New York City- classic or dud?

It's a great city. I'm glad I lived there and it's fun to visit.

But I wouldn't live there again if you paid me a million dollars.

I am convinced that Prehistoric Man is the precursor to Ross.

On the "provincial" crap running through this thread. What makes we New Yorkers, who live in a city of 8 million, and a metro area of 18 million (about 6% of the US?), that is one of the 2 or 3 most diverse parts of the country in terms of the origin of the inhabitants, more "provincial" than people who live in far less populated areas with populations that are far more homogenous and far less media-savvy, per capita?

Ally: "We have as our guest here tonight Ms. Felicity Redwell. (shifts to face guest) Felicity, what do you think of New York City?"

Felicity: "I love it but in my darker hours I worry that it is wasted on New Yorkers."

Ally: (with an exceptionally earnest countenance) "Why?"

Felicity: "Well, I think some people start to take the wonderfulness of it for granted after living here a while."

Ally: (nods as if considering this statement very deeply)

Felicity: "Life must be awesome when people concern themselves with some of the incredibly fine differences of every aspect of urban life. Mea culpa."

(audience laughs)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000063K2W.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

*this may not be true.

...my only experience in NYC was just a mellow weekend during Easter, when no one was around, and the weather finally became nice. I liked it. I'd like to visit again.

But all my friends here who used to live in NYC tell me sooo many things that make me wonder why in f'ing hell anyone would want to live there... mainly all having to do with the high cost of everything and the only marginal increase in quality for your buck.. basically.

The plentiful public transportation options are really nice, totally. But sadly, my career choice as a software engineer working in games and/or audio is a) not the best match for NYC's job market, and b) requires me to have a car, whether I like it or not, due to the potentially weird hours.

I'm sorry, that's totally rude, I haven't had any sleep yet.

I CLAIM ROSALIND RUSSELL AS ME.

There's ice skating, a zoo, a duck pond, a reservoir, free concerts in summer, hot dog and ice cream vendors, drug dealers around every corner... I mean what more could one want?

Rapists? Yeah, we've got that.

DC & Boston: I sometimes feel like these cities are a little full of themselves. I always get a sense while visitng these places that a) there are less "hip" people and b) they hold their hipness over everyone else's heads. NYC feels less like that to me because, really, nobody gives a shit about the pretentious airs you put on.

Chicago: I visited once, to see U of Chicago. I liked the nieghborhood, and if I had had the brains to get in there, that is where I would be. The most amazing moment was flying in at night... the grid system there is so tight that the whole city looks like an illuminated checker board.

SF: Don't know it well enough to say anyting.

LA: I just finished "City of Quartz" and I am now feeling that if I were to move there I would somehow feel complicit in the bullshit goes on there. Of course, my standards for myself are too high like that, so I don't blame LA ILXors.

Anyways, NYC: Its the only place I feel like I fit in without having to change the parts of myself that I like.

(but only if you're stupid enough to go jogging alone at night)

Hey now! We are the flies in the ointment out here. ;-)

it seems like one of those ends vs means questions, and i fall in the middle i guess. i would never not go to an art museum, for example, just because it may have been built under unfortunate circumstances...

Actually I think Davis is one of those authors who secretly gets off on the very things he's condemning--which actually isn't too bad a starting point for an investigative journalism, but it's not a good ending point.
Fair enough... I tend not to be bothered... I am not relying on Davis to actually fix the problems he writes about ;-)