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This past weekend, my girlfriend and I went upstate for some time away from the city. Hudson, is widely known as the Brooklyn of Upstate and it lived up to that moniker. It was startling how fun of a town it is. I had never been Upstate, except that one time I went to Buffalo to hang with Westside Gunn, and I had an eerie feeling: what if it wasn't fun? But, it was. Our AirBNB was dope, and it was good to get away.
We went to an Antique store, and it ruled. So many cool old time American stuff in that place that you never see anymore because everyone wants to be disgustingly modern. There was a Victorian, The Favourite style bed with a roof over the bed and it was perfect; an old typewriter, and a wheelchair that a polio patient would have done.
There was a bookstore and a bar, called Spotty Dog Books and Ale. Sarah and I sipped on our ciders while I read a biography on John Lewis and she read another book. This is something that New York might have, but definitely needs to promote more. It was heaven on earth in that bookstore.
We also went to Cafe Mutton, which was on the New York Times list of best restaurants of 2022. The scenery is great, and the food was tasty; it shocked me how many former NYC residents had moved up to Hudson and were enjoying a meal at Cafe Mutton.
I love New York -- it was the greatest city in the world at one point -- but Hudson reminded me why they are things that need to change in the city. I'm too young, much too young, but I did not think a move upstate was out of the question. It is a great town. Check it out!
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hereās my misc thoughts lol iām no expert but this is from my POV as someone whoās lived here full time a bit and grew up visiting all the time. firstly, youāre def right that it is expensive ā nearly impossible to relocate to if you donāt have a job secured and arenāt rich. even moreso if you have never visited or have only done one super tourist-y visit--itās 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 havenāt been to other boroughs, and neighborhoods outside of Midtown, SoHo, FiDi, UES etc. iāve never been to england so canāt speak to it bit you might find it helpful to look online for comparisons to cities youāve spent more time in - london and other cities in europe perhaps. consider if NYC would be that much more exciting or ābetterā for you?
also thereās 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 wouldnāt have moved here if i hadnāt.
so definitely come here intentionally, and arrive with a willingness to engage with your community! sometimes new residents who arenāt as acquainted with the ārealā new york and canāt 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 āunsafeā where they live, and thus donāt give back to their neighborhood. itās 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 arenāt āniceā, 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: āif i can make it here, iāll make it anywhere.ā it is a tough place to āmake itā for people without roots. but iād never deny that new york, for many of us, lives up to its reputation as the so-called greatest city in the world ;)
Aug 30, 2024
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It was a big risk, but I was just laid off from a job I hated and had a fresh breakup on top of that. I had decent prospects as far as potential jobs go, but I wanted to stay in āthe cityā and I felt like I hit a ceiling in San Francisco. Plus, Iād lived there nearly my entire life. Thus, I had a suspicion that if I couldnāt be happy in New York City, then I wouldn't be happy anywhere.
That was a little over six years ago now and Iām the happiest Iāve ever been. A LOT has happened here, and Iāve dealt with a ton of grief, but man, I love it here. I have a great job, made some real friends and community, and am living outwardly as my truest self.
Iām sure I couldāve had this in SF if I tried, and I know that this lifestyle will change inevitably, but I love living in a place with an energy that emanates throughout the city.
Mar 6, 2024
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still a novelty to me after 10 years in NYC it better fix everything now
Mar 30, 2024
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I'm often accused of being an "old soul", a categorization I vehemently dislike because it pretends as if my taste is because of nostalgia, as opposed to what is actually cool and compelling. (If something cool comes out now, I enjoy it, but we're in a down period when it comes to culture). But, something old about me, is that I do not care at all about TikTok ending, if does happen. If Elon takes it over from the Chinese, you might as well leave anyway, but I'm just worried at why this is a huge deal for people. It's just an app. Another one will be made. TikTok is not culture, it directly flattens culture into these ten second clips that take music, movies --- things that you need to process --- into something that is now consumed by everyone at a rapid pace, not allowing for the nuances, the style, the aesthetics to sit with us.
I have never watched something on TikTok and thought that this is something in that pushing American culture to deeper heights. I am sorry. Now I am sure they're good stuff on the app, but it's not really a necessity. Whenever I hear the words "it's blowing up on TikTok", my mind immediately growls.
I understood why X becoming overrun with Elon bots and right wingers is a big deal; X actually created things, made careers, made American life, and American events available to be seen by everyone. However, TikTok is a corrupt fantasy, chopping at the wires that make physical connection important.
Read a book! Go to the movies! Go to the restaurant of a cuisine that is unheralded, go to a baseball game. Who cares about TikTok?
Jan 14, 2025
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There's something quite startling about Martin Scorsese's 1980's period compared to the rest of his decades as one of America's greatest filmmakers. In the 80's, he was weird, strange, and making weirdly manic films that feel more New York than even some of his movies about the mob. They're movies about characters who aren't glamarous people that they want to be, but rather, are losers who can't seem to correctly fucntion in normal society. They're non-violent sociopaths. I saw The King of Comedy at Metrograph recently, and it's exhilarating, hilarious, manic, and scary. With Jerry Lewis, Bobby De Niro and Sandra Bernhard, Scorsese was able to create a world where incels who are bad at comedy are wishing for fame. Sound familiar?
This is a great movie. In 1983, it was a box office flop. But in 2025, it is magical in how it's telling the future. A future of scam artists who don't want to work to get there, and don't want to sit in their mediocrity: they want to steal to get their fifteen seconds. Go watch this masterpiece.
Jan 28, 2025
It's a perfect movie. It's almost too perfect. The fashion, the look on Cate's face when Theresa (Rooney Mara) is walking to her at the end, the line reading of "ask me things, please"; the fact that men are the joke throughout the movie.
It makes me wonder about representation and the limits of it because of how womanly and queer this movie is, despite the fact that it never feels like a movie made for women. It's just a great movie.
Feb 13, 2025