Re: A city so nice they had to name it twice.
AntiUtopia@aol.com
Tue, 28 Dec 1999 08:34:56 -0500 (EST)
In a message dated 12/27/99 11:50:09 PM Eastern Standard Time,
pariah1980@yahoo.com writes:
<< I'm sorry if I've ruined any one's idea of California,
and if you haven't been you really should visit, but
it's like living in a test tube. our way of life is so
different from the many other kinds out there. sorry
for rambling, but visiting New York for me was like
going to a whole other world. lol >>
Of course it was. Jeez. Growing up in CA then going to New York, or vice
versa, will be radically intense experiences. CA is genuinely A Whole Other
World. Or, rather, Literally :) There is an "insulated" quality about it,
that's part of the Edenic effect it has.
But so far as the writing programs go...I can't really speak to that. I know
the UC system is pretty incredible over all, Berkeley being one of the top
rated schools in the country, but I can see more established writers (of
literary merit) in NY than in CA. I think the UC system is set up so that
only the top fifteen percent of students can apply, and in the Engineering
school back in 1982 that meant you needed a 4.0 just to be considered.
I'm not trying to run down NYC, my point is that comparing the two is pretty
useless. All you're really doing is stating your preferences. I'd rather
raise my kids in any so CA town at least 50 miles away from LA, but I'd sure
love to live in the city for awhile, at least.
What did Vonnegut say? Live in NYC once but leave before you get hard. Live
in San Francisco once but leave before you get soft? I think that sums it up.
Jim