(My Last) Summer in the City

It's finally starting to sink in that I might actually miss NYC when I leave in a few short weeks.  I've been so focussed on why I'm leaving, why I can't possibly continue to live here much longer (the crowds, the inconsiderate behavior that comes along with the crowds, the smells that come along with the crowds, the expense that comes along with the crowds....)  But I should remember that there are reasons that I wanted to live here, and that I stayed for seven years.  (An aside: when I graduated from college, part of me really wanted to move back home to Boston, but I wanted a career in theater, so I really needed to be in New York.  When I got here, I was surprised at how much I liked living here.  My mother reminded me, "Ali, you always were going to live in New York, you always said that, since you were little."  I guess I forgot.)

So I was walking in the fashion district the other day.  One of my favorite things about the city is that you have all these districts where you have a whole block of, say fabric stores, or floral supplies, or what have you.  But as I was walking by the fabric stores, I noticed several of them with signs in the window that they were closing.  Seems they can't afford their leases anymore.  The fashion district is right by Times Square, so it's no wonder.  Commercial real estate in NYC gets ever more absurdly priced.  (Residential does too.)  I can't help but wonder whether we'll have any more blocks of floral supply shops ten years from now.  Seems like only chains and franchises will be able to afford to do business here in the future.  It's a crying shame, if you ask me.  Will New York become a less unique place?  Or will New York always be New York?

Comments

[Dympna]

NYC will always be NYC. It isn't the same NYC as it was 100 years from now. Things change, sometimes for good and other times for bad. We have lots of neighborhoods in San Francisco that will not allow chain stores to open up shop. Mine is one of them. It is great,but at the same time there is a lot of things I don't have nearby. Of course I have a ton of funky family owned business.