How is NYC......not the "C" (New York, Albany: to live, stores)

[edsg25]

I live in the Chicago area, not that far from Lake Michigan. I feel our language sometimes fails us. That both "Lake Michigan", a huge body of water that borders four states, is a "lake" along with "Lake Arlington", a one mile long and 1/2 mile wide lake nearby my place boggles the mind. I mean, shouldn't there be different term for the Great Lakes that doesn't call them "lakes"?

I give that example to move to the term of "city". Its definition is pretty straight forward: an incorporated urban area under a city form of government. And, of course, I realize that cities can function as such from a small town of 20,000 to a city of 3 or 4 million.

So going on how one uses definitions, in some respects it is hard for me to see New York as a "city". In some ways, due to its size, its complexity, its spread, the very separations that water creates, I see New York transcending the role of city. I suppose we could go with the term "megacity" which we do. But to me, it's almost like we're talking about a new breed of cat.

As I said, I live in Chicago. And in my conception, Chicago may be the largest "city" in the nation for as I noted, New York seems to have transcended that designation and arguably Los Angeles as well. Thus when Houston passes Chicago in population, it sort of becomes....#1?

Anyway, you may or may not (and probably more likely "may not") agree with me. But even if you don't, you certainly can answer my question:

In what ways does NYC not function like other US cities, doesn't conform with how we see and define "city"? What makes it really another category. I'm not thinking so much as the degree and quality of attributes. I get that. And, of course, it is true: New York does have more and it has better than other places.

But I'm thinking less of better/worse and zeroing in on pure differentiation: If you accept the fact that the other cities in the US are "cities" by how I have tried to define them, what makes NYC that different breed of cat I mentioned.....not better, not worse, just different: in how its run, on what it means to live there, really on all aspects. How is New York City not a "city"...but truly something else?

[SanMan2k5]

[Mr.Retired]

New York serves globally as the port of destination.
Any human being on this planet wanting a better life will always choose America followed by New York.
It's no wonder millions step foot on this small land mass every year with the opportunity to make it big.
This distinction alone sets New York apart from all other cities in the United States.
We give you the chance now show us what you got.

[GoHuskies]

Originally Posted by edsg25

In what ways does NYC not function like other US cities, doesn't conform with how we see and define "city"? What makes it really another category. I'm not thinking so much as the degree and quality of attributes. I get that. And, of course, it is true: New York does have more and it has better than other places.

New York City represents $1.2 trillion of the $1.6 trillion total GDP for NY State. I guess it differs from many cities because the 'city' of NYC effectively is the state and any decisions from the Albany must be made with the city in mind.

[Javawood]

In Tokyo, often times America just means NYC. Most of the 'American' stores are based around here, like Pizza Slice in Shibuya. Secondary is Hawaii. Whenever anyone asks where I came from, I say NYC which gives more astonishing looks than other places, like Conneticut or Chicago (where I was born). That alone proves to me the influence of NYC. When a city of 13.4m and MSA of nearly double NYC's builds a mimic'd Statue of Liberty in their own bay, you get a sort of pride for how strong of a notion NYC is.

Call it a metropolis if you don't like city. Inversely, raise the population limit of what is deemed a city. Careful though, you'll make places like Richmond out to be small towns instead.

[VA All Day]

I can't fathom having the amount of free time ed evidently has.

[rayona]

I would argue that NYC is the only true city in the US and all others that you named are simply large suburban agglomerations. New York has far more in common with international cities like Paris and Tokyo than it does with Houston or Chicago. Cities are vertical spaces where the private dwelling is subordinate to the public space and where the private automobile is at best a nuisance.

[propman-nyc]

This topic is.. mehf

[Foamposite]

Originally Posted by Javawood

In Tokyo, often times America just means NYC. Most of the 'American' stores are based around here, like Pizza Slice in Shibuya. Secondary is Hawaii. Whenever anyone asks where I came from, I say NYC which gives more astonishing looks than other places, like Conneticut or Chicago (where I was born). That alone proves to me the influence of NYC. When a city of 13.4m and MSA of nearly double NYC's builds a mimic'd Statue of Liberty in their own bay, you get a sort of pride for how strong of a notion NYC is.

Call it a metropolis if you don't like city. Inversely, raise the population limit of what is deemed a city. Careful though, you'll make places like Richmond out to be small towns instead.

There are a lot of Japanese and Japanese-Americans in the West Coast so that's weird to me if true. I actually think Washington gets more Japanese immigtants than New York

[Foamposite]

All 5 boroughs are cohesively part of NYC. The signage and public services are uniform throughout, people are all governed by the city government, much of the public transit revolves around taking people to and from Manhattan, and in my opinion most of NYC feels distinctly like NYC.