Good luck at the race, do Columbia athletics proud.

“There is a tremendous perfume in the city. New York is a city of our time, unmistakably. This city is epic. The frenetic way, the movement of people, the temperament, the passion.”
-Santiago Calatrava

Wow, an otherwise positive comment and then he sneaks in a University jab! Columbia, NYU, even Barnard are every bit as good (better) as Stanford and Cal Berkeley – just not at sports.

I haven’t lived in NY, just visited a few times and raced there twice, so my opinion may not count for too much (although I couldn’t live there as a serious triathlete or cyclist, and it may just be too crowded and busy for me period), but NY has a lot of great things going for it. I don’t think it’s been mentioned yet, but NYers are some of the most politically and socially informed people in the world. It should be noted that they have been dead against the war in Iraq the whole time, even though the 9/11 attack in their city was supposedly linked to Iraq. NYers knew better, and you have to give them credit for that.

However, SF is my favorite city, and the Bay Area by far the best metropolitan area in the country. Compared to NY there’s more scenery, more fresh air, more opportunity to find yourself out in the country on a bike ride, the surrounding countryside has more to offer, there are better universities right there, the weather is better, it’s easier to get around…

In the end, it comes down to preference and lifestyle. But bashing NY is just bashing cities in general.

Brian, for somebody who has spent all of two days in New York City, and who grew up in a suburb of one of the most narcissistic cities in the world (Seattle, I still love you), you certainly are smug.

The I <3 NY sentiment comes after you’ve spent enough time here to realize that the people aren’t rude – they’re busy – and the New York attitude is more pride than prejudice.

Call me when NYC develops a sense of humanity and regular trash pick up. Mountains, rivers, trees, and breathable air would also be useful additions.

New York has always struck me as akin to a huge Las Vegas casino: Everybody’s a hustler and if you’re not gonna lay your money down, you’re a waste of their time. And they let you know it. Some people find this attitude chic or endearing. Myself, I have trouble liking a culture that treats people like meat.

New Yorkers think they’re the biggest and the best, and the constant stream of outsiders oohing and ahhing (primarily at the seething masses of… other outsiders) only serves to reinforce this smugness. While it is the Rome of our day (you may feel free to take that however you choose), I never understood the I <3 NY sentiment. Then again, I like to escape the stench of close quarters every once in awhile, so I may not be meant to understand it all…

TG – Five days is nothing! The greatest things in New York are found when you live here, and you learn the local stops. The hole in the wall Indian food or which comedy clubs have the best shows, or when the guy at the bagel shop asks if you’d like “the usual” when you stumble in after closing time.

What I find surprising is the 5:30 wake-up. Ben knows this is not pro, but he did it anyway. Then again, I know how ridiculously hard it can be to find a good place to swim in NYC.