Last week, my best friend and brother from a different coast, Chris Alexander wrote a post about the divide between LA and NYC. Namely, lots of bitter queens flinging shade 3,000 miles away from each other.
Now it's my time to weigh in: SHUT THE FUCK UP, PEOPLE!
I canNOT begin to tell you how annoying it is to hear about how much people love/hate LA or NYC. Allow me to poke my head out of the whirling dervish and say: BOTH cities are pretty awesome!
I will admit that Chris was right: it DOES seem that the cool NYC thing to do is to talk about how shitty/fake/phony/stupid Los Angeles is. I hear it all the time. And you know what? I must likewise apologize and admit that I have NEVER heard an Angelino give NYC boys a hard time. No, this is a one-sided fight... and one that needs to end.
I consider myself to be NYC. It is my every thought and action. These streets and avenues are like veins and arteries in my body. I've loved this city since I was a child and will love it until the day that I die. But guess what? That doesn't mean I have to insult LA. In fact, I kinda love LA!
That city is nothing like so many New Yorkers would have you believe (ESPECIALLY New Yorkers who have never been there, leaving you to wonder, hmmmm where have they gotten their concept of Los Angeles? The movies?) In fact, whenever I trip across the US to visit my friends on the West Coast, I often find the complete opposite: not fake bitches but, rather, friendly NICE people. Not pretension and expensive food but normal attitudes and personalities and apartments that are actually CHEAPER than the ones here.
And, might I add, Los Angelinos have a weird FETISH for New Yorkers. When I stopped by a gay bar or club in LA, I found that people wanted to sleep with me even more out there than back here. Because, not only was I fresh meat, but I was also a New York Strip. They get a kick out of New Yorkers. Funny enough, because they probably think we're cool because we hate them. Which we shouldn't.
Listen, kids. It's time to stop bashing Los Angeles. We're a five-hour plane ride apart. Who are we trying to convince? Middle America? Either they have no interest in traveling to either of us, or they will come and check out both. They have Film and TV. We have Fashion and Theater. We BOTH can boast the hottest people, per capita, in this nation.
LET IT GO! Each of us is good for different reasons, and bad for different reasons. We can have both, so why not take a chill pill and admit that maybe LA ain't so bad after all?
My dream is to be bi-coastal. I want a shag den in West Hollywood and a penthouse in Hell's Kitchen by the time I'm 35. I will fly back and forth (mostly avoiding severe climate on either side... bye bye snow!)
Why? Because both are pretty fantastic places to live. AND both are better than any other place in the US. Sure, you can make an argument for Boston, but it's way too cold and snowy and they have barely a gay scene to hang your hat on. Yes, San Fran is nice, but it didn't really do it for me. Austin? Never been there. Seattle? Never been there. Miami? Sounds nice! Never been there.
But you don't hear people walking around slamming Miami or Seattle or Boston or Philadelphia. Nope! Just LA. Has anyone taken a second to consider that maybe NYC people attack LA so much because of how SIMILAR it is to us? I think this works. Think about Long Island/Jersey/Staten Island. They can't STOP insulting each other. And, if you've ever ventured out to the three of them, you'll find the same gel-haired tanned beefcakes doing Jagerbombs.
Same here. Sure, Angelinos may be more tan, and may drive. But aside from that, how different are they from New Yorkers, REALLY? I've met plenty of "fake" people here in NYC. And let's not forget another commonality that LA and NYC share: people from everywhere move to them. So it's not like we're comparing native Angelinos to native New Yorkers.
So, in the end, which is better? LA or NYC? Neither. Both are great for different (and sometimes similar) reasons.
My final say is this: JUST SHUT UP ABOUT IT. They'll stay out there and tan and drive and party. And we'll do the same when the sun is out and we got a Zipcar for the weekend.
Shake hands, get a cocktail, and let's work on building a bridge already.
- Justin Luke
BoiParty.com
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