When I first looked at the government payscale, the 8% cost of living adjustment listed for New York seemed ridiculous - rents are at least twice as high as any other place I've lived. But yesterday, while wandering around aimlessly, I was able to pick up Ball Four, After Henry, The Robber Bride, Best American Essays (College Edition), and Granta (#35) for $3.60 (total, not each) at a used bookstore. I passed two other used bookstores with comprable prices, but unfortunately didn't have the time to really look around.
The same day, I managed to catch an off-off-broadway production for a few bucks - literally, a few bucks - at the Brecht Forum, the Axis of Evil Vaudeville Revue. The playbill for one of their other productions has on it "David Gilbert is one of America's longest-held political prisoners . . . after more than 10 years of clandestine resistance, he was captured in the course of an armed action in 1981", which gives you some idea of their level of objectivity (an interesting spin on being caught robbing a bank, no?), but they managed to hit their points as well the standard Michael Moore film. The acting was sub-par, but that just made the musical all the more amusing.
This New York place is starting to look pretty good.