Westward. Encounters with Swiss American Women
In New York Linda Geiser alternately fought and reconciled with her friend Peter. “Our relationship was constantly off and on. He thought I should have a super career but still wash his socks at home. He left me, then I left him, and then we were together again. It was exciting.
“We were at the first original Woodstock festival that was called Hoot-an-Nanny and was an impromptu get-together. Anyone who knew how to play the guitar could perform. The organizers had posted notes announcing the gathering all over the town. About a thousand people turned up with coke, beer, food, and drugs. The festival lasted late into the night. The mess left behind scared the village elders to such an extent that they applied the emergency brake the following year. The new group of organizers, which had a much better financial footing, had to buy a 3 miles long meadow located 28 miles from the village for the festival which was to be totally rained out, but still became world-famous and a legend.”
In 1963 Linda decided to move in with a girlfriend; they rented a small apartment in a red brick house on 5th Street. Both left their boyfriends. The apartment cost 35 dollars per month. The reliable Swiss woman soon earned the sympathy of the house owner, Mr. Trachtman. “From time to time I painted the walls, I organized the plumber when a pipe burst somewhere, and made sure that everything looked nice.