“A neighborhood won’t make you — you have to make the neighborhood.” – Taylor Durland
In this episode of Somewhere in New York, Taylor Durland and Joseph Pullen talk about the neighborhoods that shaped them — and the very real, very imperfect parts of living in NYC that outsiders often don’t understand.
They open with a blunt reality check (yes, the street-level stuff) and quickly move into why New Yorkers still choose to stay: the energy, the culture, the “melting pot” feeling, and the way hardship can create belonging.
From Greenwich Village to the Upper East Side, they compare neighborhood “vibes,” unpack misconceptions (like thinking downtown will make you cool), and explain why curiosity is a competitive advantage — especially in real estate, where knowing buildings and financials can help a client avoid a bad deal.
They close with how the city has evolved over the last 10–20 years, with more fluid movement between neighborhoods and boroughs, and why New York’s imperfections are baked into its DNA.
Takeaways
- NYC can be loud, dirty, and expensive — and people stay anyway.
- Hardship can be part of what bonds New Yorkers together.
- New York’s “energy” is a big reason it feels like home.
- The city’s diversity is a defining feature (languages, cultures, people).
- Greenwich Village is Taylor’s home base after a decade there.
- Joseph points to the Upper East Side as a shaping neighborhood, while noting how much he’s moved around the city.
- “Living downtown won’t make you cool.” The neighborhood doesn’t change you — you bring who you are.
- Every neighborhood has a distinct “vibe” you can feel immediately.
- Curiosity matters in any profession — and in real estate it becomes a real edge.
- Taylor joined his co-op board to protect his asset and learn how buildings, contractors, and the DOB ecosystem works.
- In a crowded broker market (“27,000 other brokers”), differentiation comes from knowledge and perspective.
- A broker’s win can be helping a client avoid a financially unstable building.
- West Chelsea comes up as Taylor’s “next choice” neighborhood (water, park access, downtown feel).
- The Upper East Side’s big misconception: it’s “stodgy,” but Joseph argues it’s become more vibrant over the last 10–20 years.
- The Q train expansion is framed as a major game-changer for Upper East Side access.
Chapters
- Cold open: the unfiltered NYC street reality
- Why New York still feels “worth it”
- The city’s energy and the “DNA” argument
- Taylor’s NYC path and why Greenwich Village stuck
- Joseph’s early “melting pot” subway moment
- The neighborhood that shapes you: UES vs Village
- Curiosity as a real estate advantage (co-op board insight)
- “27,000 brokers”: standing out with perspective
- Misconceptions: downtown “cool” and neighborhood identity
- Upper East Side misconceptions + the Q train effect
- Wrap: neighborhoods evolve, borders fade
Tags
#SomewhereInNewYork #NewYorkCity #NYC #NYCNeighborhoods #GreenwichVillage #UpperEastSide #DowntownNYC #WestChelsea #NYCLife #CityCulture #NYCRealEstate #RealEstatePodcast #BrokerLife #CoopBoard #NYCCondos #NYCCoops #HudsonRiverPark #QTrain #LivingInNYC #NewYorkPodcast
