Urban vs. Suburban

I agree with a lot of what’s been written regarding the diverging views of urban america and suburban america.

We who live in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, and a host of other urban locations have a different reality than those of most of america who live in the suburbs.  I see that every day in many little ways and many big ways.

I am fairly certain my friends who live in the suburbs don’t have to kick the drugged-out bum off their stoop some mornings. 

I am fairly certain that my friends who live in the suburbs don’t have the guy playing his keyboard for small change down the street. 

I am fairly certain that my friends who live in the suburbs don’t have guys in their neighborhood park offering dime bags to their kids. 

And I am fairly certain that my friends who live in the suburbs like it that way.

And Jeff Jarvis urges all of us urban dwelling democrats to move out to the suburbs.  He says at the end of this post:

You’ll survive, believe me. I did.

Well you know what, I didn’t.

In 1993, with two kids and a third in mind, The Gotham Gal and I moved our family from Brooklyn to the suburbs.  Chappaqua NY to be specific.  Chappaqua is a wonderful place.  It’s exactly as Jeff describes the suburbs:

I like the ‘burbs. I have land and trees around me and convenience and places to park my car and good schools and quiet and stores and malls and a big house.

We didn’t survive the suburbs.  We came back to the city.  And thank god we did, because while we have druggies on our stoop, bums down the block, and drug dealers in our park, we also have a vitality that doesn’t exist in suburbia.

It’s what we chose for our life and we love it.  And so do our kids.  And so all I have to say to Jeff and the rest of the suburban majority is the following:

You can have your safe stepford country.  It’s fine with me.  Just don’t make me live it with you.