On Leaving New York
When I tell people that I’m leaving New York for good, there are a small number of responses I get as though it’s a conversation with an NPC (non-player character) in a video game, and they’re only programmed to offer so many paths, all of them shitty. The worst part is that it’s almost a little sad, the way many of them have uncritically drunk the Kool Aid in one way or another.
A: Why? (incredulous)
B: What does [insert new city here] have that New York doesn’t have?
C: I knew you couldn’t make it here
D: Lucky you, you got out.
The Greatest City in the World
Is New York a remarkable city? Absolutely.
It is the hub of the world’s economy, home to some of the greatest theaters, museums, parks, architecture, and restaurants in the world. Most of the major news organizations and the vast majority of the publishing industry is here. It is, in many ways, the capital of the western world. That’s not even to mention how absolutely incredible it is that so much of it is always open.
I love New York.
I would not be the man I am today if it was not for the particular flavor of tough love that only this city can provide. I was only able to unearth myself after who knows how many subway lines ridden, pages read on…
