Interesting! I have always used "the city" to mean all five boroughs interchangeably, so going to Brooklyn or the Bronx would also count as going into the city. I guess the phrase blurs in meaning as you get further away from Manhattan. (For the record, I grew up in northern New Jersey, close to Morristown.)
I find myself saying "New York state" as a method of clarification much more often than I say "New York City" -- the city seems to have a stronger claim to that name than the rest of the state does. And you're right; that is kind of weird.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-30 03:08 am (UTC)I find myself saying "New York state" as a method of clarification much more often than I say "New York City" -- the city seems to have a stronger claim to that name than the rest of the state does. And you're right; that is kind of weird.