Notable New Yorkers on their first day in the big city
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NY MAG "Waking Up to New York"Notable New Yorkers on their first day in the big cityThe article features Rufus Wainwright, Amy Sedaris, Richie Rich, Lorne Michaels, James Franco, Connie Chung, Andy Samberg, Maggie Gyllenhaal, David Dinkins, Mike Meyers, Jann Wenner, Naomi Campbell, Dr. Ruth, Kristen Schaal, Mary Boone, Keith Hernandez, Cindy Sherman, Lauren Hutton, Diane Von Furstenberg, Michael Lucas, Danny Meyer, Chuck Close, Ira Glass, Nick Denton, Chloë Sevigny, Jesus Luz, David Chang, Michel Gondry & Rachel Dratch
Amy Sedaris - "The first thing I saw when I came to New York was a man leaning up against a wall, shitting. Perfect!"
Ira Glass - "I rented an illegal sublet that cost me $145 a month; if anyone questioned what I was doing there, I was under strict instructions to say I was visiting somebody."
Lorne Michaels - "I’d been living in California for the better part of five years, and what I remember most about the transition to 30 Rock is that I didn’t have the required clothes. You know, when I was writing for Laugh-In, we worked in a motel and wore Hawaiian shirts and pants that flared. I remember going to Saks Fifth Avenue and buying an oxblood-colored V-neck sweater, and then buying a green corduroy jacket on Madison Avenue. I could wear the jacket with jeans, which then was a relatively fresh style. I was 29 turning 30, and I felt invincible."
Dr. Ruth - "I traveled fourth-class on a ship from France. I was on my way to visit my one surviving uncle in San Francisco before moving to Israel. But as I passed the Statue of Liberty I thought, I’m in heaven."
Lauren Hutton - "I came to New York for two things: to get to Africa and to find LSD. In those days it was legal. You could get it from this Swiss chemical company, and I met six guys who were very willing to give it to me. But I didn’t like any of them enough to take it, so it took me a few months. As for Africa, I was supposed to meet a friend in New York, and we were going to take a tramp steamer to Tangier. It was going to cost $140. Once I got there, my plan was to take a bus for ten cents to the outskirts of town and see elephants and rhinoceroses and giraffes. I was as ignorant as a telephone pole."
Kristen Schaal - "I was so broke I’d have a slice of pizza for lunch, and I would drink 40s for dinner to fill me up. My roommate and I experimented with all different kinds of 40s. There was this terrible one called Green Lightning that was almost hallucinogenic. I still keep one unopened can of Crazy Horse on a shelf in my apartment, just to represent that time. I said, I’m going to drink this Crazy Horse when I’m 60 on the French Riviera, topless, and crack it open with the ocean running up my thigh!"