For those of you who live in the United States or are familiar with its culture, imagine a place that starts with a political and social system that's identical to today's United States, but has a few significant differences.
In this place, most people speak more than one language. Almost no one owns a car, even the millionaires. Many people don't even know someone who owns a car. There's no Wal-Mart, no Target, no Home Depot.
People regularly and willingly use mass transit to get around for the few things they can't approach on foot. Almost every neighborhood has the basic amenities in walking distance, like a hardware store or dry cleaner or drug store, and they're almost all mom-and-pop operations, not multinational chains.
The people in this place, in addition to being well-educated on average, are extremely friendly, showing a repeated willingness to talk to and greet strangers, and an eagerness to educate tourists or visitors on the customs and rituals of their home. Their cultures are an extremely varied mix of cultures, backgrounds and identities, pervaded with an astonishing level of tolerance and respect.
There's also a deep ethic of civic-mindedness. Average citizens are not just aware of, but actively engaged in efforts such as city planning and zoning laws and the design and preservation of public spaces. Architecture is valued and protected by well-organized, well-financed groups, often consisting of canny partnerships between public, private, and corporate concerns. New urbanism is an understood goal, not just a theoretical ideal.
And this society exists within an unparalleled environment of artistic and entrepreneurial innovation. Constant reinvention paired with startling new creations. Music, dance, theater, film, sculpture, writing, and any other manner of expression all functioning at levels unsurpasssed anywhere else in the world at almost any other point in history.
So this place? It's where I live, Manhattan. New York City. That's why I write about the city with such reverence, and why it exists as a living, breathing character in my life and in the lives of every New Yorker. It seemed like something I needed to remind people about, if they're interested in reading what I have to say.
I was recently asked what my site was about, and what I had originally intended for it to be about, and I replied that the first name for my site was "New York New Media New Funk" and that I was hoping to get back to that mandate. I've mostly moved the New Funk over to my Pop Life site on TypePad, so the focus for now is to try to articulate why, exactly, I love my city so much.
There's a tendency for any positive dialogue about New York to be seen as unseemly, the vain preening of a city already too obsessed with itself. This is mostly the opinion of people whose impression of New York City is stuck somewhere between 15 and 25 years ago, when subway cars were still covered in graffiti, and when city parks were dangerous instead of idyllic. I'm fine with people's outdated notions of New York, though; It keeps them from overcrowding the city with their tourism.
And it goes without mention that there are problems here, serious ones. Most of them we see as charming idiosyncrasies, the same way we see the failings of a curmudgeonly uncle. It's loud here, much of the time. There are, of course, Targets and Home Depots in the outer boroughs. Sometimes the power goes out. People resent the Yankees. Bill O'Reilly broadcasts from here.
But it's important to remember that New York isn't just peerless among modern cities, it is inarguably among the greatest cities that has ever been. The renovation of our public parks in the past 10 years alone seems poised to leave this city, even in the shadow of our still-aching wounds, on the brink of a renaissance to rival the Beaux Arts splendor that beautified the city 100 years ago.
I tend to have a status update on the top of this site, as a tagline. Right now, it says "New York Invented Xmas" but it's just as likely to say that New York Invented Hip Hop, and the beauty of being here is that I get a vivid reminder that both of those statements are true.
So thanks for indulging me in keeping New York as part of my site's title, even though I've never done an adequate job of explaining exactly why it gets such a significant role. If you've never been here, if you've never lived here, you might not ever understand. But maybe now you'll at least have a hint of why it matters so much to me.
Glad you wrote that. Living in Hong Kong, I've come across many people who ask me about New York and one of their first assumptions is "People there are so mean!"
I'm like, when have you been there.
They haven't.
Good blog, man, I like it.
Amazingly written.
Being never been able to visit the city, NY depicts in my mind as a city of big buildings and gun fights and car crashes. That's probably because of TVs and Movies. I wonder if we will ever see NY as described here in this article, on any movies or TV series.
Thanks
I've been to New York once, for a day. I liked what little bit of the city I saw. But. I'm from the Midwest, currently living on the East Coast. In my experience, a lot of Midwesterners resent New York--not necessarily because of the constant going-on by residents, but more because of the constant going-on of the media. The American media seems to think that if it's a big deal in New York, it's a big deal for everyone. Which isn't always true. Sometimes it is, but a lot of the time it isn't.
I'm not articulating this very well, I'm afraid. But what I'm trying to say is that people should be proud of where they live, but not at the expense of where other people live. And very often, the impression that non-New Yorkers get about people from New York (generally via the media) is that they think everywhere but New York sucks, and they feel insulted by that. As well they should, because it is insulting.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask a horribly crass question but having read your line about New York as 'peerless' I can't help myself:
Which is better New York or London? (i.e. London, UK and not London, Ontario)
After those first few paragraphs I was about to say "Europe right? You're talking about Europe?" :)
The choice between London, UK, and New York is easy.
I have lived in London, and London is a beautiful city, but it doesn't come close to New York in terms of vitality, or even the diversity of New York.
New York has the greatest culinary availability of any city in the world. You name a cusine, any tiny nationality and we will have its culinary treasures offered. And most likely buried somewhere in Flushing, Queens, but still here in this beautiful city.
I was born here, grew up far away, but live here now, and will always regret the days spent far away from these city streets.
Thanks for the wonderful and inspiring post, it comes at the right time as I'm only a few weeks from becoming the newest resident there, and I've been both excited about the new possibilities and afraid of my preconceived ideas.
I have been to the city a few times and my impressions weren't too good (perhaps I had my cynical glasses on): It's also nice to know that the city is "on the brink of a renaissance to rival the Beaux Arts splendor that beautified the city 100 years ago" because it does need the beautifying. It always seemed incongruent to me that being home to such a high number of artists, designers of all kinds, powerful people, etc. the city itself isn't pretty, and there's no reason for it. Many other big cities suffer the same disorderly growth, problems, etc. and still manage to at least have many really beautiful areas, but I haven't found these in NY.
I'll have plenty of time soon enough, and your passionate, positive view really is brightening mine. Thanks.
I have lived in London and NY, adore them both and cannot imagine living anywhere else, but eventually Manhattan just got a little bit too claustrophobic for me; the vastness of London and the very different pockets of life and energies that are constantly emerging/mutating/evolving all across the city will always appeal to me more. After a while I realised I had covered pretty much every corner of Manhattan; in London (where I was born and live now) there are still places I have never been or even heard about. Additionally I would actually say London matches NYC in terms of diversity, both cities have had a long history of immigration. The only problem with the two places is that they are too damn expensive: the cost of a beer in NY is fucking ridiculous (4/5 bucks plus dollar tip?!) while eating out in London is a joke too. And don't even get me started on renting....
But this is a futile discussion in most ways. Both cities are unique in their own way....
But isn't NYC so expensive now that *only* the very rich live there? Can you live a reasonably middle-class existance in the city and earn less than $100k? Can you ever hope to own an apartment?
New York City is the sum of its parts - i.e. the other boroughs.
"I wonder if we will ever see NY as described here in this article, on any movies or TV series."
I think I see this on Law and Order (and its cohort series). Discounting the bodies, we see the detectives all around the town, among people living their lives, eating, in offices, various types of residences. It doesn't make the city look bad, I think.
"It's loud here, much of the time"
says it all...
another Londoner does a "special relationship" comment.
New York is lovely at times.
Interesting. There are areas of Atlanta that asymptotically approach the Manhattan-ness that you describe. While it is a relatively young city shaped primarily by car culture and lacking in the kind of centralized planning (and extensive public transit) that characterize much of New York, there are large areas in which many educated, engaged citizens take public transit to work, discuss politics over lunch, and frequently partake of and patronize artistic endeavors.
But that car thing, Anil. That car thing changes EVERYTHING. I don't know how many square miles of Atlanta are covered in parking lots. But I do know that people drive more than 100,000,000 miles a day here (4 million drivers averaging 25 miles a day- a conservative estimate from several years ago.) While I live only a mile from work, and walk that distance unless I have to be somewhere immediately afterwards (which happens twice a week on average), I frequently find myself as one of hundreds of people in the Target parking lot, navigating my Corolla through a sea of SUVs.
Car culture notwithstanding, Atlanta has been very good to me so far. By and large, people here are friendly, and often more informed and tolerant that they are historically credited as being.
(Full disclosure: I live inside the I-285 "Perimeter", and am not familiar with the many of the suburban areas.)
When I read articles such as the one appearing in the NYT in October "What Can You Get for a Million? Something Average" describing the NYC rental market, I can only conclude that life in Manhattan, for all of its virtues, is a privilege that can only be afforded by the economic elite.
So, I admire your vision of Manhattan, Anil. And while I do not think it is an elitist vision, by any means (other cities could and, dare I say, should be more like Manhattan, in many ways) I fear that living in Manhattan is simply out of reach for 95%+ of us, wherever we come from.
Atlanta, for all of its sustainability issues, is not a bad place to be, especially when you are 24 and first starting out.
PS- You're right about the Yankees.
But even more about Bill O'Reilly. I bet he tires easily from living in a city of open-minded, educated people who can readily challenge his pabulum.
Thank goodness some of us don't live in NYC so that y'all have food to eat and places to ship your garbage to.
And other places for people to come from in order to feed the newness and the vibrancy.
Nonetheless, twas a lovely essay.
I'm happy you like where you live; just please keep your "new urbanism" and "vitality" to yourselves please. The one thing New Yorkers need to understand is that pretty much everyone who wants to live in a place like NY already does, so don't foist your values upon the rest of us.
I grew up 40 minutes from Manhattan; I've been there countless times. To me, there is no worse hell on Earth. If you look at the demographics/migration patterns, you'll find that most Americans feel the way I do - we love our cars, we love the suburbs, we love the American culture.
Again, I'm very happy NY exists so that people who like that kind of place have somewhere to go where they won't bother the rest of us...
It might help clarify my postion to know that as I read your first six paragraphs, I was thinking "God, that sounds like a real hell-hole".
"pretty much everyone who wants to live in a place like NY already does"
Umm ... do you have any idea how expensive NYC is?
The way I see it, there are two types of people in this world: those who want to live in the center of the universe, and those who don't. If you want to, you will move to New York and make it work, somehow, even if you're not earning six figures. Every day, new New Yorkers arrive and love it here despite the fact that most of their $30k salary is going on renting a windowless room in a shared walk-up apartment. Yes, buying an apartment is very expensive. But it's not an insurmountable barrier to entry. On the other hand, if you're the type of person who doesn't want to live in the center of the universe, you shouldn't live here even if you're making $500k a year.
"Umm ... do you have any idea how expensive NYC is?"
Yes. Notice that I didn't say, "everyone who wants to live in a fantasy world NY where everything is the same, but apartments are free" - being expensive comes with the density and beaurocracy of a place like NY.
The belief that it's the Center of the Universe is so quintessential New York, eh? Just the opposite of the Falklands, I suppose.
Anil, I heartily agree! Too many people exclaimed when I was moving here, "Boy, isn’t that expansive to live there?" Well, no. I don’t have a car, I don’t have car insurance. I ride the subway or I walk or I take a cab or I ride a bike. So not only am I not polluting the environment, I am in really great shape. I eat out about 3-4 times a week, always at a new place [shameless plug] experiencing a different culture. I’ve lived in Boston, San Francisco and Cincinnati - nothing compares to New York. I live in Brooklyn, have a roommate, but my apartment is bigger than any apartment that I have lived in. It may not be Manhattan, but it is a subway ride or a short taxi ride to the city. I have friends who make as much as me who live in The City, and they do alright. I make between 35k-50k a year, I have student debts, but I do everything I want to do, and I save money. I actually take more money home now then I did living in every other city I have lived in. Yes, it is more expensive than other parts of the country, but no I am not poor.
While there are some negatives, such as the fact that owning property probably is not an option, and that finding shop space that is affordable has been a pain, that is about it. There are a lot of people here, but I only have felt crowded or suffocated twice: once trying to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloons being inflated, and once on a particularly crowded subway car. That’s it. You find your own comfort zone here, be it crowded bars, lounges, or Downtown. Or parks, the street, or Brooklyn. There is literally something for everyone here. I don’t think that people who live elsewhere understand this. They are used to the homogenous landscape of the edge city and the suburbs. But here, if you want Skyline [Downtown, Midtown] or rolling planes [Central Park] or water [the Hudson and Riverside Park] or hills [Morningside] or what have you. I think paying a little more up front is worth all of that.
Oh, and New Urbanism - which is neither new or urban - started in the suburbs of America. In fact NU tries to recreate the connections between people of older pre-car days. Unfortunately, most of it is tied to crap stylistic notions of what “American” is as an Architectural vocabulary. And the notion that demographics are pointing to the “American love for the car,” well that is a chicken and egg situation caused mostly by advertising.
When I travel through America, I am stunned by its beauty, and its banality which is starting to crowd the beauty. I don’t want the rest of the world to be like New York, I just want the rest of the world not look like an after effect of a blast zone fueled by constant homogenous places and people.
"And the notion that demographics are pointing to the “American love for the car,” well that is a chicken and egg situation caused mostly by advertising."
Can someone interpret this sentence for me? I can't seem to make head nor tails of it....
As someone who has lived in both London and Atlanta previously and now lives in New York City, I read these comments with interest.
I lived in downtown Atlanta, where I walked just under a third of a mile to work every day. It was great, but to go to a video store, grocery store, or to visit friends, I had to use my car.
In New York, I miss driving -- the actual act of driving -- but I most emphatically do not miss car insurance, getting the car broken into, finding a place to park, traffic congestion, et cetera, et cetera.
My company relocated me last year from Atlanta to New York, and while they increased my salary to compensate for the added cost of living, they didn't increase it nearly enough for me to maintain the same kind of buying power/disposable income that I had in Atlanta. It's okay, though: I could afford to live in Manhattan if I so chose, but probably only in a teeny studio apartment with something wacky about it (like the bathtub in the kitchen, or no windows, or a walk-in closet classified as a bedroom.) Instead, I live in a nice section of Queens (Astoria, the Steinway/Ditmars neighborhood to be precise) where I can get a smallish one-bedroom with a backyard on a quiet street for about the same amount of money.
Re: London vs. NYC, well, both cities are great. New York seems to have more of an air of manic energy about it (which could either be bad or good, depending on your feelings.) I will say this: all my life I used to want to live in London on some kind of permanent basis. Living there for four months while I was in college only strengthened that desire. But, I found that that went away as soon as I moved to New York -- turned out that my desire was simply to live in a really big city. (and London was the biggest city I'd lived in or even been to up until I moved here.) I still love London and go there every year or two for a visit, but living in New York scratched that itch for me.
While New York is busy being full of itself, Chicago silently laughs, quite content being the last great American city.
how is it that i read a piece like this and my only reaction is to correct your grammar?
"it is inarguably among the greatest cities that has ever been."
perhaps my knee-jerk-grammarian-elitist-gestapo tactics will serve me well when i move to new york....holding.....
it is truly the center of it all. i think endemic 'perception problem' stems from the vibrant nature of new york. the people living there don't really have the time to stop and welcome outsiders with open arms and waste precious time scoring points in the miss congeniality contest.
"i'm in new york. i got people and things to do and places to go. get on board or get out of my way."
I liked the ironic parts, like where the new yorkers are said to be friendly and open to strangers.
I HEART NYC. I live in the Poconos of PA, in the boonies where there's dairy farms and lots of deer hunting going on. This is the place where if you need milk you need to drive 25 minutes to grocery store, park in a nightmare of a parking lot.. etc. etc. And since almost every errand involves driving you see nothing wrong with pumping $25 a week or more into your gas tank. Oh yea, and oil changes.
My wife commutes to the Bronx twice a week from here, for grad school. Its tough, but we know someday that we'll move there and love it. Love it. Love it.
A simply wonderful post! I love the city for all of the same reasons. I have the added experience of living in the suburbs of Atlanta before moving to Manhattan. Having Atlanta as a resource within driving distance is nowhere near as useful or rewarding as having New York as a resource, especially because I don't need to drive. I'm lucky to have NYU housing, as I'm currently in a dorm overlooking Washington Square park. Although I'm still in school, I know it's possible to live here comfortably on a moderate income. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that after graduation.
Have you been to Harlem recently? It's probably not somewhere you visit often, because it does not fit your lovely description of NYC. I agree that there are many wonderful things about NYC, but I personally can't get past the stark division between the rich and poor.
At least poverty is not hidden, as it is in the most suburban and rural areas. Also, there are many people here who choose to help the less fortunate. I'm not dismissing the fact that poverty is a huge problem; I'm only purporting that less is done about it in other places.
Very interesting post as well as comments. But perhaps the 'center of the universe' mentality is the one that is offputting to those who choose to live outside NYC. (I was quite offput when television programming was preempted for 4 continuous hours of Blackout 2003 coverage -- the real irony being that those directly affected couldn't even watch the coverage).
I definitely don't argue that NYC is a great place. Though I have never been there, it is that place I want to visit, fully aware that I will never even come close to experiencing everything it has to offer.
In response to Randy, I would like to point out that many of us are not '...used to the homogenous landscape of the edge city and the suburbs.' I quite enjoy the view out my window of the rugged Rocky Mountains jutting up into a purple and blue skyline. Also, never underestimate the freeing feeling of being able to see to the very edge of the distant horizon.
First part was very poetically written. You took me to another place, a place that I thought only existed in your mind. Its good to know its a real, breathing city. Maybe next year I will visit there.
Harlem is a vast, diverse, vibrant part of New York City. While there are pockets of poverty and despair, it is experiencing a revitalization of grand proportions. Ask Slick Willie.
I live in Brooklyn (for all of my life) and wouldn't think of leaving. However, Manhattan is the place to be and I enjoy my daily commute there for work and pleasure.
...we love our cars, we love the suburbs, we love the American culture...
Jesus, save them from themselves. They'll die, die, die, having only been comfortable, not vivid. It's oblivion they want, reaching backward into life from the eternity of death. Others who are alive try, try, try to fend off the darkness until their last seconds, and sometimes, when they are too many for the world, they fend it off even beyond.
Damn I miss this stinky city... Why did you have to remind me? :)
I guess you didn't hear that a Home Depot is going up at 5th and 23rd...I'm half-excited and half-wary.
"If you look at the demographics/migration patterns, you'll find that most Americans feel the way I do - we love our cars, we love the suburbs, we love the American culture."
So now New York culture isn't American? Only the suburbs and rural cultures are American? Only your lifestyle qualifies as American culture? Wow, that totally comes as news to me.
Shame on you, Paul. Your narrow view of "American culture" is, well, un-American.
People seem to have forgotten that you can't smoke in NY!
Smoking ban in restaurants: fine.
Smoking ban in bars: you f**cking crazy?!?!?!
Adorno - that's a state-wide law now. Even if Bloomberg repealed it, there's the whole Pataki thing to deal with.
And wasn't/isn't smoking banned in California's bars as well?
Anil - fantastic post. As someone who just moved here two months ago with a bit of trepidation, I've found nearly everything you say to be true. I'll be pinging shortly.
I've lived in NYC for over ten years and have loved every minute of it. I've even been fortunate to own a nice apt and start a family here.
Unfortunately, NYC is too expensive for us to raise two kids. Just to send them to nursery school is $5k per child per year. We don't own cars or enjoy many nights out on the town.
If you live to work, then NY is the place for you.
"So now New York culture isn't American? Only the suburbs and rural cultures are American? Only your lifestyle qualifies as American culture? Wow, that totally comes as news to me."
OK, so I should have said "stereo-typical American culture", or perhaps "suburban American culture".
I wasn't trying to put down urbanites, just explaining that most people don't want to live like you... it confounds me that those who live in the country or the suburbs, in general, don't begrudge the choices of those who live in the city, but the inverse can not be said to be true (at least for a very vocal minority).
The great thing about America is that you can live pretty much however you want - we have tropical island paradise (both urban and rural), we have big cities (both low and high density), we have suburbs, we have country, we have small cities and old towns, we have Alaska. Personally, NYC would be the very last place in the US that I would consider moving to - but that's just me, obviously about 0.5% of the people in the country disagree...
And as for those who think America outside of NY is homogenus or covered in "blight"; for the love of peat, do yourselves a favor and go see America. Just about 3/4 of the country is still pristine wilderness, and the parts that are populated sure ain't the same in Texas as they are in Montana or New Hampshire or Oahu. To me, all cities/inner suburbs pretty much share the same urban culture- it's out in the sticks where you find real cultural diversity....
It's nice to read about a person extolling the virtues of the place he inhabits. I feel similarly about my Chicago suburb, but for very different reasons.
Paul, sounds like you agree that the "in-between" that's not dense urban or rural beauty is sometimes a bit undifferntiated. And I don't even necessarily think that's a bad thing; I understand a lot of people are comforted by the familiarity.
What's striking to me is that so many people see me saying "here's why I love New York" as me saying "here's why where *you* live sucks". Yet I'd bet a lot of these people have no qualms saying "I love the U.S." and don't understand why other countries bristle at that sentiment.
I absolutely agree that the U.S. has an incredible variety of natural beauty, and that we don't see that in Manhattan. (Though there are still some beautiful natural areas in the outer boroughs.) But I think many of the people who don't live in New York City would appreciate at least visiting, if they weren't subjected to constant negative views of the city's people and culture.
It all comes around to a point that had struck me after the attacks two years ago... for all the genuine sympathy and empathy shown towards NYC, there were still millions of people in this country whose attitude towards New York ranged from suspicion to contempt, and that sentiment was either glossed over or ignored in the avalanche of "never forget" observances that followed. I can't help but feel a lot of those tributes would have been a lot more sincere if people had known how beautiful this city can be.
One does not need a reason to love a place, just as one does not need a reason to love one's country. If you feel compelled to find one, then you're in jeopardy of turning into a regionalist or a nationalist. Now, I have plenty of reasons for why I live where I live, but in truth I live here because the place has sunk its roots into me and I have become its willing prisoner. I take its good with its bad.
Nicole said: I quite enjoy the view out my window of the rugged Rocky Mountains jutting up into a purple and blue skyline. Also, never underestimate the freeing feeling of being able to see to the very edge of the distant horizon.
I as well enjoyed those mountains when I hiked in those mountains. I think, like Anil said, that there are mant landforms which NYC does not have. But you go a few miles away from those awesone landforms, and you have the same sameness and homogenous-ness as all other parts of America. Howard Kunstler has written extensiveley about this. We are in the land without a rooted sence of Place due many different factors are creating this homogenous landscape. And Paul, I have traveled through the US, and besides the spectacular places, all of the cities look the same. Maybe it is a bit of nostalgia to wish for places and cities which actually has a place!
Anil:
I did not mean to imply that you, personally, were insulting anyplace outside of NYC - my initial posts were simply entered as a reminder that there are those of us (inimately familiar with the city) who wouldn't live in NYC for any price. As you're undoubtedly aware, not everyone values the same aspects of "place".
Interestingly, you seem to be saying that your post was somewhat motivated by your percieved misapprehension of NYC by those who have not yet visited the place, but who do feel free to pass judgement. My response was likewise motivated - here in the suburbs we are constantly being judged by urbanites (especially urban planners) who have never visited the suburbs or who don't understand that a lot of us really like Home Depot and Costco, we love our cars, and we love our acreage.
Unfortunately, too many people really do think "where I live is great, and everywhere else sucks" (see the posts by Grant Barrett or Felix)....
Paul, you are right. I am passing judgement. But I did grow up in the suburbs, and have studied the suburbs extensively throughout my years as an architect. I agree that I like the conveniance, but the law of unintended consequences is being shown in terms of low wages to workers [McJobs], low wages for those in far away countries who make and produce those wares, and the cornering of the market by feudal capitalists [in opposition to democratic capital which Adam Smith wrote about]. All of these issues are bound together tightly, so much so that it is hard to comprehend. Paul, do you agree that what you feel from Urban Planners is “We know better than you about your living condition?” I hope it isn’t too late to lump us all who are interested in saving/reviving urbanity into the same category. Too many times it decends into “us/them” fights, when what happens in the suburbs effects the cities and vice versa.
That would be "apprentice architect" - man, I could goto jail posing as an architect before I took my boards.
Randy, I have but two things to say and then I will stop hijacking Anil's post:
a. just as you should not practice architecture without a license, you should stop practicing economics without an education - you clearly need to some remidial International Economics
b. apparently, the America you've travelled is not the same as the one I've seen (all 50 states, multiple times in each state)
Hmmmm... I've lived in London and NY... I prefer NY. That being said, both towns get economically less viable every year. I think the big-city thing is a bit outdated, anyway, especially for us net geeks.
OK, so I should have said "stereo-typical American culture", or perhaps "suburban American culture".
Yes, Paul, you definitely should have made that distinction. Because by not doing it, you did to city-dwellers precisely what you said "the rest of us" don't do: you "begrudged the choices of those who live in the city".
how sweet... except that the old "manhattan = new york" thing is tired. Write about manhattan, or write about new york.
Hey, I live in Brooklyn - we do have a home depot, thank god! Some of us actually have use for it, especially since it's open 24 hours (because, duh, it's in New York). Maybe it's just me but quite frankly i do get the periodic 3am hankering to semi-demolish my bathroom.
and to be honest, i'd give my eye teeth to see a subway train come out of a tunnel covered in a beautiful cars-long piece of graffiti art. there's still a few spots in brooklyn, queens, and the bronx where you can get a taste of this.
Christmas in NYC is for lovers... Christian lovers, that is!
Been to a lot of cities and ny is nowhere near the top places I'd want to live.
Sure, you can find everything you want there, but it doesn't mean it will the best in the US, which is what many seem to believe. I'd rather have quality over quantity anyday.
New York is one of those places that you're either going to love or hate. I certainly can see its reasons for being so loved. I can also see why it could be someones personal hell.
For me, it requires too many sacrafices for the return it gives. I can get 80 percent of NY living in atlanta, while not giving up all I would to live in NY.
In my opinion, london has more charater and attraction in one block than the entire city of NY.
Anil, of course, is NY's biggest proponent. I think he's quite delusional, and kind of ignorant to feel NY is the center of the universe (but most NYs seem to feel this way).
That said, good for him. For me location is everything. I couldn't imagine living someplace I hated. If I wanted to live in NY I'd make the changes needed.
Anil's happy in NY. I think that's fantastic. Just remember, when he talks about NYC, take it all with a grain of salt. It's like hearing the pope talk about the catholic church.
PS. Anytime someone says you don't understand xyz unless you are one/live here/have one you know you're dealing more with fiction than reality. It's a copout when there's nothing really to back up your opinion.
I too live in a perfect city. It is not so much of a city as it is a name on a map. I have lived in many cities across the country and have found what I want where I live. I live in a small town in rural Alaska. My city is on a public road system, and I have access to towns with many lower 48 ammenities, however I seldom use them.
I have visited both New York and London when I was younger and wonder how someone could choose to live in such a place. Pollution, crime, overcrowding, and lack of recreation all spring to mind as reasons why I will never return to either.
My city is expensive. Many of the daily ammenities people take for granted are hard to find here. I have a well with pipes that often freeze in the winter. My electricity is double or triple Outside rates. My pickup is hard to start on cold winter mornings, and gasoline is much more expensive that most places. I have no access to mass transportation, and if I did I probably would not use it.
Groceries are also expensive here and I kill most of the protein that I eat. The environment keeps me stocked with wood, water, salmon, moose, caribou, and deer. I haven't bought meat in a grocery store in 3 years.
Just remember that there are places that lie outside of the sprawing metropolis of many peoples daily existence. Pickup trucks, rifles, and fishing nets are still a large part of daily life in many places.
"Pickup trucks, rifles, and fishing nets are still a large part of daily life in many places."
Oh, oh, Jake. It looks like rural Alaska would be the next big voting block target for Howard Dean, if only you had more bars and stripes hoisted outside your homes.
New York's great, but Huntsville put a man on the moon.
Our rockets are bigger than your rockets. ;) I mean, crap, I'm sitting .7 mi from a Saturn V.
"Outer boroughs"? Do you mean Ronkonkoma?
The wonderful thing about the city is that it can fulfill everything you wrote in the first part of your piece and the opposite of it as well. Sometimes you're in a charming Manhattan mom-and-pop hardware store wondering why you're paying $10 too much for a crappy hammer, and you think, "I'd love to be in a Home Depot right now."
Part of my childhood was spent in NYC, and I must say, I remember it with fond memories. And I will agree, based on some time spent there recently, that New York City is truly a wonderful city to live in if you're a young professional or an artist/musician/writer/etc.
However, I find that the city is not conducive to the growth of the family. A city like Toronto, however, offers (some say) a similar experience to that of NYC, but with all the structures in place to ensure an atmosphere that fosters positive family interaction and children's welfare and education.
I am, however, looking forward to returning to New York soon, and Anil, your post just made me want to go there now.
Wow Anil- you seem to have struck a nerve. Odd how an homage to our fair city makes some folks come out of their corners swinging. A couple of points to make regarding some people fears about NYC, so that they may come and take the plunge. Crime is almost non-existent when taken as a per capita ratio- you are in more danger in a small town than you are in NYC- just that there are about 30 million people within TV crime scene van driving distance of Rockerfeller center. And that 30 million (some would go higher) is why NYC and its environs gets lots of attention. So, yes, I feel for the folks living in Alaska or Hartsfeild who have to watch boring TV about what is happening in NYC, be it Puff Daddy or the black out (which FYI hit alot more places than NYC), or the Hilton Sisters, etc. Do what I do and turn off the TV. Dont confuse what the media spits out as representative of NYC.
It is expensive and best tackled when you are young and sans kids, but millions of people do manage to get by on very little. And it is worth it. And re: endless horizons? We are on the water, what could get more endless than that? Have to say I would like to join Jake for a little hunting, sounds interesting.
Oh and one more point re: urban planners- they have PHDs- and you dont. They have studies- like the fact that in a space of 30 years Atlanta went from drawing corporations due to its climate, etc to driving them away due to the mess that it has become due to the fact that they have completely ignored the warnings of urban planners- they might not say what you want to hear, but few terminal patients like the news from their doctors either. Atlanta placed first in hours spent commuting- and it is getting worse. Places that were "wide open spaces" no longer are. Anyhoo- if you have never been to NYC- please stop by and have a great time- a few hints- DONT stay or even go to Times Square, DO come durring the spring or fall. you will love it.
If you live here (in New York), as with anywhere else, you learn to take the good with the not so good. And if you're lucky, some of the good is very good, in a way that is uniquely New York - or, uniquely London, or Seattle, or unique to where you might be. Appreciation and realism are a useful combination.
I don't often love New York, but I love being a New Yorker.
I promised not to write anymore, but I need to correct an obvious error, or two...
"Crime is almost non-existent when taken as a per capita ratio- you are in more danger in a small town than you are in NYC."
This statement is patently false, as anyone can quickly find at the FBI's Uniform Crime Statistics web page: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/02cius.htm
In reality, crime is 50% to over 600% higher in NYC than in rural areas (depending upon the state). For example, NYC in 2002 had 7.88 violent crimes per 1000 heads (vcph), where-as rural NY state had 2.2 vcph.
Also, the claim that Atlanta is driving corporations away does not jibe with reality. According to the 2002 Statistical Abstract of the United States, the city of Atlanta not only grew faster than New York in percentage terms (39% vs. 9% over 10 years), but Atlanta has also added more raw heads than NYC over the same time period. Since Atlanta has lower unemployment than NYC, where are all these added people working if the corporations are being driven away?
The facts "might not say what you want to hear", but they are true, none-the-less.
I've only been to New York City a few times, but it was enough for me to fall in love. You're an amazing writer, and I'd be proud to live in such a city too. Good job... you make my urge to live there much stronger!
I've lived in NYC for 10 years now. I realize that's not a long time compared to someone who's spent his whole life here, raised by parents and grandparents who also grew up here, but in my decade in New York, I've experienced the city in a lot of different ways: as a college student, as a young, underpaid, overeducated, carefree writer, as a member of a DINK couple, as a parent struggling to make ends meet, as someone who's lived in three boroughs, as a Chinese-American who loves blending into NYC's ethnic enclaves, as the husband of a Colombiana who takes me along to explore the community her countrymen have founded here. This is what I've discovered:
Manhattan is the most glorious place in the world to get educated (in the broadest sense) get rich, get famous, or get laid. It helps, of course, if you're smart, talented, and good looking -- but every young Manhattanite believes he's all of these things, at least to some extent, or else he wouldn't be here.
If you're under 30, it is possible to achieve that sort of happiness even if you have a crappy paying job, as long as you're willing to sacrifice many conveniences of daily living available in the burbs (such as a decent-sized living space); it helps if your parents will pay the rent. It helps if you're open minded. (My son's class has 9 kids; 7 have racially mixed parents, the 2 white kids have gay parents. I like imagining some racist yahoo trying to wrap his mind around that). It helps if you're willing to celebrate the political, cultural and culinary contributions of the city's new immigrants -- without whom New York's population would contract and its vitality wither.
That said, unless you make more than $100,000 a year, you will probably never amass any wealth living in Manhattan. If you live for 50 years in Manhattan and your income never exceeds (adjusted for inflation) $100K, you will probably die without being able to pass on to your kids a car, house, or any significant assets.
And speaking of kids, unless you make more than $250,000, raising a child in Manhattan forces you to make wrenching sacrifices -- the ultimate sacrifice being the move out of NYC. Because while you might be willing to live in a shoebox, or in a "gritty" neighborhood, or to ignore the poverty and social disorder lurking around the periphery (either literally or figuratively speaking), once the nurse hands you that little bundle, you begin wondering if it's fair to subject that delicate babe to those same things. And while there are ways in NYC to insulate your child from these things, they tend to involve $1.5 million apartments in doorman buildings, $1500/month private nursery school and $30,000/year private school. It's a little easier getting by with kids in the outer boroughs, but not by much.
I'm lucky; I'm pretty much broke now, but in a few months, god willing, I'm going to graduate from law school and will be able to buy my son that kind of safety and security. I can avoid the sacrifices that have sent others to the burbs. So I'm still up on New York. I just remember that for a lot of people who love the city and all it offers, the realities of life make that love a curse.
Forgive me my grunge aesthetics (I am, after all, a native Seattleite), but I have trouble finding anything as expensive as New York appealing. It's like a $750 pair of shoes: sure they're nifty and stylish, but with a price like that they're not especially pragmatic. I place a lot of a city's merit on value and humility, and New York lacks both, which is why I don't chose to live there. That said, as a writer, the decision not to stay in NYC was one that has undoubtably taken its toll on my career. And I'm ok with that. I can visit New York whenever I want, drop a month's worth of rent in 5 days, and then escape back to my rainy, humble emerald city.
This is bollocks, get out into the world, learn about other things. Nobody will ever agree on something as vague and bland as "greatness" - some ridiculous US invented notion. Baghdad, Nairobi and Mumbai are the greatest cities on planet earth. Get a life.
Great post. You captured much of the greatness but seemed to hit a sore spot with many when you ventured into the claim of greatest.
We can have many great places to live, but there can only be one greatest. Maybe the claim to that title is not worth the price.
Hi Anil:
I read your posting on NYC. It sure gave me goosebumps. As I have told you many times, NYC is my dream town. This city gave me visions of the USA and reasons for wanting to come to the USA. Thanks for showing aroung NYC during the Thanksgiving weekend. We also enjoyed watching the famous Macy's parade and the ocean of people there. There is something magical about this city. Each time I visit it I like it more. You had a very good write up on it.
U. Dash
If I can't walk outside and look up at the stars and point out a few constellations in the quiet of the night (save for a few cars driving down the highway every few minutes), then the city cannot, will not, be considered the "greatest" city that ever was.
Remember the planet you're living on? There's a lot more to it than a concrete jungle and man made plots of land for growing grass. Declaring that some supremely expensive concrete jungle is the greatest city/place/whatever in the world is extremely narrow minded and demonstrates what might be wrong with the general mentality of the world today.
I'd rather take my $100,000 a year salary and buy a nice house somewhere away from the light, and noise pollution so I could enjoy myself and the wonderful world around me devoid of sorry man-made excuses for greatness.
NYC is definitely a world-class city.
But like any place it's got its good points and bad. Comparing New York to any other place is like the proverbial Mac/PC debate. Whether it suits you depends on what's important to you.
I like urbanism, culture, intelligence, and interesting people doing interesting things. But I also like living amongst the trees. So I compromise. I find a place where I can easily get to both. The forest is just outside my door and the rest is just a short subway ride away.
You've convinced me: I am going to NY!
Those first two paragraphs could apply to the small town in Alaska that I lived in for years.
I grew up in South Florida. Maybe that's why I hate New York. I can't get past my childhood loathing of the "New Yorkers"--the people who came down every winter and made every situation louder, more hostile and more crowded.
I've visited NYC several times, too, and I've seen many different parts of the city. I remember being horrified by the concrete and the tenements when I was a child. Now, the people scare me the most. You're not nice. I guess you just don't notice it anymore.
I'd take Toronto or London or Vancouver anyday. All of the benefits of a world class city with 95% less urine.
I live in Hollywood right now. Each day during my lunch break I ride around on my bike (yes bikes are allowed in L.A.). Today, I passed a very distraught bicyclist yelling,"Directions?" to anyone that would listen(few people actually listen). When I asked,"Where are you going?". He answered," Back to NY as soon as I can! But right now I'm looking for Melrose"
NY is cool. It's got a pulse. The center of the universe? Sure, your universe. I've been all over this country, and I love many parts of it... 212,415,323,213,305,617,646. It's all pretty amazing to me. Every city is a story whose inhabitants live day in and day out.
I LOOOOOOVE NYC, I've never been there, but i guess it's my idealiSTIK City. God bless New York.
Excellent, Anil, very well written.
Oh man I'd love to live in NYC. Unfortunately, I'm a poor college student! But after I graduate, it's a world of opportunities - what's the starting salary for a web programmer?
And more importantly, what do you think it takes per month to live with minimum ammenities (rent, food, internet) in NY? Living on the worst level, that is, but in Manhattan?
And it's so funny that I consider internet a bare minimum.
As someone who runs a site for bartenders in NYC, this is the right sentiment to have. Great idea.
As someone who runs a site for bartenders in NYC, this is the right sentiment to have. Great idea.
New York City is exciting, tiring on occasions.
It certainly keeps one alive.
Hell --- I love it!
For a few days at a time.
I speak as a Londoner (UK)
Done the whole thing (yep!) for twenty years .
Still love it, but anil please remember that things are cyclical.
Bloomberg is surfing.
I think he has lost his surf.
Or board.
whatever.
That kind of enthusiasm will rub off on anyone; I'm not a New Yorker, but I certainly appreciate where you're coming from on a number of fronts.
I get a few derogatory comments in these parts based upon my being a Londoner; the wider perception in the yukay is that we see ourselves as being 'it' - the centre of the revolving Universe - just as New Yorkers [allegedly] do of themselves and their grand capital (in the rhetorical sense, I know something of D.C.).
Comparing the two cities is ridiculous; there are too many factors to consider and, frankly, it's just about the most subjective thing that could be debated... except, perhaps, on the diversity front; the demographics speak different, with one of these cities playing home to more languages and ethnic communities than any other on the planet. I know which one it is, but the details aren't important and we're not playing one-up here - they come pretty close.
As someone already mentioned prior - I read the first few paras and honestly thought it was London!
Being a die-hard Londoner myself - I can say that I experienced a year of living in Manhattan back in the days when Ed Koch was trying to clean the place up - and I loved every minute of it! Since then I have been back a few times and have witnessed some changes. Can't really say if it's for the better - but that's not important. Your essay and ensuing comments demonstrate what makes people passionate about the places they love or live (or both).
One thing that I did recall being infuriated with in Manhattan way back then (1987 I think) was the state of dereliction if Cleopatra's Needle in a rough, neglected, clearing in Central Park. (London's equivalent has stood in pride in a prominent position on the Embankment by the river ever since it was gifted to us.) I promised myself I would write to all the municipal authorities and cultural heritage institutions in America in an attempt to convey my despair - but never did. So - I wonder if you could do me a favour? Could you go check out Cleopatra's Needle and see if she's OK? It would be nice to know that she's being looked after and cared for. I'll feel a lot less guilty ...
Nowadays when I visit New York - it's almost always to some of my folks who live in Queens: Flushing, Jamaica, Richmond Hill etc. perhaps not the glam sides - but I always get the feeling that this is "real" New York - and I am at home there just as much as I am in the suburbs around my neigbourhood in London.
I agree with most of your NYC description, but I'm curious ...are there any statistics that support your claim that over 50% of NYC speaks more than one language? I wouldn't be very surprised if it's true, but I'd be less suprised if it's not true.
Dav:
According to the Census Bureau "American FactFinder", 52.4% of those (older than age 5) residing in NYC can only speak English. Additionally, another 9.0% can not speak English, which implies that between 52.4% and 61.4% of New Yorkers can only speak one language.
So, while you are correct that Anil somewhat exaggerated in this instance, I'd say he was close enough... also, Manhattan may differ from NYC as a whole.
Looking into details by zip code, it's clear that Manhattan has a smaller multilingual population (per capita) than NYC as a whole. While there are some neighborhoods on the Southeast or Northeast side of the island where fully 3/4 of all people speak more than one language, there are also large areas around Central Park where 2/3 to 3/4 of people only speak English.
I can say that from my couple quick visits there that it is an amazing place. One in which I truely do not understand, but it seems to be more than just a location to me.
No doubt, NYC is one of the world's great cities. It is very difficult to live there - one reason I think New Yorkers, more than anyone else, continually talk about how great NYC is and, to an extent by extension, how great they are for living there. I can admire the "if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere" attitude on it's merits, but also see how it can irritate some. For some, there is New York - and then there is everywhere else. I decided after a couple of years it wasn't for me - but who's to say what is for others?
If money and job were no object, I'd choose Paris. Then London. Then San Francisco. Since money/job are an object, I'm going for my third choice.
It's interesting, your description applies exactly to San Francisco. SF is perhaps slightly less multicultural and certainly is smaller than NYC - but it would be really impossible to guess which city you were talking about based on your description. Now, if you had added "the weather is almost always perfect, neither getting uncomfortably warm or cold", then I could have guessed. :)
But what about the pimps and the CHUDs?
there is another place just like it. A neighbourhood in Montreal called the Plateau. One other thing to add to the list? A crime rate on tenth per capita of NYC...
:)
Wow, great discussion! Can I just say, I wish I made $100,000 (I'd even settle for $50,000)? :)
Living is a bit easier in the outer boros (Bronx at the moment, Brooklyn for a number of years in my not-so-distant past), and after 20+ years here I'm only starting to miss the car I had when I lived in NJ with my folks (and that's mostly because we live on a hill and my husband doesn't travel well on public transit). But it's great to be able to find just about everything one wants or needs within walking distance or a short subway/bus hop, and there's always something new to discover in Manhattan. Not so great in terms of living space, but amazingly cool in terms of hanging out during the day. And the crazies are just soooo NY. I hit at least three of them on average every week in the one and a half block walk from the subway to my office.
Didn't know about the Home Depot opening (we have a Target opening near us in the northwest Bronx next spring), but Manhattan has two K-Marts (one by Penn Station, one in the East Village) so it's certainly not devoid of schlock stores.
You write too much stuff, people don't read that fast!!! And do you know when the name was invented and who made the name?
Katie
London is the greatest city on earth, and it is the center of the univers,
I live in the usa and i am born and raised in london,
i have been to new york many times.
London has a bigger and better subway, better fashion, kind people,
almost everything new york is missing!
New york is just a big copy of london,
Americans drive every where, but new yorkers dont like acting like americans, they always wannabe more european.
i wonder why???
Quite a narrow minded self important article.
There is much more to diversity than the color of one's skin or one's ethnic origin.
I guess if Anil had his way we should just pave the entire country, kill all the wild life, live in a cube farm and plug ourselves into the Matrix.
I have visited NYC ALOT during the past year for extended periods of time and I cannot get used to it. I never will. I don't like it or the "center of the universe" attitude.
Might as well move to Disney World or Epcot Center and spend the rest of your existance and the mercy of beuracracy stuck on your little island of misery.
I grew up in rural Maryland and currently own a 3 bedroom house in Arlington, Virginia with a 6,000 sq ft yard within walking distance of National airport and pay less than $3,000/month. Which is how much New Yorkers pay for a walkin closet.
From here I can go anywhere I want conveniently. Can walk to the subway, go to Union Station and be at NYC Penn Station in a few hours. Can walk out of my house barefoot and feel grass between my toes. It is very Q U I E T here dispite proximity to the airport.
The prospect of being 50 years old and
not having 2 dimes to rub together because you spent 30 years using all of your disposable income to make you landlord wealthy has never occured to you? There are good and bad things about all places to live to say one place is "the best" is just stupid and biggoted.
Some people realize that they and their life have value without the superficiality of a room with a view, a trendy area code or zip code.
I can think of few other places where the ratio of the value of a person compared to the value of real estate of so terrible.