Thursday, August 18, 2005
Quick thoughts on NYC
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.
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.
posted by Iron Yuppie
8/18/2005 04:08:00 PM
Comments
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It's very different. Seattle is long periods of easy living punctuated by periods of frustration (e.g., no good bands are playing, no good museum exhibits, no Afghan restaraunts).
New York is long periods of hard living punctuated by periods of bliss (e.g., I can't believe U2 are playing outside my window, that Gates exhibit in Central Park was great, That's the best Korean food I've ever had).
New York is long periods of hard living punctuated by periods of bliss (e.g., I can't believe U2 are playing outside my window, that Gates exhibit in Central Park was great, That's the best Korean food I've ever had).
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