Dreaming New York

"You want fame? Well fame costs. And right here is were you start paying, in sweat."
If you are in your 30's and British you know the show. Re-watching the series has been an unexpected pleasure - not least for laying bare what is probably the root of my wish to go to NYC.
A very high propertion of movies/books/T.V. shows based in New York (especially the ones close to my heart) seem to be based on dreamers - from Travis to Gatsby, via Tootsie, Tony Manero, Joe Buck and Ratso and the real fake Miss Golightly. Let us not forget King Kong and, of course, the Kids from Fame. Even Michael Corleone was a dreamer in the beginning, and Matthew Scudder negotiated the journey from a drunken cop via almost-bum to being teetotal and happily married whereas Popeye Doyle got his man. The Ghostbusters dreamed of ridding the city of ghosts and the Warriors of getting home.
New York must be one of the most written about cities in English, and a fair amount of writers are dreamers themselves - and have, of course, made the journey from hicksville to the Big City. London has a few of these tales itself, but they have never lodged in my imagination in the same way - partly because to become a success in London for a Scot is type of failure and partly because I am a visual person and New York has become the symbol of city on screen (even if most of it is filmed in back lots!)
So 30 years later I am following in the footsteps of Bruno, Leroy and Doris by going to school in New York - even if only for 4 weeks. I hope the cost is worth the effort and not too much sweat is involved. Wish me luck!