That’s what FanPosts and FanShots are for. Rant away, within the very broad community guidelines.

I do get kind of annoyed by NYC’s “tough” reputation. It’s pretty undeserved… Yeah there’s a lot of people so you’ve got to be willing to push your way around, but other than that, it’s not like you’ve got to worry about getting robbed/stabbed at every corner, which is how a lot of people make it out to be. It’s extremely safe. I’m actually (hopefully) moving there this summer, and my dad was like, “You’re not going to end up in some dangerous neighborhood, are you?” Meanwhile, he still lives in the house I grew up in in P.G. County with foreclosures all around him and drug deals going on literally right down the street…

I remember the first time I went to NYC, there was one of those assholes that tries to get you to take “free” tickets to a comedy show, and I just ignored the guy, and he yells, “WHAT, YOU THINK THE BLACK PEOPLE IN NEW YORK WILL JUST LEAVE YOU ALONE IF YOU IGNORE THEM?” I wanted to turn around and say, “Because midtown Manhattan is a bastion of black culture? I’m from Prince George’s County, Maryland. Go look up some stats.” But I just laughed and kept walking.

Baltimore, DC, New Orleans have way more crime per capita (however you spell it). How come they only say when they are from ny they are tough. That is what gets annoying.

If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere!

Thanks for Listening…

…grew up in the area, and just moved back here from NYC after living up there for 15 years. So I know a bit about from whence I speak.

Baltimore is a much tougher town than NYC, to the point where half the city is frankly dangerous and blighted as a result. New York used to be a pretty tough town in the 1970’s, but that got swept away by gentrification, Giuliani etc. Let’s be clear though: Being a tough town is not a good thing. It sucks. Many good people are afraid to live in their own neighborhoods in too many areas of Baltimore. This is nothing to be proud of. It is something to change.

Another observation I can relay is that New Yorkers, in general, are much more aggressive, and often more focused, than Baltimoreans. This is a vast generalization, but it holds very true in my experience. There are simply so many people in NYC, 8 Million+, that you need to be aggressive and efficient to get things done. People in Baltimore are much more laid back, sometimes to the point of laziness or outright incompetence, in a way that simply wouldn’t fly in New York.

But that being said, I love both cities. There’s more to love in New York of course due to the sheer enormity of it. But Baltimore is a terrific city as well.

Try growing up in town with 1000 people! Graduating high school with 25 people! Trolling three counties to find a girl one of you buddies hasn’t slept with! Summer heat of 110 degrees. Everyone in town and people in other towns knowing not only you, your siblings, your parents and grandparents but every relative you have! Teaching yourself to actually lock your doors once you grow up and move away!

I dont think NYC is seen as “tough” because of the crime (at least not to those who live in/around it). I can go anywhere in NYC and i’m pretty much fine, where as when I go to Bmore im MUCH more careful as to where I go and how many blocks in each direction I’m willing to travel.

NYC is seen as tough because the people are all self serving jerks (for the most part). If you wanna survive in NYC you have to step on everyone else. Its not cool, but everyone acts like it is. I guess spending 1500/mo. on a 550 square foot studio in a crap section of NYC will make anyone angry, though.

Basically, if you’re willing to push through crowds of poeple without saying excuse me, not smile at anyone, and live in a terrible apartment for 3 times as much as a place twice the size anywhere else, you can be “tough” too.

I understand that there’s a whole complex that most O’s fans have with anything remotely related to New York. I’m ok with that, even if I find it to be silly.

Still, I can’t fathom why you’d want to argue the position that the media recognize Baltimore as a worse city than New York. We’ve got more murders, more violent crimes, more impoverished areas; that makes us TOUGH!

Yeah, bully for us.

Not that I disagree with the state of the city of Baltimore, you understand. But…maybe this is one “victory” that you should just let New York have.

But hey, if it weren’t for Baltimore sterling reputation, we wouldn’t have gotten The Wire (and to a lesser extent, Homicide). So, you see? Someone recognizes the toughness of Harm City.