manhattan love affair

while working today and walking the streets of manhattan (yes i'm a streetwalker. so what? wanna fight about it?), 58th and 5th to be specific, when i passed a small movie theater and thought that i might want to go there sometime because it didn't look like too many people went there. suddenly, i was hit with a pretty profound thought. why would i go to a movie theater in manhattan instead of catching a flick in my homeborough, the bronx?

surrounded by tourists and well-to-do manhattanites bustling in and out of central park, the plaza hotel, the apple store, bergdorf goodman, louis vuitton, and fao schwarz i became strikingly aware of one single fact - manhattan is full of money. major money. ridiculous amounts of money. another thought immediately followed, racing into my brain - if i never spent another BuzyGuy dollar in manhattan, it would not be missed.

i never really thought of my choices as a consumer as having much of an impact on anything other than my life, but with the financial crisis hitting new york as hard as anywhere in the world i guess my mind is just a little more tuned in economically. manhattan doesn't need my money. but the bronx does. dos caminos will do without my overpriced $48.63 per person dinner date. but the mexican place that just opened up down the block from my apartment might not be there for much longer if i don't finally check it out like i've been meaning to. if we don't spend our money in the local spots in our neighborhoods, who is going to? why do we have this love affair with manhattan? why do we pour our hard earned dollars back into the money pit that is the city instead of support local business in our beighborhoods?

now don't get me wrong. manhattan is a beautiful place. it is non-stop, vivacious, and totally eclectic. it brings in huge sums of money for the city and the country. it is home to countless memories of mine and manhattan-located companies have paid my bills for several years now. but i don't live there. the majority of my friends do not live there. so why is it that when we look for a place to hang, we inevitably end up in manhattan? maybe we've watched one too many episodes of friends or sex and the city, but it seems we instinctly congregate under the bright lights of manhattan like moths to a flame.

so i'm making a stand. i'm calling for us all to end this messy love affair with manhattan! sure it'll be strange at first, but in due time you'll adjust. and manhattan's not going anywhere. i swear. you can still visit. really. and i know the "other" boroughs aren't always as polished or refined, but a sure way to get improved and diverse options is to pump some money into these local neighboods. plus, since you aren't getting a "high-class product" (who needs that shit?) you also won't be subject to a high-class price tag. we might not ever see any of that $700 billion bailout, but you'll sure see some cash in your bank account soon if you stop frequenting manhattan. stay local, explore small (or even not so small) businesses and eateries in your area. open your eyes to the options that are so very close to you. and if you're a tourist, please come visit manhattan. but take the time during your visit to check out at least one place in the outer boroughs. you will be pleasantly surprised.

btw...did you know that central park is only the fifth largest park in the five boroughs? the four largest are located in the bronx, queens, and staten island. so why does everyone act like central park is the place to be? yea it has history, but history is waiting to be created elsewhere...