History Main / WelcomeToTheBigCity

Our CountryMouse character is young, idealistic, innocent, naive, you name it -- and it's their first time in the big city. How to show that? Why, by him or her being confronted with any combination of pickpocketing, prostitution and generally upsetting behaviour, of course.

* The BatmanColdOpen of ''Film/{{Batman}}'' establishes Gotham City as a WretchedHive by showing a hapless tourist family getting accosted by beggars, prostitutes, and finally, a pair of armed robbers.

* In ''Film/StarWars: Film/ANewHope'', Luke is established to be a somewhat naive farmhand with no "street smarts" yet. His first time in Mos Eisley almost gets him killed by a pair of goons in the cantina who were looking for an easy mark to pick on. Too bad they didn't know Luke had a retired Jedi Knight along with him.

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--> '''Nick:''' Okay, tell me if this story sounds familiar. Naive little hick with good grades and big ideas decides "Hey look at me, I'm gonna move to Zootopia! Where predators and prey live in harmony and sing Kumbaya!" Only to find, whoopsie, we don't all get along. And that dream of becoming a big city cop? Double whoopsie. she's a meter maid. And whoopsie number three-sy, no one cares about her or her dreams. And soon enough those dreams die and our bunny sinks into emotional and literal squalor living in a box under a bridge until finally she has no choice but to go back home with that cute fuzzy-wuzzy little tail between her legs to become... You're from Bunnyburrow, is that what you said? So how about a carrot farmer. That sound about right?

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-->'''Joe's Letter''': "Dear mom, I made it to [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity New York]] safe and sou-\\

'''Joe''': Dear mom, I made it to New Yor-\\

'''Joe''': Dear mom -\\

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-->"Sure, I went to New York to be an overnight sensation
-->More than a face, I was a winning combination
-->Of talent and grace, shoulda packed mace
-->'Cause I was tripped, raped, and robbed before I left Penn Station!"

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--> '''Chelsea''': I've lived in New York City for three years and you wait 'til now to mug me?

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-->'''Homer:''' And then the Film/{{CHUD}}s [[NoodleIncident came at me]].

Our CountryMouse character is young, idealistic, innocent, naive, you name it - and it's their first time in the big city. How to show that? Why, by him or her being confronted with any combination of pickpocketing, prostitution and generally upsetting behaviour, of course.

* Many versions of ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'', both in the comics and in TV and movies, depict Clark Kent's arrival in Metropolis as being a little overwhelming (at least initially) for the small town Kansas-raised protagonist, who is often portrayed as being shocked by the city residents' apathy, which stands in stark contrast to the attitudes of his neighbors back in Smallville, Kansas. However, Clark inevitably gets over the shock pretty quickly.
** In Creator/GeoffJohns's ''Secret Origin'', he bumps into a woman while looking at the skyscrapers. He tries to apologise, but the woman just snaps that people in Metropolis [[{{Foreshadowing}} don't go around staring into the sky]]...

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* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall's]] first impression of [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas Esthar]].

* In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E5DancinHomer Dancin' Homer]]", the first thing Homer sees when coming to Capital City is an old lady being robbed on the sidewalk.

* In ''My Sister Eileen'' and its musical version ''Theatre/WonderfulTown'', Ruth and Eileen are just handing over their first month's rent to [[{{Landlord}} Mr. Appopolous]] when a tremendous explosion is heard from underneath--it's blasting for a new subway. Appopolous tries to tell them that they'll get used to it, but the sisters say they want their money back. He tells them: "Listen--in New York you either live, A, over a subway, or, B, where they're building a subway, or C, you don't live in New York!" After he makes a bargain with them and leaves, Eileen tells Ruth that maybe they should have tried Cleveland first. They try to get some sleep on their all too stiff beds, but are repeatedly roused by impolite forms of city life, as well as further booms from below. It doesn't help that Ruth's bed is directly under the street lamp, with no window shade to block the light.

** In ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'', Lu Tze says the first thing that happened to him in Ankh-Morpork was he "learned an important lesson on the value of material goods" when some people took it upon themselves to "welcome" him to the city in this way.

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* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'''s première episode is aptly named, "[[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E1WelcomeToRepublicCity Welcome to Republic City]]". In it, Korra, who has spent her life sheltered in a compound in in the South Pole, goes to the bustling Republic City, only to learn that it's not all it's cracked up to be. She is literally "fresh off the boat". (Though true to form, it's not her that gets traumatized; instead she ends up in a police station getting the concept of vigilantism-as-crime explained to her).

** In GeoffJohns's ''Secret Origin'', he bumps into a woman while looking at the skyscrapers. He tries to apologise, but the woman just snaps that people in Metropolis [[{{Foreshadowing}} don't go around staring into the sky]]...

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' did it when Homer first came to New York. He's robbed several times (once by a ''police officer''), has a bird eat his hot dog, has garbage dumped on him by Creator/WoodyAllen and is chased around by an angry pimp.

--> Tell me if this story sounds real to you. Naive little kid with good grades and big ideas decides "Hey look at me, I'm gonna move to Zootopia! Where predators and prey live in harmony and sing Kumbaya!" Only to find, whoopsie: we don't all get along. And that dream of becoming a big city cop: double whoopsie; she's a meter maid. And whoopsie number three-sy: no one cares about her or her dreams. And soon enough those dreams die and our bunny sinks into an emotional and literal squalor living in a box under a bridge until finally she has no choice but to go back home with that cute fuzzy-wuzzy little tail between her legs to become... You're from Bunnyburrows, that what you said? So how about a carrot farmer. That sound about right?

* In the 1984 film ''Tightrope'', ClintEastwood's character tells of how he fell in love with New Orleans from the moment he first arrived carrying all his belongings in a suitcase. His LoveInterest asks if he ever reconsidered this. He says, "Yes, when I looked down and saw my suitcase was missing."

* Beatrix Potter subverts the trope. The Country Mouse goes to the city first and is frightened off. But the City Mouse visits him after, and is terrified by the weather and the prospect of being stepped on by a cow. Country is terrifying.

** In the fourth game's visit to Netopia, Lan gets chloroformed and locked in a hotel room by some thugs who intend to ransom him off, and has to escape. [[spoiler: It winds up subverted, the guy's a tournament official and the staff was in on it, they were testing his ingenuity and capabilities in a real world crisis, and it's implied they did this to the other contestants if they could get away with it.]]

** And after some time we find out that [[spoiler: a large part of what he said was also to himself as he mocked having dreams since his were crushed and he is seen later surprise, surprise living under a bridge.]]

* Vonda [=McIntyre=]'s ''Literature/ThievesWorld'' short story "Looking for Satan". 4 naive Northerners encounter the rough and crude denizens of the city of Sanctuary. One local tries to hire a female party member as a prostitute, and another woman is almost raped and murdered when she goes out alone.

-->

* In ''My Sister Eileen'' and TheMusical ''Wonderful Town'', Ruth and Eileen are just handing over their first month's rent to [[{{Landlord}} Mr. Appopolous]] when a tremendous explosion is heard from underneath--it's blasting for a new subway. Appopolous tries to tell them that they'll get used to it, but the sisters say they want their money back. He tells them: "Listen--in New York you either live, A, over a subway, or, B, where they're building a subway, or C, you don't live in New York!" After he makes a bargain with them and leaves, Eileen tells Ruth that maybe they should have tried Cleveland first. They try to get some sleep on their all too stiff beds, but are repeatedly roused by impolite forms of city life, as well as further booms from below. It doesn't help that Ruth's bed is directly under the street lamp, with no window shade to block the light.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Robots}}'', almost as soon as Rodney steps off the train, RobinWilliams tries to con him and a shifty robot [[CoatFullOfContraband tries to sell him a watch]]

* Flik in ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife''. He doesn't get mugged or attacked (it's hardly as if he had anything on him), but he does get mocked by a couple of street performers.

* In ''Joe's Apartment'', our hero is fresh off the bus from Iowa...
-->'''Joe's Letter''': "Dear mom, I made it to [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity New York]] safe and sou-
-->'''Mugger''': HEADS UP PIN-HEAD! ''[whack!]''
-->'''Joe''': Dear mom, I made it to New Yor-
-->'''Mugger #2''': HEADS UP PIN-HEAD! ''[whack!]''
-->'''Joe''': Dear mom -
-->'''Mugger #3''': HEADS UP PIN-HEAD!
-->'''Joe''': ...send money."
* Gotham City is shown to be a WretchedHive in the 1989 film version of ''Film/{{Batman}}'' by showing a hapless tourist family getting accosted by beggars, prostitutes, and finally, a pair of armed robbers.

* In ''My Sister Eileen'' and TheMusical ''Wonderful Town'', Ruth and Eileen are just handing over their first month's rent to [[{{Landlord}} Mr. Appopolous]] when a tremendous explosion is heard from underneath--it's blasting for a new subway. Appopolous tries to tell them that they'll get used to it, but the sisters say they want their money back. He tells them: "Listen--in New York you either live, A, over a subway, or, B, where they're building a subway, or C, you don't live in New York!" After he makes a bargain with them and leaves, Eileen tells Ruth that maybe they should have tried Cleveland first. They try to get some sleep on their all too stiff beds, but are repeatedly roused by impolite forms of city life. It doesn't help that Ruth's bed is directly under the street lamp, with no window shade to block the light.

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