from his college graduating class, the ambitious ones went to Washington DC,
the smart and ambitious to New York,
but the exclusively smart went to San Francisco.
I chimed in that the hot ones went to LA before I realized the point he was really making.
To the Self-Appointed Cognoscenti, those for whom some quest bests any notions of homesickness, if such a notion of resisting the fledge ever occurred to them, there are only these 4 cities in America, the ones mentioned above. Seattle and Portland are places you go to eventually, and Charleston, Savannah, Austin, Asheville and New Orleans are places unimaginable, vacations, not lives, and Miami is only a place you visit out of idly curiosity, some sexual intrigue perhaps. You go to Boston for college, and only stick around if you are a genius content to not make much money, and money is the only reason you go to Chicago, if you are truly in the know.
The rest of the map might as well be bare, unless there is a ticket to be punched there on your way to better things (I'm not endorsing these views by the way.. I likes me a lot some fly over places..). Each of these places have a different lure, but by the time you boil that lure down, two cities stand, two very different places, and those two places, the Ali and Frazier of American Urbanity, are different indeed, They are New York and LA. Here are their differences:
New Yorkers wonder if someone might be better than them; Angelinos wonder if someone might figure out that they are not as good as they have you believing.
New Yorkers believe in Integrity; Angelinos would like to think they have outgrown Belief
New Yorkers believe that suffering will make them grow stronger; Angelinos believe they have outgrown suffering, or have a right to have outgrown it.
New Yorkers embrace hate; Angelinos hate hate.
New Yorkers feel shame. Angelinos feel ashamed at feeling no shame.
New Yorkers all understand that they have Ambition in common: Angelinos only commonality is being misunderstood, and somehow understanding that they are misunderstood, but having only a vague concept of whose fault that might be.
New Yorkers figure out what you need, give it to you, and try to get what they can from it. Angelinos give what they think they can give, whether you wanted it or not, and pretend they expect nothing in return.
New Yorkers want you to Disagree. Angelenos need you to Agree.
New Yorkers and Angelinos will both be constantly gauging who needs who more in an interaction.. in LA, the advantage will be seen as an opportunity to make their life easier and easier by lessening their responsibilities to you. In New York, they will maintain the responsibilities, but ratchet it up for more of whatever they feel you can give them in return.
New Yorkers appreciate the system. Angelinos believe in the system.
In LA, never date a local. In NY, never date a newcomer.
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