Sitka, Alaska —

Former New Yorkers living in Alaska have been deluged by questions from family and friends since John McCain picked Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

“The first thing say, is ‘Oh – Palinland,’ Like as if her and I are on the same block and we talk everyday,” said Esther Voluck, who spends 10 months a year in Alaska – and two months in her native Brooklyn.

Whether or not they are Palin fans, the transplanted New Yorkers have good things to say about their new home state.