Far from being "worldly," New Yorkers are shockingly xenophobic when it comes to their pricey "turf."
There is a legendary New Yorker magazine cover cartoon from March 29, 1976 by Saul Steinberg called "View of the World from 9th Avenue." It comprises a "map" of the world from a "New Yorker's" point of view. Looking west from 9th Avenue in Manhattan is the Hudson River. Beyond that is a flat plane of land with a few vague rocky landmarks depicting the rest of the U.S. On the outermost edge is New Jersey (from which many NYC workers commute). Also shown are Chicago, Kansas City, Utah, Las Vegas, and Texas. To the left of this is Mexico; to the right is Canada. Then comes the Pacific and beyond that, in the far distance, are a few little lumps of land representing China, Japan, and Russia.…
Article comments
26 - Lesvet
"Finally, one other consideration might be the quality of construction. My LES coop was built in 1960. The walls are so thin you can hear the neighbors cough; the building's foundation is crumbling; the garage collapsed and cost a fortune to redo"
I live in the building you're describing, I agree with some of your post but not all. In fact the walls at this Co-Op are really thick, not paper thin as you described. When I had to cut through the floor the only way to do it was to use a 5 foot high wet saw. My architects claimed the building was over engineered...
27 - Mark Sahm
Elv: You obviously have a lot of history with NYC, so advice was not out of the question at all. In fact, it was much appreciated. I think I just might stay in Westchester if my checking account lets me. But time will tell.
Good luck with your sale. See you around.
28 - Elvira Black
Lesvet:
Hi, neighbor--small cyberworld! Well, truth be told, my ex-b/f has had more complaints than I about this "thin walls/acoustics" issue. It hasn't been any kind of huge problem for me most of the time--I love this place and it's "killing" me to give it up, so from where I stand the walls are just fine and dandy...
29 - Elvira Black
Mark:
Oy vey, is it something I said? Manhattan will probably still be a great bet for the vastly foreseeable future, no? I mean, "everyone" still wants to live here, and as long as there's people who can afford to do so, I'd assume it would be a good investment. Hope I didn't somehow discourage you...what the heck do I know? I'm just another NY'er with an opionion and a "big mouth" to match.
30 - Elvira Black
Mark:
PS--great looking website...I'll come visit again.
I'm still trying to figure out what ESB, your job locale, is. Help me out here, wouldja?
31 - Mark Sahm
Sorry for delving too deep in NYC acronyms. That's the Empire State Building that I was referring to. I bet you just went "Oh yeah, that ESB." Or to be more accurate, right here.
Glad you dug the site. It's my humble creative life as interpreted and performed by dancing pixels of light. I'm actually supposed to update it soon, but it's buried on the project list. Oh well. Cheers.
32 - Ms. Berry
This is an excellent article. Very well written memoir.
33 - Elvira Black
Mark:
I never would have guessed what ESB is if you hadn't revealed it--thanks! Love the pic too.
34 - Elvira Black
Ms. Berry:
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the compliment--glad you enjoyed it.
35 - Francios Jones
Nativism is the new fascism.
36 - Elvira Black
Francois:
Thanks for the...um...interesting and somewhat mystifying comment. Nativism generally refers to a defense of the native born, supporting an anti-immigrant sentiment, so I'm trying to discern what your one-line zinger really refers to.
If you mean that native New Yorkers don't want newcomers to encroach on their territory, I don't think that is true. New York has been home to countless immigrants--my grandparents being among them--and folks from every state and every country come here to visit and live. The melting pot analogy is quite apt, and thus I think there is a level of cultural tolerance here that one might not find everywhere else where the populace is more homogenous.
Perhaps you're referring to my theory that native New Yorkers may sometimes be less snobbish than transplants, and feel that that in itself is a snobbish commment to make.
But more likely than not, you just wanted to throw in a gratuitious and vaguely derogatory comment which I'm spending way too much time trying to mine for meaning here. Or you might have picked the wrong post to comment to, if the immigration controversy is your thing. What-evah...
37 - Bartman
I grew up in Bay Ridge Brooklyn in the 70's. Back then everyone just wanted to get out of New York. When I returned from college in the late 80's Manhattan was blossoming as people were returning. I lived in Manhattan for 18 years until I left 2 years ago for Brooklyn. Why? The Chelsea neighborhood I grew to love had become really crowded and noisy. When I would leave my apartment to go shopping, I felt like I was merging onto a croweded highway. And frankly I had done everything I wanted to in my neighborhood. I didn't want to go to yet another West Chelsea gallery with crummy and expensive art. Nor did I want to go to the latest club, bar, or Restaurant because I didn't want to drop a pound of cash. After my favorite local hangout, The Chelsea Commons, shut down and was replaced by an expensive chic restaurent, I was long gone. Now that I'm 40 and partnered, I prefer the quiet that Brooklyn has to offer. We don't go out much. Our Manhattan friends are delighted by the chance to come out to the outer boroughs for Sunday brunch. As for the snob appeal of Manhattan, I've been there, done that.
I disagree with comments about Manhattanites being parochial because most of what people see of the city is from two perspectives: when they're at work and when they're at home. So people's worlds are small because we work so hard. To venture out of our home and work neighborhood requires effort and money.
If you're young, fairly wealthy, and go out often, Manhattan is the place to be. If your middle income, past 30 and are partnered, the outer boroughs make more sense.
38 - Elvira Black
Bartman:
I think you've pretty much said it all. In fact, several people I know have recently expressed the "been there, done that" sentiment about Manhattan--when you've walked down the same streets hundreds of times, the novelty does start to wear off, especially when the area that you used to call home is no longer very home-like. I worked in the Village for over twenty years, and now I almost hate that neighborhood. Plus, it seems like there's noone there over 25 nowadays.
I, too, had a favorite dive-ish bar. When they closed their doors, I was heartbroken.
As you said, when you get older and more settled, quality of life issues can become more important. If you're single and looking, bars can be a big attraction. But now I find bars boring and depressing.
And the outer boroughs have retained the sort of charm and integrity that Manhattan now lacks. It's terribly crowded, and the whole town seems like one big soulless skyscraper.
That's a great insight about the home/work enclave. And thanks for the terrific comment.