I am not a huge fan of this thread but I am compelled to comment being a native New Yorker. The 1% clearly refers to a "post-Guiliani" New York which has both positive and certainly negative sentiment from most who live here. However, to better understand the creative complexities of the city is to think of it as just that, a city... with 5 boroughs not just certain areas of Manhattan and certain areas of brooklyn but also Bronx, Queens, Washington heights and all the other areas that still blossom with creativity that once were clearly visible in the now over commercialized areas of soho and tribeca. Don't fret, creativity still abounds just not in plain-view, but in those areas that are less frequented by the "rag & bone" set...