Good
morning, Friday. It's a pretty day in the city and looking forward to a nice
Easter weekend right here in New York. I may even convince David to take Khan
and I to Central Park on Sunday to check out New York's finest Easter fare- and
hats- my very favorite. And although I love seeing the city's most gorgeous
people out on sunny day in Manhattan, I'm feeling anything but festive.
I just finished reading an article on Bloomberg entitled "Austin is the new Brooklyn". This is not news for many of us (duh, of course it is)- loads of ad types have gone out there, as well as lots of other types too seeking a less expensive existence. And although New York's insane cost of living feels particularly isolating, it's not just here that's feeling the burn- many friends in LA are concerned about the price of living there, raising families there, and getting by there. And I've still got some friends in Miami who talk about how apartment prices (rentals too) are slowly creeping towards Manhattan prices. Crazy. When I lived there (we left in 2011), it was quite the affordable city- sure there were loads of options for rich people, but there was also quite a bit available for the rest of us. It was one of the only things I liked about living there.
According to the piece, "Over the past three years, only three of the nation’s largest cities—Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta—were among the 20 fastest-growing metro areas of a million or more people. Austin topped the list, followed by San Antonio, which lured 68,961 out-of-towners, and Raleigh, N.C., drawing 41,495. Compare that with New York, which lost 362,359 residents, and Chicago, which saw an exodus of 172,378. The Census data show that fracking boomtowns in North Dakota and retirement enclaves in Florida have experienced some of the largest growth in the nation by percentage, but the number of people moving to Austin and other fast-growing cities far outpaces them. Frey says large cities won’t necessarily miss the residents who’ve left, because new people are always moving in to take their place: The March Census report found that despite the outward migration, metro New York’s population is at a record high of 19.9 million"
So if you're looking for New York to benefit from all of these people leaving, think again. There will always be some rich dick to take your place. And that's inherently the biggest bummer of all of this- the people that are leaving big cities in droves are the very same people that give the city the plasma/style/creativity it is so sorely lacking of late. These are not people leaving so they can live a posh, suburban life in Greenwich. These are people who are young, with small children, and most likely in creative fields or even more so, middle class consumers who offer much to a city- from a great work ethic to contributions to smaller and local. We shouldn't be losing these types of people. And nor should your city- New York's loss is truly Raleigh's gain- but then of course, the more New Yorkers move to a place, the more expensive it will become. I guess you could call that the Brooklyn effect- there's a premium associated with what was once staunchly middle class (small businesses, local bakeries, front stoops) but is now highly upper class.
I for one don't want to end up staying in this 1% ghetto if there's nobody fun to play with. Everywhere you look in this city, there's an evaporation of what once was- sure that's evolution, but walking around the Upper East Side yesterday, I saw gorgeous brownstones off of 5th Avenue being completely gutted to serve the whim of some hedge fund guy, who never got the memo about 2008, because apparently, it never happened. How will we draw people here if nobody can afford to live here?
To be clear, I adore city life and have always been a big city kind of girl, but thinking my notion of what living in a city is all about really needs to change- surely there's other cities out there that feel less ridiculous and where I can live a big cityish life? Now I know the truth about my spending- I don't have to take Uber, I don't have to buy expensive makeup remover or eye cream, and I probably don't need another pair of shoes. But living in New York as a monk is not appealing either, and it would be nice to at least live somewhere where a glass of wine doesn't cost $15. Sure, scaling down would make life more accommodating here, but there are others here who don't buy a bunch of fancy stuff and still can't make it. It's bullshit. I can't help but feel all of this big city living has me craving something a bit smaller, and more manageable. Not Austin (too indie). Not Miami (too plastic). Not Philly (just no). I'm open to all other suggestions if you have them.
The good news in all of this is that perhaps we will not all be slaves to this city anymore. That maybe it will be possible to live somewhere else and have great culture, diversity, and places to shop and eat. That is, until all the New Yorkers and Los Angeles peeps come and price us out again. Sigh. It's tough out there for, oh, 99% of us. I miss the opportunities that this city provided- it was never, ever cheap to live here- but it was not like this. Here I am- stuck in the middle, with ALL of you (or most of you). The rich really do ruin everything. I'm tired of living in a city, and further, a country, where us vs. them has replaced with liberty and justice for all. I wonder what the rents are like in Europe these days? Wanna come with? On second thought, please don't. I'd like to have a decent rent for a while or perhaps be able to buy a house.
Cause that's what's up this penny-pinching Friday in the overpriced 212. Yours, in sticker shock. I'm not going anywhere right now, but if things keep going the way they're going, I'm not so sure I want to get trapped in the rich ghetto. I'm still rooting for all of us who love this city, but living here is harder than ever... XO