"She writes a blog called Haute Living - it's French for 'Hot Living.'"

[HauteCoug]

One of my good buddies lives in Short Hills and loves it. It's a great town. Still, you live there, you're a card-carrying member of the bridge and tunnel crowd. No thank you. Manhattan or nada, baby

I second this.

[oxcoug]

No thank you. Manhattan or nada, baby

We'll disagree on this.

I live in Long Island City, one stop from Grand Central on the 7 and both the neighborhood and its accessibility to key things for me are the best I've had in NYC. I moved here from a great apartment on Ridge Street just south of Houston and have lived on the UWS and the East Village. L.I.C. beats them all on every level that matters to me right now (five years ago I might have thought differently - i.e. having more live music venues in walking distance of my apartment might have mattered more than it does now). It's more convenient to Midtown (I can walk into the Yale Club, in 10 minutes or less from my doorstep), going by subway - far more convenient to most of the places I have regular meetings.

The most important thing to me is having the openness of the water and the waterfront. As much as I love Manhattan the press of the concrete wears me out. L.I.C. feels like a separate small town in the middle of the big city and I dig it.

To date I'm approximately ten for ten on Manhattan purists coming over to L.I.C. (popular initial reaction: Long Island City... you live in Long Island?) and saying "ohmygosh why didn't I look over here before I renewed my lease on my claustrophobic apartment in my claustrophobic neighborhood?"

Now, obviously - if someone's banking hedge fund bonuses they can find plenty in Manhattan that isn't claustrophobic. But generally speaking I think a lot of people make a fetish out of Manhattan when it's actually possible to have greater convenience and a far cooler neighborhood outside of Manhattan.

For me what matters is my specific hood and how it impacts / relates to my living and working patterns - I'd much rather be in Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights or L.I.C. than way up on the UWS, way down in Alphabet City, tripping over passed out frat boys in Murray Hill or pinned in some gauche Donald Trump fauxtel on the Hudson. Basically it's about the comparing neighborhoods head to head - not Manhattan as a whole v Brooklyn, Queens (or, hell, even Hoboken).

Also, I kind of dig the view out my window. [Taken at 6:36 AM from my pillow today]

[kccougar]

As someone who was mocked mercilessly in Kansas City for my accent, I say go New Jersey (Upper Montclair)!

[HauteCoug]

We'll disagree on this.


Also, I kind of dig the view out my window. [Taken at 6:36 AM from my pillow today]

That's a rockin' view. Nice!

I see what you're saying, but I definitely love the energy of being right in the city. I'm with Viking on this one.

[Art Vandelay]

Ha. Ox is starting to pull out the big guns in his battle with Commando for HauteCoug's attention - tales of hipster dining, photos from his love den, and the ability to understand foreign languages.

Commando, time for you to post some athletic related photos (we know ox can't match those) or go nuclear and a show an acoustic guitar serenade.
:fight:

[Flystripper]

All words that sound like it, should be spelled: hott!

Nope! Hawt is more correct. Hott was only created because whoever first typed it was so bored with whatever it was he/she was describing that they fell asleep at the keyboard and didn't remove their finger from the "T" key.

[oxcoug]

That's a rockin' view. Nice!

I see what you're saying, but I definitely love the energy of being right in the city. I'm with Viking on this one.

I appreciate the energy of Manhattan. But it's a four minute 1-stop subway ride away which is plenty close. But hey, there was a time when I thought the same thing.

Ha. Ox is starting to pull out the big guns in his battle with Commando for HauteCoug's attention - tales of hipster dining, photos from his love den, and the ability to understand foreign languages.

Commando, time for you to post some athletic related photos (we know ox can't match those) or go nuclear and a show an acoustic guitar serenade.
:fight:

yes.

As much as I wish I cld deliver this particular form of CUF entertainment for the good Doc/Bishop who helped bring me here, my understanding is that that HauteCoug is younger than at least one of my nieces, which is automatically disqualifying (probably moreso of me than of her).

That said, I'm willing to make a deal - if I'm still unmarried a few years from now when my 30s are expiring (when Hottie is a few years older and has probably surpassed me in most measurements of maturity) I'll take her out for dinner at a restaurant of her choice - assuming she's game. That's right, I'm making a deferred conditional dinner date request for some time in 2014. Hottie, please provide a deferred conditional RSVP.

Commando, time for you to post some athletic related photos (we know ox can't match those) :

Also - au contraire, mon frere. Athletic imagery of me abounds.

[RobinFinderson]

One of my good buddies lives in Short Hills and loves it. It's a great town. Still, you live there, you're a card-carrying member of the bridge and tunnel crowd. No thank you. Manhattan or nada, baby

Reminds me of Valley-dwellers and OC-riff-raff. Just because you eat Kogi tacos off a truck, and root for USC, that does not make you an Angelino.

[falafel]

Also - au contraire, mon frere. Athletic imagery of me abounds.

We're not talking about mission pictures of you jumping off a bridge into a river.

[HauteCoug]

I appreciate the energy of Manhattan. But it's a four minute 1-stop subway ride away which is plenty close. But hey, there was a time when I thought the same thing.




yes.

As much as I wish I cld deliver this particular form of CUF entertainment for the good Doc/Bishop who helped bring me here, my understanding is that that HauteCoug is younger than at least one of my nieces, which is automatically disqualifying (probably moreso of me than of her).

That said, I'm willing to make a deal - if I'm still unmarried a few years from now when my 30s are expiring (when Hottie is a few years older and has probably surpassed me in most measurements of maturity) I'll take her out for dinner at a restaurant of her choice - assuming she's game. That's right, I'm making a deferred conditional dinner date request for some time in 2014. Hottie, please provide a deferred conditional RSVP.

Deal. Done. I absolutely will be in NY by then. By the way, I'm actually planning on changing my name to HauteCoug...funny.