There has always been a respectful suspicion between the East Coast and West Coast, perhaps because they offer competing visions of the same good life. In particular, New York and San Francisco are cities that seem to trade citizens freely, for why would you want to live anywhere else? On one side: genius, quirk, people showing up to work in sneakers, a Lexus and a Prius in the two-car garage. On the other: the hustler’s ambition, the valor of cruel seasons and cramped quarters, the smell of old money. Two different ways of saying the word ‘awesome.’
— Hua Hsu, “Going Back to Cali”

