New York’s Empty Storefronts Are A Dark Omen For The Future Of Cities

[JManc]

I miss the old New York...where it smelled like a cocktail of piss and rotting trash, guys stood around in track suits drinking cheap whisky out of a paper bag at 10AM, graffiti and litter everywhere, there was a 50% chance you'd get mugged walking down the street and people talked like Cabbie from the Howard Stern show.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by JManc

I miss the old New York...where it smelled like a cocktail of piss and rotting trash, guys stood around in track suits drinking cheap whisky out of a paper bag at 10AM, graffiti and litter everywhere, there was a 50% chance you'd get mugged walking down the street and people talked like Cabbie from the Howard Stern show.

the best part of that was that there were so many less new yorkers and visitors.

the unfettered masses roaming the narrow sidewalks. that's the deal today.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by JManc

I miss the old New York...where it smelled like a cocktail of piss and rotting trash, guys stood around in track suits drinking cheap whisky out of a paper bag at 10AM, graffiti and litter everywhere, there was a 50% chance you'd get mugged walking down the street and people talked like Cabbie from the Howard Stern show.

Don't fret, you can still experience the bolded part throughout the city. Muggings and native NYer accents are harder to find, though.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

Well, there are plenty of cities with empty storefronts but fully leased office spaces above. Retail is but one aspect of the equation. I would like to see more galleries, event spaces slash cultural venues take over the retail spaces. I also would like to see more pet shops seeing as there are so many pet lovers on this forum. No childcare though pullease. There.

It's more understandable with new-construction infill. In those cases they're constructing to some extent not for the current walking radius, but for their expectation of where the area will be when other projects also come online.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Crawford

What is with the Atlantic and weird "Manhattan is now a ghost-town" articles? They had a very similar article claiming Manhattan residential buildings were all ghost towns a few months ago.

Article is stupid hyperbole. Manhattan vacancies aren't appreciably higher than in other cycles, and while rents are off from two years ago, those were record highs (basically a doubling of rents in two years).

Also, nonsensical conclusion. People live in Manhattan because of high street chain retail, and Manhattan risks becoming Cleveland if there are fewer chains? Huh? High street chain retail is mostly visitor-driven. And why would you live in Manhattan for access to chain stores?

Manhattan is dying

[JManc]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Don't fret, you can still experience the bolded part throughout the city. Muggings and native NYer accents are harder to find, though.

Yeah...still not the same. I was last there in December 2016 (to get married) and it lacked that Taxi Driver charm. We got married in Central Park and was hoping to get robbed but instead was accosted by a dozen or so tourists from China with selfie sticks.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Manhattan is dying

I agree.

Daytime population of 4.0 to 4.5 million per day, over 23 sq miles. 174 to 195k/sq mile density. Some days more depending on events.

Most definitely a ghost town. These numbers are too low.

[Centropolis]

in Escape From (Gentrified) New York, the Duke might actually be a Duke.

[chris08876]

Always liked this video. Of course Manhattan isn't a ghost town, we all know that.

But anyways, its a nice tour to watch in HD and full screen. Can really appreciate the crowds.

Somebody mentioned tourists and yeah, they are rampant. One of the busiest times in the city is approaching. The months of November/December are extremely crowded with the holidays. Sidewalk gridlock is a very real thing.

They say 2018 will see 65 million visitors. Its only climbing upwards.

• Video Link

A little more about tourism:

The city welcomed 62.8 million visitors in 2017, and it was the City’s eighth consecutive year for record-breaking tourism, with 49.7 million domestic and 13.1 million international visitors. In 2018, the destination is expected to welcome 65.1 million visitors. New York City remains the No. 1 U.S. destination for international visitation, visitor spending and economic impact.


Yet the city promises that the best is yet to come. With blockbuster openings, historic anniversaries and big events, 2019 will be a monumental year for New York City. Tourism is now a major driver of the local New York City economy and the fastest growing source of new jobs. This is made possible by a record $45 billion in visitor spending and $65 billion in economic impact, reinforcing the City’s position as the largest tourism economy in the US, as well as the country’s number one international destination.

LaGuardia Airport, which is undergoing a massive expansion and will be the first major airport to open in the United States since Denver International Airport in 1995. Stewart International Airport, an hour away from the city in Orange County, has increasingly become an important avenue for international travel to New York. With all of these new visitors, more rooms are always needed, and not only is New York City adding hotel rooms, but they are adding a number equivalent to San Francisco’s entire hotel room inventory.

[...]

===================
1. https://beam.land/travel/the-big-apple-is-gearing-up-for-its-2019-tourist-season-1439

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by JManc

I miss the old New York...where it smelled like a cocktail of piss and rotting trash, guys stood around in track suits drinking cheap whisky out of a paper bag at 10AM, graffiti and litter everywhere, there was a 50% chance you'd get mugged walking down the street and people talked like Cabbie from the Howard Stern show.

Just come to the historic core of downtown LA and you'll enjoy all of that expect the accents

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

and as the millenials dont drink, that means we do not even have weekend mornings to ourselves anymore, they are up and at'em clogging the streets early on weekends with their trainers and healthy activities, when in the recent past they would have been home sleeping off hangovers.

Yup, esp. in Manhattan south of 23rd Street. Weekend mornings used to be very quiet.

Gen Xers were heavy drinkers/partiers, and Millennials aren't. Every block has a bootcamp, hot yoga, crossfit and spin, and they're busy weekends at 7-8 AM, about the time I used to finish my night. Who are these people?

Also, are you ever in Central, Riverside or Prospect Park early weekend mornings? No one is exercising alone anymore. Everyone has their personal trainers barking at them. When did 25 y-o's start having trainers?

[Steely Dan]

i'm a gen X'er here.

the last time i was out late-nite (past midnight, i'm fucking 42 now, ugh) at a bar in chicago, the crowd was decidedly millennial, so i'm not buying this "millennials don't drink" nonsense.

[chris08876]

Millennials drink too much, that's the problem. Alcohol abuse and addiction is rising. They might not be drinking in public if that's the outlook, but at home, yes!

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

i'm a gen X'er here.

the last time i was out late-nite (past midnight, i'm fucking 42 now, ugh) at a bar in chicago, the crowd was decidedly millennial, so i'm not buying this "millennials don't drink" nonsense.

I don't buy it either. Millennials definitely drink. I've never heard this thing about millennials not drinking. A year ago the explosion of bars in gentrified neighborhoods was being blamed on millennials.

And everybody is a bit more health conscious nowadays, not just millennials. When I'm in the gym, there are a lot of people there who are older than me. My solid Gen-X older sister, who has never been an athletic person, is suddenly been interested in working out lately.

[MonkeyRonin]

Millennials are killing the alcohol industry now too!

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Yup, esp. in Manhattan south of 23rd Street. Weekend mornings used to be very quiet.

Gen Xers were heavy drinkers/partiers, and Millennials aren't. Every block has a bootcamp, hot yoga, crossfit and spin, and they're busy weekends at 7-8 AM, about the time I used to finish my night. Who are these people?

Also, are you ever in Central, Riverside or Prospect Park early weekend mornings? No one is exercising alone anymore. Everyone has their personal trainers barking at them. When did 25 y-o's start having trainers?

i kind of agree with this. i have solidly gen x bartender friends and they lament the decline of the racious 90s early 00s scene when the edgy (at that time young) gen x crowd people were throwing down weeknights in downtown bars and throwing real, gigantic loft/warehouse parties. millenials (now growing older now of course) don’t party like gen x did, at least not in america.

i came of age during the midwestern indie/emo era/scene and hardcore straightedge shit. not condusive to massive, fun blowouts . went to a few late gen x warehouse parties and remember being terrified.

[Centropolis]

fuck i didnt learn how to party until i was in my thirties and single again.

[the urban politician]

We Gen Xers did have a better party scene than these Millennial nitwits.

Their idea of partying is to sit next to eachother while drinking and taking selfies and post them on Instagram. So douchey....

Meanwhile, we had 4 story nightclubs with a different scene on each level, and we actually talked to eachother and women

[Centropolis]

addendum: not to say millennials don’t know how to get massively drunk of course. i just remember lots of shitty posturing and faux lamentations during the early aught scenes i traveled in...saddle creek/bright eyes parties in omaha, etc.

the older guys like tim kasher (cursive) had no patience for the early millennials.

[Vlajos]

Go to any craft brewery in Chicago and it's filled with millennials. All the new cocktail bars are filled with millennials too. My wife works for one of the largest hard alcohol makers in the world and millenial cocktail culture has been huge for them in the US.