Line #118 Main/NewYorkIsOnlyManhattan


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/EscapeFromNewYork https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_4189.jpeg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Because "Escape From One of the Five Boroughs of New York" just wasn't catchy enough.]]
3
4	->''"Wake up, Manhattan! Wake up, Brooklyn! Wake up... the other three boroughs!"''
5	-->-- '''Bill''', ''Series/NewsRadio''
6
7	UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity is made up of five boroughs: Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Of them, however, [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]] by far gets the most attention in fiction, likely due to some of the city's best-known landmarks (Central Park, Times Square, Broadway, Rockefeller Center, the Plaza Hotel, the Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Macy's) all being located in the borough. This is changing, however, as Brooklyn is becoming trendier. New York ''[[UsefulNotes/NewYorkState State]]'' has it even worse.
8
9	Despite what fiction may lead you to think, Manhattan is actually the smallest of the boroughs by land area and by population, it still lags well behind Brooklyn and Queens. New York City as a whole is only a relatively small part of New York State.
10
11	If a character is identified as a New Yorker, they'll usually hail from some portion of Manhattan, unless they come from a troubled background (in which case, [[BrooklynRage Brooklyn]] and the Bronx are fair game). If they're from a suburban or "rural" part of New York, they might be from Long Island or the lower Hudson Valley, which are still considered part of the NYC metropolitan area; everywhere else is regarded as "Upstate".
12
13	This trope exists in a certain tension with BigApplesauce: in practice, there can be a fine line between treating New York as a cartoon or Manhattan-centric version of itself, and treating familiarity with NYC as something to be assumed in one's audience (to the frequent irritation of non-New Yorkers). Predictably, the location and fineness of this line can vary by individual.
14
15	In video games, this trope is often due to New York City's sheer size making it hard to fit everything in.
16
17	Related to BritainIsOnlyLondon, which is a similar situation in a different country. Compare TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse. HollywoodProvincialism is similar, except with the whole United States being assumed to be like Southern California. FultonStreetFolly deals with concentrating on Lower Manhattan in particular.
18
19	----
20	!!Examples:
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22	[[foldercontrol]]
23
24	[[folder:Advertising]]
25	* There are NY state vacation advertisements with the slogan "There's more to New York than New York" meant to put emphasis on places besides Manhattan.
26	* A New York City advertisement for Seamless boasts about how everything is "big" in NYC, except for the kitchens, by using clips of Manhattan. Small kitchens are also usually associated with Manhattan more than the other boroughs due to the astronomical housing costs.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Comic Books]]
30	* The Franchise/MarvelUniverse has this as a ZigZaggedTrope: While ''the majority'' of events that occur on New York visibly occur only on Manhattan, there are many heroes who live in other boroughs and thus occasionally had to deal with situations closer to home (example: ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' being a Queens native, ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' taking pride in being from Brooklyn). In fact, the only borough that ''really'' [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg gets forgotten about is Staten Island.]]
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
34	* The Disney feature ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'' transpires almost entirely in Manhattan; the climax occurs on the Manhattan Bridge. Further, the opening scene is a slow pan of western Manhattan, and the closing scene is a zoom-out on Times Square.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
38	* ''Film/{{Elf}}'': Buddy travels to New York City to reconnect with his birth father. In this case, New York City is treated as synonymous with Manhattan as all of the action takes place there.
39	* ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'': When Kevin realizes he's accidentally traveled to New York City by himself, he takes advantage of the opportunity to have his own vacation. He proceeds to see the sights and landmarks that are only in Manhattan and stay at The Plaza Hotel without any of the city's other boroughs being acknowledged.
40	* Averted in the silent film ''Film/TheCrowd''. It mainly takes place in Manhattan however the characters do visit Coney Island in Brooklyn.
41	* Averted in the films within the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. While Manhattan gets the majority of the focus, a sizable amount of the action does take place within the other boroughs.
42	** ''Film/IronMan2'' sticks to Queens whenever the plot heads to New York.
43	** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' stays largely within Brooklyn for the NYC parts since that is where Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are from, though the final scene and TheStinger (the latter a shortened scene from ''The Avengers'') are in Times Square.
44	** ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}'' has the climax take place in Manhattan, but it's completely justified. [[spoiler:Aside from needing Stark Tower's power source for his plan, Loki wants to make a spectacle of his invasion and is invoking this to ensure visibility.]]
45	** ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' takes place mostly in Queens, while the climactic battle is fought on Coney Island in Brooklyn.
46	* Averted in ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'', which focuses on Brooklyn.
47	* Averted in ''Film/TheSnakePit''. When the mentally ill protagonist is tested on whether she's well enough to leave the mental institution:
48	-->'''Man:''' Where were you living when you became ill?\
49	'''Virginia:''' New York.\
50	'''Man:''' Where in New York?\
51	'''Virginia:''' New York City.\
52	'''Man:''' I mean, where in New York City?\
53	'''Virginia:''' Manhattan.
54	* Averted in ''Film/CrocodileDundee'' and its first sequel. Most of the scenes set in the New York City area take place exclusively in Manhattan, but there are scenes set in Newark Liberty International Airport's interior (when Mick and Sue arrive stateside from Australia), alongside the mansion of Sue's father in Westchester County in the first film, and the Colombian drug lords' Long Island estate in the second film (as well as some shots of I-495 in Queens).
55	* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/ComingToAmerica''. When Prince Akeem and Semmi arrive at JFK Airport, they ask the cab driver to take them to Queens. Noticing that they are clearly wealthy foreigners, the driver asks if they're sure they don't want him to take them to Manhattan and one of its ritzy hotels. Akeem declines and insists he take them to one of Queens' working class neighborhoods.
56	* Despite the title, ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'' focuses on escaping from Manhattan, which has been walled off and turned into a maximum-security prison. Although the establishing shot does seem to indicate that nobody is living in New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens or any of the surrounding areas as well.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Literature]]
60	* Subverted in ''Literature/AnnieOnMyMind''. Liza lives in Brooklyn while her girlfriend Annie lives in Manhattan. Liza mentions early on that she lives in a suburban-looking area that isn't much like people expect from NYC.
61	* In ''Literature/AreYouThereGodItsMeMargaret'', New York is treated as equivalent with Manhattan.
62	* ''Literature/TheBabysittersClub'' treats New York City as Manhattan only. Stacey is from Manhattan (as well as her off-again on-again finally-off again friend Laine, who lives in The Dakota), and the girls later visit is confined to Manhattan and hits the important markers like Central Park and the History Museum.
63	* In ''Literature/CitiesInFlight'', the flying city of New York consists only of Manhattan.
64	* The ''Literature/FamilyTreeSeries'' only focuses on Manhattan for its New York locale, when it's not happening up in Maine. Abby moves there when she grows up followed by her sister Adele who lives there her whole life. Abby initially raises her children there [[spoiler:until Zander's death]], and her daughter Dana moves there when she's a teen [[spoiler:to be close to her father again]]. Francie averts this slightly by living in Princeton, NJ, but it's right across the water from Manhattan and when 9/11 happens, Georgie's best friend [[spoiler:loses her father because he worked in the World Trade Center]].
65	* Averted in the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series. The protagonists live in Nassau County on Long Island, and the series consequently spends quite a bit of time there. The entire second book is set in The Hamptons. (That said, the main action of the first book does take place on a day trip to Manhattan.)
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
69	* Discussed at the start of an episode of ''The 1980s: The Deadliest Decade''. It juxtaposes the trendy, high-tech and fabulous world of 1983 "New York City" (Manhattan) with its neighbor, the nearby suburban (and sometimes rural) Long Island.
70	* Averted by ''Series/BlueBloods''. The Reagan family is from Brooklyn, with Frank and Henry still living in the same house they grew up (and raised their kids) in, and Danny lives in Staten Island with his two boys. Jamie and Erin both live in Manhattan, though.
71	* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'':
72	** Invoked by the owner of the Manhattan Minx roller derby team in "Jamalot" who exclaims, "New York isn't Queens or the Bronx, it's ''Manhattan''!"
73	** Hinted at with Lindsay Monroe. Upon her arrival in season 2, she's got her heart so set on an apartment in Manhattan, that she's willing to sleep on her uncle's couch in Tarrytown until she finds one.
74	** But averted by the series as a whole, since crimes happen in all five boroughs throughout the nine year run. There's even an episode in season 1 entitled "Tri-Borough" with cases spread across the city. Also, Det. Danny Messer is from Staten Island, Det. Don Flack is from Queens and Det. Adien Burn was from Brooklyn.
75	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
76	** ''Series/Daredevil2015'' primarily takes place in Hell's Kitchen, but it does have parts set elsewhere, such as in season 2 when Karen travels to Queens to break into Frank Castle's house, while Ray Nadeem in season 3 is shown to live in suburban Queens.
77	** ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' primarily takes place in Manhattan, but does avert this as large portions of the show do take place in other boroughs, primarily Queens.
78	** ''Series/LukeCage2016'' plays with this:
79	*** Season 1 strictly limits itself to Harlem and the upper part of Manhattan. It gets particularly bad when you tie it in with ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' where Luke was Jessica's main love interest. At the end of the season, Luke decides to leave to reinvent himself. But not only does he not leave New York City, ''he doesn't even leave Manhattan.''
80	*** Averted in the second season, where the action is split between Harlem and Crown Heights in Brooklyn.
81	** ''Series/Hawkeye2021'' never leaves Manhattan, but does acknowledge the other four boroughs (most notably Brooklyn, due to ''[[{{ComicBook/CaptainAmerica}} Rogers]]: [[{{ShowWithinAShow}} The Musical]]'' getting showcased).
82	* ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'' averts this. The location is Lynbrook, a New York City suburb on Long Island.
83	* Averted in ''Series/TheKingOfQueens''. Which, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as it says on the label]], is set in and around Queens. However, trouble is caused when Carrie discovers the dream home in Manhattan that she craves is within her grasp. And Doug ''doesn't want to leave Queens''.
84	* Averted in ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', which focuses on all the boroughs.
85	* Invoked on ''Series/NewsRadio'' when Bill gives an editorial. He can only name Manhattan and Brooklyn by name.
86	* Alluded to in ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', where Miranda, an eternal Manhattanite like all four leads, is extremely apprehensive about the idea of moving to Brooklyn. Eventually averted as she decides to do it anyway.
87	* Zigzagged on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. While the sketches will make references to all of the boroughs, the title sequence only shows Manhattan's landmarks and scenery.
88	* ''Series/TheNanny'' downplays this. Although the series primarily takes place in Manhattan, the protagonist is Flushing, Queens native Fran Fine, who imbues the Sheffield household with her street smarts, and some episodes have her spending time with her family in Flushing.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Video Games]]
92	* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' Connor and Desmond only visit Manhattan, though in the former's case it's justified because during the 18th Century New York City ''was'' comprised solely of what would later be called Lower Manhattan.
93	* Averted in ''VideoGame/TheCrew'' where despite the game's version of NYC being condensed as part of a map spanning the entire United States, it managed to include the other boroughs (except Staten Island).
94	* ''VideoGame/TheDivision'' starts out in Brooklyn but the rest is in Manhattan.
95	* Averted by ''{{VideoGame/Driver}}'' and ''Driver: Parallel Lines''. ''Driver'' takes place in New York in the last part of the game and part of the map includes Brooklyn. ''Parallel Lines'', on the other hand, includes not only Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx (but not Staten Island), but a portion of New Jersey as well.
96	* Liberty City, the New York City stand-in from the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series, has averted this in each of its incarnations:
97	** The [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoClassic 2D Universe]] features a version of Liberty City that is most obviously modeled on New York, with counterparts to Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx: Brocklyn, Kings, Island City, and the Brix, respectively. While there's no counterpart to Staten Island, the smaller islands of Rikers (Law Island) and Roosevelt (Nixon Island) are depicted, along with a counterpart to New Jersey, New Guernsey.
98	** In the [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII 3D Universe]], the second area of Staunton Island stands in for Manhattan, with the game beginning in the Brooklyn/Queens-like Portland, and the third island representing parts of upstate New York and New Jersey.
99	** In the [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV HD Universe]] every borough except Staten Island, and even part of New Jersey (in the form of Alderney), is represented.
100	* In ''VideoGame/LegoMarvelSuperHeroes'' the island of Manhattan is used as a conveniently well-defined location for everything to happen on. For this to work, the game's designers have moved some things to Manhattan that are normally situated in greater New York (such as the X-Mansion, which in the comics is upstate in Salem Center).
101	* The first ''VideoGame/MidnightClub'' starts off in New York, but is limited to Manhattan. The only evidence that the other boroughs exist is that one of your rivals, Larry Muller, proudly states he's from Queens.
102	* In ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedTheRun'' plays a downplayed example. The final leg of the transcontinental street race takes place in New York, though because the linear style of the game we only see what's between the Holland Tunnel to the harbor where the finish line is. Though the early parts of the race starts around the Brookyln area and the track crosses through the Brooklyn Bridge.
103	* ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'' takes place entirely within Manhattan while the finale takes place on a navy ship near the Statue of Liberty.
104	* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' games are always almost set in Manhattan only, with some of the smaller islands ''maybe'' accessible depending on the game. That said, there have been a few times this has been averted.
105	** ''[[VideoGame/UltimateSpiderMan2005 Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' has a decently-sized playable area in Queens, since Peter still lives and goes to school there.
106	** Downplayed in ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 Marvel's Spider-Man]]'': While the other four boroughs (and [[{{Joisey}} Jersey City]]) are acknowledged, gameplay is strictly limited to Manhattan.
107	** ''VideoGame/MarvelsSpiderMan2'' has been confirmed to include both Queens and Brooklyn in addition to Manhattan.
108	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
109	** Averted with Mario's original backstory. Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, and Pauline were originally from Brooklyn.
110	** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' {{retcon}}s Brooklyn away and introduces a FantasyCounterpartCulture in New Donk City. NDC, however, is more based on Manhattan than Brooklyn. There is more to the city than is playable, so that doesn't discount other boroughs having equivalents.
111	** "New York Minute" in ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' only has the characters driving through locations native to Manhattan: Central Park, Times Square/Broadway, and the Plaza Hotel parking garage.
112	* ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeNewYorkCity'' takes place in New York City (as you can tell from the title). Once again, the city seems to be relegated to Manhattan. Debug mode reveals other areas of New York. They have named streets, vehicles and pedestrians, but no buildings. It's possible they were DummiedOut due to NYC being too large.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Western Animation]]
116	* Averted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' where the characters visit NYC. They go to different boroughs and take real-world footage, though, at one point, a character does ask "What's the Bronx?"
117	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/HollyHobbieAndFriends'' has the characters going to New York City, in particular Manhattan. One of the characters is terrified of the stereotypical New York things like heavy traffic or the skyscrapers and had to learn to deal with it.
118	* In the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' MusicalEpisode "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E8MrGreg Mr. Greg]]" Steven, his dad Greg, and Pearl visit Empire City (their universe's name for NYC). They specifically visit Manhattan.
119	* PlayedWith in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderman'':
120	--> '''Green Goblin:''' Consider what we could accomplish by combining our powers. [[WeCanRuleTogether We could rule New York!]]\
121	'''Spidey:''' We talking Manhattan, or all five?
122	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Justified in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E1TheCityOfNewYorkVsHomerSimpson "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"]]: the family are only in New York for a day as they're there to recover Homer's car, which is parked at the World Trade plaza. Due to Homer's previous [[TheBigRottenApple negative experience]] of New York he doesn't want to spend any more time there than necessary.
123	[[/folder]]
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125	[[folder:Real Life]]
126	* For a good 250 years, New York ''was'' only Manhattan. The original Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (founded 1624), renamed New York when the English captured it in 1664, was on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The communities of the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens were independent municipalities separate from New York City. (This is why Manhattan is still officially New York County.) Between 1874 and 1898 those outlying boroughs were merged with the old New York City to create what was then informally called "Greater New York". But old attitudes persisted, and even now it's not uncommon for residents of the "outer" boroughs to refer to Manhattan as "the City".
127	[[/folder]]

Context Main / NewYorkIsOnlyManhattan