Btw, I think my cousin knows you..

lamesabassman…. thus, the ” from a whisper( come to Cali) to a scream ( you call this a
Ruben sandwich)….  but Venice Beach is an oasis in this desert…..

dkzone: No, I wasn’t wearing any.

Pamela: Exactly! Extremely similar — and it wasn’t just about ethnicity.

lamesabassman: Thanks.

fatlady: You bring up a good point. When I first moved to New York, I used to ask everyone, “What’s your favorite thing about New York?” I think the best answer I ever got was from a woman I no longer speak to. She said something like: You can have many lives in New York. Just when you think you understand the city, you can move to a different neighborhood and your life completely changes; it’s like living in a different city. I’ve lived in apartments in the East Village, Hell’s Kitchen, Astoria, Carroll Gardens and elsewhere. Each neighborhood was soooo different. So,  yeah, I agree with you about that: “There isn’t one New York.” But, I kind of disagree in a different area. Speaking of which …

Jeffrey L. Wilson:  GREAT point! Like I mentioned to fatlady above, NY’s neighborhoods are different. But, as you (a life-long NYer) have noted, once you get settled into your career and start advancing or whatever, people here in the Northeast care MUCH more about the so-called markers of “success” (i.e. where you went to school / who do you know / where do you live / what do you do for a living / etc). And, I don’t think it’s just media. Wall Street is likely very similar.

ebwriter: I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, either. At least, not now. Maybe in the future I’ll move elsewhere go back abroad. But, for now, NYC is home.

Dredfoxx: Did you just say “ri-damn-diculous.” :) That’s great! It’s almost as wonderful as ghettofaburidicudonkulus

lamesabassman: Sometimes I don’t understand your comments. :) Totally get it that Cali has too many taxes, but I didn’t understand the “from a whisper to a scream” part?

lamesabassman….. from a whisper …. to a scream…..

You mentioned that people only care about where you went to school/job/what you can do for them. I agree, but with the caveat that it mostly plagues media, finance, and out of towners with something to prove–which is why I’ve been MIA form many media-related things of late. Kick it with someone who’s not in those circles, and its like a breath of fresh area. No “Are you at still at so and so” or  ”have you heard about..?” I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve actually told people that I work at McDonalds and “I’m here with someone else” just to get out of those convos.

Blah.

The thing about NY, which you appreciate after you’ve spent some time away, is that there isn’t one NYC.  The beauty of this city I was born and raised in, is it’s diversity.  Not just ethnic or financial diversity, but diversity of thought, mind, temperament, creativity…EXPERIENCE.

For plenty of people, NYC isn’t fast-paced, or superficial or elitist.  For many the pace is leisurely, their interactions run deep and people are accepted for who they are rather than for what school they go to, how much money they make or what brand of shoe or suit or purse is seen on their body.

The beauty of NYC, my lovely, wonderful, maddening city is that there are a million different experiences to be had here, and everyone thinks that their experience is the one that defines the city.

lamesabassman…… have you ever tried the Mini yet….