SMELL: now i was in Iowa at the time when times were pretty tough in NYC, there was a good amount of pissing at the subways etc. so the city had a national reputation of reek. but i don't think any of the city stink compared to Iowa: the state had and maybe still has about 350 percent more pigs than humans. so even in a pretty sophisticated university town like Iowa city, the pig shit smell at times was overpowering. i was actually there at around the time that Mad Max Beyond Thunder dome came out, where Thunder dome was literally powered by pig crap. wonder if it was the same deal in Iowa.
HICKS: everyone in NY would put me down for going to Iowa: it would be loaded with Midwestern hillbillies, corn fields, blah blah bullshit. . the geniuses ripping on me? mainly teenagers that were going to upstate NY schools in metropolises like Fredonia, Oneonta, Oswego. "half a horse towns" as my brother would say.
CULTURE SHOCK: other super brains would tell me what a culture shock it would be going to Iowa. bullshit. it was Midwestern, maybe on-average more laid back, but not a big jolt. the shock actually was always when i went back to NY: the urban life, city cultures, the guidos in my home town. always kind of surprised me more when i came back. must be why so many idiots in America love shit like Jersey shore. for the record, i liked Iowa, but prefer it in NY.
I understand and concur, Ken. I have only lived in two large Metro areas...NY and LA. And my need for culture and walkable streets and/or public transportation(NO driver's license) will insure that i will live in a large metropolitan area the rest of my life. However, I sometimes yearn for a less chaotic, more bucolic life. Pasadena is a good mix of action,culture,serenity,pleasing aesthetics...so I'm OK here. But if I was not married i could see myself living up in Eureka,CA or Bozeman,MT. In reference to home...hey, i love Eastchester. I'm very glad i was raised there. But the guidos and ignorance, coupled with imperialistic xenophobia is nauseating. On a recent home visit, I went to Piper's Kilt and could not last 15 minutes there w/o having an anxiety attack! And I was one of those guys! Uggh.
ReplyDeletepersonallly agree with most of what u said. and much goes for me too. what's good about NY AND L.A. is that there are great parks and natural places to go within and near the cities. so u had shock going to the Kilt, wow. guess u gotta get used to it.
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