Notes &
Great cities attract ambitious people. You can sense it when you walk around one. In a hundred subtle ways, the city sends you a message: you could do more; you should try harder.
The surprising thing is how different these messages can be. New York tells you, above all: you should make more money. There are other messages too, of course. You should be hipper. You should be better looking. But the clearest message is that you should be richer.
What I like about Boston (or rather Cambridge) is that the message there is: you should be smarter. You really should get around to reading all those books you’ve been meaning to.
For years, I’ve been telling friends that when I’m in NYC, all I want to do is make money/”do deals,” and when I’m in Boston, all I want to do is a find a coffee shop and read. Most of friends thought I was nuts, now that Paul Graham said it - maybe it’s not so crazy after all…
(via adamkatz)
My addition: so what, exactly, does ‘LA’ say? ‘Look good’ is too easy an answer… maybe that combined with ‘enjoy yourself’ and ‘be more famous.’ Post what your city says in the comments.
(who that message is directed toward I’m not entirely sure; I guess I”m just testing ;)
UPDATE: And looking at the article more closely, Graham does have his answer for LA: “The big thing in LA seems to be fame. There’s an A List of people who are most in demand right now, and what’s most admired is to be on it, or friends with those who are. Beneath that the message is much like New York’s, though perhaps with more emphasis on physical attractiveness.”
