re this, and other ny swipes: spend some time in the san francisco-berkely bay area and find that the per capita parochial assholism is even higher...and i love both places, but ny is first, my home, and second, for me,the greatest town in the usa, though i've lived in and loved the bay area for , seemingly, ages now...
of course, since it is the biggest, it has more of almost everything: crowds, assholes, culture, filth, beauty, etc...but if you crammed seven to eight million into some town considered nice, intellectual, artsy or simply better, by whoever, you'd watch that place become what you think ny is...
except that it wouldn't be nearly as good...
fs