On Redundancy

Where the Urban Dream Life Is Going Cheap -- New York Magazine

What Could Make Someone Want to Leave New York and Move to Buffalo?

Resisting the urge to crack wise ("Clinical insanity? Insatiable hot wing addiction?"), it's an interesting piece. Some years ago, as I was saying farewell to the city, I posted a short ode to the place. Decent housing is cheap, and there are a few small but lovely districts. Someone from New York could make a life there.

It would not be me. A couple my age with a yen to raise a family might do well with the restricted set of social and cultural options Buffalo provides for mature adults. Single (straight) people who crave adventure can try to put the town through a renaissance. Freelancers who work from home and don't care to go out much would probably be nuts to live anywhere that costs more. But I kinda need to live in a city that's already thriving, where I don't run through everything there is to do in one month, where there's an industry I can build a career in, where there's a population of moderately intelligent openly gay men in an age range that approximates my own.

There are certainly alternatives to New York, alternatives that I mean to explore before I'm too very much older, but Buffalo's not for the faint of heart.