The Iron Yuppie

I'm in NYC on business... I've always loved it here, but in a few ways this visit feels like a little of the shine is off the golden apple. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I finally feel a little bit more at home in Seattle.

One thing I have noticed is that for the same level of society, the quality is a lot better in Seattle. Let me explain. I'm a lower-middle-upper-middle-/ower-upper-middle class guy... I probably spend too much money and this means I get to see a little bit of what the upper class might see. Sometimes, I'm really lucky and I get to see how they live. Like I bought an apartment that was an amazing deal and now appears to be worth all kinds of money. I'm about to buy a car, and thanks to insane lease deals, I'll probably get a nicer car than I deserve. And my work gives me access to a gym that is just ridiculous.

Let's focus on that last example. Let's say my gym costs about $150 a month. Thanks to my company, I don't see the cost, so I really have no idea. And let's say the average person in Seattle makes $50k. If the average person in NYC makes $75k, and you joined a gym that was $225 a month, I feel like the quality in NYC would never match that of Seattle's gym. It'd be smaller, dirtier, less features and so on. I know space is a premium, but that's really no excuse. In order to have a similar experience in NYC, I feel like you'd have to spend $500 a month, which is absurd. It's a rich person's city. That doesn't mean I don't love it, but that's what I've seen on my most recent trip.