Nasty.  Self-absorbed.  Unwelcoming.  If these are the notions you have of New Yorkers, then I invite you to meet my neighbors.  Once you do, the stereotype won’t last a New York minute.

Let me ask you this.  Do nasty, self-absorbed, and unwelcoming people:

• Bake scones for you and leave them by your door on holidays, wrapped up to keep warm?
• Bring you meals when you are recovering from dental surgery?
• Organize regular get-togethers, including out-of-town trips?

Not as far as I know.

Now, I have to admit that several of the neighbors I’m referring to grew up in the Midwest. And from what I understand, Midwesterners are really nice.  But these few neighbors have lived long enough in NYC that they should have adopted local customs by now.  Plus, the neighbors I had in my previous NYC apartment building were nice, too.

Which brings me to my theory:  I suspect that New Yorkers are all supporting the myth of nastiness so that fewer people will move here, which means that fewer people will compete for apartments, and rents and prices will go down.  This is not something I studied in economics class when learning about demand and supply curves, but, as a PR professional, I am fully convinced of the power of persuasion.

So here’s the key message I’d like to communicate to anyone who’s considering a move to NYC:  Put the “go” in Gotham. You don’t want to live here.  Leave us alone – with our lovely neighbors.