Tourists wear it, New Yorkers live it. Most Big Apple dwellers will tell you that they love New York – and if the choose to complain, well, it’s their city to complain about. But for the first time, New Yorkers are asked to weigh in on the question, “Does New York Love You Back?”
DOES NY LOVE U BACK? is a website and iPhone app where New Yorkers can submit praises or complaints about life in the Big Apple. These expressions are then plotted onto an interactive map of New York City.
“This app isn’t about namedropping places, like other services,” said creator Erik Trinidad, (no shock here) a Brooklyn resident. “The good or bad experiences of New York don’t always happen in specific places. They happen on the street or on the subway – anywhere. This project is merely an experimental interactive sounding board for New Yorkers wherever they are in the five boroughs.”
“It’s easy to love the city, but it’s also easy to hate this city. Being able to express any emotion at any time is necessary. And that’s what this app does. It’s the voice of NYC,” saids Jon Darren, an East Village resident.
The voice of NYC seems small so far – there are only a few dozen comments posted on the site, ranging from loving to only-in-nyc style moments such as Chris from Midtown who says “Gangstarr blasting at Num Pang and all the suits don’t know what to do,” and E from Brooklyn who “is watching an old man refuse to get out of the shot, as the neighborhood has turned into a film set yet again.” Another favorite comes from Judy from Gramercy who says that “Unattractive guys should not be wearing daisy dukes and flip flops.” We’re with you, Julie. Although we’re pretty sure no guy should ever sport daisy dukes.
The website also links to an on-line store where t-shirts, amongst other things, can be purchased. The t-shirts are modeled in a gallery section, which expresses thoughts from the five boroughs of NYC – the mostly cynical ones.
So feel free – tweet, shout or wear your love and hate with abandon. Or use the app to figure out where the love (or hate) propels you to visit (or not) on your next trip to the city.