I think I found the scene that I'm interested in, but it's in SF.
I don't mean to be biased, but NYC is obviously the best. I can say this because I'm not from New York. I realize that it's been 10 years since I left soCal, and it has been the surest decision I've made in my life. Subsequently, other important decisions followed because of this great one.
Most people can agree that it's obnoxious to hear someone call a city "the best," but I don't think it's that bad writing it on a blog, because at least I'm not in conversation with someone and proclaiming New York's place in a made-up ranking. What makes it an objectively great city is its diversity, its spectacle, and its transportation. That's it. The rest is a toss-up. Like, there's too many people. Which, depending on your personality, is either overwhelming but great for anonymity and ironic solitude, or overwhelming and a great stage for networking and competition. I hate networking (which everyone appears to do for the sake of making professional connections), and I'm highly apathetic to competition, so that puts me in the former. And all this stuff about "opportunity" should only be somewhat credited to the city.
What's really annoying is when people shit on your city. I would never. It doesn't mean I don't have opinions about them, but it just means I will resort to writing about it or ranting to Cliff. Several years ago, we went to Chicago and met this person who told us that there's nothing to do in Cincinnati, after he visited for some minimal amount of hours. Perhaps he didn't say it sucked, but that was surely the sentiment he was giving off. I was like, of course you feel like there's nothing to do when you haven't given it enough time, and why would you say that to someone who chose to live there, asshole?
Anyway, I'm not shitting on SF. It's just not where I am at the moment, so I need to make the most of where I chose to live and support it. Which means I want to find my scene here, as much as I feel in tune with the scene there.
Sarah kindly invited me to a talk with Mary HK Choi for the launch of her debut YA book last night. I figured that Mary might be the influencer who can shine the light on the NY scene I'm seeking for inspiration (bookish, Asian, female, cool), but honestly, I'm not a fan of YA and could barely sit through her talk without cringing at her prolific use of internet slang and my distracting thoughts of wondering if I should note every slang she uses to Urban Dictionary it at home. I know it's super judgy to say I don't wish for her to be a role model for me just because she wrote YA, and therefore likes to talk like a teenager. So, I tried to bring in some more perspective: she looks like me, seems self-aware, is intelligent, has an excellent media resume, got her book published, and owns a "cool girl" vibe. Not bad.
Although, I do have to say that the more I visit Portland, the more I can envision myself there. I liked it from the very first time I visited, and wouldn't mind removing some intensity that's constantly present in NYC.
