Most New yorkers just don’t know any better. Their parents drank the Cool Aid and they don’t re-examine anything. At its best (and I have done business and vacation in NYC for 50 years, NYC is a difficult place to live. Poor everything, from filthy cabs, mediocre foods to tired theater. You think you can get a good corn beef sand in NYC? Try Cleveland. 100 times better. One time about 20 years ago I got a job offer from one of my co-counsel in NYC and on that week long trip I asked every person I saw how many plays, concerts, restaurants, parks they visited. Almost no one goes anywhere. As Yogi said, because its too crowded. It is. Wait in line for 45 minutes to get an ice cream or put newspaper down so you don’t have to sit on someone’s gum and you will want to get back to that tiny apartment with bad a/c on the UWS. Do they make a little more? Sure, but not if you count the four hours per day they have to cope with the City.
***You think you can get a good corn beef sand in NYC? Try Cleveland. 100 times better.***
To me there’s only one thing that can’t be improved on from New York City, and that’s a bagel.
We have one place here where they come as close as I’ve ever seen, but still not as good as the ones you get in the City (or Long Island).
There must be something unique to the area, like the humidity or air pressure, or something.