18 January 2008

Sounds Like Something He'd Say

I had lunch with an old friend the other day. A onetime resident of New York City, he had moved to Philadelphia recently, because he didn't like what Gotham was becoming, with its rampant, mindless development and exclusionary cost of living.

We were bitching about Bloomberg—his billionaire's outlet, his evident distaste for all the gritty characteristics that make New York what it is, his out-of-towner hick personality—when he told me a story. Three years ago, a friend of his was attending a party at which Bloomberg was in attendance, and she overheard Hizzoner say, "If I had my way, New York would look like Las Vegas."

It's heresay, I know. Who knows if it happened. But let's face it: It's true. It's what he thinks. It's what he'd like. He considers himself a great mayor of New York City because he's spent his entire time in office correcting New Yorkers in the error of their ways. We build things wrong. We eat wrong. We have bad habits. We drive wrong. We live wrong. We want the wrong things. We're messy and chaotic. He's going to fix us. And when he shows the world how he's fixed New York, he's going to fix the nation, which badly needs him and is bound to draft him into The White House....any....day....now.....

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Queasiness ensues ...

Anonymous said...

I also moved to Philly, after living in NYC for 20 years. I left NYC in 2002 and recently went back for a visit for the first time in 5 years.
I was shocked to see that NYC seems to be nothing but banks and Starbucks - it's really lost a lot of its character. And 6th Ave around 24th street - there must have been about 10 new condo towers over 2 blocks.
Anyway, no regrets about living - NYC is not what it was.

Anonymous said...

C'mon man, you can and should do/know better than to post such 'hearsay'. I'm with you on most things but this is just silliness.

Brooks of Sheffield said...

I know, H. Sorry. Bloomberg drives me to distraction. But I do believe that, if there were fewer official brakes on his true impulsed, New York would be in worse shape that it is now.