big ups.
GT makes no apologies. I was born and bred in Harlem and I absofrickinlutely love NYC. Big ups to the accessibility of round the clock subways and buses, noise, food, museums, shopping, diversity, wine and coffee bars…and hipster Brooklyn. GT. Hearts. Brooklyn.
Two major major NYC drawbacks: crampness…12 million strong…and drop your jaw slap your momma rents. It puts everyone on edge and drives them to drink at 10 in the morning. Other than that its cool beans.
So GT fam…what are the “big ups” and downs of the city you dwell in?
Posted by gt on October 23, 2008
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InstantVintage — October 23, 2008 @ 2:31 am
Ahhh, L.A. The weather is definitely a plus. Sure it’s schizo, but it’s mostly mild days with heatwaves in between. Oh, and the diversity of neighborhoods – you can go a few miles/blocks in any direction and be somewhere different. I’m partial to hipsterland in Los Feliz/Silverlake.
What do I hate? The people that come here and act they way they perceive L.A. to be – fake and phony as hell. I also hate the traffic. Public transport sucks, so the freeways suck. Bluh.
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Huemanity — October 23, 2008 @ 3:01 am
I was born in Harlem Hospital and lived on 119th and 7th ave. until I was in the 9th grade. We moved to Staten Island (YUCK) and then upstate to Poughkeepsie (parents wanted to settle down). After college I moved back to Harlem for a spell where I met my current husband. We moved to LA so he could attend grad school and have been here for about four years.
Los Angeles Ups: the weather, the beaches, the amazing views, the restaurants, the museums, the farming community, good-paying jobs, lots of places to hike and bike, general health conscious attitudes, favorable homeschooling laws, yoga enthusiasts.
Los Angeles Downs: TRAFFIC, smog, no real season changes, the housing market, lack of black political activity, no 125th street, the “jungle”, very stark class differences (usually along racial lines), racial tension, an incompetent mayor, crappy public transportation, TRAFFIC.
I agree with Instant Vintage, I like Los Feliz/Silverlake but those neighborhoods are not exactly family-friendly. But the hipsters are nice and friendly. With two small kids we have to live near parks and stuff so we live in West Adams Heights and its done well for us so far. CCH Pounder lives right around the corner and another famous black actor lives down the street. It’s quiet and clean and affordable.
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Ramona — October 23, 2008 @ 9:36 am
I grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, so I know about small-town living! I have been fascinated with big-city dwelling all of my life; perhaps it is because my mother never took me and my two siblings into NYC (even though it was 70 miles away). By the way, Huemanity, when were you in Poughkeepsie??? Did you go to Poughkeepsie High School?
So my city picks are:
Shout Out to Washington, DC!!! Sometimes DC is a very un-city-like-city; the metro closes early (compared to New York and Chicago), and DC sometimes lacks the hustle and bustle of other major cities. However, I love living here (well, I actually live in Northen, VA, but that is close enough).
My favorite city is Chicago!!! I lived in Chi-town for less than a year, but I fell in love with the whole city!!!! It is great city for walking; the “L” is open 24 hours; the lake is freakin’ georgeous; the summers are beautiful; the people are dope. I hope I get a chance to go back to Chicago!
Love.
~Ramona
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Harlem Chic — October 23, 2008 @ 10:15 am
It’s obvious where I live (Harlem), but my parents are from Nevis. Growing up in the Harlem of the 70′s and 80′s was not the business. Crack vials and abandoned buildings was the order of the day. Although my parents were really strict; it was because they were trying to protect me. And in the Harlem of yesteryear; rightfully so.
My mother now lives in Long Island, and I came back to Harlem when it was on the come up. Harlem is now like heaven. Little crime, I still can’t afford my own home, and like GT says NYC is the bomb. My rent is high; but I don’t drink at 10am though. lol
Downside: I hate riding the subway. If I could take a yellow cab everywhere; I would. Not enough fresh produce resources in NYC’s ghetto’s.
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She's Gotta Have It — October 23, 2008 @ 11:20 am
Big ups to… NYC for its diversity. All kinds of people live here, so there is never a dull moment. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, where you can be standing on a block of project buildings one moment and then you can find yourself in the middle of suburbia the next, if you just walk two blocks over. I love discovering quaint little sections in the city that make me feel like I’m in on some secret that not everyone knows. I love the round-the-clock access to any and everything you could possibly think of and the fast pace of life here. When I visit other towns I feel so thrown off-kilter because everything is so damn slow! My only gripe is the public transportation, of course, but I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
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TJ — October 23, 2008 @ 11:34 am
My city in the pacific northwest.
Ups – scenic, people want to keep it scenic, Good transit system, decent prices most times (then again I used to live in Cali, so maybe decent compared to there).
Downs – could use more diversity, most of the place shuts down by 11:30.
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Simone — October 23, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
Big Up NYC! I was born and raised in Harlem. I’ve lived in San Francisco for 5 years now and here are my ups and downs:
Ups
Beautiful vistas and Views
Lovely Homes
Great Restaurants
Downs
Only 40K Black folk and counting in a city of 750K (Not Good and the Mayor is concerned)
Terrible public transportation. The city loses millions due to fare jumpers.
Serious drug culture and a homeless population that beats NYC based upon the size of this city.
No real affordable housing which is right on par w/NYC, but I live in a great house.
P.S. I miss NYC BIG TIME and will be moving back within the next 2 years.
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MY Fashion Frenzy — October 23, 2008 @ 12:04 pm
I love your blog!
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TJ — October 23, 2008 @ 4:40 pm
Oh yeah, one more plus for Portland, OR – NO SALES TAX!!! Woo hoo.
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Dee — November 1, 2008 @ 12:22 am
Shouts to BK! I recently moved, and haven’t been here long enough to list any cons. The pros are being near the beach (5 min), the woods (5 min), and that the weather isn’t ridiculously hot most of the year (I moved from TX).
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