I have a question about big cities

[Fierlin1182]

OK, I've never lived in a big city. Adelaide has a million people, Leeds not even that. Even Sydney doesn't compare to places like New York or London.

I was just wondering, from anyone who's lived or visited a big... or rather, huge, city, whether the portrayal you see on movies and TV is real. You know, everyone ignoring everyone else and not stopping to help someone who's dropped their shopping, taxi drivers looking at you like you've sprouted horns if you try to converse with them.

Round these parts, a chat is pretty much the norm when taking a taxi to the airport.

The biggest city I've ever been in is probably Beijing, but then we were staying with people we know, and that's somewhat different.

 

[sumi]

I've been to Johannesburg and Pretoria quite a few times (was born in Pretoria) and it's nothing like they portray cities on TV. It's dirty, dangerous (especially certain parts of Johannesburg) and if you drive around there you keep your handbag and cell out of sight and don't stop and talk to anyone if you can help it. And considering most of our taxis are the notorious minibus version, you'd better not board one. Nevermind converse with the driver!
The only other proper city I've been to was Amsterdam. Which was, in a word, Amazing. Clean, friendly, interesting and beautiful. I'll go back there anytime.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Depends on the city. There is a city I absolutely hate being anywhere near. I haven't found any charm in it. Gated communities and entitled attitudes abound in some areas, crime and poverty in others (most cities have a wider spectrum). The newspaper from that area also sets my teeth on edge in a way nothing else has come close to. I remember getting off the metro seeing a young college kid who was obviously not from the area. He has a look I know way too well (help! I'm lost!). He was politely but ever increasingly desperately asking people for a dime for the phone. He was getting flipped off and shoved. I really don't care if people thought he was panhandling and looking for booze money, they were being completely rude. I gave him a dime. He...bought drugs? No, he used the pay phone right there, calledby is ride, and thanked me with the same stress tremor and lip quiver I get (hey, I know my own kind). I have no doubt hat someone having a heart attack is more likely to be stepped over or robbed than helped. XP

On the other hand, I've been to many a city with real life and charm. I can't imagine anyone going to, say, Venice and not finding anything to like. If you are a kid in Rome, sure, your parents are going to get pickpocketed, but you are going to have people you dont know spoiling you rotten. If one doesn't partake in the local foods and culture though (tourists who go to McDonald's come to mind) I think a lot would be lost in cities that are bursting with richness, and that the locals may not open up as much if you arent excited to share what they are offering you. I've always enjoyed London though the grime does collect in one's nostrils so that you get to blow out black snot for the day. Granted, it's been a few years, but many people were as chatty and friendly as in the outlying areas. I'd like to think that people might even call an ambulance were a heart attack in progress.

 

[Fierlin1182]

I've been to Johannesburg and Pretoria quite a few times (was born in Pretoria) and it's nothing like they portray cities on TV. It's dirty, dangerous (especially certain parts of Johannesburg) and if you drive around there you keep your handbag and cell out of sight and don't stop and talk to anyone if you can help it. And considering most of our taxis are the notorious minibus version, you'd better not board one. Nevermind converse with the driver!
The only other proper city I've been to was Amsterdam. Which was, in a word, Amazing. Clean, friendly, interesting and beautiful. I'll go back there anytime.

That sounds pretty scary. I can't even imagine a city where it's dangerous to board taxis.
I believe that about Amsterdam though, having travelled so much around Europe when we lived in England, I've seen some awesome places round those parts.

Punk:
Cool story. That's nice you did that. We're often getting asked for some small change round here, and I'm always polite about it even if I don't give any money.

I've been to London a couple of times, albeit not much further than the airport. Seems it's the only convenient place from which to fly to Australia.
Been to Venice. It's beautiful! And ironically, the group of us almost got robbed on the train to Rome, funny as you mentioned that.

 

[thaiturkey]

OK, I've never lived in a big city. Adelaide has a million people, Leeds not even that. Even Sydney doesn't compare to places like New York or London.
I was just wondering, from anyone who's lived or visited a big... or rather, huge, city, whether the portrayal you see on movies and TV is real. You know, everyone ignoring everyone else and not stopping to help someone who's dropped their shopping, taxi drivers looking at you like you've sprouted horns if you try to converse with them.
Round these parts, a chat is pretty much the norm when taking a taxi to the airport.
The biggest city I've ever been in is probably Beijing, but then we were staying with people we know, and that's somewhat different.

London black cab drivers will talk to you whether you want them to or not. They are all frustrated politicians and economists who know what should be done about immigration, unemployment, drugs, you name it.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Atlanta is pretty bad. I have a friend that lives by the baseball stadium there. I just had to tell him the "right" way to clean up blood from his driveway where someone was just killed.

Parts of the city where people will not talk to anyone. Other parts are nice though.

 

[GardenerGal]

I have been to New York City many times over the years, and have been to London several times, Paris once or twice. Movie directors attempt to create a particular "feel" to an environment, whether big city or open wilderness, to convey the mood of the film. So, in crime-type action movies, New York may be filmed and presented in a way that makes it seem forboding, alienating and hostile. Think of the "Batman" movie franchise, with "Gotham City" (AKA New York). If the characters are dark and brooding, and his world haunted by violence, then that is how his surroundings will be conveyed. On the other hand, if you look at upbeat romance and comedy movies, the city will look and feel a lot different.

New York has gritty, noisy, crime-filled neighborhoods and middle- and working-class, neighborly intimate neighborhoods where people sit on the stoops and chat while their kids play. It has upscale, reserved, quiet neighborhoods. It has a beautiful, verdant parks and a colorful, lively theatre and entertainment district. It has areas where recent immigrants form ethnic enclaves, and other areas that are specifically for light industry and commerce. Just like any city, except on a much bigger scale. It's all tied together by the subway, train and bus systems -- and once you learn how to use them, the city seems much "smaller" because you can get to precisely the part you want to get to easily.

I have been in Midtown Manhattan at mid-day and felt absolutely swallowed up by the sea of noisy, active humanity. And I have skated through the Lower East Side at 6 in the morning on empty, silent streets where the only sound was that of bakers sliding trays of hot bialys out of the oven, the steamy aroma wafting through the open bakery door.

I have encountered rude, callous people in the big cities, and I do think that living surrounded by so many people does force one to put up an invisible shield of defense. However, I have also met many courteous and kind people there too. Often, beneath the shield, there are kind people. I don't think that big cities have more crime and violence, proportionately, than smaller cities; they do, however, tend to have far more kinds of people -- good and bad -- and ethnic and cultural diversity because they are such magnets thanks to the opportunities that cities offer.

Also, I believe that we make our own communities and intimacy within them. You can live in an enormous city but still reach out to your immediate neighbors or the larger neighborhood. Joining clubs and organizations, religious groups, community action groups or anywhere else that people who are sociable and caring tend to gravitate to. That makes a city seem way smaller and more intimate than just going to work and returning to one's flat every day.

Anyway, a few thoughts.

 

[Fierlin1182]

Thank you. That's actually very well said.
Heck, when we first moved to Adelaide, I used to think this place was enormous. but you can go in any direction from the city centre and be out in the bush within the hour.
All takes some getting used to...

And even here, there are rough neighbourhoods and nice ones, areas of nice beach houses and ones of vast scrapyards and graffitied-over walls.

 

[JD4570]

I'm originally from Houston, Texas. I believe the population of the metro area is somewhat over six million. I've found most people there are actually quite friendly, except for the occasional sour grape. It has it's good areas and bad areas like most American cities. The worst part of that city is the traffic! We moved out because it so "crowded". I still think it's a great place to visit, just not after 10:00 pm and especially after midnight. Too many drunks on the road.

 

[artmamasays]

I have lived in NY City for 14 years and Gardener Gal did a great job of summing it up!
A silly observation about people who live in NYC - They enjoy seeing places they know in Movies and on TV and dragging out of town friends to see. A few years ago I worked down the block from a diner that was used in a Spider Man movie.