Yes, some of us actually have lived in NYC - and for a lot less that
$25,000 a year -  paying our dues to the local art establishment.  We
lived on a bagel a day, two subway tokens, a pack of cigarettes, and a
copy of the New York Times.  We called it "receiving an education" and
we were having fun!

But you move on (grow up?) and actually come to expect to live a
little better than that.  You want to eat a decent meal every so
often, you quit smoking and join a health club.  You still read the
NY Times, but want to go and see the plays and buy the books that you
you've been reading about all those years.  You want a real job that
pays you what you're worth (or better: more than you're worth).  You
are tired of killing yourself - even if you're doing it in NYC.  You
want to have a life!

So you move to L.A. (big mistake) and wonder why the hell there is no
job in NYC that would keep you out of poverty.  I guess the "New York
mystique" is alive and well -   you will be underpaid and exploited,
but at least you're having a lot of "actors, musicians, and artists"
around.



Claudia Bohn Spector
Senior Fellow
The Getty Conservation Institute
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