New York City is Too Hard

People, and just everything in general, seems to be much nicer and more open in upstate NY and in other places than it is in NYC. For example, people upstate regularly leave car windows partially open without fear of getting their car jacked. And like the post office. In Ithaca, there’s a post office on Cornell’s campus and when you go in, it’s small, but it’s an open space. The workers behind the counter smile, greet you, and helpfully answer your questions. The interior decor also seems warmer.

Yesterday, I was at the post office on Springfield Blvd. (near Cardozo HS) and I just thought everything looked so drab and cold. Not only that, the clerks were sitting behind a counter protected by thick, bullet-proof glass. Okay, I understand the stuff about “going postal” but come on, those are freak incidents and this is a post office for crying out loud, not a bank. The clerks had bored faces and answered questions in a disinterested way.

What a difference. Remember that old Baz Luhrmann song, Everybody’s Free? There’s a line that goes “Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.”