Some people (read: New Yorkers) often get into a frenzy about how amazing New York is, but this new book takes the middleground. "New York is a pretty okay city!" they say, "Have you ever loved something, but also totally not loved it at the same time? Obviously, we realize that there are some cool elements to the place, like some statues and stuff, but we also recognize that New York just seems like kind of a hassle."
Hilarious.
That is pretty funny. What a great sense of humor!!
ReplyDeleteI heart NYC X a million. Honestly, my favorite place. I would die to live there eventually. Until then, I just make my yearly trip ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is too funny. Nobody could ever dispute NYC's amazing energy!!
ReplyDeleteI heart NY even when it's covered in dirty snow.
ReplyDeleteFAN-tastic! I can say that in all honesty, that subtitle describes my feelings about New York City perfectly. As a resident of the Mitten (so north/midwest?) and a one-time resident of the South (college in Tennessee), I've never understood what the fuss is all about. A city is a city, right? (or not...thoughts?)
ReplyDeletethat's pretty funny. though i'm guessing jay-z might beg to differ.
ReplyDeleteyou survived!
ReplyDeleteThis is too funny. I'll definitely be checking this book out!
ReplyDeletei've never been to NYC, but one day i will
ReplyDeletehttp://girlynote.blogspot.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLove the post, I love your blog more, I just came across it and I'm mad that it wasn't sooner!! Thank you for being so awesome!
ReplyDeleteblerona
love the post! I really don't love to live in nyc, so i can't agree more!
ReplyDeleteThat is totally how I feel about New York. One minute I think, "This is the best city EVER!" And the next? "It smells like radioactive liquid garbage on this block." I've never felt like NYC is the only city for me but since moving away last summer, I do find myself romanticizing it more...most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI miss the Meatball Shoppe if nothing else!
I agree with these guys. Pretty neutral on NY. In LOVE with San Fransisco though. I'm a West Coast girl.
ReplyDeleteI am yet to visit NYC but can totally relate to this book!
ReplyDeletehttp://missmollyfashions.blogspot.com/
Hilarious!!
ReplyDeleteI lived there for almost four years, in my early twenties:
ramen and peanut butter sandwiches
too poor to live it up,
auditioning and temping
with some of my best friends in the same boat:
I remember it as though it was a tempestuous lover- it was the best and the worst all at once :)
It must be kind of amazing to live there with a husband and a beautiful baby boy :)
xoxoxox
I always tell people that New York is the most wonderful, magical and vivid place you'll ever *visit.* Living here is a totally different story, however. Between the roaches, the endless traffic and the constant tourist-swarms cramming up the sidewalks, full-time NYC residents tend to shrug off the visitor's romance of it all. Great post Jo!
ReplyDeletehahahaha too funny!
ReplyDeleteHaha I need that book! The hubs and I debate moving to NYC constantly... Want to live there, but don't want to live there, but... hehe
ReplyDeleteI went to New York with my husband and our little guy two weeks ago. I don't think we could live there, Utah is home, but it sure makes for an exciting vacation. I loved the energy there. We'll be back!
ReplyDeletei know, so funny -- i totally love it, and then i'll suddenly be like, wait? why do we live here??? :) such a love/hate relationship :)
ReplyDeleteI lived in New York for a few years and gave it a go - but was never thrilled about the lifestyle there. I'm originally from Portland, OR, so NY just didn't cut it for me in too many important ways. But now, I've lived in San Francisco for the past five years and there hasn't been a day when I wasn't happy about it! Finding the city that suits you best really matters :)
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't live there, I am madly in love with NYC. It's almost like a real relationship: I miss it when I haven't visited in a while, curse it when things don't go my way while I'm there, and combination mourn/have a warm fuzzy feeling every time we part.
ReplyDeleteBUT it took me a lot of visits to NYC to feel that way. For a long time, I didn't understand what the hype was all about.
I have a love/hate relationship with this city. Everything *is* a hassle, and so many things here make me annoyed and miserable, but then I also realize I'm totally addicted to it and probably can't live anywhere else. It's a vicious cycle!
ReplyDeleteIt's an amazing city to visit but I dont think I could ever live there! I think I'd have daily panic attacks. But I will never, ever stop visiting. I'm pretty smitten with my hometown...New Orleans. XO, Jo!
ReplyDeleteI JUST got back from NYC and I love everything about it... except for the cab drivers! Oh man, they are devils.
ReplyDeleteMy husband refers to NY as being 'ok for a couple of days, and then a bit like being in a really tacky theme park'.
ReplyDeletehaha I love it! I personally love New York, but I must admit, he makes a few good points.
ReplyDeleteThis is rather interesting.
ReplyDeleteI have been to NY about 3 times in the last few months so I have certainly had my share of most of these feelings.
Still a great city none the less.
Rashon aka Mr. Goodwill Hunting
Whaaa ;) The tourist lane is hilarious.. I wish we had thet in AMsterdam for the bikes LOLsy
ReplyDeleteI lived their for two years and even though it's great being back in Sydney, I definitely think of NYC at least once a day. And we lived their in 1997 - 1999. It is the most magical place and it will never leave my heart. This is a funny post though. Pruxxx
ReplyDeletethe snow bit is too funny!
ReplyDeleteVery silly. I think it's nice to have a sense of humor about where you live, which is why I embrace Portlandia ;)
ReplyDeleteI love new york for our friends and the food. the rest, well...
ReplyDeleteI don't live in NY, but I LOVE to visit! I thought that tourist/ New Yorker lane split was hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI spent my twenties living in the West Village...wouldn't trade it for the world....but also love having lived on the left coast for the last 10 years and raising my family 3,000 miles away from NYC. Life is more grounded in reality here, and they have more freedom to be who they want to be. But when my girls move out and likely head to Manhattan? I'll be the first one to visit. Hilarious post.
ReplyDeleteHA. this is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteoh! and the shopping, and the doctors, and the art....
ReplyDeleteTOTALLY love/hate. i've been here for 9 months and am still struggling to be happy here! maybe i need to hit up the upper west side and say hello or go with you for a bike ride :)
ReplyDeletecrabigail, agreed!!
ReplyDeletehilarious! but as a west coast girl, new york will always hold that certain charm for me! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat is hilarious. I love it. I know a few die-hard new yorkers that are getting that for upcoming birthdays... Have to say, I think it's probably true for any really big city, it's definitely the way I feel about Madrid. I guess it's just that new yorkers are so very adamant about it being the bee's knees.
ReplyDeletehttp://nomadic-d.blogspot.com/
I do heart New York! In fact, my post yesterday was literally titled " I heart New York." This book sounds cheeky. Love it already.
ReplyDeleteAs a newbie resident of NYC - I think NYC is the perfect place to live once you establish yourself. And by that I mean, Manhattan. Because there's so much that needs to be invested into living in the city and so much planning. You have to know your way around subway lines and buses, you have to have alternate routes to work, move around street blockades, be prepared for weather changes, etc. It IS a hassle. But what makes living in Manhattan generally worthwhile is what you do with the rest of the day - but again, this generally takes a good chunk of income so it helps so much if you have an established career and aren't struggling.
ReplyDeleteLike a commenter mentioned above, if you're struggling, chances are you aren't enjoying the city to the fullest. You can do whatever "free" stuff is out there, but you're still missing out on quite a bit and after a while this can take a toll on you.
Brooklyn is a lot more low key but you still have to know your way around Brooklyn the same way you do in Manhattan. They really are two completely different worlds.
At the end of the day, I honestly find myself in love with this city but unable to sustain myself in it. And I think giving up on living in the city is a very noble and humbling experience but it definitely prepares you for the next round for those who are brave enough to attempt it and it opens the doors up for visiting.
At the end of the day NYC is simultaneously a spectacular place and a tourist trap.
I think it really just comes down to being able to afford it.
This books matches my feelings exactly! I lived in New York briefly. I hate the attitude (in any place) that this is the ONLY place in the world worth living. If you feel that way, you're bound to miss out on a lot!
ReplyDeleteI have been to NYC twice- and I had a blast. I loved visiting the city...but isn't everyone supposed to feel like that!? Anyhow- I just got into the NYC marathon 2011 and am SO excited about it-flying from Africa to America for the run.Cool!
ReplyDeleteI felt pretty meh about NYC when I lived there. It's nicer to visit though now that I don't live there (because I have more money to play with). But it's equally as nice to leave!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE NEW YORK! Especially since I can leave it after a few days and go home. She's definitely my mistress and she knows that I'd never leave my wifey for her. Nor would she want me to, which is why I continue to love her.
ReplyDeleteI live in New York state, and New York City is one of my least favorite cities.
ReplyDeleteI adore NYC it has been awhile though!! Great image with caption!
ReplyDeleteCome enter my Giveaway from Serena & Lily... ends on 25th!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
i heart nyc bakeries.
ReplyDeletei'm sad little italy is almost gone
chinatown is changing too much for me
times squares is still awesome if you have money.
st marks is still the BEST place on earth
amen
lol
so interesting! i think every place has it's pros and cons and depending on the day, it's easier to see it one way or another.
ReplyDeleteI <3 New York! And I <3 Avery Monsen and Jory John just as much. Such a great book. When I first heard about it, I was thinking it might be more like a picture book (like some of their others), but the authors actually took the time to not only visit, but research some of NYC's most famous landmarks. And everything is written with such a great sense of humor... any New Yorker will find it amusing.
ReplyDeleteCute post! I heart NYC, I went there for the American Beatbox Champs and people are awesome! For such a busy city I was able to embrace the culture in a short four days. I loved hanging out in Brooklyn steps in a rented neighbourhood apartment :)
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting thought! I love New York, but during the winter I definitely give Cali some serious thought. However.. there is nothing like a summer here! I live in Brooklyn, though once I land a full-time job I hope to move to the city. It's funny, because the things I dislike usually have to do with tourists.. like getting through Times Square, the part of Central Park close to Columbus Circle, how expensive everything is unless you "know this one spot.."
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I definitely wouldn't move back to Ohio:)
xx, Melanie
LightsSoBright
Ha! That is too funny!
ReplyDeleteI've only spent a few days in New York and I loved it then, but I don't know how I'd feel heading up there now and paying for things myself--things are a whole lot cheaper here!
Honestly, for the people who say that New York isn't fun if you aren't established and don't have money... what place IS fun when you are struggling financially? Personally, I think it's one of the better places to live in if you aren't wealthy (as long as you can afford rent)because there is soooo much free stuff to do. And riding the subways, although a pain, is the best pain you could have in the world. I have so many hilarious and wonderful stories from the trains. As you can tell, I'm kind of in love with The Big Apple.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I am so happy for this post! We just had a week vacation (without our child) to NYC.
ReplyDeleteWe were so excited to go, mapped out everything we wanted to see, and even had tickets for the Kate McGarrigle tribute concert.
In a nutshell, we weren't blown away with the city at all! We were almost disappointed we had chosen a week long getaway to this busy, noisy, exhausting and confusing city!
There were a bunch of highlights for sure (we saw How to Succeed In Business with Danielle Radcliffe starring, and also ate at Cafe Cluny and Prune!!), but I had that neutral feeling instead!
AmyLauree
P.s. Joanna, we went to Cafe Cluny on a recommendation you made in one of your blog posts. We didn't realize we would see Hilary Swank and a handful of other celebrities in and around the quaint cafe!! Fun!
wow, not so much a fan of new york- i actually recently wrote a post about all new york holds for me and there wasnt a lot there- it's the green for me. i need space and ny is just nasty and claustrophobic inducing. for me anyhow. i dont see the glamour in a bum throwing a sandwhich at my head. and when i DO see glamour in new york it makes me ashamed that people would spend UNBELIEVABLE amounts of money on themselves.
ReplyDeleteohhh i love New York! being a New Yorker, it's just home to me. the City really is special. although i knew many New Yorkers have quite an 'attitude' lol :)
ReplyDeleteHa! This book looks hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI am a city girl all the way, but I have to agree: I, too, feel relatively neutral about New York. Sometimes I find it to be just a bit too much. It's a great city, a truly magical city, but it's more of a rebound city, or a one night stand, and not my true love.
I just blogged about this a few days ago! I'm an ex-NYC-er, and while I LOOOVED my time there, I needed to leave. I still miss it, though, and go back fairly frequently (a luxury afforded by living close on the East Coast in the D/M/V area).
ReplyDeleteNew York changes you. For me, it just became a question of how much I wanted to be changed.
Being an East Coast gal ( born and raised!) but transplanted myself to Santa Barbara, CA as an adult, I have to say that my trips to New York and Boston always ground me, always remind me of my roots and my best of friends. New York dirty and "eh" is still a champ in my book... But, "I feel relatively neutral about New York" is a keeper! Awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe kast few days on my blg have been all about NYC. I am new here. Start here http://mrsmasonrecommends.blogspot.com/2011/05/things-you-should-know.html
ReplyDeletebut there are plenty of positives. A couple of negatives too to be fair .....
I live on LI but commute to Manhattan five days a week for work. I must say that as I get older, my patience for NYC on a daily basis is shrinking. It is an incredible place in so many ways, but also exhausting and grueling. I'm glad to be close enough to get on the LIRR for a visit to a museum, or shopping, or parks, or great food, and I can completely understand how people dream of visiting or living in the city, but not me!
ReplyDeleteI heart NY. A place where my dreams come true. Yea, there are annoyances like smells, the crowds but thats ny!! Got to take the entire big apple package and such a big wonderful package it is. A gift really.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how I feel about living in New York. I have only just started calling New York home (I am South African), but sometimes I crave small town living where everyone knows your name. Its a love-hate relationship.
ReplyDeletek8theskate.blogpot.com
I have never been to New York, but I am actually trying to win a trip there right now (hopefully!). I believe I would love it! from the fashion, to the weather, And the food! I can only imagine!
ReplyDeleteI'd really appreciate if you could read my most recent post, I could use the help ♥ Thank you!
Laurenlovestoshare
oh agreed! The last time I was there I stayed at the hotel on rivington which was great and all but I still just felt like it was a good trip. I wouldn't want to deal with the hussle each day. I love living in private and not sharing my life with anyone but my little family. I venture into cities often but only when I feel up to it.
ReplyDeleteTotal love/ hate relationship. Im going on 10 years in NYC and at this point for me, the cons tend to outweigh the pros. The winter is especially tough and depressing for me, and then the summer is soooo hot! But then there are those perfect New York days that just happen like little miracles and you're like "Yes, THIS is IT!" Those days keep me going!
ReplyDeleteim not from the US. ive heard people saying NYC is a really fantastic city with lots of fun!
ReplyDeletei'd go there for a travel if i could. and see if the authors are right. lol.
While taking a truly gorgeous sunset stroll on the Hudson River Greenway this evening I saw a guy with a T-shirt that read "NY ♥'s Me'... it felt just right : )
ReplyDeleteFunny for sure! I love New York but I could never live there. LA is enough for me :)
ReplyDeletefunny post :)
ReplyDeletei would love to visit new york though
pinklemonincrystal.blogspot.com
I love this post! I've only visited NYC once and left with a feeling of..."eh". Then again, I stayed with a friend in Queens and took the subway to the city everyday so...? Seattle is where my heart is! ♥
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely something magnetic about that city. It's like it has it's own unique gravitational pull. I've travelled to cities around the world, and lived in a few, but no city calls me back again and again and again like New York.
ReplyDeleteI live in Toronto which is a great city in which to live. We have the restaurants and the shopping, great museums and parks. But there's something innately different in the energy. In New York, there is a very aggressive, competitive energy that pushes you to find the very edge of yourself, to choose who you're going to be and then become that to the Nth degree.
Interestingly enough, after a few months, it's this exact thing that becomes fatiguing. It's hard to try so hard. And so I hide back within the folds of Toronto and breathe in the space and the (sometimes) smiles, and wait until the inevitable tug pulls me back again.
That is hilarious! I love humor like this.
ReplyDeletehahaha! this is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI don't live in NY but I have a love and hate relationship with the State. I love how alive it is and sometimes daydream about living there, then I get stuck in thinking how I would manage living in a hectic-kind-of-chaotic place and hate it a little it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great place depending on the life style you want.
So funny! Especially the snow part! It's one of my dreams to visit NY some day! :-)
ReplyDeleteMENNEPEN
I love NYC, but it's pretty funny to hear about some of the not-so-great parts!
ReplyDeleteThis is so great! I always say I love NY, but NY doesn't always love me back! LOL
ReplyDeletewww.nydontleaveme.com
Oh my gosh, I love this. I've lived here four years and I still can't say I love this city.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good post! I love it :) I went to NY a few years ago and had such HUGE expectations that I was actually a little bit disappointed, and feel so bad saying it, because parts of it I LOVED. But 'I feel relatively neutral about new york', that's just brilliant.
ReplyDeleteVery nice to see!
ReplyDeleteI have never been to New York and have always wanted to go. Pretty funny post you got here but that's not stopping me to go someday soon!
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious. I am a CA native but love love love NYC and feel very much at home there. I usually visit a few times a year to see friends but since having a baby late last year I haven't been and I am jonesing!
ReplyDeleteAll that said, it's not the winters that scare me off, it's the humidity. As my boyfriend says, I wilt like a flower in humid heat, I hate it!
I met one of my best friends (a NYC native) when we were in college in CA and she's always maintained that I am more NYC than SF. Probably because I'm kind of bitchy--not in the sense that I am mean, but people in big cities have little tolerance for.....slowness and indecision.
In any case, I am totally going to blog about this and mail it to one of my friends who recently moved there.
hahaha this is awesome.
ReplyDeletei like the pizza one.
i love this post! now that i live in NY, i most certainly do not always heart it. when its raining and the trains are slow and crowded, it's not a happy place. i definitely have a love/hate relationship with this city!
ReplyDeleteOH MAW GAWSH! I have to buy this book! My husband would AHH LOOOVE THIS even though he has never been to NY. I moved from NYC to SLC 2 years ago and had lived there for 9 years.. often I find myself in a huge depression...over the fact that I up and moved out to SLC leaving all my friends behind... and then the major one being that I have tricked myself into thinking that as a designer, NY is where I need to be in order to "make it" - Jesse [my husband] has to remind me that it is all in my head and that he sometimes resents that place just because of that status it has over designers like myself.... But every place has it's plus's and minus's - I LOVE SLC because of the amazing mountains I see every single day that are just 15 min away, the clean air, laid back people, and bike friendly streets to name a few.... :) But when it comes to the "crazies" Noone has it like New York.... and perhaps San Fransisco! :)
ReplyDeletehaving lived there i can relate... sometimes i loved it, sometimes i couldn't wait to get out! jb.
ReplyDeletehttp://madewithlovebyjackieb.blogspot.com/
Ha i wonder how many people were offended by this.... i love it
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious. I love the pizza thing!
ReplyDeletei just got back from NY and had the most amazing time. i've been there several other times and usually leave feeling a little overwhelmed and like i'd still prefer boston or san fran. this time i just felt like it was amazing. it's dirty, it's crowded, but i still love it.
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent!! I totally relate to the snow thing living in Chicago & the pizza is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! This is EXACTLY how I feel about the city! I absolutely hate living here: riding the train, dealing with all of the people, all of the expenses but whenever I leave, I just complain that wherever I am is not as good at New York. I feel spoiled.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone that lives here can't live with New York but certainly can't live without it.
This is spot on. One minute you're having a grand time, then you realize that everything is absolutely dirty. For a second or two, it's just peaceful as can be, then there are throngs of people everywhere. Will definitely be checking this book out!
ReplyDeletehttp://blessyourheartva.blogspot.com
I enjoyed this. Even the episode of Glee last night left me wondering, "What's so great about NY?" I choose DC hands down.
ReplyDeletewhat a unique book. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletehaving moved from NYC to Toronto last summer, i think i am still in the 'i miss NYC' stage.
however, while living in NYC, i certainly did have days when i hated the stress, humidity, and constant crowds in the city.
ah, the love/hate relationship...
it's exactly how I feel about NY...hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to take a few of the photos in this book and I can say with 100% certainty it will be sure to make you smile -- if you are a lover of NYC or not-so-lover of NYC. :) Thanks for posting about the book Joanna!
ReplyDeleteI have a pretty firm opinion about New York: love it! :) Where else can one jog through Central Park, check out Broadway plays and musicals, and dine on fabulous cuisine in restaurants with professional servers and bustling atmosphere?! Oooh, and the museums to visit and shopping opportunities! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly how I feel about the city. I've been going to school there for three years and I had lived on the UES for the first two. Now that I've moved back to Jersey I couldn't be happier! It reminds me of this, have you read it before? It kind of makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theonion.com/articles/84-million-new-yorkers-suddenly-realize-new-york-c,18003/
Wouldn't they look pretty peeking out of sandals?
ReplyDeleteSo how I feel about home sweet home.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI really would appreciate that tourist lane you linked to on busy days after work!! :)
lavieetme.blogspot.com
That is really funny! I love it when New Yorkers answer the question "Which country are you from?" with "New York!" A little perspective is good.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for posting many of her most beautiful pieces in one place for all of us to gawk at. Simply stunning!
ReplyDeleteLove-hate is key. It's the one thing the New Yorker, always ironic and critical, needs to uncritically embrace in earnest. Unless you're willing to hate New York and still stay, you don't belong.
ReplyDelete