nyc: not the wasteland of the 21st century

Posted by mason at 12:11 pm on Thursday, August 13th, 2009.

Is NYC the cultural and economic wasteland of the 21st century, as portrayed in the media? If you've ever watched "Gossip Girl," "The Real Housewives of New York City," or "NYC Prep," the answer would be an unequivocal "yes." In the aftermath of the banking crisis and stock market meltdown, the US public has acquired an insatiable desire to vilify New York as "ground zero" for greed. That's why these shows have decided to portray NYC as a soulless, materialistic vortex where the high point of an average New Yorker's day revolves around a spa appointment, followed shortly thereafter by a liquid lunch and a well-deserved trip to Barney's.

Well let us be the voice of reason here. We are a testament to the New York they don't show: the one where young people actually spend their daylight hours hard at work trying to get a company off the ground. And we are not alone; the current economic downturn has given way to an incredible amount of innovation on this side of the country. Silicon Alley is alive and well (and, in our perception, getting better every day).