So, New York, Huh?

Whenever I go back to my hometown in Ohio or travel to other whereabouts I always get asked the same question, “Why do you like NYC so much?” And there are some obvious, rote answers that I could give if I wanted to end the conversation by steering it into a dead end street named blah. Things like, "It’s the capitol of the world." Or, "There’s so much to do that you’re never bored." Shit like that. Those answers would be disingenuous though. 

I don’t look at NYC as the capitol of the world, mostly because I don’t really think about macro, indefinable generalizations very often. It’s just kind of dumb to think that people outside the US even give a second’s (Is there an apostrophe in seconds there? No idea) thought to New York throughout their day.  They are too busy trying to get a hold on their own universe. Now, if all the sudden NYC took control of the world and told everyone that they had to wear dark colors and only use grim facial expressions in public, or else, then there might be some truth to the whole capital of the world expression. Because people would wake up in the morning and say, “Oh man, I hope I have a clean dark outfit to wear out of the house today because I’d rather not get tasered in the junk by the NY1World Police for breaking the Ten Black Commandments.” That would definitely change things. But as of now and hopefully for a while, that ain’t the case.  

The other phrase, there is so much to do in this city, is technically true. But it’s such a non-starter. Most people I know in this city (my self included) have carved themselves a niche, for better or worse, where they do the same things most of the time because they like those things. It’s just like any other town in that respect. You find what you like and you do it as much as possible. I don’t know a lot of people living here that have their Lonely Planet Guide To NYC Book out on a Sunday and are slowly checking everything off in the G section from the past week. Granted, there are a lot of things to do, but that doesn’t mean that people are going to want to do them all. I’ve never seen a Broadway show, and I don’t really foresee any sort of unfolding of events that would lead me into watching one. Other people aren’t food snobs, so the wonderfully overgrown population of good restaurants isn’t something that they care to delve into. I’m just saying that although the options are out there to do everything and soak it all in, only truly obsessed, borderline maniacal people try to do it all. Most people in NYC are still bored and end up watching Swamp People on TV and/or surf the internet for videos of Russian car crashes (It’s like they don’t even teach people the most rudimentary steps on how to drive in Russia. OR MAYBE, Russian auto manufacturers do not care about safety code or regulations. That bolt right there that secures the wheel to the rest of the car…meh, let’s just screw it in a little bit so that it will come apart after 6 or 7 kilometers). I’m just saying that just because the city offers a buttload of things to do, few exercise the right to do them all. 

The things I do say when asked that question, “what’s so great about NYC?” are more simple. The subway is my favorite answer for the most part. The other thing I like talking about is how other cultures bleed into your everyday life. 

I’m not as angry with the subway as some, but I agree that it has its problems. For the most part though, having grown up in an area of the country where the only way to get around was by car, the subway is a fucking godsend. The range of motion you can enjoy for basically $2.25 is not paralleled anywhere else in the US at least. My favorite thing to bring up though is that you never have to worry about what you’re getting into that day or night because of the Subway. If you want to have drinks across town from where you live until 3:45 AM, you don’t have to worry about getting home. Just throw your drunk ass self on the subway and don’t fall asleep before you get to the station closest to your house. And even if you do take a nap on your way out to Canarsie, no big deal, you just jump on the train back and chalk it up to wanting to see some of the beautiful East Brooklyn scenery. And if you get lucky the sun will be coming up at that point and you can take it as an omen that good things are rising up the pipe for your new life as a hobo subway rider. 

While I said how NYC is not the capitol of the universe or whatever up top (I’m way too lazy to look at my phrasing up there), it does accommodate basically every culture you could imagine. It’s a good thing to be reminded of all the time. The way I live is not the best way or the worst way, it’s just my way. And no one gives a flying fuck about it. And they also have zero fucks to give about how other people view their lifestyles. Everyone just coexists and doesn’t try to step on each other’s toes on the subway. Unless they are in a bad mood, then you’ll see people violently run into one another for no good reason besides the fact that they hate the world. I would call those the exceptions though.