Coffee Shops

"I was lucky to live in New York when it was dangerous and edgy and cheap enough to play host to young, penniless artists. That was the era of 'coffee shops' as they were defined in New York—cheap restaurants open round the clock where you could eat for less than it would cost to cook at home. That was the era of ripped jeans and dirty T-shirts, when the kind of people who are impressed by material signs of success were not the people you wanted to know."
Edmund White, City Boy

Circus of Horrors

"The main thing I like about New Yorkers is that they understand that their lives are a relentless circus of horrors, ending in death. As New Yorkers, we realize this, we resign ourselves to our fate, and we make sure that everyone else is as miserable as we are. Good town."
Kyle Baker, Why I Hate Saturn

Growing Up in New York

Coney Island

"Growing up in New York is like growing up nowhere else on this planet. In fact, I also believe that is why New Yorkers have a difficult time transitioning into other places in society. We speak our own language and do things our own way. Our pace is quick and everything we do we do fast. We speak fast, we drive fast, we think fast, we hustle fast, and we keep it moving."
Allen Brown, Mr. Understood