite Scanlon and Theodore. It’s tough to find chain stores in Bizarro land.
Another smaller flea market is held every Sunday in Bondi Beach and when I visited (purely for research as I told my husband), several designers told me their labels are sold in boutiques at higher prices.
Feeling guilty about not spending enough time in museums? You can shop and get a culture fix at the same time at the Queen Victoria Building and the Strand Arcade.The Queen Victoria Building was called “the most beautiful shopping center in the world,” by fashion designer Pierre Cardin. The QVB, as locals refer to her, boasts original stained glass windows, a gold dome and an original 19th century staircase alongside boutiques and souvenir shops.
Down the street, the trendy set can be found at the Strand Arcade. Built in 1892, this Victorian three-story building features local clothing designers, like Jayson Brundson, Alex Perry, and Bettina Liano. Walking into the Alannah Hill store feels like you’ve entered a 1950’s woman’s dressing room. It’s so seductive my husband bought me a lingerie-style dress full price-and believe me--this doesn’t happen at home.
Burdened with packages I was pleased I didn’t have far to go, since my hotel, the Hilton, is located across the street from the QVB. This is the end of my story, but it’s just the beginning for my love affair with Sydney. You know what they say, opposites attract.
Details:
The Hilton Hotel just underwent a 2 ½ year, $200 million makeover and it guarantees the Relaxation rooms will soothe away your stress.
The Hilton has two bars, opposites of each other. Zeta, the minimalist bar, is all about soaking in the views of the stars on the deck whether they are in the seat next to or in the sky overhead. The underground Marble Bar is Victorian beauty. Built in 1893, it’s a glimpse of another world.
Pay the Hilton’s extra fee for the executive lounge overlooking the Sydney Harbour. With free Internet access, breakfast, appetizers and cocktails each evening, you’ll get your money’s worth.
www.hiltonsydney.com.au
Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb operates every day (except December 30-31), from early morning through to evening. Climbers depart in groups of 12 at up to 10-minute intervals.
Kiwi entrepreneurs bringing startups to grow in Silicon Valley
Ruth Carlson
The New Zealand government is increasingly sponsoring high-tech business incubators, and most of the companies hatched are moving to Silicon Valley. These Kiwi entrepreneurs believe the South Bay is the best place for marketing, management and money contacts.
Now the New Zealand government has set up shop in Redwood City, hoping to supply support and training that will assure the Kiwi invasion is a success.
"Our country is so small (four million residents), a company has to go global to expand, and Silicon Valley is the pinnacle of success," says Andrew Hamilton, CEO of the Icehouse, so called because only the hardy survive. This non-profit business incubator in Auckland, established in 2001 by high-tech companies and the University of Auckland to encourage more start-ups, has a highly competitive enrollment process.
Startups include Mobile Commerce or M-COM, one of the first companies to make it easy to buy and sell over cell phones. "It allows you to buy things over the Internet without giving the Web site your credit card number, and it opens up a whole new channel to pay for services when the customer is remote from the vendor," says Adam Clark, CEO.
In Wellington, New Zealand, for instance, you can pay for parking on the street or in garages by cell phone.
Mr. Clark applied to the incubator "for the mentoring, exciting work environment, informal interaction with other startups, the great flow of expert speakers through the incubator and, more than anything, the network of contacts we can leverage through the Icehouse."
In July, he visited Silicon Valley to pitch M-COM to prospective customers and venture capitalists.
Nexus 6 is another Icehouse graduate hoping to set up business in Santa Clara County. This company markets a software program that allows asthma patients to manage their disease, chart their medications and find the latest research.
"New Zealand has the technology, but we lack the market access," explains Mr. Hamilton. "Although the Internet makes business transactions easier, it can't replace one-on-one meetings. We have to be in Silicon Valley for the contacts and the capital."
Air New Zealand officials say business travelers convinced them to open a non-stop flight from Auckland to SFO, which started on July 2. Previously the closest Air New Zealand planes came to the South Bay was Los Angeles. "There are not a lot of flight options from New Zealand to the U.S., so this airline route was critical for us," says Mr. Hamilton.
Silicon Valley Beachhead is tackling the challenge from the opposite direction. Based in Redwood City, Beachhead is funded by the New Zealand government to mentor New Zealand companies, teach them how to conduct business in the U.S. and help them establish a physical presence.
"Silicon Valley may become the location for executives from around the world," says Beachhead Business Development Manager David Hayes. "Increasingly, CEOs and other high-level administrators from international companies are operating from offices in the South Bay, while the bulk of the company's employees are working in less expensive areas."
Right Hemisphere, an Auckland CAD company, worked with Silicon Valley Beachhead to learn the American way of conducting business. Says Mark Thomas, president of Right Hemisphere," Silicon Valley is the center of excellence. It's where the funding happens and the U.S. has the management skills to grow your company." Mr. Thomas now has eight employees working in a Fremont office, a location he chose to recruit employees from both the East and the South Bay.
New Zealand workers have an advantage in today's market, Mr. Thomas believes. "Our country is so small and remote, we have had to do everything and generalists are at a real advantage when everyone is expected to do more than one job." For instance, he says, Right Hemisphere is a convergence of multiple technologies, so employees must know 3D CAD technology, 3D game technology, 3D graphics hardware, Internet technology, and networking and database systems.
At the same time Kiwis are flocking to the valley, U.S. residents are finding New Zealand attractive.
"It's a global market, so we may as well be in New Zealand," says Box Rocket Animation CEO Steven Upstill. A former employee of animation studios Pixar in Emeryville, creator of Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo, Mr. Upstill is creating a low-cost computer animation company with the help of an incubator funded by Positively Wellington Business, an economic development agency.
"The government support has been wonderful," he says. "There are tax breaks, the national health care system reduces medical costs and the incubator staff help you cut through any red tape." The biggest challenge, he adds, is recruiting local talent from the small population.
"We are the easiest place in the world to start a business," claims Blair McRae, CEO, Positively Wellington Business.
John McKay, director of product development for Virtual Katy, a sound editing company working on the Bridget Jones 2 movie, says his firm's rapid expansion would have taken a lot longer without the help of Positively Wellington Business. "They provided mentoring and subsidized office services, including high-speed Internet," says McKay. The incubators also help start-ups raise money, establish a board, market to customers and employ a CEO.
Shawn Gilhooley moved her headhunting firm, Syzygy Information Services, from Silicon Valley to Wellington before taking a job as immigration project manager for Positively Wellington Business. Ms. Gilhooley moved to New Zealand for the quality of life.
Explains the former Willow Glen resident, "My house is on a golf course with a view of the ocean and I could never afford that in the Bay Area. You don't move to New Zealand for the salary, you move here for the lifestyle.
We entertain all the time, and when we lived in San Jose my husband didn't even know I could cook.
We know all our neighbors now, and if I forget my wallet, the local storekeepers say, 'pay me later!'"
Ruth Carlson is a freelance writer based in Santa Cruz.
Hidden beaches on Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Waiheke Island
By: Ruth Carlson
“It doesn’t seem right to keep it just for ourselves,” says Lance Peterson. He’s talking about opening his 10-acre backyard, Te Whau Garden, to strangers, but the sentiment seems to apply to all the Waiheke (Why-hickie) Island residents. Maybe it’s sampling all that Bordeaux wine they grow here that makes these Kiwis so eager to share their beautiful Island.
It’s easier to reach paradise from the West Coast with Air New Zealand’s new non-stop flight from SFO to Auckland. Previously passengers had to hassle with LAX. Once you reach the country’s largest city, Auckland, a scenic high-speed ferry ride takes you to Waiheke in only 35 minutes. Steve Robinson from Ananda tours drove us around the hilly Island. “People hear Island and think it’s small,” says Robinson, “but it’s 35 miles.
Onetangi, the longest beach, is packed with surfers and swimmers in summertime and occasionally horse racers! “One of the great things about Waiheke is that houses have to provide bypasses for the public to walk along the sand,” says Robinson. The Island is dotted with vineyards –and collectors pay more for Waiheke labels because wineries’ releases are so limited. Waiheke is known for Bordeaux, style wine but the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also excellent, as we found out at the Te Whau restaurant.
Te Whau sits on a cliff and the gray, cement, half-moon shaped building appears to have been formed out of nearby rocks. Walls of glass, which open to let the sun and fresh breezes in, frame a panoramic view of the water and the Auckland skyline. You can watch your meal being prepared at the open kitchen if you can tear yourself away from the glittering vista.
Instead of olive oil, the restaurant serves green avocado oil that complements the Te Whau chardonnay. Be sure and order the chardonnay, since the restaurant is the ONLY place you can buy it. This restaurant in the clouds is known for it’s fresh fish including the rare Te Matuku Bay oysters. Owner Tony Forsyth, whose business card says simply--Tony at Te Whau--in the laid back Waiheke style--is a former psychologist who retired early and decided to try a completely different profession. His vineyard was the first in New Zealand dedicated to protecting the surrounding ecosystem.
Afterwards, walk off lunch at Te Whau gardens. Lance Peterson and his wife Kay are avid art collectors and when they ran out of room in their house they began putting sculptures in their 10-acre rain forest. New Zealanders calls these large estates lifestyle blocks- they’re too small to farm and too big to mow. A self-guided tour of Te Whau Gardens is open to the public for $6.00 and “…the brochure cost me $5.00 apiece, " laughs Lance, who adds,” I’m not doing this for the money.”
Once Peterson started exploring his backyard, he couldn’t stop. He built walking paths, installed botanical signs, benches and sculptures.
With wood pigeons squawking overhead, Peterson pointed out trees older than the arrival of the first English settlers. According to Peterson, Maori warriors took palm fronds to battle and lived for weeks on the water and food contained inside the leaves. His property also includes a creek where the rare white baitfish spawn once a year during the Solstice.
The perfect place to end your day is the Boatshed, a bed and breakfast that feels more like a friend’s home…a friend who cooks world class meals and takes care of your every need…even things you didn’t know you wanted. This casually elegant hotel with a marine feel has five guest rooms but you’ll feel as though you are the only guest there. It’s no wonder that during the recent America’s Cup, the Prada family and the head of Luis Vuitton commandeered the Boatshed for their personal use.
Sit on your private deck and sip some local Shiraz or grab one of the beach cruisers and ride along the sands of Little Oneroa Bay. For a special anniversary or event be sure and book the Lighthouse suite with panoramic views of the harbor and bay from its own private top floor lounge where you can see the sunset and sunrise.
Jonathan Scott, a graduate of culinary school and hotel management, prepared a dinner of squid pasta, venison and rhubarb crème brule.
For breakfast the next day we had homemade brioche and a fresh fruit display that looked so pretty it seemed a shame to eat it. The plate was topped with a sweet red fruit, called a Tamarillo - also known as a tree tomato!
Jonathan left the kitchen to drive us to the ferry and back to bustling Auckland where we parked our bags at the Hilton on the Viaduct overlooking the Huraki Gulf.
Kiwi Designs Take Flight
June 07, 2005
Kiwi Designs Take Flight
by: Ruth Carlson
For the latest fashion, where do you turn? New York, Paris, Milan? Keep going-- to Middle Earth. Auckland designers are the first to preview each season's fashions, because of their time clock advantage. For example, this October, when New York runways were showing spring styles, New Zealand runways previewed winter fashions! It's summer there when it's winter in America so they have a jump on the rest of us.
Previously their isolated location was seen as a disadvantage, but today Kiwis are Celebrating. "Because we're remote, we're more creative," says Liz Mitchell, New
Zealand's leading couture designer. Mitchell thinks Kiwis were embarrassed by their country before, but that's changed with the success of the Lord of the Rings movies and the America's Cup sailing competition. "We're realizing what we have here," she says, "and we're more confident."
"Other countries have better buildings, fascinating history, more dramatic political and religious theatre, says up and coming designer Andrea Moore, "but New Zealand has a light, an awareness of ourselves as a little country that has to do more to be heard or seen on the international stage – and so we do."
The population of about four million boasts appears to have homegrown designers on every corner including: Zambesi, who recently won the contract for Air New Zealand
uniforms and a fave haunt of Liv Tyler's while she was in Wellington filming the Lord of the Rings, Karen Walker, where Madonna likes to shop, Andrea Moore, the designer most predict will soon make a splash internationally. The feminine Trelise Cooper who had some outfits worn on Sex and the City and Couture designer Liz Mitchell who designed the Oscar dress for actress Keisha Castle-Hughes.
Walking down High Street and the Parnell District of Auckland and a later around Wellington, you can't help but admire the avante garde styles. There is only one Department store and no mall in Wellington, a city of 146,000. Boutiques like Voon
and Jono are owned by young designers who work in the stores and recommend styles for customers that walk in off the street.
"Our fashion is like the Kiwi," explains Sally-Ann Moffat, marketing coordinator for Downtown Wellington. "Because New Zealand didn't have any predatory animals, the Kiwi became non-flying birds. Our fashion has adapted into the same way. We don't have a Gucci or Versace store here, so we have to create our own," she explains. This country encourages fashion with Fashion HQ, an incubator sponsored by Positively Wellington Business, an economic development agency. Two of the young aspiring designers,
Veronica Keucke and Haley Mills, sell their lines in the Fashion HQ boutique as well as local shops. Keucke is inspired by the success of Karen Walker and Trelise Cooper,
"If they can reach the American market so can I," she says as she puts the finishing touches on her "fur" collar, a stencil of a fox.
Moffat says New Zealanders are as concerned with comfort and practicality as style and the label Icebreaker is a perfect example. It uses pure merino wool in active sportswear meant to be worn as layers...even down to undies and camisoles. This fine wool from sheep high in the New Zealand mountains doesn't itch, you can throw it in the washing machine, and it's great for travel because it doesn't hold smells.
Many of the Kiwi designers take advantage of the local resources, including wool and possum. Possums snuck in New Zealand from Australia and are threatening the local
eco-system, so those innovative New Zealanders are making luxuriously soft collars, socks, gloves and hats out of possum fur. It appears New Zealand has learned from the
Maori, their indigenous people. Ross Shearer, from the Te Papa Museum in Wellington, says the Maori are survivors who took the good ideas from the white man and adapted them. You can learn this and more at the Te Papa museum, assuming you can tear yourself away from the incredible gift shop.
One item you'll have a hard time locating is the Ugg boot. I expected to see these on every corner and pick them up for a cheaper price than in the states. When I asked one shopkeeper where I might find them, his nose turned up as he recommended the tourist shops. "They're not very stylish," he sniffed. Maybe not, but they sure are warm.
If you go to Middle Earth, try to make it in July (their winter) or December (their summer). They only have big sales twice a year, in those months, so plan accordingly. When I
was there in July, I was shocked to find a 75% off rack at Karen Walker and a corner at Liz Mitchell with everything under $99-about $70 U.S.! It's a lot easier to get there now
from San Francisco with Air New Zealand's new non-stop flight to Auckland, so I'll see you in December at the sale racks-save me a space!
New Zealand
The New Silicon Valley Suburb ~ by Ruth Carlson
...
May 2005
New Zealand
If any place knows the next best thing, it must be Silicon Valley, home of the computer and Internet revolution. So when I kept hearing about South Bay residents moving to New Zealand I had to investigate. The buzz started with my neighbor Kristi Ford, a marketing executive who said she was giving up her career to become a yoga instructor in New Zealand. Shortly afterwards I heard that Bardon, a winery owner, had purchased a place in Christchurch to live in half the year. Then I toured a house on the market, because, you guessed it, the couple was moving to New Zealand.
A few years ago I couldn’t even find New Zealand on the map. Now it’s almost a suburb of the Northern California Peninsula. Air New Zealand has responded, flying non-stop flights from San Francisco to Auckland. As my friend Judith, a newspaper photographer said, “ What is it about New Zealand?”
This small country is luring Americans with beautiful scenery, liberal politics, excellent schools, a clean environment and affordable housing. Even the Immigration Project Manager for Positively Wellington Business, Shawn Gilholey, is a former high tech executive from San Jose! “The country has major skills shortages so the government is marketing New Zealand to Americans as a place to live and work,” says Gilhooley.
The country is looking for workers in high tech, health care, biotechnology, manufacturing and the plumbing and building trades, according to Gilhooley. Bruce Barrows, with New Zealand Immigration, says they just hired three marketing directors to work in the States. “They’re making appearances at professional events to let people know that New Zealand is an opportunity for a new life,” he says. For example, they recently attended a biotech conference in San Francisco.
Americans are increasingly responding to the invitation after viewing the Lord of the Rings film trilogy - shot in the lush countryside of New Zealand. That green landscape is fed by water so you have to be tolerant of a long rainy season, but Gilhooley says it’s worth it. “I don’t miss the long commutes or pressure of the Bay Area,” she says. “I was working so hard that my husband didn’t know I could cook. Now, instead of going out to restaurants, we usually eat at home with our neighbors.”
“The people here are fantastic, mostly laid back and really seem to embrace the idea of live and let live,” says Ford, who loved the country so much she married a New Zealander. “I've found that Kiwi's, (the nickname for locals), tend to speak their mind and so you always know where you stand with someone.”
You’ll have no problem making friends - we immediately felt welcome here, “ agrees Ann Spratt, a former resident of Los Altos, California. She and her husband Mike moved to Waiheke Island, 35 minutes from Auckland by ferry, and started a vineyard called Destiny Bay. Yet Mike warns visitors not to confuse a holiday with everyday life. “There’s a lot of ‘no worries mate’ attitude that is endearing,” he says.” But it can be frustrating when you’re trying to conduct business.” Fortunately, their son has moved to Waiheke to run the winery, giving Ann and Mike the freedom to sail their new boat. New Zealand is rumored to have more sailboats per capita than anywhere else in the world.
The Spratts were pleasantly surprised by the low crime rate. Ann saw a group of young schoolgirls waiting for their bus late one afternoon and it was getting dark. Concerned, she asked if they wanted a ride home and was surprised when they said no, they were perfectly safe. “Can you imagine that happening in the States!” exclaims Mike. The Spratts and other residents also believe New Zealand is safer from terrorists. “We’re so small we’re not on anyone’s target list,” says Mike. Despite it’s size, the country has tremendous diversity in geography. In two hours you can go from skiing in the mountains to kayaking at the beach.
The allure of New Zealand has caused real estate prices to soar, but it’s leveling off. Chris Palmer with Premium Real Estate on Waiheke Island says that “…the market has sobered up a little after rising somewhere between 50% -100% over the last 3 years. Property prices begin around $200,000 (U.S.) for a modest non-coastal home and up to $3 million (U.S.) for a house on coastal acreage.” Instead of multiple listing services, each realtor has private listings of properties for sale. The average sales commission is around 3%, much lower than in the U.S., and the seller pays all of the costs, including marketing.
If you decide to make the move, Ann says the New Zealand government is very helpful. “You can hire immigration consultants, but we did it on our own, and so did most of the Americans we have met here,” she says. New Zealand has a system to evaluate immigrants with points for education, skills and age. Applicants must pass a physical so they aren’t a burden on the national healthcare system.
For Advice On Immigration Contact Gilhooley At Positively Wellington Business
www.positivelywellingtonbusiness.co.nz “I can connect individuals with companies and recruitment agencies and since I work directly with employers that have skill shortages, I may know of job openings. When Americans arrive, I can assist them with settlement. I have a library of information on the region and can give them contacts in banks, real estate and anything else they might need to make the move,” she says.
