Why would anybody live in NYC?

[Going Postal]

Just got finish watching Property Virgins on HGTV. A couple from Dubai, must have been the 27 youngest son of a oil sheik because he only had 440,000 for his housing budget. An efficiency over a train track, a convertible (living and bedroom w/Murphy bed) and a one bedroom condo over in Jersey City were the choices. A half a million will get you a lot of house in other parts of the country. Hell, mansions.

You can't claim good weather like Cali.

Now, I have been there. Was in the army stationed at Ft Monmouth in NJ, 50 miles away. Ehh. Not worth it. Broom closet...mansion...broom closet...mansion.

CNN attracted "world class talent" in Atlanta. Boutique shops, nice restaurants, etc moved into Wal-mart's home town in Arkansas. Broadway shows tour the country. etc.

Why are so many people retarded?

[BooRadley]

Lifestyle. You can't match it anywhere else.

[Malcolm Wright]

I agree GP.

New York seems overrated to me, as do most of the major capitals of the world. Unless one needs to be overstimulated all year round (which I guess is the case for a lot of folks who also have the means to live there), I'm really happy living in a cultivated but lower key city where that kind of money will get you a 3 bedroom house with the most stunning ocean views. With the money you save, you can have a travel budget for decades to be in those jacked up places for part of the year if you get the itch.

And you know what the ugly truth is? I appreciate my visits to those cities more than my friends who live there appreciate their own cities. Those places grind people down, fill their lives with stress - people don't have time for each other... etc etc... All the blights of living on top of each other while having to be amongst the fastest in the rat race just to maintain one's foothold. And then I breeze in and really enjoy my time there because its fresh to me, and I'm not trapped there. I can be in a place for months but feel like its a holiday the whole time, even though I'm working hard... because it isn't home, and its a change. Its not fair really, for the people who live there.

Perhaps the worst thing though is that these places are like black holes. They have such a powerful force of gravity that most people living there start to live under the illusion that they are at the center of the universe. Living elsewhere would be like living nowhere, should they even be able to develop the escape velocity to leave. Sometimes they derive a sense of self-importance from it, which is always a bit sad to me. Living in a cage (not even a gilded one), and denying the value of what lies beyond it, perhaps blind that way to justify the difficulties they endure to stay there...

Anyway, that's my take on NY. London fits the bill. Paris too. At least LA, Vancouver and Tokyo have redeeming qualities in or nearby that make them much more livable - but still, they're expensive as all hell. Why live there when you can visit?

M

[Zordar]

Why live there when you can visit?

That's a great quote.

I love visiting NYC, but I also love being able to come back home. The first few days, I notice the great galleries, clubs, restaurants, and other attractions, and can't get enough. Then I start noticing the crowds, the traffic, the general facade, etc.

Mostly of the people I know are involved in the arts in some way, so perception might be skewed, but the posturing and schmoozing that goes on in larger cities where people go to "make it" just makes me kind of ill after awhile. I don't do well around that kind of desperate neurotic intensity (this is more true of Los Angeles than New York; the desperation of NYC has a certain honest cynicism to it that I find less cloying).

In the end, I like going back to my hobbit hole. And once I've had my fill of quiet, it's time to visit another city.

[optimus]

Anyway, that's my take on NY. London fits the bill. Paris too. At least LA, Vancouver and Tokyo have redeeming qualities in or nearby that make them much more livable - but still, they're expensive as all hell. Why live there when you can visit?

M

For the chicks man...for the chicks.

[Malcolm Wright]

For the chicks man...for the chicks.

Ah - fair enough. There are women all over the earth though - you do know that? NYC women are fine but if you ask me, the finest of them are the one's with the wisdom to leave!

M

[Lulu]

For the chicks man...for the chicks.

ha I was there for a weekend once with a girlfriend of mine... we felt so short and frumpy. Half the women were clearly models - 5'10" and above and about 105 lbs. We were staying in Manhattan though.

Not a chance I'd ever live there. Unless you have millions, you live in a shoe box. The cat sized rats and bed bugs are also a buzz kill on NYC.

[9ball8]

We like to humor those in NY and LA about their importance. The rest of us just live in "flyover country" after all. And it is true: NY and LA (Hollywood) account for a large part of our economy and world fame. And, if I were young & could afford a reasonable living hole, there are endless possibilities for fun there. But, it grinds people down, as evidenced by occasional declines in population when many try to get out. The largest urban centers are reserved for the most headstrong, resourceful and tenacious people who can withstand the pressures and density of a fast paced environment. Poor dumb bastards.

[queenlillian1962]

NYC is dirty,air quality is bad,and IMO would be a depressing place to live. Visiting is OK but why anyone wants to pay that much to live there is beyond me.

[302Riz]

I have been working in NYC every day for the last 12 years and it is a great place to hang out and visit for a day or maybe a weekend. There are just too many places to go, bars to drink at, restaurants to eat at, chicks to oogle and sights to see. The best places to go to see girls is in 29th Street where FIT is. Plenty of 6' amazon girls walking around.

At the end of the day, I enjoy my space and driving my car so Long Island is where its at for me.

[Going Postal]

We like to humor those in NY and LA about their importance. The rest of us just live in "flyover country" after all. And it is true: NY and LA (Hollywood) account for a large part of our economy and world fame. And, if I were young & could afford a reasonable living hole, there are endless possibilities for fun there. But, it grinds people down, as evidenced by occasional declines in population when many try to get out. The largest urban centers are reserved for the most headstrong, resourceful and tenacious people who can withstand the pressures and density of a fast paced environment. Poor dumb bastards.

I rather live in San Diego. 70 degrees year round. Never a boring moment. Palm trees. Have to win the lotto though.

[queenlillian1962]

Yeah great place to visit because it does offer alot, but I need grass between my toes to be happy so it's alway back home to CT for me just like you go home to LI.

[Cyclone Ranger]

New York City is my home town. I've lived here for almost seventy years, excluding a few spent in the service. It has more to offer than any city in the world, bar none.

There is simply nothing like it. If you have to pay more to live here, it's a small price.

[Malcolm Wright]

New York City is my home town. I've lived here for almost seventy years, excluding a few spent in the service. It has more to offer than any city in the world, bar none.

There is simply nothing like it. If you have to pay more to live here, it's a small price.

Its your hometown - of course you have a natural pull from it.
But in a world of over-stimulation, the city that has more to offer than any other city in the world is a good place to start looking for over-stimulation. If you not born there, chances are your reasons for being there is because you need to be over-stimulated...

Over a certain income threshold, living there can be chalked up to mere convenience... but the folks who settle for living in a closet to be there - I'd say they're addicted to the hype.

M

[Cyclone Ranger]

It's not just hype, though. If you can make it here, you really can make it anywhere.

[Malcolm Wright]

It's not just hype, though. If you can make it here, you really can make it anywhere.

That's true in a sense... if by make it you mean succeed in the rat race.
But some of the people who are highly successful in NYC would jump off a cliff if they had to spend 10 days in silent retreat.
Or would cry for their mothers if they had to cross a desert, or a jungle.

M

[Cyclone Ranger]

You'd be surprised.....in some regions of the five boroughs, you can get all the amenities of a wilderness retreat, or even a small town.

[Šñøü†ê®]

New York City is my home town. I've lived here for almost seventy years, excluding a few spent in the service.

^Evidence?

You'd be surprised.....in some regions of the five boroughs, you can get all the amenities of a wilderness retreat

^Indeed. Once you head above 92nd Street after midnight!

[Malcolm Wright]

You'd be surprised.....in some regions of the five boroughs, you can get all the amenities of a wilderness retreat, or even a small town.

I know - I've been around a bit... I wasn't arguing that isn't available around NYC - rather that some people who can 'make it' in NYC actually couldn't make it in certain other places.

M

[Šñøü†ê®]

Malcolm, you may not be familiar with Cyclone Ranger. He is a sock puppet. He pretends to be various individuals. This time around he is a senior citizen. He has been exposed as a fake, phony, fraud. There is absolutely no evidence Cowpunk has lived in NYC. As far as reality, NYC is extremely expensive and the taxes are ridiculous, but it is safer than it used to be.