Yeah, so I’ve lived here all my life, what’s it to you? Born in Queens, I grew up on the north shore of Nassau County, and now live on the south shore. 55 years a Knickerbocker. I never wanted to live anywhere else and believe that New York is the most beautiful place on Earth (that I have lived!). My Grandparents lived in NYC on East 57th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. I spent a great deal of time with them, enjoying everything New York had to offer. We ate at Windows on the World, the restaurant at the top of World Trade Center. Places like the Central Park Zoo, Coney Island, and the Statue of Liberty became favorite destinations for us to visit. I grew up like a real New Yorker, but I was just a kid from Long Island.
My intimate experience with NYC made me a valuable person to have around if you were going to venture into Manhattan. I knew the stores on Canal Street where you could buy throwing stars or a sword. I knew what subway lines to take and how to get in and out of the city with ease. By the mid-90’s, NYC had made a big come back and things got expensive and crowded. I found that when I took my wife into the city, it was a huge hassle. By the year 2000, NYC had changed, and in my mind, not for the better. The quirky and interesting NYC aesthetic became a over polished Disney-version of New York.
“No!” I did not adapt to this nicer cleaner version of New York; I had learned in a gritty city and I was prepared for war. In the late 70’s through the early 90’s, NYC was still a dangerous place where bad things could happen and did. If you weren’t ready for war, Manhattan wasn’t the place for you to just walk around. I was ready to fight for every parking space and every place in line. I kept one hand on my wallet and one hand on my knife. The 2000’s made me look crazy and people wondered why I was so uptight walking to the subway or on a crowded street. First, I gave up the weapon habit. Then, I yielded to the fact the New York was safer.
So? I’m still talking here! Just because the city had changed, why did I need to stop being a real New Yorker? Us New Yorkers speak our minds, and we mix it up a little. If you’re not gonna fight to prove your point, I guess it wasn’t important enough, huh? Most millennials hated my attitude, but would act nice to my face. It was only after did you find out that the 30-something disliked you and posted nasty comments on social media about you and what you said. What? Did I miss something here? Us New Yorkers say it to your face, or we shut the hell up! When did the people who live in NYC become so squishy?
New Yorkers can do business and seal the deal with a handshake. We keep our word, and we like to make money. Us Knickerbockers also have an unwritten rule that we will smash your head in with a bat if you cheat me. Nothing too serious, just an assurance that all parties do what is in the best interest of the deal. It ain’t crazy, and courts cost more money, so person to person is the best way to settle business. Obviously, my NY spirit made doing deals with 30-somethings almost impossible. Every time, “BOOM!” I said or did something deemed mean or demeaning. Funny part of all my bad business dealings, I never broke my word! That’s right, New Yorkers got your back and if you play fair with us, with treat you like a partner. Doing great business is the heart of being a real New Yorker.
The fact is that I’m a Long Islander first, a New Yorker second, and a Knickerbocker through and through. The kids that grew up on Long Island during the 80’s got the best of two worlds. We had the majesty of the suburbs of Nassau and the gritty coolness of Manhattan. I love New York but the folks here are a special kind of weird and I don’t always understand the new ways. It seems the people of Long Island have no value for the natural beauty and peaceful places anymore and the people of New York have lost their edge and their coolness. Every once in a while, I meet another New Yorker and we get each other, maybe not agree, but we understand the rules. I tell people that being a Long Islander/New Yorker is more than attitude or knowing where to get authentic pizza or Chinese food, but it doesn’t hurt!
