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the pinnacle of their profession in such a small geographical
radius. It's an extraordinary privilege to be so close to
so many interesting people.
• The density and the diversity. new York City is, by far, the
densest city in the United States — and that includes the
outer boroughs. Manhattan alone is one of the densest urban
areas in the world, especially in the developed world.
(The only comparable place I've been in the so-called 'first
world' is Hong Kong, which is a whole other story). People
think of Manhattan as a rich person's territory — justifiably
— but bear in mind that there's Harlem, and Washington
Heights, and Morningside Heights, as well as a
multitude of areas with a lot of working-class and middle-class
people. Because of this geographic compression
and a flat-rate subway, new York's various populations
mix and mingle more than those in many other cities. In
Los Angeles, the wealthy of Beverly Hills do not identify
with the poor of Compton. In new York, both the wealthy
and the poor recognize each others as part of the same
basic polity. As a result, despite the extraordinary wealth
and snobbery you can encounter in new York, people are
more tolerant of others simply due to the incredible density.
Is there still bigotry? of course. But new Yorkers, to
me, treat each other better than almost anyone else I've
ever met. Laugh all you want, but I believe it completely.
• The range of occupations. I grew up in the Bay Area,
which I still regard as America's most beautiful and livable
metropolitan area. But culturally, the Bay Area is still
dominated to a large extent by the tech sector, which can
be a little . . . lame . . . if you're not into it. Los Angeles,
too, sucks in people who want to work in the entertainment
industry, while Washington DC is a magnet for political/government
types. These places are great in their
own ways, but it can be hard to get away from it all when
you want to. In new York, simply due to its sheer size,
no one industry predominates. Finance is a huge business
here, but it's remarkably easy to avoid ever dealing with
Wall Street types if you don't want to. There are theater
nerds, literary nerds, music nerds, and all else, but the