Well, you’re wrong. Culture is by definition social behavior first, and then institutions arise out of that.
Beyond that key point, you’re making an error of assuming there is one fungible “culture experience” that can be had anywhere there’s a gallery and a coffee shop on the same street.
The gap between the cultural opportunities in NYC and a second tier US city is as vast as the difference between cutting edge research at Alphabet and a small web shop putting together wordpress sites for the local businesses.
The benefit of being in the city is not that you visit the MoMa every weekend - the rotating exhibits aren’t going to align with my interests that frequently. It’s that enough people around you are operating on a level where they could conceivably care about such things.
Beyond that key point, you’re making an error of assuming there is one fungible “culture experience” that can be had anywhere there’s a gallery and a coffee shop on the same street.
The gap between the cultural opportunities in NYC and a second tier US city is as vast as the difference between cutting edge research at Alphabet and a small web shop putting together wordpress sites for the local businesses.
The benefit of being in the city is not that you visit the MoMa every weekend - the rotating exhibits aren’t going to align with my interests that frequently. It’s that enough people around you are operating on a level where they could conceivably care about such things.