3 ms·

I've lived and grew up in NYC for almost 30 years and I agree with the author. Manhattan has become an unaffordable ghost town. Walk down West Village, Union S

I've lived and grew up in NYC for almost 30 years and I agree with the author. Manhattan has become an unaffordable ghost town. Walk down West Village, Union Sq, Flatiron, etc.., you see rows of closed stores that have gone vacant for a very long time now. In contrast, I was in London recently and that city was thriving compared to Manhattan, it was lively and beautiful. In addition, NYC Subway and transportation is a disgrace. It is on its way to becoming a third-world country equivalent. This was due to mismanagement and corruption. You won't notice how Manhattan has deteriorated until you leave the U.S. and visit other cities in Europe and especially Asia. Even Thailand's subway system is a hell of a lot better than the NYC subway.

lozaning 8y ago
I travel frequently through all sorts of parts of Asia for work and am always so jealous of the subways over there. I speak all of 4 words of mandarin, but have never gotten lost or had difficulty navigating. I wish I could say the same for Bart, which I'm embarrassed to admit still frequently gets the better of me.
jganetsk 8y ago
I find London to have the same problems in terms of being full of chain stores and losing the kinds of character that the author describes.
ascagnel_ 8y ago
The thing I find craziest about Union Square is the number of drugstores. Just along the south end of the square, you've got Walgreen's (a national brand) and Duane Reade (which used to be independent, but is now a local brand for Walgreen's) 600ft. or so apart from each other. How in any way is that sustainable?
- dbattaglia 8y ago
  Across the street from my apartment on 14th and 1st there is a Duane Reade and CVS literally attached to each other. It’s pretty crazy. The CVS is old and grungy, Duane Reade newer and larger (3 floors). I suspect those differences, plus possibly prople’s dependence on a certain pharmacy brand (thanks to their health insurance) is what allows them both to stay open.

lozaning 8y ago

I travel frequently through all sorts of parts of Asia for work and am always so jealous of the subways over there. I speak all of 4 words of mandarin, but have never gotten lost or had difficulty navigating. I wish I could say the same for Bart, which I'm embarrassed to admit still frequently gets the better of me.

jganetsk 8y ago

I find London to have the same problems in terms of being full of chain stores and losing the kinds of character that the author describes.

ascagnel_ 8y ago

The thing I find craziest about Union Square is the number of drugstores. Just along the south end of the square, you've got Walgreen's (a national brand) and Duane Reade (which used to be independent, but is now a local brand for Walgreen's) 600ft. or so apart from each other. How in any way is that sustainable?

dbattaglia 8y ago
Across the street from my apartment on 14th and 1st there is a Duane Reade and CVS literally attached to each other. It’s pretty crazy. The CVS is old and grungy, Duane Reade newer and larger (3 floors). I suspect those differences, plus possibly prople’s dependence on a certain pharmacy brand (thanks to their health insurance) is what allows them both to stay open.