A few weeks ago, I read an essay by Paul Graham on messages that cities try to send their inhabitants. It’s called Cities and Ambition.
He talks about cities like New York and Cambridge and messages like “you should be smarter” and “you should be richer”. I’ve tried to listen to Hamburg’s message for some time now, but it still comes down to what I first thought of when reading the essay.
The prevalent message here seems to be: “Drink more beer”. Everyone does it anywhere and anytime. You’re almost an outsider if you’re not drinking your first beer at 10 am on the subway.
What does your city tell you?