Pittsburgh was even more vital, more creative, more hungry for culture than New York. Pittsburgh was the birthplace of my writing.
In a way, Jersey really supports rock, maybe more than New York City and Long Island. I know plenty of bands that tour and do much better at Starland or other clubs in New Jersey than others in the tri-state area.
New York is fast paced, with enthusiastic fans and lots of media attention. Houston's slower paced, and there's more of a southern culture to the city. But both cities have unbelievable food.
I do really love New York. I feel like there are more Asian restaurants. Philly has a sick food scene, I don't want to diss it at all. But New York is so much bigger and there are more options.
I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.
I kind of grew up on the East Coast, lived in New York for a while, then moved to L.A. So I'm not a New Yorker at all, but I'm much happier in New York; I've always liked it better.
When I was younger, growing up in Pittsburgh, they had a 'Golden Gloves' program through the Boys and Girls Club. In Pittsburgh, New York, Philly, Washington, those areas, I would go and spar at competitions.
Biggie was the King Of New York as a rapper. There's a lot more dangerous guys than Biggie Smalls out there, you know what I'm saying? John Gotti was way closer to King Of New York than him.
As an actor, there are places you can live, and when I graduated from school, it was either New York or L.A., and I liked the East Coast. That's why I ended up in New York.
Once I came along, I started giving more smooth melodies, more songs for the ladies, a new vibe, and Philly wasn't used to all that.
New Jersey is very big. There are different areas of New Jersey. There is North New Jersey. There is like the center. There are a lot of actors from New Jersey that don't speak with a New Jersey accent.
If Tim Duncan had 'Knicks' on his jersey, he'd be a god. He'd be more than Patrick Ewing. With four championships and two MVPs, I think people realize he's one of the best ever, but if he played in New York, he'd be way more famous.
A lot of the reason I left New York, in addition to being so broke, was that I just felt I was becoming provincial in that way that only New Yorkers are. My points of reference were really insular. They were insular in that fantastic New York way, but they didn't go much beyond that. I didn't have any sense of class and geography, because the economy of New York is so specific. So I definitely had access and exposure to a huge variety of people that I wouldn't have had if I'd stayed in New York - much more so in Nebraska even than in L.A.
If you're from Philly and you're listening to this, please know that the rest of the world looks at Philly and they're jealous of your food. I promise. And if you're not from Philly, and you've never been here and you're thinking about coming somewhere to the East Coast, come to Philly and eat the food because the food. Is. Amazing.
I've been back in New York a year and a half now. Before that I was on the West Coast for five years. There's no comparison between the two. You hear things in New York you don't hear anywhere else. Unless these guys go out. Quite a few make it out to the Coast. Of course, you can't stay in New York for ever. You have to move.
I actually like south Florida. I never lived in a more interesting place than this. I've never met a wider range of people. I guess when I came here I thought there were Cubans and then there were people from New York and that was Miami. Now I know that it's Cubans, people from New York, and some people from New Jersey.