I was in the Bay Area for the 2001 and 2008 tech crashes. Cheap space made all kinds of things possible: performances, art projects, experimental living arrange

I was in the Bay Area for the 2001 and 2008 tech crashes. Cheap space made all kinds of things possible: performances, art projects, experimental living arrangements, bootstrapped startups, maker spaces, high-concept restaurants, ... When people can start things without institutional funding, they can build interesting, speculative things. Some of those speculative things end up making lots of money, while most go bust, but either way it's an interesting environment to be part of.