If I was making 500k a year, I still wouldn't live in New York. New York sucks dick....stepping over piss and vomit everyday, no fucking grocery stores, high rent, high electricity, plenty of rats, piece of shit subway system, no sunlight, foul odors, etc. Worse of all is the fucking pizza. Everyone brags about the pizza but when I finally got some, it tasted like shit....had no toppings on it and you had to fold it. The square pizzas I got from school were better than that shit.
Every New Yorker I've ran into basically keep stop talking about how great it is....as if its the center of the fucking universe. Sorry but I like clean air, a reasonable mortgage, open sky, a yard and garden, and pizza that doesn't taste like cat piss.
I can concede that New York is not what it used to be. Every day, when walking through midtown Manhattan, I am reminded of how overpopulated the city has become. Back in the 80's & 90's, it was just right. Of course it was heavily populated then, but you did have some room to make it through the streets. Today, it seems as if it's difficult to just walk down a couple of city blocks without having to bump or scrape your sides against another human being. It is very polluted, both the streets and the air. You can't make it past a few city blocks without seeing a street vendor empty out a mystery can filled with dirty water littered with all sorts of food & drink debris. You would be amazed at how much animal & human fecal matter you would find if only you walked while looking down towards the ground. The subways, don't get me started. They're delayed at all times, filled with the homeless and so overcrowded that you'd be lucky to catch a train to whatever destination you're going to. And forget about trying to find a star at night. It's been years since I've managed to count more than 5-10 stars in the sky on any given night while living in New York City. Not to mention that the cost of living is way too high for the average person.
All the bad things aside, NYC still beats everyone hands down when it comes to food variety. No other city I've visited has as many options. New York is open 24 hours and no matter what the time, you can find an endless number of people parading through the street. It is incredibly diverse, I meet people from all walks of life every day just by walking through Washington Square Park in the Village by NYU. The city is electric in that it has its own character/personality. Yes, most New York'ers are assholes, but somehow they make it work on a daily basis. Granted with the overpopulation comes a generous amount of crime and we are the epicenter for terrorist attacks, but I'd be damned if we ever ran in the face of adversity. In order to love and appreciate it, you truly would have had to grow up in NYC. That's not to say that sometimes I don't have a need to escape from the NYC bubble. Heck, I have a home down in Fort Lauderdale for that very purpose. Sometimes, it's important to run away to a place that's closer to the ocean, with warm/tropical weather and a slower pace of living with a fraction of the population. I call those getaways a time to recharge and unclench the old jaw.
But hey, that's just one old Jew's opinion of NYC. I have so many friends from all walks of life here that it would be hard to start over elsewhere.
Not to mention the kind of characters that spawn from NYC:
Jimmy the Greek - my building's superintendent who is slow on getting things fixed, but the fastest of all the building's employees to extend the hand once the holidays arrive in search of a plump white envelope.
Ramon - The man that tends to the flowers for sale, that sit in front of the nearest grocery store. Ramon doesn't say much and has a habit of always going into the grocery store at the site of law enforcement, but he does have the warmest smile and is the first to help the elderly with their groceries.
The homeless at Washington Square Park that are master chess players - Ever want the best stories NYC has to offer? Sit in for a game with these masters.
The hookers/prostitutes that roam the streets of Hell's Kitchen (9th avenue towards Hudson River) past 2am - Ever want to be taken on a voyage to a place that you doubt even existed? Offer one of these ladies of the night $40 to sit with you at a local 24-hr diner for some coffee and ask them to tell you why they've chosen this lifestyle. Sit back and hold on to your junk, it's fucking amazing the things you'll hear, plus if you're not keen on listening to a prostitute ramble, they'll probably suck your dick for an extra $10.
The many IFBB pros that live in NYC - People forget that while we are only aware/exposed to 10-20 of the most popular IFBB pros, there are hundreds of them walking around with IFBB pro cards. Many of them work a regular job. Others work as strippers and male hookers. The vast majority of them can be found in select gyms and if you're like me, you enjoy working out with these guys. Most are great at showing you new exercise routines and at small talk. That said, it doesn't come for free. They're struggling, so a few extra dollars will go a long way.
There are many more characters that I can talk about, but you get the point. Every day, I interact with so many colorful people from all walks of life and from all parts of the world. Whenever I visit other states, I don't have the pleasure of doing this.
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