NYLON

This article is about the transatlantic travel concept. For the polymer, see Nylon; for other uses, see Nylon (disambiguation).

The portmanteau NYLON, also spelled NYLon or, less often, NY-Lon, starts with the concept of New York City and London, England as twin cities — the financial and cultural capitals of the Anglo-American 'world' — and takes the concept a step further, treating the two cities as "a single city separated by an ocean"^[1]. There is a community of high-earning professionals who commute with extreme frequency — sometimes several days in a given week — between New York and London on its particular transatlantic air route. As a result, the term "NYLon" can be used either to refer in a macro sense to the concept of the two cities being 'intertwined' or easily traversable generally, or in a more micro form, as a specific noun — as in "s/he is a NYLon" to refer to a person who travels extensively between the two and treats each as equal senses of "home".^[2][3]

To satisfy the tastes of this particular community, businesses such as Time Out and Conran have branches in both cities. The theatre industries of both cities are also sometimes said to be closely related and/or collaborative: most shows originating in London's West End circulate through Broadway theater and vice versa, for example.^[4]

A NYLon originating from New York is not necessarily an American expatriate, nor is a NYLon originating from London necessarily an English expatriate. Furniture, clothing, appliances, and everything else needed for 'basic' living standards by the Western model, are often permanently kept by the NYLon in both locations (i.e., in both the 'flat' in London and the 'apartment' in New York) so that the amount to be packed is very little or sometimes even nonexistent. Some NYLon people may seek dual citizenship or similar, but given that both US passports and UK passports are equally valid in each country, this is not legally needed for the free movement of a NYLon.

See also

• NY-LON - a TV drama set in the two cities
• Global citizenship
• Telectroscope - a visual link between Brooklyn Bridge and Tower Bridge
• The UrbanDictionary definition of 'NYLon'

References

1. ^ Michael Pettis (May 23, 2009), Bigger Than Ever - Why the crisis will only help NyLon., Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com/id/199100 
2. ^ Stryker Mcguire (November 13, 2000), The NY-Lon Life, Newsweek, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-66887486.html 
3. ^ http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nylon&defid=1066389
4. ^ High rollers - Marketing dreams from New York to London, The Economist, Jun 14th 2001, http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_GVGGPR