--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made…" description: "\"Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made better by its proximity to Manhattan.\" — Jonathan Franzen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/jonathan-franzen-801_brooklyn_brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-bett_405001.jpg" --- # Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made better by its… ![“Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made better by its proximity to Manhattan.” quote by Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/jonathan-franzen-801_brooklyn_brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-bett_405001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/jonathan-franzen-801_brooklyn_brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-bett_405001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/jonathan-franzen-801_brooklyn_brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-bett_405001.jpg) > “Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made better by its proximity to Manhattan.” [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Brooklyn feels like an enhanced version of Philadelphia due to its closeness to Manhattan’s energy. **In simple terms:** Proximity to a cultural hub boosts a city’s appeal. Key Takeaway Recognize how location influences character. Themes urbanism culture identity Mood observational analytical Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - real estate - travel - urban planning Key Concepts city dynamics regional influence Questions to Reflect On - What makes a city’s identity distinct from its neighbors? - How does proximity to a major center shape community life? A Different Perspective Comparisons can overlook unique local qualities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooklyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) [Manhattan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manhattan/) [Philadelphia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philadelphia/) [Proximity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proximity/) ## Related quotes > [I'd like to get out of Philadelphia. I don't care for the people or their attitude, although they don't bother me or my play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-allen/i-d-like-to-get-out-of-philadelphia-i-don-t-care-for-the-people-or/) [Richie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-allen/) > [In the early '70s, I started to feel like Philadelphia soul was the black-sheep brother of rock and roll. I decided to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/in-the-early-70s-i-started-to-feel-like-philadelphia-soul-was-the/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [I was fortunate enough to live in a close proximity to Manhattan and got to see Broadway shows all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/i-was-fortunate-enough-to-live-in-a-close-proximity-to-manhattan-and/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [I didn't know exactly what a hipster was until we were in Brooklyn. It's like a species. On first seeing it, I was like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-didn-t-know-exactly-what-a-hipster-was-until-we-were-in-brooklyn-it/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [With 'Pariah,' at the time, I had just come out. I had a coming out experience, and I was writing about it, transposing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/with-pariah-at-the-time-i-had-just-come-out-i-had-a-coming-out/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Shooting in Brooklyn is like opening a time capsule. Nothing has changed. Everything looks like it did in the eighties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-prinze-jr/shooting-in-brooklyn-is-like-opening-a-time-capsule-nothing-has/) [Freddie Prinze, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-prinze-jr/) > [“Being near you, Brooklyn…it’s like breathing. I don’t have a choice about it; I just have to do it or I know I won’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-johnson/being-near-you-brooklyn-it-s-like-breathing-i-don-t-have-a-choice/) [Julie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-johnson/) > [I had a well-developed palate at a young age. I was lucky to grow up in a place like Philadelphia - it has so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/i-had-a-well-developed-palate-at-a-young-age-i-was-lucky-to-grow-up/) [Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/) > [“Lexington wasn't a great city, like Philadelphia or New York, but around the Courthouse square, and along Main Street and Broadway, brick buildings reared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hambly/lexington-wasn-t-a-great-city-like-philadelphia-or-new-york-but/) [Barbara Hambly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hambly/) > [I feel like the Philadelphia sports teams are really good at having my back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-dicky/i-feel-like-the-philadelphia-sports-teams-are-really-good-at-having/) [Lil Dicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-dicky/) > [“Washington's all abstraction. It's about access to power and nothing else. I mean, I'm sure it's fun if you're living next door to Seinfeld,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/washington-s-all-abstraction-it-s-about-access-to-power-and-nothing/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Life's extremities can bring God's proximity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-a-cannon/life-s-extremities-can-bring-god-s-proximity/) [Elaine A. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-a-cannon/) > [For several years I've been writing 100-word pieces. More recently I've been putting them together in groups of two and three. I don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-moore/for-several-years-i-ve-been-writing-100-word-pieces-more-recently-i/) [Jim Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-moore/) > [I write in longhand. I am accustomed to that proximity, that feel of writing. Then I sit down and type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-write-in-longhand-i-am-accustomed-to-that-proximity-that-feel-of/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [How could they say that they truly loved each other? They had simply grown up together, been children together, and the proximity of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/how-could-they-say-that-they-truly-loved-each-other-they-had-simply/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) ## More by Jonathan Franzen > [“The fundamental fact about all of us is that we’re alive for a while but will die before long. This fact is the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-fundamental-fact-about-all-of-us-is-that-we-re-alive-for-a-while/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/fiction-that-isn-t-an-author-s-personal-adventure-into-the/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Parents are programmed to want the best for their kids, regardless of what they get in return. That's what love is supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/parents-are-programmed-to-want-the-best-for-their-kids-regardless-of/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Birds were what became of dinosaurs. Those mountains of flesh whose petrified bones were on display at the Museum of Natural History had done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/birds-were-what-became-of-dinosaurs-those-mountains-of-flesh-whose/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Can a better kind of fiction save the world? 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They're pure hyena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/integrity-s-a-neutral-value-hyenas-have-integrity-too-they-re-pure/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“An odd thing about beauty, however, is that it's absence tends not to arouse our sympathy as much as other forms of privation do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/an-odd-thing-about-beauty-however-is-that-it-s-absence-tends-not-to/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [He became another data point in the American experiment of self-government, an experiment statistically skewed from the outset, because it wasn't the people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/he-became-another-data-point-in-the-american-experiment-of-self/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“It was this motley band of modest peeps and plovers on the beach who reminded me of the human beings I loved best -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/it-was-this-motley-band-of-modest-peeps-and-plovers-on-the-beach-who/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Alfred believed that the real and the true were a minority that the world was bent on exterminating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/alfred-believed-that-the-real-and-the-true-were-a-minority-that-the/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Imagine that human existence is defined by an Ache: the Ache of our not being, each of us, the center of the universe; of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/imagine-that-human-existence-is-defined-by-an-ache-the-ache-of-our/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [The problem was money and the indignities of life without it. Every stroller, cell phone, Yankees cap, and SUV he saw was a torment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-problem-was-money-and-the-indignities-of-life-without-it-every/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) [Explore all 345 Jonathan Franzen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) ## More Brooklyn quotes > [Mike Tyson is the most complex person I've ever met in my life. I've known Mike since 1986. We're both from Brooklyn. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/mike-tyson-is-the-most-complex-person-i-ve-ever-met-in-my-life-i-ve/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Brooklyn is a very weird borough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeth-smart/brooklyn-is-a-very-weird-borough/) [Keeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeth-smart/) > [Compton is this amazing place with a rich history. I see it as a new Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aja-brown/compton-is-this-amazing-place-with-a-rich-history-i-see-it-as-a-new/) [Aja Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aja-brown/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Brooklyn, where I grew up, is a competitive burg - there's always a pretty boy around the corner there, and you gotta look better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/brooklyn-where-i-grew-up-is-a-competitive-burg-there-s-always-a/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) > [Coming from Haiti and growing up in Brooklyn, there's a lot of European influence when I get dressed up. I wear a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyclef-jean/coming-from-haiti-and-growing-up-in-brooklyn-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Wyclef Jean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyclef-jean/) > [No, I ain't a star - I'm just a kid from Brooklyn, living his dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astro/no-i-ain-t-a-star-i-m-just-a-kid-from-brooklyn-living-his-dream/) [Astro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astro/) > [Brooklyn is not the easiest place to grow up in, although I wouldn't change that experience for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/brooklyn-is-not-the-easiest-place-to-grow-up-in-although-i-wouldn-t/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-childhood-here-was-very-limited-so-it-was-a-long-long-time-before/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [My father grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., with my grandparents. In Norwegian my name is pronounced 'Yoo' but my father used to call me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/my-father-grew-up-in-brooklyn-n-y-with-my-grandparents-in-norwegian/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [Comparing the Brooklyn that I know with Manhattan is like comparing a comfortable and complacent duenna to her more brilliant and neurotic sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/comparing-the-brooklyn-that-i-know-with-manhattan-is-like-comparing-a/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [We wept, Brooklyn was a lovely place to hit. If you got a ball in the air, you had a chance to get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-snider/we-wept-brooklyn-was-a-lovely-place-to-hit-if-you-got-a-ball-in-the/) [Duke Snider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-snider/) > [Bob Smith from Brooklyn is a guy who sometimes gets hung with problems and fears. Wolfman Jack is a happy-go-lucky guy who knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfman-jack/bob-smith-from-brooklyn-is-a-guy-who-sometimes-gets-hung-with/) [Wolfman Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfman-jack/) > [I don't think that you can say by any stretch of the imagination that all Wisconsin or Brooklyn-based poets write in a particular way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-say-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-that/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Browse all 556 Brooklyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made better by its proximity to Manhattan.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Franzen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-better-by-its-proximity-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brooklyn" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-better-by-its-proximity-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/jonathan-franzen-801_brooklyn_brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-bett_405001.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/jonathan-franzen-801_brooklyn_brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-bett_405001.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/jonathan-franzen-801_brooklyn_brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-bett_405001.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made better by its proximity to Manhattan.” — Jonathan Franzen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jonathan Franzen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Brooklyn was like Philadelphia made better...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-better-by-its-proximity-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/brooklyn-was-like-philadelphia-made-better-by-its-proximity-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```