If your user isn't an admin, then /Applications is a good location so that apps can't change things in the background (it would require a popup to elevate privs

If your user isn't an admin, then /Applications is a good location so that apps can't change things in the background (it would require a popup to elevate privs). Otherwise, some apps don't install as much crap when you use ~/Applications/ (looking at your Zoom, which I uninstalled and use the web version, which is super hard to find now).