Soledad O'Brien on Being a New Yorker

New York Magazine did a Q&A with Soledad O'Brien this past week on being a New Yorker.

Here are a few teasers from the article -

What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
The other day for lunch I had a sandwich at the Piccolo Café. It's buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and gaeta olives on amazing grilled Italian bread.


Would you live here on a $35,000 salary?
I've lived on $35k a year, so yes, I would. But not with a husband and four kids.

What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
The last thing I saw on Broadway was Race a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
Since I like to schlep my kids to Toys "R" Us — I prefer the new Times Square. But a little south, Billy's Topless in my neighborhood was a long holdout. I admired their attempt.

What do you hate most about living in New York?
I hate almost nothing about living in New York. But when my kids were younger, it was annoying that it was impossible to get a double stroller (for the twins) over a curb in the snow.

What makes someone a New Yorker?
I grew up in Long Island, so I was from New York, but not a New Yorker. Once I moved to NYC I knew I was finally a New Yorker when I could yell at someone on the subway and not have it even slightly impact my day.

When mice and cockroaches in my first crappy Soho tenement apartment ceased to faze me, I knew I was a New Yorker.


If you can talk a taxi driver into waiting while you grab your kids from school, then you are a New Yorker.

And most important, if Mister Softee [an ice cream truck vendor] portends the start of spring (and not a flowering crocus!), then you are a New Yorker.



Give it a full read at http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/05/