There are roughly three New Yorks.
There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and turbulence as natural and inevitable.
Second, there is the New York of the commuter—the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night.
Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last—the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high-strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. And whether it is a farmer arriving from Italy to set up a small grocery store in a slum, or a young girl arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference: each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh eyes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company.
Here is New York, E. B. White, 1949
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a great book; gregory galant recommended it to me and i thoroughly enjoyed it
As one from category 3, albeit 25 yrs now, an interesting difference between 1's & 2's collectively, vs. newcomers is sports allegiance. When you come here, no matter which pair of teams you adopt (mets/jets_ or Yankees/Giants), you don't wish the other harm, and can even enjoy a bit of their success. Those born here, whether living in the city or commuting, love their teams and hate the others with every fiber of their being.
Even if I was born just a few miles west of the city, I am here as #3 with all of my being, though the city both giveth life and taketh it away.
Gorgeous share, Chris.
I've spent a piece of every year of my life in New York City, and upstate even moreso (but with city folk).
Quite a tribute to something that's hard to grasp unless you've seen it first hand.
Good read. I have made a twitter post about this. Hope others find it as interesting as I did.
So, into which category do the tax-advantaged fund managers fit? E.B. White may not have anticipated Gordon Gekko. Come to think, Gekko may not have anticipated structured vehicles and high-frequency trading. Maybe there is a fourth category now, and also some others.
Bravo! I'm soundly in the third group, and that was spot-on!
Right on! As a raging third city entrepreneur (moved to NYC from Minneapolis via Boston and London), it's tough not to get caught up in the energy. We just took a sublet office down in SoHo, and every day I walk around, there's this incredible energy. The Ace Hotel has its scene, the LES, the West Village…so energizing. Thanks for the post, Chris!
Fantastic book. He so beautifully articulates what NYC is. I'm proudly and happily in the third.
E.B. White is the author of my favorite essay, a 50 page essay on NYC, Here is New York. One of the most economical writers.
My tribute to him: http://annieqsyed.com/nyc/
I came here from Idaho by way of Honolulu, and I definitely feel like the settler who's finally made it to the land of opportunity. As cheesy as that sounds. I love it here.
I fall in that third category. I am a refugee into New York City from 10,000 miles away.
I loved The Trumpet of the Swan.
Chris, great share and this articulates exactly why NYC needs its own tech startup blog, which you spoke about way back in September. The go-getters coming from all over the World are the heart and soul of NYC and I think there is a lot of potential in focusing original content creation and media production around one aspect of this – technology startups.
Thanks again for posting this.
It appears he left out the fourth New York– of the tourists.
My friend had the best description of why New York was the greatest place on earth, and expounds perfectly on your third group.
His theory went as follows; in every little town, village and shit little burg across this great nation, in every grade in high school there were 4 kids (give or take) that didn’t quite fit in. You know; artists, kids who wear all black, had weird hair, etc. Now of those 4 who didn’t fit in, 2 moved to New York, 1 Moved to LA and one stayed at home (to be miserable for life). It was this migration pattern that lead NY to be the best, most creative city in the world and supply the energy and excitement that the first two groups take for granted. Its why I love this city! Great post, dead on.
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