Lifestyles
New York City vs. Your Hometown…St. Louis
November 29, 2007
By Ashleigh Stricker
All big cities have their own distinctive qualities and things that stand out about them. Sometimes people tend to have a bias toward the city they grew up in, while others cannot wait to leave and discover new territories. Both visitors and residents of St. Louis and New York City weigh in the differences between the cities to find them both unique in their own ways.
In New York City, everything is at your fingertips, and the city’s occupants and visitors are more than willing to talk about what makes New York City unique.
Carol Short, a newcomer to New York, is originally from Michigan and moved to the city with her husband three months ago. “I love the city. Our apartment overlooks the Hudson River and we have a great view. All the walking was hard to get used to, but now I walk everywhere,” said Short.
People pepper the pavement, walking at an incredibly fast pace. Though many walk, taxis are readily available. In fact, there are almost as many taxis as there are people in the city. The cab drivers are notorious for driving like they own the roads and honking every chance they get.
Many New Yorkers will tell you that New York City is only in Manhattan, but it also includes the burrows of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Manhattan is a 22 mile long island and home to 1.2 million residents. The city as a whole holds 8 million people.
Richard Pricien, a U.S. Marine who grew up in Brooklyn, visits St. Louis to see family and said: “New York City moves at the speed of about 60 to 70 miles per hour, while St. Louis is only about 35 to 40. People don’t really have time to slow down. Most people don’t have cars, and public transportation is a huge part of the lifestyle, unlike St. Louis.”
Joanna Boudinet is also a native of Brooklyn and now lives with her family in Missouri. She says that even though New York is home, she would not want to live there forever with the fast pace atmosphere.
New York City is home of very eclectic, artistic people. Art is expressed through anything from hair to clothes to music. Fashion is of high importance and skinny jeans and designer bags are in style. Ugg boots and Northface coats take the gamete. Vogue magazine lives in the form of six-foot tall women walking down the streets of the city. Most of the city resembles a larger version of the famed Loop, a long strip of shops, bars, and restaurants in suburban St. Louis. While that small area of St. Louis hosts an assortment of unique people, restaurants and stores, New York City is a larger collection of all of those things, bringing out the true character of the city.
New York City might not be home, but it sure is a great place to visit.
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