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only come if it’s intentionally + aware !

here’s my misc thoughts lol i’m no expert but this is from my POV as someone who’s lived here full time a bit and grew up visiting all the time. firstly, you’re def right that it is expensive — nearly impossible to relocate to if you don’t have a job secured and aren’t rich. even moreso if you have never visited or have only done one super tourist-y visit--it’s not just Times Square and Statue of Liberty (love her tho) rainbows and butterflies vibes lol. like i seriously do not recommend moving here if you haven’t been to other boroughs, and neighborhoods outside of Midtown, SoHo, FiDi, UES etc. i’ve never been to england so can’t speak to it bit you might find it helpful to look online for comparisons to cities you’ve spent more time in - london and other cities in europe perhaps. consider if NYC would be that much more exciting or “better” for you? also there’s a huge issue of influencers and people who wanna live here impulsively for fun that has driven up rent and driven out lifetime residents, esp working class folks and people of color. (lots of writing out there on the difference between moving to any city vs gentrifying one, and what one can do to not be complicit in the latter). and, my family is from here and i have always loved the city; i did get a job here after graduation but i really wouldn’t have moved here if i hadn’t. so definitely come here intentionally, and arrive with a willingness to engage with your community! sometimes new residents who aren’t as acquainted with the “real” new york and can’t afford apts in the more gentrified or historically wealthy areas (most of manhattan, some parts of brooklyn) have a misconception of the city, so they end up feeling awkward or “unsafe” where they live, and thus don’t give back to their neighborhood. it’s veryyy weird that some people move here only to go to work, eat out and party on the weekends. (not saying this is you ofc! but just a general note). the irony is that NYers get a bad rep for the mind your own business culture and realness--and yeah NYers aren’t “nice”, but people are kind. folks care about and actively help out their neighbors. i saw this in my own fam growing up! and as sinatra himself once said: “if i can make it here, i’ll make it anywhere.” it is a tough place to “make it” for people without roots. but i’d never deny that new york, for many of us, lives up to its reputation as the so-called greatest city in the world ;)

@marxinista

Aug 30, 2024

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It sucks here but yeah

I am from this city and I can tell you it is terrible! and yet: •You can see some of the best art in the world, and really enmesh yourself in a cultural scene, if that is your jam •You can get most things that there are to get (but they are expensive) •You can live with your friends in an apartment that is falling apart for not a crazy amount of money, if you hunt for the right place •The pizza here is better than everywhere else in the world and I am not kidding I used to cry thinking about it when I lived in Maryland for a while •Yes it is dirty and smelly but ? so are we all •For all its woes, New York does have a really good sense of community if you can be open to it •Pigeons are nice

@sofe

Feb 4, 2025

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Move to new york if / when you’re ready

(grew up in astoria, did school in jersey, currently in seattle) if you’re serious about being an entertainer / artist i do think you should probably eventually end up in new york or la (at some point, not necessarily forever) new york is just unforgiving; it’s cold and wet, half your paycheck is going to your landlord, and even though there’s an active and vibrant art scene there’s zero handholding if you’re just getting started - “getting started” in nyc means you’ve been at it for 5+ years and are finally getting your flowers. it’s harder to build community bc it’s kind of like going to la and introducing yourself by going “i moved here bc i wanna be famous!” yeah, you and everyone else here - too many people have that in common for it to be something to meaningfully connect on, there has to be something more substantive there moving to seattle put this in perspective for me (and i’m sure I’ll move back to new york bc it’s home for me, but) the smaller the scene, the more excited they’ll be for newcomers, the more support you’ll get on your first project, booking your first gig, etc. if it’s in the cards for you to move to the city, you will, and it’ll be incredible - if you’re not at that point yet you’re living in the most expensive city in the world to be proximal to other artists, but there are already artists in your city, and they’re not necessarily gonna penalize you for being new to it recently a lot of people move to new york to be consumers or to be adjacent to the “the scene” for their socials which is borderline malicious while there’s a housing shortage; it’s literally taking someone else’s spot, whether they’re *from* there, or at least there for a *reason*. new york has always had transplants so it’s not becoming to say “no one should move there!” but you just gotta ask yourself what you’re gonna get out of it, if it’s worth the bill you’re gonna foot, whether you’ll really be able to give back in a way that’s commensurate with what you’re getting

@alaiyo

Mar 22, 2024

Top Recs from @florinegrassenhopper

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Analog sunday

No screen Sundays. If I want to listen to music its CDs or radio. If I want to watch a movie, no I don’t. If I want to see a friend, I will make plans with them on Friday or Saturday to meet up. As a result, I read more, write more, and sit with questions like “did Citizen Kane‘s 50 year winning streak in the Sight and Sound critics choice survey end in 2012 or 2022? When did Stephen Merritt come out? Whats the etymology of Whitsun?“ This is something that I have practiced off and on for many years but I’ve been doing it every week since December and I love the way that it just allows me one day of true freedom and rest.

@florinegrassenhopper

Jan 22, 2025

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One star reviews of parks

@florinegrassenhopper

Mar 3, 2025

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Writing down the things that bring you joy

My calendar this year has 52 of these week at a glance pages but I don’t think that way. So, I've been inspired by Ross Gay’s Book of Delighs to start recording the little moments and sensations that bring me joy throughout the day. An analog pi.fyi, if you will. heres some of what I have so far: - Waking up to the sound of my upstairs neighbor‘s footstep. It sounded nostalgic. Felt like company. - Strawberry jam - feeling tender for strangers: their lips, nail colors, their small wrists. Thinking of all the lives we hold gently. - A young girl bought an LP at the bookstore just before I left. She stroked its cover with love - Green tiles —the mint shade always makes me think of Jancie - Charlie’s little bop and punch dancing to some German language punk - lunch with Katherine, curry Brussels sprouts - small talk at the photo studio. The photographer's brother was named after their dad, stole his identity, bought jet skis.

@florinegrassenhopper

Jan 13, 2025