City envy of sorts.

I don't know that "City Envy" quite captures what I am trying to describe, but it's about as close as I can get to it. I suppose I'm not really feeling envy, more just... confusion. So here's my gripe: New York gets way too much attention in entertainment.

Just stop and think about it....

Crazy, isn't it? I suppose this all was prompted by one of those silly quizzes from Facebook. It gives you a synopsis of a show and asks you to identify which show it was. Goofy? Yes. A waste of my time? Moderately. Still, as I was taking this otherwise mind-numbing quiz, I couldn't help but notice that an inordinately large percentage of the shows described were set in Manhattan. A majority of modern movies are set in New York. Even a higher percentage of books I've been reading lately have all been based around New Yorkers doing New Yorky things. I realize that New York is a bit of a cultural mecca here in the States. I don't deny it and its influence, but come on. What about shows in LA, in SF? I know there are some, but when you stack it up, I'm sure there are more shows about New York than the next top five cities combined.

I have been to New York, I've seen Manhattan, and I realize that there is a whole lot that the city has to offer. But as my good friend Pete put it, there is a veritable smorgasbord of cultural activity here in SF too. There is history, there is art, sports, everything one could want. Naturally, this isn't the first time that I've realized stuff like this, but it seems lately I've been noticing more and more: while most other stories based in cities use their cities as a backdrop, in most New York stories are all about being in New York. It's almost like the city itself is another character in the story.

Perhaps when all of this thesis mess is all wrapped up, I'll have a chance to do a little more writing for pleasure. If I do, I tell you this much, my stories will damn well be set in San Francisco.