In this place, most people speak more than one language. Almost no one owns a car, even the millionaires. Many people don't even knowsomeone who owns a car. There's no Wal-Mart, no Target, no Home Depot.
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There's also a deep ethic of civic-mindedness. Average citizens are not just aware of, but actively engaged in efforts such as city planning and zoning laws and the design and preservation of public spaces. Architecture is valued and protected by well-organized, well-financed groups, often consisting of canny partnerships between public, private, and corporate concerns. New urbanism is an understood goal, not just a theoretical ideal.
Anil Dash: Whence the Name.
Not exactly Los Angeles ... :-) While we do have an amazing mix of cultures, backgrounds and identities and even neighborhoods where you can walk to your basic amenities, civic-mindedness and good architecture is relatively sparse here.
But hey, the weather always comes to the rescue. New York: Cloudy and 12 degrees celsius. Los Angeles: Fair and 20 degrees celcuis. (Looking out the window I can't see a single white spot on the sky...)
Another nice thing about NYC.
A few years ago my family and I made a trip to NYC to visit my sister-in-law who resides on Manhattan. I was amazed at the friendliness of the people who lived there. Another great thing was how livable the city was. There were small grocery stores and deli's everywhere. The subway was never more than a few minutes walk and the trains ran every 5 minutes. I loved it. No need for a car at all. I was far more impressed than expected.
-Kelly
I lived in NYC for a couple of years, and even with all of the slow lumbering busses and taxis flying past at relativistic speeds, NYC remains the most bikable place I've ever lived or seen in North America. (Yes, better than Vancouver/Seattle/Portland.) You can take a bike literally anywhere in that city, and the streets and avenues are wide enough that there's plenty of room for bikers (and bladers). Just watch out for the metal plates covering construction projects when it rains or snows.
And there are some great places to bike in NYC. Central Park is wonderful, as well as plenty of riverside parks up and down the Hudson and East Rivers. Riding through Brooklyn to go to Coney Island or Riis Park is nice in the late spring/early summer. Other cities? Streets are narrow, not as many parks, stuff is too far flung or the distances are too long without anything interesting to punctuate the journey.
*Sigh* I still miss the place. And I miss being wired at midnight and just taking my bike down 5th Ave to burn some steam.
NYC is a great city. I really enjoyed when I was there :)
I have been here for 5 years (moved here from Detroit). There is really no place like it. I wouldn't trade NY for any other city in the United States
Actually... is a Target in Manhattan.