Michael Kosta on New York vs. Los Angeles: Tennis, Lifestyle, and Raising Kids

The Frustration of NYC Tennis

• 🎾 New York City is described as a terrible place for playing tennis due to a severe lack of courts despite a large, affluent, and enthusiastic tennis population.
• 😩 Players often face long waits for courts, only to encounter others with poor skills, leading to frustration.
• 😠 The competitive nature extends to court access, with instances of people teaching illegally and even fistfights over court time.

The NYC Lifestyle and Pace

• 🧘‍♀️ The intense, competitive environment is compared to a "hellscape," even extending to activities like yoga, where people fight over mat space.
• 🚧 New York is characterized by constant destruction and rebuilding, creating a non-stop, high-energy atmosphere.
• 🚨 Late-night arrivals in Brooklyn can involve mayhem like street drag racing and police pursuits, which some find invigorating but others find maddening.

Comparing NYC and LA Living

• ☀️ In contrast, Los Angeles is described as having a lot of "sitting around and waiting," which can feel more relaxed but also lead to guilt for not being constantly busy.
• 📈 While both cities offer progress, New York's progress feels more intense and filled with anxiety, whereas LA's feels more measured.
• 🏖️ LA offers year-round outdoor tennis with better court availability, a stark contrast to NYC's limited outdoor season and extremely high indoor court costs.

Raising Children in Each City

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The decision of where to raise children becomes a significant factor, with concerns about consistency in schooling and friendships.
• 🗣️ One daughter is described as a "New York mouse" who embraces the city's energy and interactions, while another is more sensitive to the city's harshness.
• ⚖️ The speaker reflects on the difficulty of balancing career opportunities with the desire for a calmer environment for children, acknowledging that the "gig" often dictates location.

The New York Exit Strategy

• 🏃‍♂️ A unique New York personality trait is the implicit understanding that one might need to leave the city periodically to maintain well-being.
• 💡 The idea of needing to "get out of here" is presented as a common, almost necessary, survival mechanism for New Yorkers.