things i miss about new york

My roommate, who has lived in LA for many years, can't understand what I miss about New York. She points out that it's noisy, crowded, outrageously expensive, smelly, unbearably hot in the summer, freezing in the winter, and breeds pedestrian speeds and levels of aggressiveness that many would consider unnatural. In fact, the New York Times recently ran an article addressing how newcomers adjust to New York by becoming rude and walking faster.

Of course, all the complaints about New York are true. I'll be the first to admit that New York is an unforgiving place. So why then, does New York continue to have such a deep hold on my psyche that the stock footage on Project Runway makes me tear up a bit?

Of course, New York is the home of my girlfriend, my cats, and most of my friends, so naturally I miss being there. But it is also, undeniably, my home. Having to defend my city from its detractors (my other roommate is batting for Chicago) has forced me to think about what I really like, and miss, about New York, the city, itself.

I miss its compactness. In my opinion this is what makes a city a city and not a suburb. The roommate who has lived in LA for many years described how when she lived in Santa Monica everything she needed was in a five-mile radius. This seemed small to her. Five miles is a hundred New York City blocks. From NYU to Columbia. From the East Village to East Harlem. If you put a five-mile radius into Fandango in New York, you get theaters in Jersey.

I miss being able to buy groceries, shampoo, beer, five different kinds of takeout food, go to a movie and deposit a check without having to get on a bus.

I miss New York's diversity. Of course, LA is one of the most diverse cities in the world, but it's so spread out that you can still live in a bubble. The same roommate described how, for many years, certain of her friends wouldn't come to her house because it was in a predominantly black neighborhood. They lived on the west side, and they never left the west side. The city of LA was like a different world to them. In New York, even if you're racist, you can't help running into people different from you because everyone's smushed together all the time.

I miss its public transportation. Okay, you may have guessed this one already. But seriously, folks! It's not just that public transit in LA is shitty. It's that the traffic is equally shitty, so you can't win either way. You can take the bus, but it might take forty-five minutes to show up, or you might spend twenty minutes going three blocks, because traffic is abominable. Not to mention the added benefits of never needing a designated driver, not having to worry about getting a ride late at night, not having to worry about calling a cab (as in, dialing a phone number, not just standing on a street corner.)

I miss Kate's Joint, The Organic Grill, Cafe Bar, Tony Grocery, the New York Neo-Futurists, St. Mark's Books, Bluestockings, the awesome short haircut guy, Atlas, hearing friends play at the Living Room, shows at The PIT, Shakespeare in the Park, off-off-off-Broadway, the Perfect Pint, Vynl, even having a Starbucks or three on every corner.

I miss the diversity of things to do. Theater of every imaginable kind, music, dance, comedy, movies, yoga, a museum for everything, or just a nice place to eat, drink and hang out, a $2 subway ride away. I'm sure many of these things exist in LA, but it's different when you walk past them on your way to work every day.

I miss the artists. Here people don't say they're in the arts; they say they're in THE INDUSTRY. I think of all the many friends and friends of friends I know who are amazing musicians, great actors, writers and directors. Most of them don't make any money doing what they're doing--often the reverse. There seems to be a different psychology here. When there's billions of dollars involved, people expect to be paid for their art. Whaaat, you say? Well, it's both good and bad. Of course, people should be able to make a living doing what they're good at and what they love. That's what every artist wants. The problem, however, is that when money's involved, everyone ends up doing something just for the money sooner or later.

Yeah, yeah. This may seem like an obvious point. But it's been on my mind a lot, since the LA style of art-making gets hammered home pretty hard at USC. And not without good reason--this is the reality of THE INDUSTRY and they are preparing us for it. You get work by working. You're professionals and this is a business. Everyone does jobs for money sometimes. Network!!!!!! Make connections. Get people's business cards. Get your own business cards. Get your foot in the door. Be strategic. How will this help your career?

I'm not trying to romanticize one way of working and villify the other (although it may sound that way). It sucks to have a day job you don't care that much about that saps time and energy from your creative work. But when you're working for free, at least most people stop and think about whether they really love each and every project.

I have gotten a bit off track here. In struggling to describe New York to aforementioned roommate one night, I blurted out "New York is like a mean parent." I think I like that description. It has a lot to offer, but it makes you learn all the lessons the hard way. You might grumble and resent it when you're around it, but it's not until you leave that you realize, deep down, you really did love it after all.