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> Do you mind giving examples of what you have access to in NYC when so many things are shuttered right now? Right now, I've basically reallocated my budget of

> Do you mind giving examples of what you have access to in NYC when so many things are shuttered right now? Right now, I've basically reallocated my budget of city activities towards local restaurants, and I've been eating a ton of great delivery. As the cases have slowed, I'm cautiously considering outdoor dining. Either way, I'm eating great food right now. I live in Brooklyn, so Prospect Park (central park of the borough) is always nice for walks or distanced picnics with friends. My local neighborhood is also just generally pleasant for walks. Many outdoor farmers markets are still in full swing. There's an outdoor climbing gym in Dumbo that I can walk to from my apartment, and I go there now as well even. Full contact tracing, check-in/out, reservation system, the whole nine yards. Not many places have a large outdoor climbing gym. All of this is also powered by people actually following mask laws and it being summer. I'm fully aware winter is going to be less fun, but I'm ready to weather that and order lots of good delivery. > As for "white flight" it's more of a "white collar flight" where people with money and resources and higher income remote jobs will leave as long as living conditions suck. Well put, and I think that will be a big positive for cities if it continues.

01100011 6y ago
With the exception of a specialized gym for climbing, none of what you've listed is anything unique to an urban environment. I've lived in various suburbs my whole life and have everything else you've listed. For much of that time, I also had a private backyard, which is something you generally don't get in urbia. You can't beat the efficiency of an urban environment though.
- adjkant 6y ago
  I think you underestimate the density of restaurants and cuisines available. No suburb I have encountered gets close to matching this situation. Suburbs also typically require cars, something I don't own and never want to own. I don't want a backyard either as that just means another thing to maintain against entropy! All of this to say, it depends on what you value :)
  - mrgordon 6y ago
    Yeah I’m not sure why people don’t get that walking past the climbing gym, a hundred varied restaurants, and a wide assortment of local shops on the way home is different than driving 20 minutes to go eat or go to the gym. My complaint about all these articles is prices have barely changed in NY and SF but they all like to proclaim some huge shift. Every time I check to see if there really are major discounts and I’m disappointed.
    - Nursie 6y ago
      I think people get it, but they also get that in lockdown these benefits disappear. There was an interesting article in the guardian newspaper early in the UK lockdown that looked at the implicit social contract in city life - I may live in a small apartment, perhaps even sharing it with several others, but that is less important when the city is outside my door, it's just somewhere to sleep. If the city effectively ceases to be outside your door for weeks or months, you may decide that having a bigger place of your own with your own outdoor space is actually a pretty good prospect. And that thought may not go away even when things open up again.
      - adjkant 6y ago
        > If the city effectively ceases to be outside your door for weeks or months I think the key here is that even in the pandemic, while things have adapted and taken a different form, this isn't true. We lost some things, but solutions have popped up. Due to outdoor dining, in many ways the streets in my area have become more pedestrian friendly. Many blocks are actually now shut down to cars and are designated explicitly for pedestrians.
        Nursie 6y ago
        Early in the lockdown here in the UK, it certainly was the case - there was no dining anywhere for several weeks. It's back, and pretty vibrant, in the small city I live in now. But that social contract in a small city is different anyway - even pretty near the centre I have a good sized house and some outdoor space of my own.
shortandsweet 6y ago
Take your fake wall. I have the sierras at my back door.
- baddox 6y ago
  I love the Sierras and have spent a lot of nights in the backcountry, but good luck getting any permits now. Pre-pandemic it was already extremely difficult. Now you need to get up at 7am and grab a day use ticket to even enter Yosemite (or even drive through!).
  - shortandsweet 6y ago
    Sure, I agree, certainly permits are required in some locations yes. But you can usually find something available. Even locations off the beaten path. There are a lot more options to climb along the hundreds of miles of mountain range when compared to a city.
  - shajznnckfke 6y ago
    Most of the Sierras don’t require any type of permit or ticket to access. I’ve noticed among techie friends with a new desire to go outdoors a belief that they need to make an appointment to enjoy nature, and since all the appointments are taken online, there is no nature to enjoy. Or to google for “best hike San Francisco”, go there, and find that the parking is full. In fact the nature is much larger than the city, and it’s most entirely empty if you aren’t intentionally visiting the most popular spots.
    - baddox 6y ago
      I’m sure most of the Sierras don’t require day use reservations, but I’m pretty sure nearly all of it requires permits for car camping or backcountry camping, and those permits are difficult to get (apart from taking the risk of showing up for a walk-in permit). And I understand the stereotype of the techie who thinks Yosemite Valley reservations is the only way to enjoy nature, but I don’t think that’s me. I’ve been on dozens of trips to the Sierras and I’m fairly experienced with the various permit systems. That said, I’m sure there are still less-travelled gems that I haven’t discovered. :)

01100011 6y ago

With the exception of a specialized gym for climbing, none of what you've listed is anything unique to an urban environment. I've lived in various suburbs my whole life and have everything else you've listed. For much of that time, I also had a private backyard, which is something you generally don't get in urbia. You can't beat the efficiency of an urban environment though.

adjkant 6y ago
I think you underestimate the density of restaurants and cuisines available. No suburb I have encountered gets close to matching this situation. Suburbs also typically require cars, something I don't own and never want to own. I don't want a backyard either as that just means another thing to maintain against entropy! All of this to say, it depends on what you value :)
- mrgordon 6y ago
  Yeah I’m not sure why people don’t get that walking past the climbing gym, a hundred varied restaurants, and a wide assortment of local shops on the way home is different than driving 20 minutes to go eat or go to the gym. My complaint about all these articles is prices have barely changed in NY and SF but they all like to proclaim some huge shift. Every time I check to see if there really are major discounts and I’m disappointed.
  - Nursie 6y ago
    I think people get it, but they also get that in lockdown these benefits disappear. There was an interesting article in the guardian newspaper early in the UK lockdown that looked at the implicit social contract in city life - I may live in a small apartment, perhaps even sharing it with several others, but that is less important when the city is outside my door, it's just somewhere to sleep. If the city effectively ceases to be outside your door for weeks or months, you may decide that having a bigger place of your own with your own outdoor space is actually a pretty good prospect. And that thought may not go away even when things open up again.
    - adjkant 6y ago
      > If the city effectively ceases to be outside your door for weeks or months I think the key here is that even in the pandemic, while things have adapted and taken a different form, this isn't true. We lost some things, but solutions have popped up. Due to outdoor dining, in many ways the streets in my area have become more pedestrian friendly. Many blocks are actually now shut down to cars and are designated explicitly for pedestrians.
      - Nursie 6y ago
        Early in the lockdown here in the UK, it certainly was the case - there was no dining anywhere for several weeks. It's back, and pretty vibrant, in the small city I live in now. But that social contract in a small city is different anyway - even pretty near the centre I have a good sized house and some outdoor space of my own.

shortandsweet 6y ago

Take your fake wall. I have the sierras at my back door.

baddox 6y ago
I love the Sierras and have spent a lot of nights in the backcountry, but good luck getting any permits now. Pre-pandemic it was already extremely difficult. Now you need to get up at 7am and grab a day use ticket to even enter Yosemite (or even drive through!).
- shortandsweet 6y ago
  Sure, I agree, certainly permits are required in some locations yes. But you can usually find something available. Even locations off the beaten path. There are a lot more options to climb along the hundreds of miles of mountain range when compared to a city.
- shajznnckfke 6y ago
  Most of the Sierras don’t require any type of permit or ticket to access. I’ve noticed among techie friends with a new desire to go outdoors a belief that they need to make an appointment to enjoy nature, and since all the appointments are taken online, there is no nature to enjoy. Or to google for “best hike San Francisco”, go there, and find that the parking is full. In fact the nature is much larger than the city, and it’s most entirely empty if you aren’t intentionally visiting the most popular spots.
  - baddox 6y ago
    I’m sure most of the Sierras don’t require day use reservations, but I’m pretty sure nearly all of it requires permits for car camping or backcountry camping, and those permits are difficult to get (apart from taking the risk of showing up for a walk-in permit). And I understand the stereotype of the techie who thinks Yosemite Valley reservations is the only way to enjoy nature, but I don’t think that’s me. I’ve been on dozens of trips to the Sierras and I’m fairly experienced with the various permit systems. That said, I’m sure there are still less-travelled gems that I haven’t discovered. :)