Some Things Never Change
From the New Yorker:
I had forgotten what a pleasant city London is. No doubt it comes to seem more attractive as New York be-comes consistently less so. From the moment a New Yorker is confronted with almost any large city of Europe, it is impossible for him to pretend to himself that his own city is anything other than an unscrupulous real-estate speculation, whereas a capital like London is a place where people are supposed to live and enjoy some recreation and comfort rather than merely pay landlords rent.
The above was written by Edmund Wilson nearly 60 years ago. And no, realty-fiend Barbara Corcoran was not yet in business.