A City Alive

Having spent a few days in New York, I realized I need to do it more often. The pace, the interactions, the pulse, all of it was so intoxicating and addictive. Many have told me that New Yorkers are obnoxious and impersonal. I beg to differ. I think that their candor and forthrightness are mistaken for something more insidious.
A Philadelphian to some degree, I don't get the same level of engagement in the city of brotherly love. Perhaps the Quaker origins of this city's founders had a part in shaping the culture of modesty and reservedness that seem to predominate. There is a staid and conservative nature which ensures security and moderates success. Lacking, however, is the risk-taking and openness to creative ideas that a city needs to explore if it really wants to blossom.
New York does have its problems, don't get me wrong. The outrageously expensive cost of housing and the excessive taxes do have a way of keeping many on the edge of dropping out. But the constant influx of new ideas and a bold approach to the task of living is reason enough (for me) to appreciate a city that never sleeps, a city alive.