I just checked. It’s the Up. West Side.

But yeah, Stacey’s dad had to be pretty wealthy. And Abby lived in the same neighborhood as Kristy but no one ever went on about her family being wealthy either.

Every once in awhile Stacey would say something about it…the only specific example I remember is when Amanda Delaney asked Stacey if her father made a lot of money in #39, Poor Mallory, and Stacey had some snarky reply she wanted to say indicating he did in, fact, do pretty well.

But I guess it wasn’t stated over and over because even if Stacey’s father’s salary was well into the 6 figures, he wasn’t a ZOMG, millionare!

I always just assumed CT had some really lax child labor laws. The thing that surprised me even more was that with the amount of lawyers floating around The ‘Brook, none of them brought up such crazy ideas as liability insurance and setting up an LLP so that none of the girls would be personally liable. Yes, even as a kid I thought about lawsuits.

When I read these books when I was younger, I didn’t feel like Stacey’s dad was so rich. But then, I didn’t know the cost of living in NYC. Now that I know…DAMN, he definitely had to be rich.

But the child labor thing…I always knew that. My oldest sister had trouble finding a job until she was 16, even though MD law allows 15 year olds to work.

Actually, I’ve always assumed that Dawn’s family was quite well off - all that flying couldn’t have been cheap, to begin with. Her mother’s property in Stoneybrook is fairly big and (I think?) historic, so I bet it would have cost a packet, and actually given Dawn’s preference for fresh organic food, their food bill would be larger than most.

Then there’s Mallory - she has a family of eight but I don’t think we ever hear of anyone wearing hand-me-downs, which is what happens in most large families that I know.

In fact, the two families who I least suspect to be secretly rich are Jessi’s and Claudia’s, although they can still afford to pay for their daughters’ extra curricular activities so they can’t exactly have been strapped for cash either!

Maybe because Stacey didn’t live in an OMG111!!!REALLIVEMANSION!!111!!! =)

Good point about Abby, though. Maybe when her mom bought the house, the market values were down?

By the way, Nikki, I’m also from Maryland, and I got my first job when I was 14. I worked at a now-defunct children’s museum called Imagine That, which was staffed entirely by teenagers (except the managers, who were older). But still, I was one of the youngest employees there.

I always thought Mr. McGill had to be pretty well off. When he and the Mrs. got divorced, his alimony and child support was enough for Mrs. McGill to buy a house.

And, Stacey went on the Hawaii and Europe field trips, and while in London, she bought clothes at Harrod’s. Not cheap there either.

Maybe it had something to do with Kristy’s “humble” beginnings - by continuing to draw attention to the fact that she now lives with a Real Live Millionaire, it’s emphasizing that real-life fairy tale ending the writers liked so much (see Mary Anne’s dad and Dawn’s mom becoming the “isn’t that romantic?!” reunited lovebirds.)

@Sadako: good point about Abby! I forgot about her. @Abby: To be honest, considering the kind of lifestyle the McGills lead in NYC, I do feel like they had to be millionaires. @HelenB: Well, Sharon said she got it cheap because it needed work and stuff. I do feel like the Schafers were well-off, although not millionaires.

I suppose that Stacey could have not realized quite how rich she was, since she seemed to run with a rich crowd in NYC.

I could go either way on this. My gut is Stacey’s rich, but I don’t think millionaires rich — we’re thinking abt NYC now, but NYC in the late 80s? Even on the UWS, not that crazy expensive — real estate there doesn’t go nuts till post-Giuliani. So yeah, they’re well off, but not “real-life millionaires” a la Watson.

Similarly, in “Stacey’s Choice,” Mrs. McGill is all freaking out and trying to get a job because she doesn’t think child support etc. will be enough for them to live off. I’m pretty sure in this one Stacey also contemplates the possibility of getting a job herself.

Don’t get me started on inaccuracies around Abby and the other members of the BSC — she lives in the same nabe as Kristy is a good point, but also her mom COMMUTES to the city, while the McGills always feel compelled to up and move as if a 40-minute train ride from Stamford were just too much for ol’ Mr. McGill.

@tinypants: good point about changes in the New York economy.

My take on the McGills: the Stamford branch transfer was due to concerns about stacey’s diabetes–because seriously, wouldn’t a trade to the Stamford branch be a demotion? Usually the New York office of a company is the biggest, right? And then the McGills weren’t getting along and I get the impression that Ed didn’t like the pace in the Brook so much. So when he got transferred back, they decided to go back to the city because Ed liked it.

It’s interesting how the writing can influence you. I always thought of them as comfortably well off girls with Kristy living in the mansion as the only super rich one. But then I’m pretty sure all the stuff they do in New York - group tickets to Broadway shows, dinner at Tavern on The Green, etc, are pretty expensive. Stacey buying replacement clothes in Harrods in the last super special was just ridiculous though, like the author hadn’t done any research. They sell handbags that cost more than a month’s rent, not fun clothes for thirteen year olds on a school trip…

Thank you! I’ve noticed that Stacey family had to be really well off for years! For me it was also really obvious with Dawn because anyone that lives in a beach town has to be living the good life. I’m from California myself.

Yeah, Dawn’s father is at least upper middle class if he owns a home in Orange County, and seeing as Palo City is mostly white (this still boggles my mind) and FAMOUS PRODUCER Maggie’s dad lives there, it’s probably on the affluent side.

I also always got the sense that Sharon’s parents were fairly well off, since they looked down on Richard’s humble beginnings.

that’s honestly one of the things that bugs me when rereading the books now-how the narrator has to mention that Kristy lives in a MANSION and that Watson is wealthy. it just seems really tacky to me (although I never thought about it growing up.)

ok the reason why dawn is quite wealthy
if you read dawn and the impossible three
it could explain why dawn’s family is on the wealthy side
her grandparents are known for being very wealthy
especially since the father was a banker
and the reason why they didnt like richard
(mary-anne’s father)
was because he was on the poor side
and wanted sharon(dawn’s mother)
to marry someone richer
and more well off
and you do have a point
dawn’s father also has to be on the wealthy side too
especially since dawn’
s grandparents arranged it too

and i say all of them is quite wealthy
cause if mallory’s family was poor
the kids would of wore hand me downs
instead of going to the mall
or any other place most of the time
jessi wouldnt afford to go to ballet school
and to juliard in new york
claudia wouldnt of afford those art supplies
and art classes
and her family certainly wouldnt afford to send jaime to college
nor go on those trips
(like maine and lobster and the mountain resorts)
mary anne wouldnt of gotten all of that make up kit
as well as that haircut at that fancy salon
and well
you all know the rest
but they also wouldnt afford to go on those trips in the specials either
so i dont think none of them are poor

hey,

just letting you know i re-read ’stacey’s choice’ today, and in it - her dad was promoted to vice president of the company. so he was pretty wealthy.