Scots in the City

Published on Friday 16 May 2008 13:29

Scots have headed to New York in search of fame and fortune for centuries. Now, as the glamorous Sex and the City lifestyle lures ever more of those hungry for success, we talk to the latest batch of young adventurers who are taking a bite out of the Big Apple

THERE have been rumours of feuds, battles with breast cancer, marital bust-ups and sexual revelations – not to mention somewhat lacklustre performances on the career front – but now Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis have climbed back into their Manolos for one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year.

It has been four years since Sex and the City disappeared from our TV screens and, despite the promises, no other show has quite managed to take its place. Perhaps it was the magical combination of cocktails, comedy and killer heels that so captured our imaginations. But just as important to the show's success was its fifth star – New York City itself, backdrop to all the girls' romantic adventures, brunch confabs and shopping trips.

It's no wonder so many Scots have high-tailed it to Manhattan – week after week, it started to feel like a second home. Even Charlotte (played by Kristin Davis) had a Scottish-themed wedding to Park Avenue heart surgeon Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan), when he and his groomsmen all wore kilts. (That union ended in disaster, though, so the less said about that the better.)

But Scots were making that journey across the Atlantic long before Candace Bushnell – the real-life journalist who was the inspiration for Carrie Bradshaw – started penning her lovelorn columns for the New York Observer. James Gordon Bennett, for example, who founded the New York Herald newspaper in 1835, came from Newmill, Moray. And even before that, in 1776, three signatories of the Declaration of Independence were members of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York.

The Dunfermline-born businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was based in New York City for much of his life (his Carnegie Hall in midtown Manhattan being just one of his memorials), while baseball legend Bobby Thomson, born in Glasgow, played for the New York Giants and hit his famous home run – the 'shot heard round the world' – against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951.

These days there are Burns societies, Scottish country dance groups and pipe bands throughout Manhattan, and tartan balls are all the rage – perhaps inspired by Madonna's 2000 wedding to Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle, to which the groom wore Hunting MacIntosh tartan in honour of his grandfather and father, who both served with the Seaforth Highlanders. But all these events are eclipsed by the annual Tartan Day celebrations in Central Park on April 6, attended by celebrities such as Ewan McGregor and Sean Connery and officials including Scotland's First Minister (who could forget Jack McConnell's ill-judged pinstripe kilt?).

Kicking off the event this year was Bobby Thomson's modern-day equivalent, Lawrence Tynes, who moved to the US from Greenock with his parents as a ten-year-old in 1989 and is now starting kicker for the Giants.

Scots stars such as the actor Alan Cumming have made Manhattan their home – he has lived in the city since he performed to great acclaim in the Broadway production of Cabaret in 1998. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has credited his Scottish mother (she was born in the Western Isles) with fuelling his ambition. "I've enjoyed success over the years," he says, "and I'd like to think that part of my achievement can be attributed to my Scottish roots."

Chef Neil Ferguson launched Gordon Ramsay's foray into the Manhattan restaurant scene last year with the much-hyped London NYC hotel. After being unceremoniously dumped following lacklustre reviews (and amid claims he was too soft on staff), he opened his own rival restaurant, Allen & Delancey, on the Lower East Side. His sweet revenge is the rave reception he has received from critics and celebrity diners alike, including George Clooney and Cindy Crawford. "I've always been a grafter so there was no way I was going to leave New York," he says. "I was determined to prove myself – and I've an American wife, so we wanted to stay."

Away from the public eye, you'll find Scots writing for magazines and news agencies, hosting art exhibitions, working in the film industry, heading multinational corporations and running real-estate agencies…

Of course, it's not all glamour. Once you manage to secure a working visa, the hours are long, holidays are few and far between and the culture is surprisingly different from this side of the Atlantic. The single life, as witnessed week after week on HBO, is no bowl of cherries either. It can be difficult to fit in and establish relationships, no one laughs at your jokes and you can't get your hands on a can of Irn-Bru for love or money. Still, for some lucky Scots, whose stories we tell here, their move to the Big Apple can turn out to be a real-life slice of Sex and the City.

• Sex and the City is on general release on May 28

SIOBHAN McFADYEN

Age: 30

Occupation: Writer

Lives: Astor Place, NYC

Status: Single

From: Coatbridge, Lanarkshire

New York is a melting pot where you can sample food from a different part of the globe every day of the year. Siobhan McFadyen from Coatbridge loves the diversity, and finds that her Scottish accent has helped her career.

I REMEMBER visiting New York for the first time in 1997 as part of a student exchange programme and thinking it was just like being in a movie. It was before Sex and the City started but, as we drove across the 59th Street Bridge, it all felt so familiar.

This week I walked through two film sets in the city, so my impressions were actually more accurate than I realised. One thing I love about New York is that there is a surprise around every corner. If you're having a tough day, something always happens to cheer you up, whether it's bumping into a friend on the subway or seeing a raccoon in the park.

I am lucky that I sometimes get invited to parties or events for work and I get to interview some really interesting people. I have learned so much here, and while working freelance is hard, I think if you persevere it pays off.

I have a nice social life and go out a few nights a week, either for dinner and drinks, to the theatre or to a comedy gig. There's always something going on, which is great. I rarely go to nightclubs since I like lounge bars better. There are some great cocktail bars here and you could definitely eat a different type of food in a different restaurant every night of the year if you wanted.

When it comes to dating, I am a little out of touch as I travel a lot. I'm moving apartments at the end of the month, and when that's out of the way I can think about it more. There are some really nice guys in New York, so I'd never say never.

I decided to come here in 2005 after my job on a newspaper meant I was sent to a Death Row prison in Ohio and an Aids orphanage in Malawi in the space of three months. Those experiences gave me a new outlook and in 2005 I left the paper. A few months later, I packed a suitcase and moved from Glasgow's Southside to the West Village.

The best thing about being here is that I have made some amazing friends. Having a Scottish accent has opened a lot of doors for me and I really appreciate that. One woman I met I got on with instantly when she told me she'd been married in Scotland. It's amazing that something so small can create a friendship. She introduced me to her friends and gave me lessons on classic US comedy.

I also miss my family and friends but my parents have learned to use a webcam so being able to see their faces really brings me closer to home. When I get homesick, I go to a British caf called Tea & Sympathy. It's such a nice place to sit and chat, and they do the best shepherd's pie.

New York is definitely a city of surprises and if I was giving advice to anyone who wanted to move, I'd say watching Sex and the City would definitely help. I met a few people in the show, which was quite a cool experience.

I think ultimately it's New York's people who make it such a great place to live, as they are a vibrant cultural mix and you really hear some amazing stories.

NICOLA GOWAN

Age: 31

Occupation: Accountant

Lives: Upper East Side

Status: attached

From: Edinburgh

Nicola Gowan found New York's dating scene a fun place for single girls and she enjoyed it to the full before settling down with her boyfriend. The only downside is a career culture where holiday is a dirty word.

WHEN I first moved to New York three years ago I threw myself into everything the city had to offer socially – a bit like the girls in Sex and the City. I had a group of friends, mostly expats, who all wanted to do the same things. It didn't matter if it was a Monday night, there was always something on. We did everything, from trying the latest bar to checking out a new place to eat. It was amazing how quickly my time was filled up with things to do, and before I knew it weeks and months were passing.

I met my partner Kieran a couple of months after I moved here. He's a born-and-bred New Yorker and we began dating seriously about six months into my move. I thought it was amazing, because people here actually go on dates and want to take you out to dinner. My first real date with Kieran was to the theatre and then we went for a meal. In the UK, you are lucky if someone buys you a drink, so it was nice to be treated properly. There is definitely a different dating scene here; men call and pursue you rather than stumble reluctantly towards you at the end of a very drunken night. I think American men are more honest compared to men back home, who will never actually admit they like someone and have a lot of bravado and don't compliment you.

Now, four and a half years in, my life is a little more normal. Kieran and I have bought a place here on the Upper East Side and I probably live less of a crazy Monday-night-out life than I did at first.

There are lots of things I love about living here. Manhattan is so convenient. You can find almost anything around the corner, or you can call someone and have them bring you whatever you want. You can be very lazy and yet at the same time achieve a lot.

New York is definitely a fun place, but people also work incredibly hard and are very career-focused. Back home, I took a sabbatical for four months but if you even mentioned that here, people would think you were mad – they are very concerned about keeping their jobs. I think from a work perspective, America has the balance wrong and it's ridiculous that some people only have ten days' holiday a year. I don't think it makes them more effective or efficient.

I would like to move back to Scotland at some point. I was just home for my dad's 60th birthday and realised how much I missed my friends. A lot of people I know left Edinburgh after school, but one by one they are returning. Having said that, I definitely still love living in New York and don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while.

NICOLA HECKLES

Age: 29

Occupation: Marketing

Lives: Upper East Side

Status: Married

From: Greenock

Nicola Heckles moved Stateside with her job and threw herself into a world of parties and premires. She lives on the Upper East Side with her husband. One year on, her appetite for the glamour and buzz of the Big Apple hasn't abated and the couple have no plans to leave

IT'S easy to think that Sex and the City is a parody of single women's lives in Manhattan, but I think it's actually quite accurate. Men are different here to how they are back home. For example, you can walk down the street and they will comment on your outfit or they will say hi and try to strike up conversation.

Secretly, though, I'm glad I'm not single in Manhattan. I moved here a year ago with my husband Mark shortly after our wedding, but I have a couple of single friends who are trying to meet people and they say the whole multiple-dating thing is a minefield. Men will openly say that they date lots of women when they go out with you, so it can be complicated for single women. Also, most people tend to go out in groups, and stay with the people they know, so I can see how it would be difficult.

I really like Sex and the City and I can see plenty of parallels between the show and my experiences here. I work in marketing for drinks company Diageo and so to a certain extent I can relate to the glamorous world the girls in SATC live in. There are a lot of parties and events to go to. But that is as much about living in Manhattan as anything else – there is so much to do and see here. I love checking out the new bars, and a great part of my job is that I hear about hidden gems that have deliberately been kept secret.

In the summer we often go and watch screenings of old films in Bryant Park on 42nd Street or go to one of the concerts in Central Park.

We also go for dinner quite a lot at a place called the Barking Dog, a quirky diner featured in Sex and the City. We probably live a more decadent lifestyle here, but that's part of the fun.

One of my favourite things about living in Manhattan is the people we've met here. We have an extended group of friends, including lots of expats, and it just wouldn't be the same without them. The other thing I love is that Mark and I have been able to share this whole experience. We had no commitments, children or debt, and when I was offered a job in my company's New York office we decided to go for it. We told everyone our news at our wedding reception at Houstoun House in Edinburgh. And we've never once doubted we did the right thing.

We now live in the Upper East Side, a lovely area near Central Park, with loads of restaurants and independent bars. We're spoilt as our building has a gorgeous roof deck, swimming pool and gym and the doormen are also lovely.

Our visa lasts for five years and I think we'll be able to extend it. We haven't even scratched the surface yet when it comes to this city.

IMOGEN BROWN

Age: 28

Occupation: Photographer

Lives: East Village

Status: attached

From: Glasgow

For Imogen Brown and her own Mr Big, romance started in Glasgow's Buchanan Street and flowered among New York's glittering skyscrapers. A freelance photographer, she arrived in the Big Apple without money or a camera, but now makes a living in the city that has opened her eyes to a whole new world.

PEOPLE focus on the relationships in Sex and the City but what I enjoy most about the show and about living here is the friendships. Everyone in New York is from somewhere else, and as a result people create new communities together. I love the variety of people you meet here – from all over the world, all colours and cultures.

I love the fact that one night you can go and eat in a little Chinatown hole-in-the-wall and, for a few dollars, get the most amazing dumplings that you have ever had, and the next you can get really dressed up, la Carrie Bradshaw, and go somewhere really fancy.

It is easy to join the expat community here and while it's great sometimes to be able to share common ground with people from home, I feel glad to have friends from all over the world too. I have a Mexican friend who is a mum aged 42 and a guy from Albania who invited me to his wedding in Queens – that was different! I love the stories people tell you and finding out about their lives and histories, how they ended up here. But it's also great when my best friends from Scotland make it over for a visit, and we get to live the Sex and the City lifestyle together.

I moved to New York three years ago after my own Mr Big was offered a job here and I like to think our story is just as romantic as those featured in Sex and the City. I was working as a photographer for a news agency in Glasgow and met a colleague called Gavin. We became really good friends but after a while I began to fall for him. One day he told me he had accepted a job in New York. I was shocked. I knew that I was completely in love with him but didn't know how to tell him.

Then, about a month before he was leaving, we were standing in front of the public toilets on Buchanan Street after a night out and he kissed me. Believe it or not, it was really romantic! We both confessed that we loved each other and made a commitment that we would give it a chance, even though he was going to be living thousands of miles away.

Gavin moved over very shortly after that and we had a long-distance relationship for around six months. It wasn't long before we decided that I should move over too. I initially came for three months, but I've been here three years now. I am mad about Gavin and totally in love with New York too.

If you want to move here, sort out a work visa before you do. It's hard to get one once you're here. I wasn't really prepared when I arrived – I didn't have a camera, a laptop or any money. But now, three years on, I have my own gear and I am earning a living. I've worked hard but I was lucky that it happened for me.

I am happy to call New York home. There's a really positive energy about the place – it's noisy, it's smelly but I love it. It has opened my eyes to the world – and 2 dumplings!

Save yourself the air fare

Can't make it to Manhattan? Here's how to get a taste of the Big Apple lifestyle at home…

HAPPY HOUR

The Hudson, in Edinburgh's Hope Street, is modelled on a New York-style loft – all brick walls and dark wood flooring. Drink: a Hudson iced tea cocktail

If it's cocktails and eye-candy you're after, you can't go far wrong at Glasgow's Corinthian. Its members-only bar has Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle on the books, but the rest of us are more than happy to slum it in the main bar with its huge glass-domed ceiling and twinkling chandeliers. Drink: a champagne cocktail

Oloroso commands the capital's most eye-popping location. Like the famous Rainbow Room, atop the Rockefeller Plaza, it serves its cocktails with a side order of fabulous views. Drink: a cucumber-and-lemongrass martini.

Glasgow institution Rogano is still up there with the best of them. Its Art Deco surroundings are the ideal place for a spot of post-shopping cocktails. Drink: a Matahari (tequila, lemon, chilli, Cointreau and elderflower)

HEAD OVER HEELS

On the lookout for some Louboutins? You don't need Bloomingdale's when there's Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh and Frasers in Glasgow.

LET THEM EAT CAKE

Ever since the Sex and the City girls chomped on cupcakes from the Magnolia bakery on Bleecker Street, the humble sponge has enjoyed a renaissance. Get the Scottish version from VinCaff in Multrees Walk, Edinburgh, or Tinderbox on Byres Road, Glasgow. Or order some in from Aberdeen's Sweet Lilyadams (www.sweetlilyadams.com) or Glasgow's Cupcake Cupcake (www.cupcakecupcake.co.uk).

BRUNCH TIME

Eggs Benedict with a side order of the hottest gossip from your bosom buddies, brunch is the best bit of the weekend. Do it with a Scottish twist and feast on the special omelettes at Edinburgh's Urban Angel, gourmet beans on toast at Glasgow's Left Bank, or how about a Toulouse sausage and fried onion sandwich at Aberdeen's Cafe 52, on The Green?

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

An expanse of green slap-bang in the centre of the city, complete with a carousel, fountain and ice-rink in wintertime… no, not Central Park, but Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh. So there's no zoo or carriage rides – but does New York have a putting green?