Sterling Terrell

recovering economist

Coney Island Subway

Coney Island Subway

I have never been there, but the Coney Island subway sounds fantastic.

For I have ridden the subway, and I have been to the ocean, but I have never combined the two.

Of course, one must be careful when combining certain things.

The results can be delightful. But the results can also be evil.

Must of this simply boils down to the geography of New York City though, doesn’t it?

I mean, I typically arrive at the ocean by either an airplane or a 9 hour drive.

Arriving by subway sounds so very, metropolitan.

I always loved the ride to Coney Island. Just the idea that you could go to the ocean via subway was so magical.

-Patti Smith, Just Kids

New York Talking Style

New York Talking Style

There is a New York talking style isn’t there?

By that, I mean, we all have our accents, slangs, and regional idiosyncrasies – a way of making our voice our own.

For example, in West Texas – and much of the south – we tend to just stop in the middle of a sentence.

With the common, “I tell you what.” at the end of a puzzling discussion.

Or, we will exchange polite pleasantries, of course, but never want to venture much past that.

From what I can tell, provocative talking seems to be typical in New York.

It may frequently start with a contentious tone and end with the puff of the chest.

Like Trump, I grew up in New York State. That helped me understand his communication style. The provocative things Trump said during the campaign shocked much of the country. But to New Yorkers such as me, talking in a way that sounds unnecessarily provocative—as Trump often did during the campaign—is what New Yorkers call “talking.” My claim is that it is easier for a New Yorker to understand another New Yorker than it is for a Californian to understand a New Yorker.

-Scott Adams, Win Bigly

Sterling Terrell