I am sorry arabella, I did not mean to offend...
I may have misphrased things a bit; I was actually thinking of those cocky ones who came to this city quite a few years ago with no dreams, and no philosophy, except perhaps that this town owed them a living. And they were surprised to find out that it did not.
Of course I know that today a NYC apartment costs a king's (or queen's) ransom. And in order to move here and get settled one must surmount a great many obstacles, that have grown much greater over the years. And as a result, this city has most certainly lost a large part of its vital and essential spirit. And it is a great loss, indeed. Unfortunately, that includes those such as yourself, at least for this year.
But, oddly enough, I don't believe that NYC is the center of the universe at all. Art of all kinds is, after all, made in a great many other places. What is important is that artists have some kind of interaction with each other and exchange ideas. In short, form a community of sorts. Something this city used to encourage. And something I see less and less of here as each year goes by.
Nevertheless, I still see new people come here each year, young and old, in search of that freedom and sense of community they were unable to find "back home." And whether or not they remain, I will always have enormous respect for them.