By Robin Cohn
A little tear is trickling down my cheek as I look at emails from Lincoln Square BID, Gale Brewer, and West Side Rag. You see, for reasons beyond my control, I’m in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, for a few months. It’s beautiful down here: beaches with blue water and lots of greenery. But I miss the Upper West Side. Ft. Lauderdale is very pretty and pleasant. The UWS is alive.
One thing folks have here is beautiful weather. Conversations begin with gleeful bad weather reports from home. “Hi, did you know it was 22 degrees in New York?” or “How are you? It’s snowing back home.” Cold fronts lead the local news: lows in the 50s, highs reaching the low 60’s. Northerners would jump for joy.
The good weather might explain why people nod and smile as you pass. Right-of-way drivers kindly wave you on to cross the street, even when lights are changing. Not like NY drivers and pedestrians who play chicken. BUT there’s no casual chit-chat. On the UWS, conversing with strangers is natural. Down here: polite silence. No group discussions.
For example, at an art fair booth I visited, a woman sneezed. No one said anything, not even ‘Bless You’ or ‘Gesundheit.’ Up north after the blessing, the sneezer would assure everyone it wasn’t COVID, that she had a cold or allergies. This would bring a chorus of doctor recommendations, each being the best, followed by health-experience sharing.
I guess folks here follow the “don’t talk to strangers” rule. When I complimented someone on his dog, he looked startled, taking a few beats before thanking me. Even the dog look surprised. Neighborhood dogs run to their fences barking and growling as you pass by, a clear indication that they’ll bite if you try to have a meaningful moment. NY dogs, on the other hand, bark at each other, but rarely at people. Trotting along, New York pooches are used to human admiration and petting.
“Walk” is a foreign term in Ft. Lauderdale. This is a driving and boating city. People hop into their cars to go a couple of blocks. I’ve discovered that places I used to drive to are walkable. There are huge yachts and boats galore. There’s even a water taxi. Must admit a nicer experience than our version. But here’s the big difference. From the UWS, you can go anywhere in the city or boroughs on mass transit. Even New Jersey. Here, it’s sketchy; bus “service” is a misnomer. I will never again complain about long waits for the M11 or M5. Average wait time between buses here is 45 minutes. As you can see, cars rule.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. OK, I am as I sit on a balcony watching yachts go by. I guess it’s a matter of liking big city living or not. People here think we New Yorkers are crazy (and arrogant.) They don’t understand that New York offers an embarrassment of riches. Music, theater, art, fashion, design, culture. Creativity everywhere. Actors, musicians, singers, artists, and writers calling the UWS home. Central Park, farmers markets, fruit stands, and corner flower markets brightening the neighborhood. Maybe most of all, I miss the special brand of New York humor.
I know I can Zoom events and I do. But it’s not the same as experiencing them in person — with the added benefit of meeting terrific people. To be fair, there are those you meet who hate NYC and want to leave. As my father used to say, that’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla.
Ft Lauderdale is a wonderful place to visit. But there’s no place like home.
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As someone who just spent a week in Hollywood, FL, yes to every word.
As someone who just spent a week in UWS, no to every word. I guess I missed all the arts, culture and riches of the neighborhood. Maybe all your “artists” were spending their winter in Florida… Please everyone, stop being so snob, pretentious and elitist with Florida. Instead, go take care of your migrants parked in Randall Island.
Triggered much? You stayed on the UWS for a week and you missed the art and culture? You missed Lincoln Center? Missed a short walk across the park to the MET? You didnt miss, its impossible to miss, you were obviously too busy living in fear of migrants staying five miles away in the middle of the river.
Please stay in Florida where books are banned and the state motto is “dont say gay”.
Its definitely where you belong.
Don’t get to see much when you hang out in Times Square…although hard to miss the theatres surrounding you!
Josh, this is just a neighbor acclimating to a new environment and sharing their impressions. I wouldn’t take any of this personally.
Really? You missed the arts and culture of the UWS? Did you not notice Lincoln Center? The museums? The restaurants with cuisines from around the world?
Did you leave your hotel?
It’s funny. All my Florida friends are constantly talking up Florida and the weather and dissing NY. Meanwhile. most New Yorkers don’t even think about Florida. Complex, much?
Are you referring to migrants like the ones that your governor used your tax dollars to transport from other states to northern cities in a failed effort to gain relevance among the mean-spirited? You must be so proud.
Good for you, please keep our migrants then.
I just moved to San Francisco, and I feel the same way. No one says ‘Bless You’ when you sneeze! I miss home so much. Thinking of you, Robin! I feel your pain!
Agree wholeheartedly! FL may be nice to visit (and only in the winter) but NYC is far better to live in
Yes, walkability matters to me for my own health and the environment.
I live in Coconut Grove and I walk daily everywhere and anywhere I need to be. NYC doesn’t have the monopoly of good conscience and morals. Take step down.
Who cares about the Florida winters. It’s pure hell from May to October. Heat & humidity every day. You can keep it. I will suffer through New York’s mild winters any day.
Yes because our heat and humidity in July and August really make NYC so pleasant. I will remember to enjoy it in a few months. At least they don’t need to be a millionaire to have a pool in Florida…
As bad as it is here, the heat and humidity is far wkrse in Flroda
The casual conversations are unique to the UWS in NYC. I remember when I moved from the UES to the UWS in 2004 I was startled when a woman (stranger) complimented my anklet on the street. This never happened on the UES (like Florida, no talking to strangers!)
I was even more startled when a woman at the supermarket let me in front of her while standing in line for the checkout because I only had one item and she had a full cartful. This NEVER would have happened on the UES!
I love the sneeze reference. Whenever I leave the city, I’ve noticed that almost no one ever says “bless you” after someone sneezes. It’s weird.
Florida weather is something people rave about. But I love cold days in NYC. I put on a thick jacket, leash up my dog, and go for a vigorous walk. My dog thrives in the cold. And we get to enjoy the beauty of the warmer seasons knowing that it will all change in a few months.
How about a photo of the M7 or M11 bus (instead of Citibike)?
Buses are great for the community!
And cool 🙂
https://youtu.be/75F3CSZcCFs?si=6x0PdIJu4iMenrpv
great video
Check out the beautiful Morikami Gardens not too far away.
https://morikami.org/
Loved, loved this…..I’m a former Upper Westsider (48 years) living in Delray Beach for the past 5 years. Miss everything about my city. No energy down here. Walking is foreign!
We feel the same way; in Fort Lauderdale for 183 days a year, because it stretches our retirement income, but miss NYC every one of those days, especially everything that’s in easy walking distance from our apartment near Lincoln Center.
It’s not that bad, Robin! We too miss the UWS and all that NY offers, but our downtown Ft. Lauderdale apartment is walking distance from supermarkets, restaurants, and the Broward Performing Arts Center (where recent performances of I Pagliacci, Judy Collins, and John Pizzarelli weren’t half bad, even as the ticket prices were half of those at Lincoln Center!). Not to mention a fleet of all-electric shared vehicles that offer free rides within Ft. Lauderdale. While we’re looking forward to returning to the UWS shortly, no complaints about enjoying the sunshine for a few months!
I think your problem is you’re in Florida. Try almost any other state, and you won’t miss the UWS so much. 🙂
I was visiting friends in Los Angeles. They went to work; I decided to go for a walk. I couldn’t find their little wee dog’s leash, so I used the belt from a bathrobe (white terry).
Then I learned that there were no sidewalks. Still I was determined; the dog was merely confused . Two cars stopped to offer assistance, I said “No, but thanks.”. Now, I was confused. I decided to go home right after a police car stopped me. Seems there were reports of a “homeless woman wandering with a dog on some kind of rope”. And you thought only New Yorkers were friendly!
Thanks, Elizabeth. Your observations made me laugh—which I always appreciate. “Homeless” and a dog “on some kind of rope” did it for me.
Elizabeth, isnt it so odd that walking your friends’ dog led to the police stopping you? It’s ridiculous and appreciate you sharing the absurdity of it. Enjoy walking in our glorious UWS!
Maybe because Elizabeth was walking along the 405…
I have been an Upper Westsider now for over 30 years and counting but I am rethinking this between the many new shelters, migrants, muggers targeting older people, mad mad reckless bikers. Electric bike robbers, homeless people on the street, beggers on the street begging on many a corner making each corner their rent free home- it’s like a regular pac man game getting from one side of the street to the other. One person on the street ran after me paranoid, after I snapped a picture of a storefront! I don’t feel the same walking around at night. I will probably stay put because Florida, or anywhere else is not an option after making NYC my home since I went to college here, but I have to say, it’s not the same. Oh by the way I love NY… ( I’ll take the good with the bad).
Living now in rural Virginia, I sooo know what you mean! Thank you for your very real, true to life on the Upper West Side article.
And yet, the mass exodus of people from NYC to Florida continues to grow year, after year, after year …..
New York is not for everyone.
Everyone is allowed to make foolish decisions now and then.
Why would anyone choose to live in Florida???????
Sunshine and lower taxes.