“New York, New York. The city so nice, they named it twice. Manhattan is the other name.” ~ Michael Scott.
The best nicknames are the ones which come naturally. Sometimes they are abbreviated versions of a first name (e.g. Mets legend Michael Piazza called “Mike Piazza”). Sometimes they are based on your actions (e.g. Mets legend Dwight Gooden called “Dr. K” for striking out batters).
Forcing a nickname usually results in it being forgotten. The best ones can last forever.
New York City has many nicknames, but are all of them earned? Is it possible other cities should hold the title? 2xParked will investigate.
The City That Never Sleeps
“I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps” ~ Frank Sinatra
This song lyric from Mr. Sinatra popularized this iconic nickname. As I accumulated data, I have heard 4 car horns honking, 3 police sirens ringing, 2 people yelling, and a pigeon on a fire escape.
Light Pollution: Using this map, I used the light pollution in each city in terms of light intensity (millicandela) per square mile. The brighter the city, the less likely someone is sleeping.
Minutes Not Open: The number of minutes between last call at a bar and the average beginning of the work day are the hours in which someone might normally be found out and about.
Hours Without Metro: How many hours in a day the subway does not run is the potential for someone to be out an about.
% of Population with < 7 hours of Sleep: The percent of the adult population which is getting a bad night of sleep according to the CDC. The higher the number, the less sleep people are actually getting.
Verdict: Although Chicago does give New York City a run for its money, it looks like “The City That Never Sleeps” is still NYC.
The Big Apple
Unfortunately, I could not find good fruit consumption data. I decided to take a more modern perspective. Here is the data which helped me:
% iPhone Users: How many people use an iPhone, a smartphone made by Apple. The higher the percent, the bigger the apple.
Apple Stores per 1 Million People: This is the Apple Stores per capita in a city.
Apple Stores per 100 Square Feet: This is the Apple Store density in a city. The higher the number, the higher the likelihood you are going to walk by an Apple Store.
Verdict: Without a doubt, NYC retains “The Big Apple.”
Gotham
NYC earned its nickname from Washington Irving in the early 1800s after a village in England. This village is tiny with a population the size of one filled subway car. Instead, I decided to compare each city to the home of Batman (and other DC Comic heroes/villains).
Age: Gotham (in the DC Universe) was rumored to have been founded in 1635, 15 years after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth. It is old, so the older the city, the more similar to Gotham.
Crime Rate: Gotham is one of the most dangerous cities. Between large scale organized crime, corrupt politicians, and the Joker, the higher the violent crime rate, the more similar the city is to Gotham.
Density: Gotham is extremely dense. Imagine all of New York City living in Manhattan dense.
Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings: Gotham is known for its amazing architecture. I decided to look at one of the number of buildings designed by one of America’s premier architects as a proxy of the city’s architecture.
Verdict: Batman’s Gotham was inspired by both Chicago and New York City. Today, it just might be a little more Chicago. I would say sorry, but this is good news because NYC is now one of the safest big cities in the country.
MayorModel
One of my favorite quotes from The Office is when Michael Scott decides to roast his co-workers. He throws a zinger and then proclaims “Boom. Roasted.” Once you watch this episode, political debates will never be the same.
“You have experience but not good experience. Boom. Roasted.”
“You gave a lukewarm quote supporting a policy 30 years ago. Boom. Roasted.”
“Hey. No one likes you. Boom. Roasted.”
This is why I don’t watch many debates. Unless you were watching JFK v. Nixon, debates do not really influence. This is not to say they are not important, but their importance does not lie in changing public opinion. Most academic researchers suggest that debates are ineffective at swaying votes unlike the effectiveness of running a good campaign.
We finally finish primary debate season soon and begin early voting later this week. Go out and vote. Here is how. Over the past 6 months of the MayorModel, the one thing we have learned is that this race will be close and unpredictable.
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Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Email me at 2xParked@gmail.com.