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Thursday, January 4, 2007

Panorama-rama

posted by on January 4 at 17:20 PM

I know this is terribly cliché around here, and will no doubt unleash a flurry of suggestions that I “go the fuck back to New York if it’s so cool,” but damn, I really miss that city sometimes.

RSS icon Comments

1

I miss that city sometimes too. And I haven't been back since I was 14.

Posted by Carl Ballard | January 4, 2007 5:44 PM
2

My dad worked in New York a lot when I was a kid, so I've spent a fair amount of time there over the years. I try to get back for an annual visit. It's a wonderful place.

But I freely admit I don't have what it takes (whatever that is) to live there. Give me good old passive-aggressive, provincial, awkward Seattle for to hang my hat.

Posted by catalina vel-duRay | January 4, 2007 5:53 PM
3

I had some fun trying to figure out where the photographer was standing. It looks like it was near Long Island University, Brooklyn campus.

You can triangulate buildings and bridges on Google:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&om=1&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=40.69154,-73.980571&spn=0.00397,0.010042&t=h

Posted by pox | January 4, 2007 6:05 PM
4

Stay the fuck in Seattle. Rents are bad enough here as it is.

Posted by Boomer | January 4, 2007 6:13 PM
5

I just moved to NY. Well, technically, I'm based primarily at my mom's in Princeton and couch-hop in NYC while I look for a place and a job. But I'm pretty damn excited to be here...especially since I grew up in a town in OK with a pop of 300.

Posted by Joey | January 4, 2007 6:15 PM
6

I miss it too :(

Posted by Tiffany | January 4, 2007 6:51 PM
7

Have you ever seen any of Matteo Pericoli's books? He makes beautiful illustrations of the NYC skyline.

Check 'em out:
http://www.matteopericoli.com/newyork/eastside.htm

Posted by Davida | January 4, 2007 7:01 PM
8

I really want to go the fuck back to New York, but my life there does not exist any more. Friends have married or moved away...

Posted by Papayas | January 4, 2007 7:04 PM
9

You people really have no idea. You have to live in Manhattan to understand it, and visiting doesn't give you any idea. I lived in Brooklyn and Queens, and it's not the same feeling - but Brooklyn's pretty impossible not to love for other reasons. Further, until you've had a 'New York renaissance' (see Sports Night), you don't know what you're talking about. You have had to have hated it so much and wanted to leave immediately - the reason could be 15 minutes spent on the UES or having to spend an August Sunday in the City - and then turned around and wanted not to be anywhere else. Better still, you left and returned and paid a broker $2,000+ to 'find' you a $1,600/month studio apartment, then you know. If you've never bought Time Out on Wednesday night in anticipation of the seemingly endless possibilities for your weekend, you just have no idea.

Posted by dwb | January 4, 2007 7:11 PM
10

Oh DWB--just by the way--I have a two bedroom in Murray Hill, and I pay $700/month.

Air kisses!

B.

Posted by Boomer | January 4, 2007 7:14 PM
11

Oh Boomer, if you did, you'd refer to it as 'curry hill'. Everyone does, and if you walk around there five minutes, you do - even if you don't know that everyone refers to it that way.

Posted by dwb | January 4, 2007 7:33 PM
12

Seattle has its moments, but I know how you feel Anthony.

Posted by golob | January 4, 2007 7:34 PM
13

DWB seems to think everyone's experience living in NYC is pretty much the same. Which you know, with millions and millions of people is pretty ridiculous. Your description of a real New Yorker probably fits a few percent of the whole city, if that.

Posted by Jude Fawley | January 4, 2007 7:55 PM
14

I (heart) New York!

Posted by Suz | January 4, 2007 8:40 PM
16

I lived in NYC for six years, on the UES for 3 years. Loved it, esp the hot sticky Sundays in August when everyone else on the UES was in the Hamptons/Fire Island.

Posted by Papayas | January 4, 2007 9:29 PM
17

Holy cow Pox! Yes!

I guess to Google trick works, huh?

Posted by golob | January 4, 2007 9:30 PM
18

Boomer, is the $700 your half of the rent for that Murray Hill apartment??????? Apartment living in Manhattan isn't that cheap for the most part unless you've got a rent controlled or regulated apartment.

Anyway, I miss the mass transit of nyc when I'm sitting in a traffic jam on I5:(.

Posted by neo-realist | January 4, 2007 9:34 PM
19

Was this longing brought on by a recent visit to Piecoras gazing at the maps on the wall? You're the best Mr. Word Dojo.

Posted by jr | January 4, 2007 9:36 PM
20

Dojos. I loved their soy burger. I'd order it with bacon. It has been so long that I don't even remember the name of the patty. But, I think that it started with an H.

Posted by Papayas | January 4, 2007 11:19 PM
21

Yes, rent controlled--one of those lovely situations where I'm really not supposed to be there, yet am.

DWB--go fuck yourself. Or move to Staten Island.

Posted by Boomer | January 5, 2007 3:38 AM
22

Thanks for the two great panoramas.

Posted by Gabriel | January 5, 2007 7:01 AM
23

DWB, you're ridiculous.

Posted by Gabriel | January 5, 2007 7:02 AM
24

hijiki tofu!

new york is awesome, but seattle is better

Posted by josh | January 5, 2007 8:09 AM
25

As a New Yorker considering relocating to the west coast, why would I want to move to Seattle? I invite you Sloggers to give me three good reasons.

Posted by Stephanie | January 5, 2007 8:37 AM
26

1 scenery. that's it. most of what you hear about seattle is a lie but the scenery is not

Posted by josh | January 5, 2007 8:46 AM
27

Having moved from the East coast to Seattle, here are my three:

1. Scenery and outdoor recreation. There really is some of the best summer and winter outdoor recreation available within a hour or two drive from the city proper, something that never really happens on the East coast. If you like skiing (downhill or cross country), hiking, climbing, sailing, kayaking.... you can mix city life with decent outdoor time fairly easily.

2. Cheap and tasty food. Particularly Asian and East African cuisine is both excellent and quite reasonable in Seattle. As is fresh seafood which is both cheaper and better in Seattle than say San Fransisco. The preparations may be simpler than you'd find in NYC, but the quality of the ingredients will be better (or at least as good) and cheaper.

Two big exceptions: Both the bagels and deli food absolutely suck here.

3. The weather. The SoCal folk may balk at this, but the Seattle climate is one of the best in the country. Mild, moderate with enough change to enjoy the seasons.

For about 3-5 months during the Late Spring - Summer- Fall, it is simply perfect. 70's to low 80's with little humidity, little rail (if any) and long days.

Even during the winter, where it does indeed lightly rain most days (think fog with an attitude), it never really gets all that cold or blustery. If one is willing to take up some winter sport, it's fairly easy to get outside, get some sunlight through the typically thin cloud deck, and have the winter pass quickly.

Standard disclaimers apply. Before Seattle, I lived in Detroit and Baltimore. I like cooler weather. Hope it helps.

Posted by golob | January 5, 2007 9:00 AM
28

Stephanie:
Surf, Ski, Climb
or
Harvest Vine, Monsoon, Salumi
or
Pot, Coffee, Wine
or
Downtown Library, The Henry, Western Bridge
or
KEXP, The Stranger, Fantagraphics

Posted by m. Hertzmann | January 5, 2007 9:03 AM
29

food seems way cheaper in nyc. more mid-priced here in seattle; in nyc, plenty of great cheap meals--yonah schimmel's, burritoville, dojo, etc. also, nyc understands sandwiches better than seattle.

Posted by josh | January 5, 2007 9:05 AM
30

hertzmann--stephanie gets wfmu in nyc. kexp means nothing to her. props on everything else though :)

Posted by josh | January 5, 2007 9:07 AM
31

Stephanie:

1) It's metronatural.

2) There's a neighborhood called Hexablan.

3) We'll be friendly to you.

Posted by Gabriel | January 5, 2007 9:26 AM
32

Hertzman @ 28 - You've clearly never been to NYC. For every one of your suggestions (except perhaps the climb), The City has at least 10 that would blow it away.

Stephanie @ 25 - One reason not to consider Seattle is the high percentage of slack-jawed, navel-gazing "natives" who think that their city is perfect in every way and are unwilling/unable to push this hillbilly burg into the 21st century.

Posted by don't believe the hype | January 5, 2007 9:37 AM
33

@32 - I'm sorry, but I don't believe that NYC has better skiing, surfing and hiking. I doubt the pot there is better than BC bud you get out here. Coffee, not sure.

Posted by Gabriel | January 5, 2007 9:47 AM
34

hype, i agree, seattle is a small town. nothing wrong with small towns

Posted by josh | January 5, 2007 9:51 AM
35

Stephanie,
I grew up in New York (Bayside, Queens) and moved to Seattle 10 years ago. Here's my top reasons for staying here:

1) Every place I've lived in Seattle has been a HOUSE. With a YARD. I simply adore the amount of space we have in this town, and I learned to garden here. I'll never go back to a 4-floor walkup.

2) The pace of life suits me just fine. The morning "rush hour" is literally an hour, if that. Traffic is minimal, and many people, myself included, have jobs that afford them ample leisure time. People can sit and drink another coffee, and can even make unannouced social calls. There's way more time to RELAX here.

3) The green. Seattle is filled with gorgeous, spacious, useful parks. They're safe, clean, and well populated. Once you've gone from Gasworks to Cal Edwards to Discovery Park in the course of a single weekend, you'll wonder why Central Park grabs so much glory.

Posted by Gurldoggie | January 5, 2007 9:51 AM
36

Yeah, sometimes I miss New York too.
All the energy, all the stuff to see and do, and just the excitement of being in the midst of it all.

But, having lived in Seattle for way too long, I have to say, the three best things about this place are:

1) The physical location. The setting is just spectacular. I never tire of sunset behind the Olympics or snow on the Cascades, or the vitality of the harbor as seen from the hated viaduct.

2) I was able to find a space of my own here, with a yard to keep up, to grow some veggies, and neighbors to share them with. Certainly unavailable to me in New York with my limited skills set and lack of inheritance funding.

3) Maybe not unique to Seattle, but certainly known to me here, is the ability to live a low key life. One not tuned to having the latest, best, biggest, smallest, fastest, slowest, whatever, soon to be trash/junk item of the day. And, find others who are of a similar mindset, more introspective and reflective than acquisitive.

It's not the easiest place to understand, but for me, finding a place to fit in rather than trying to make it my own worked best. Friends here are hard to come by, but, once made, are really good friends. Take your vacations in the winter. Anytime from Dec to Mar, get out of here for some sun. In the summer, which begins 7/15, there is no where on the planet that is as beautiful as this, and you do not want to miss a moment of that true bliss.

Posted by old timer | January 5, 2007 9:59 AM
37

Boomer, i have a feeling that you really are supposed to be in murray hill.

Gabriel, you're ridiculous, as is this comparison that could interest absolutely no one outside of Seattle.

This is a cow town. Vancouver vs. NYC, now that might be interesting, as it is a comparison of two international cities. Seattle is just an American city, a decent one but little more than that.

Posted by dwb | January 5, 2007 12:00 PM
38

You shouldn't move here. You woudln't like it. It's just a little hillbilly burg overrun by recent arrivals who wish it were more like the places they left.

Posted by pox | January 5, 2007 1:11 PM
39

I couldn't possibly be this passive-agressive if I didn't live here. And don't kid yourself, the problems are homegrown - transit, downtown 'development', Mayor Nickels, $1b+ in stadiums,and a complete lack of leadership (i.e., the iniative process).

There are a lot of great reasons to live here listed above. It's a pretty tolerant city, and a great place for kids. Adding diversity has had a great impact on Vancouver. This city needs a makeover, and transplants with ideas about improving should be welcome. Cali transpants ripping up the Issaquah alps on the other hand . . .

Posted by dwb | January 5, 2007 2:34 PM
40

Wow. Now I'm homesick. I really miss NYC and Seattle. People say SF is just as good, nay, better, but it's not.

Posted by dewsterling | January 5, 2007 4:55 PM
41

Here's the thing about living in NYC: I don't need to list 3 reasons to justify my existence here.
Love the Slog though. Top notch.

Posted by Soo | January 5, 2007 8:07 PM
42

Here's the thing about living in NYC: I don't need to list 3 reasons to justify my existence here.
Love the Slog though. Top notch.

Posted by Soo | January 5, 2007 8:07 PM
43

Here is my own panorama of Seattle, downtown from Gasworks Park.

Posted by Luke McGuff | January 5, 2007 8:24 PM
44

...and you gotta love the way it NEVER STOPS RAINING!!! What is this, 3 months now?

Posted by Gurldoggie | January 5, 2007 9:31 PM
45

Stephanie @ 25:

Yeah, I'd have to say Pot, Coffee, Beer as the big three Seattle advantages over the Eastern US. The mountains and green spaces are beautiful as well. If you can stand the snow and cold weather in NYC you might want to stay put. No matter how much the rain falls (and this winter has really, really sucked), I still prefer the wet to the severe cold.

Posted by J.R. | January 5, 2007 10:08 PM

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