Cities wanting to emulate NYC and elite European cities focus on museums, art, fine restaurants, high fashion, and other things taken from billboards without considering the grime, quirkiness, working class, immigrant neighborhoods & contributions, and sheer diversity of cultures in New York City that make it New York City.

Cities, people, and art which try to adopt a “better” image often come of worse than their old image, warts and all. What are they trying to hide when they call themselves The Paris of ____________? Leave the boutiques in Milan and take me to an old neighborhood full of local folklore and local food.

Go to London when you want London. Go to Lima when you want Lima. Don’t mix the two.