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It's Like This and It's Like That

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November 17, 2004

Sometimes people from other places get me on the phone, with no real concept of what it's like to live in New York, never realizing that the main difference is the size and the variety of people and places, not aware that New York isn't nearly as different from their hometowns as they might think. I'm sure I do the same, when I almost uniformly choose Omaha, Nebraska as my Random Place Name to Say in This Story. However, I feel that by watching Requiem for a Dream, The Godfather, Annie Hall, and the thousands of other New York movies, these people get a very misshapen view of what it's like to live here. And so, for a little bit of verisimillitude, I offer: Real Scenes From The Last Week In New York 1. Just before 8 o'clock at night, at the apex of the time to go out, not a single free cab is to be found on the streets. You can, however, find pockets of New Yorkers huddled against the cold at each corner of every major intersection like bad fishermen, following the crowd to where they think the taxis might be. Of course, everyone also gives each other "the eye", as though they would be responsible for taking away that glorious, golden cab. 2. A taxi driver, especially a private car driver trolling for business on a Saturday night, will spend your entire drive downtown prying out details of your life, lecturing you on marriage, and also taking issue with the phrase "practicing religion": "What is this? A basketball game? Why you gotta practice?" 3. A silent, sullen cab driver getting pulled over by the police just after you have gotten into the cab. He hasn't made a move to start the meter, the journey, or indeed, even acknowledged that he could hear you. 4. A homeless man walking past a dilapidated old beater of a bike, unchained and missing its handlebars, only to return a moment later, taking it as though he had just misplaced it for a moment.

This was New York , and it appeared on November 17, 2004 12:52 PM.

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