Manhattan is obviously the forerunner, as it is the most densely populated and it is honestly where everything happens. Not to mention that its exclusivity is a big draw. Money!
The Bronx never crosses my mind, to be honest, so that says a lot.
Queens really reminds me of Los Angeles in the way that when I am there I truly feel the importance of family and community. It makes me feel a bit nostalgic, though not particularly excited.
Brooklyn is obviously awesome. I am biased, no doubt. In any case, this borough is incredibly racially diverse, but also in terms of who lives here. Everyday things change. Neighborhoods change. Streets change. Even attitudes change. There are the grimy, scary parts a block away from the beautifully renovated brownstone streets and a vibrant art community right next to a scrap metal site. It takes some time living here to appreciate the beauty of the borough from the BQE right where the F and G train bridges come into view--all of those old signs with only a few letters left. One one side you have the beautiful lower manhattan skyline, with the added bonus of the statue of liberty and on the other you have the remnants of industrial Brooklyn.
I live on the frontier between Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill, two different areas that are gradually becoming more like each other. Conflicting feelings about this, of course. But that's another post. All of this to say is that it's so vibrant. People here are young, eager, artistic, and supportive of their borough (for the most part).
I hardly ever (actually, I can't think of a time I have...) get into discussions about how Brooklyn is so totally awesome and better than Manhattan because to be honest it'd be awesome to live in Manhattan if I had that income to support a luxurious lifestyle there! I will take the time now to say, though, that I am a very happy Brooklynite and as a non-native I feel lucky to be living in a place where I can feel so amazingly alive. To turn around and in every corner there be something I am grateful to see and experience is a privilege.
Now...
Staten Island is definitely the borough that is seen as the black sheep of the family. I don't know anyone from there, except the Jewish culture teacher at camp, so I cannot say anything about personal experiences. But I will say that today I drove through a large part of it and a big downside, and perhaps why Staten Island gets to much shit, is because it feels and looks nothing like New York. It feels American. It feels as if I could be anywhere in this country and, to be honest, today it couldn't have mattered whether I was in America or in Germany because my surroundings were so not New York, that special something this city has. The special something people continue to move here in droves, despite the rents that bleed you dry and the the ever increasing price of public transportation (and in my case, the G train!...which I kind of love). This lack of personality on the streets, in its shops, in its homes, is troubling to someone who adores that inherent nature of chaotic urban living. I was repulsed by it.
Perhaps I should add that my time in the depths of Staten Island was spent at a cosmic bowling alley. How weird is that? Every bowling alley, no matter where it is, always seems a step out of tme, as if the time passes and the bowling alley cannot keep up even decades and decades later. It isn't even out of time in a kitschy sense, but rather in a mindfucking time warp way. I always feel a little duller and less hopeful in bowling alleys.
Photos from this great blog post: Bridge and Tunnel Crowd http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/gowanus/smith-9th/index.htm
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