Drivers Not Wanted

On Seinfeld, Jerry, Kramer, and George all had cars. That's something I never understood. Why? If you live in Queens or Brooklyn, that's understandable. But why have a car in Manhattan? It's more a pain in the ass then anything. I say that as someone who freaks out at all the cars causing the traffic while in a cab, desperately trying to get somewhere. The Times tries to delve deeper in the minds of the crazy Manhattanites who do have cars. One is New Yorker humorist Bruce McCall. Gothamist speculates that one thing New Yorkers are jealous (relative to non-New Yorkers) is just being able to drive...not that rush hour traffic on 78 is fun, but there is that liberating feeling of being out on the road, miles of highway and not a care in the world.

Some Seinfeld episodes with cars:
Alternate side
The Parking Garage
The Parking Space
The Airport
The Smelly Car
The Hamptons (they have to drive there)

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on April 7, 2003 12:02 PM

Comments [rss]

Jen

No, it's not that it's produced in L.A., as Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld both lived. There are episodes with the subway featured. Jerry Seinfeld, in real life, is obsessed with cars. That's just a weird anomaly that also allows the characters more freedom. There are other truths like Kramer feeling like he's in another world when he's at 1st and 1st. I guess George borrowed his parents' car from Queens, and there were these issues about alternate side parking and getting a spcae in a parking garage.

Andrew

Seinfeld was produced in LA. Seinfeld, David and the rest of the writers probably forgot what life was like without cars. So the characters were set driving in situations where people in their situations would otherwise have been walking or riding the subway.

jake

totally- unlike us real gothamists. we don't drive, live in the subways like morlocks, and do nothing but eat bagels and talk to our therapists. come to think of it, i like the television version better.

The Nativist Party

They all had cars because they weren't really New Yorkers. They never rode the subway. They were terrified to set foot outside of their upper west side enclave. They were middle America's vision of what living in New York would be like.

Similarly, Seinfeld was "Jewish" without ever doing anything Jewish. He was the epitome of a Jew for someone whose only exposure to Judaism came from Totally Tasteless Jokes vols. I-XII.