Parts of NY are red, yes, but the laws and regulations of the state are, for the most part, very blue. And Nashville is blue, while the rest of the state is red, kind of the opposite of where I am now.

Lettuce is very easy. The seedlings seem fragile, but they survive almost any mishandling short of too little water. It takes a long time, at least 4 to 6 weeks, before you can eat much of it, then there is plenty for a good month or more. I hate buying lettuce at the grocery stores, it's all either awful, or packaged in a lot of plastic.