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Unlike one-industry town like Los Angeles, I run into far more interesting people here than anywhere else. I have a shoemaker who earned a doctorate in philosophy. My personal trainer is the son of a famous Nobel Peace Prize winner. I run into Academy Award winners. I've shared a cab with a stranger (during a transit strike) and the individual turned out to be a billionaire.
That's really not that surprising, not going to get much other work with a doctorate in philosophy, maybe McDonald's?
If you have the means to enjoy the cultural life of Manhattan (museums...), I think it's one of the best city in the world. I find them a little expensive and I think that's a problem when you want to introduce culture to a larger part of the population. This is the real wealth of Manhattan and they should be approachable.
NYC is an amazing place but it's a very big, over crowded place that has become very expensive. Great shows, food, museums, it's a possible vacation spot, but I wouldn't want to reside there.
Went to Manhattan yesterday for a meeting. I love Manhattan, it energizes you and it's intense. but it's also relaxing. so many benches to sit and and chill. I love to walk around there. it is fast pace, but there is also a lot of relaxation in the choas. with that said after spending a day there, I was happy to cross the Ben Franklin Bridge and be back in Philly. But Manhattan is cool if you want to go there to hang out, catch a show, a play, or just take some pics. But not very livable if you ask me.
the last play i saw was Billy Elliott on a Thursday night. leaving was pure hell. the train station was an inferno, it took to long to come, finally got off at 18th street, went to my car, and the Brooklyn bridge was a detour at Tillary street, got home at 2am, and this was a school night.
way to many people for me in the times square area, I have not been back since and I would not go to a B'way play if you gave me free tickets and a free dinner meal.
i rather sit on my toilet bowl at home and read war & peace.
Glad you're enjoying the city. It's great and there is nothing like it and I enjoyed my time when I lived there. Would move back in a heartbeat! Truly special but unfortunately you have to be rich to live there these days so it's not a fit for the average person!
What he said.
It is the greatest place in the world, but the older you get, the higher your standards get too.
5th year anniversary today. Whenever people inquire this Texan (by way of Los Angeles) transplant "how do you feel about New York," it feels like I am being demanded to solve a riddle with no right answer. Sure, there's been a lot of laughs. A lot of anger. A lot of heartache but also oodles (and oodles) of fun on this island. Manhattan is not just a location anymore- it's its own entity. It's an iconic, giant, living, breathing organism filled with people and cars and subways and critters and bright lights and fluids and perpetual energy. We humans are hopelessly entangled in a symbiotic relationship with this organism, some more than most.
To sum it up.
It's hard.
It's very expensive, the competition is daunting, the expectations are high, the office seems more intense, the subway can be unpleasant. You won't go a day without someone trying to rip you off, tourists getting in your way, overhearing a crazy conversation, fighting for a cab in the rain, spending too much of your money or getting pushed psychologically, verbally or physically.
It's easy.
One click or phone call will bring anything and everything to your door in thirty minutes or less, from a bagel to a $10,000 gown for tonight's benefit. The best of everything and anything as the finest shops and restaurants are all located on this island. Cabs are plenty, the subway system runs 26 routes with 6,200 subway cars that stop at 468 different subway stations. It's the fashion capital, the financial capital and the nightlife capital of the country, if not the entire world. Manhattan has highest per capita income of any county in the country and the only county in America to have a per capita income above $100k -- the opportunities here are endless. There's a reason for the idiom, A New York Minute.
It's busy.
Manhattan is the oldest and most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. We have so many restaurants that if you ate out three times a day it would still take you sixteen years to dine at everyone of them. There are over 13,000 yellow cabs driving the city every day - apparently one for every woman Warren Beatty's banged.
It's beautiful.
Central Park, Grand Central Station, models, the celebs, the fashion you see walking down the street, SoHo lofts, the Statue of Liberty, jogging along Hudson River Park, golfing off of Chelsea Piers, Tribeca Penthouses, the Met Museum of Art, the Frick, Broadway Shows, tree speckled streets of the West Village. The list is endless. And 16 bridges connect the world to this singularly amazing borough.
It's exciting.
From the upmarket parties, chic lounges, and bars to the exhilarating feeling you get by simply walking the streets. Theatre, live bands, Shakespeare in Central Park. You can walk down one street and you will see it change a dozen times over the course of a month. The vibe of Manhattan is intoxicating whether walking through the exhilarating rush of Midtown Manhattan or strolling through the bohemian West Village on a Sunday. I have never been bored for even one second living here.
The people.
Unlike one-industry town like Los Angeles, I run into far more interesting people here than anywhere else. I have a shoemaker who earned a doctorate in philosophy. My personal trainer is the son of a famous Nobel Peace Prize winner. I run into Academy Award winners. I've shared a cab with a stranger (during a transit strike) and the individual turned out to be a billionaire.
It's home
I am always sooo happy to be back in Manhattan whenever I go back to visit family and return. Seeing the skyline from the plane never gets old.
Texas is my state but Manhattan is and will always be my hometown.
That's not really true either. The only things I kinda agree with are the convenience and walkability. NYC is amazing for both due to its sheer density. Most other things she says ... Just no. Manhattan summarizes much I dislike about big cities. And that's bearing in mind I'm not the kind who hates big cities with a passion like some here. You can get all the positives in brooklyn for much less hassle, smell, noise, tourists, scam artists etc.
Less scam artists in Brooklyn? Half of Brooklyn is GHETTO!
Manhattan loses its luster after a few years, when you're looking to actually own property and not just throw money away...
+1
Moving back to Richmond, VA after my 3 years here. Early 20s were a great experience and NYC will always hold a special place in my heart (my first "Big Girl job," etc.) but I am done with paying rent and throwing my money away.
Nice post OP though- you've captured a lot of the NYC essence. Happy New Yorkversary!
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Perfectly stated. eloquently written. Rock-solid truth.
