New York City is for sellouts

Other reasons for NYC is a built up image of glamour and star power and grit that is long gone and no longer a reality. AKA what Tracer said, it's kind of hard to add anything to what he said. He didn't really mention the drugs.

I'll agree. Right now if I was recommending places to get out to from somewhere -- strictly in American terms -- I'd suggest Seattle or SF, actually. Those living there would probably have their own perspectives on why this would be good or bad.

I've encountered far more grit living in East Dallas than I did in NYC.

Who's moving here, Nick? Anyone I know?

And c'mon: NYC = Disneyland? Don't believe yr own hype, yo. NYC's nightlife is amazing, it's the center of the arts universe, it's filled with a ridiculous amount of beautiful people, you don't need a car and if you are aiming for an entertainment- or financial-related job, it's the place to be.

...and entertainment jobs are moving to Canada because of the "Canadian Advantage"

It's stuff like this that sticks in my craw, Yanc3y! I'm not blaming you, I've just heard it too often with further explanation or context -- I'm all for self-fulfilling prophecy and everything but is it actually true?

http://www.hollyeats.com/images/New%20York/Hallo-Menu.jpg

Where I worked up there, only two of us were native NYers. Everyone else came from somewhere else. One of those natives, my Creative Director, never travelled in the US really. Why should she, she reasoned, when she lived in NYC. She was half French, half English, hardly bathed and was the most obnoxious person ever.

I'm glad NY exists.

i hate it, Chris, or at least i've told myself that many times

Ya think? I dunno. I have wanted to be/always felt like I am a writer and all, but I figure urban mystique in your brain is where you find it, I can pitch to editors and hash out ideas on-line, you can download all the music and art and whatever you like in life these days, and I can walk out from my door and get great ramen, soul food, Cuban cuisine and fish tacos (and Iranian and Indian food etc.) within a hundred yards. So I dunno, it seems less necessary that NYC specifically should be it.

NYC undoubtedly offers more writing-related job opportunities than many places, though.

(The German Soul Food is one of the few things that has made me want to visit NYC.)

Being moved to write verse/stories/songs/scripts about it and capture the "vibe"=horribly cliche.

I'm sure you're right there, given the publishing houses and all -- since that's never really appealed to me as a career path, NYC was never going to be a beacon on that front, but for others (Nabisco, for instance?) it would be a darn good holy grail.

it's pretty much our platonic ideal of 'the city;' anywhere else is just 'a city.'

*rubs chin* Sorta yes, sorta no. Mine seems to be a combination of NYC's transit setup with Melbourne's beachfront and SoCal's food.

and therein lies the humor

That's because, what 8 million people pack themselves into 25 square miles or something every single day? (i'm pulling these numbers out of my ass but I'm sure they're not too far off). That's one of the biggest reasons I have for no longer living there.

The most desolate, decript bums I've ever encountered were in London.