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Tiffany Hanssen: Coming up, we are going to be talking about New Yorkers who appear to be very happy with being New Yorkers. There's a new Siena poll that shows that the majority of New Yorkers say the state is on the right track. 59% of those respondents thought the US, however, is on the wrong track. What we're inferring here is that New Yorkers are pretty happy with being New Yorkers. We're going to ask you, what do you like about being a New Yorker? Are you happy to be a New Yorker? Is this poll an accurate reflection of where you think we are as New Yorkers, which is, apparently, pretty happy with the way things are going in our state?

We're going to be looking for you to call us, give us your insights about why you're happy to be a New Yorker. Of course, the number is 212-433-9692. You can also text us at that number, and we'll get into that poll coming on The Brian Lehrer Show, which is exactly what you're listening to. I'm Tiffany Hanssen, in for Brian, so don't go anywhere.

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Tiffany Hanssen: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. I'm Tiffany Hanssen, in for Brian today. We are talking about a new Siena poll that says the majority of New Yorkers say the state is on the right track. 59% of those respondents think that the US is heading in the wrong direction. We are asking you, New Yorkers, what's so great about New York that has you feeling pretty good about where things are in relation to where things are going more broadly with the country? Give us a call. 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. You can also text us at that number.

There's a report from our colleagues at Gothamist that this is the first time in about four years that the measure of this, in other words, how New Yorkers are feeling about the state, that the state is on track, that the measure of this is positive. They say people are feeling better about their lives at home than they are about the direction of the country as a whole. Siena found that 59% of New Yorkers surveyed throughout the country think the country is headed in the wrong direction. What do you think is going well here in New York State as compared to the rest of the country?

We can hear you out on, is it the economy? Is it politics? Is it culture? Let us know what you think makes New York and New York City, and the rest of the state, sure, why not, a great place to be. What makes you feel positive about being here? 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. Let's start with Nick in Massapequa. Hi, Nick. Nick. Nick is not there.

Nick: Hi.

Tiffany Hanssen: There's Nick.

Nick: No, I am here. Hi. I was going to say, happy to be a New Yorker. Unfortunately, I see a great divide between someone from Long Island and other parts of New York compared to New York City, and it has to do with politics. I see a tremendous divide. Someone on whatever side I'm on would be very positive on how the country is going because of somebody who is in the White House. That would be a tremendous disappointment to a lot of people. There's a tremendous dividend-

Tiffany Hanssen: Nick, I--

Nick: -I think, about New York is-- Go ahead.

Tiffany Hanssen: No, I was just going to say, I wonder, when you think about this, do you think of yourself as a Long Islander first and a New Yorker second, then?

Nick: Well, that's what the feeling is, kind of, when we're talking about a divide between politics. People that I come across with, that are in my life, which ought to be hundreds, just go right by New York City and go right by and hopefully don't get hit with the tolls and stuff. Go right behind, go right to somewhere else. That's how I feel.

Tiffany Hanssen: You're happy saying you're a Long Islander?

Nick: I am, and I'm proud of it. I love New York, the mountains, the country, and all that. It's fantastic. New York City, on the other hand, has some qualities, and unfortunately, it has to do with politics. That's how I feel.

Tiffany Hanssen: Well, let's talk to somebody-- Yes, thanks. Thank you so much for the call, Nick. Let's talk to somebody in New York City. Let's go to Joe in Harlem. Hi, Joe.

Joe: Hello. Thanks for taking my call. I have the opposite view. I had to spend all of '06, all of 2006, up in the Catskills on a structural repair, on a dam. I was shocked to find that the upstate area was painfully provincial, not at all cosmopolitan. They were racist, they were homophobic, they were misogynistic, just in general, because I was there all year and had to speak to many, many people. It was refreshing to come down and move to Manhattan when that job was over. I live in Harlem now, and it's exactly what I expect the planet Earth to look like and sound like, which is different cultures, different languages, different cuisines, and a lot more tolerance.

Tiffany Hanssen: You're happy being a New York City resident?

Joe: Oh, I'm absolutely delighted. I'm not looking forward to the day when I'll be forced out of here because of the economics. I'm 71 now and living on Social Security, and I can see that my days here are numbered, just in terms of the numbers. I'd be happy to finish my life here in New York City.

Tiffany Hanssen: Yes, thanks.

Joe: New York State, not so much.

Tiffany Hanssen: [chuckles] Thanks for the call, Joe. Appreciate it. All right, how about Joel in Forest Hills? Hi, Joel.

Joel: Hello. I live on 76th Road between Austin Street and Queens Boulevard. At the end of the block on Austin Street, there's a playground. On Queens Boulevard, there's a bus stop nearby. The Q60 bus runs 24 hours a day. Four blocks up Queens Boulevard, there's a building with a senior citizen center, where I can get a reduced-price lunch five days a week.

In most any other city in the United States, you cannot find that level of convenience anywhere in the city. Most cities, the buses stop running at nighttime. 24 hours a day for that Q60 and a subway stop nearby. There's a level of benefits provided to us as citizens of New York City that a lot of us take for granted that simply don't exist anywhere else in the country.

Tiffany Hanssen: Joel, I'm wondering, there's an adage that New Yorkers can complain about New York City, but anybody else can't. Are you not somebody who complains about New York City? I understand you're a supporter of it. What do you think when you hear people complaining about it?

Joel: What I think is that there's a lot of people who complain about the city simply have not had the experience of living in an environment with great density like we have here, and it makes them uncomfortable. Also, in large areas of the country, the cities and suburbs are not at all diverse. When I ride the subway, I'm sometimes in the subway car that has four different races and a dozen different languages being spoken, and that's not even during rush hour.

Tiffany Hanssen: Joel, I appreciate the call. I want to get to a couple more folks here. We really appreciate your enthusiasm for New York City. We're going to head to Paul Adam in the East Village. Hi.

Paul Adam: Hi. Hi. What I love about New York City is, I would say, the diversity, the people, and the overall environment.

Tiffany Hanssen: Meaning what? Environment what?

Paul Adam: Would you like me to say more? Okay, yes, yes, yes. What I love, obviously the diversity. I love all the different cultures and the languages being spoken.

Tiffany Hanssen: What do you mean when you say environment? What do you mean when you say environment?

Paul Adam: The environment. I love the social environment. The political environment I'm honestly not crazy about right now. I have my issues. There's some divide going on right now, but the cultural, even the atmosphere, like the natural environment. I love the parks. The city could be doing a better job with the parks, honestly. To complain as a New Yorker, that's one of my only complaints about the--

Tiffany Hanssen: New Yorkers sometimes love to complain. Yes, we do. Paul Adam, thanks so much for the call. We've been talking about New Yorkers who are mostly happy with living in New York. New poll out says pretty much a lot of us think we're on the right track. 59 say the US, not so much. You've been listening to The Brian Lehrer Show. Producers are Lisa Allison, Mary Croke, Amina Srna, Carl Boisrond, and Esperanza Rosenbaum. Our intern is Vito Emanuel. Meg Ryan is the head of Live Radio. Juliana Fonda, Milton Ruiz are at the controls.

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