The New York Sun caught wind of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s finding that a large number of New Yorers are moving south to Atlanta for its cheap(er) housing and job market and asked some expats how they like their new humid and congested environs. Turns out there are some disappointed folks. From the article:
“Atlanta is a second-tier city,” Jessica Harlan, 36, who relocated two years ago, said. “New York is cooler and more exciting in every respect.”
“If my kids have a Southern accent, I will kill myself,” Brooklyn native Jodi Fleisig, an Atlanta resident since 1998, said.
“I haven’t found a single slice of pizza I have been remotely satisfied with,” Mr. Merritt, 34, said. “I am not going to the corner pharmacy and being welcomed by name any longer. It was a culture shock.”
“I miss the lawn on Central Park,” Simone Joye, 42, who organized the site after moving to suburban Stone Mountain three years ago, said. “I miss pizza — real pizza — and bagels and lox. I miss bridges and the water, which creates a sense of serenity. Atlanta has no beaches.”
New York Magazine picks up on the Sun’s story and allows a little cubicle-curmudgeon venting. Most commenters touch on the obvious — sprawl, traffic, McMansions — whereas others say that while everything may be a degree or two less posh and/or pulsing than New York, it’s not half bad.
The best comment refers to Spencer Sloan, an exiled Russian chessmaster who lives in Atlanta. He’s also a local blogger and artist who maintains GoldenFiddle.
Anyone who badmouths Atlanta will have to deal with Spencer Sloan, if he’s not summering in Belle Ile, France.
By Paladin on 07/11/2008 at 1:00pm
As someone who was born and raised in Atlanta and lived in New York for a year and a half — and who came away from it all with a bunch of wonderful, fun, family friendly stories! — I’ll say I sorely miss the city.
I’m a sucker for street life, the romance of subways, and having to adapt to a city where everyone is on the move during the day, and sleeping on top of one another at night. I’ve never felt a greater sense of pride and community than when I lived in New York — a feeling I’ve noticed Atlanta sometimes lacks since I moved back.
But I love this place. I love its characters, its faults and its potential. But “the second-tier of second-tier” cities? That’s a little harsh.
You New Yorkers might have your fair share of these characters, but y’all don’t have a bigass chicken! Eat that, Soho!
