My generation are definitely leaving. Not threaten to. They’ve packed up, moved to Jersey suburbs, Connecticut, Upstate, Boston, Austin, SF, wherever. Because now they can. Remote work, family priorities, or simply the new wealth to make a change has given them an exit option. And those who can’t? They’re pushed further and further from the city center, priced out of neighborhoods their families built, commuting longer just to hang onto a piece of New York. I had the privilege of growing up in Lower Manhattan.
I’ve lived in SoHo. I live in Williamsburg now. The city I knew had grit, energy, and the rawness of immigrant families grinding it out to build a local community My neighbors were bakers, fashion models, shop owners, artists, delivery drivers, small business owners, actors, garment workers, courthouse workers. It was such a crazy mix of people that it wasn’t pretty, but everyone was trying to make it through the day and that made everyone's common ground so was real.
Now? The very same area and so many parts of Manhattan I imagine feels like it’s been gutted by nepotism and fast wealth. The grittiness is gone, replaced by glossy storefronts and people who’ve never contributed to the place they live. The city is a longterm theme park for them. A place of fantasy and social media driven experience that allow them to say, 'I'm from New York City'
The moment it hit me wasn’t dramatic, but it was symbolic. My cousin and I went to grab Bánh Mì at Broome Street. This was a spot we grew up eating, an old comfort food for us. We’re quietly in line, when this eager Chad standing in front of us turns around and starts raving about how good this Bánh Mì spot is. He’s explaining it to us like he’s discovered buried treasure, like he’s the local and we’re the tourists.
The place he’s hyping up is literally in the building I lived in since I was two years old. Uncle of the shop practically watched me grow up. Now this is no fault of Chad because why w've known uncle from the shop throughout my childhood I wanted to laugh. We played it cool and just said, “Nice.” But he kept going, explaining the history of this place and the authenticity of a place I could walk to blindfoldeded. My cousin has a short fuse, so he eventually put the guy in his place. I almost felt bad for Chad. I lie. I didn’t… because WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITy, LOSER.
But that was the moment I realized the disconnect between me and the new New York. My New York, the one I grew up in is gone.
I think I can walk away from the city because it gave me everything it had to offer: my colorful childhood, my grit, my cultural insights. But now it feels like it’s someone else’s world. Maybe six months from now I’ll feel differently and swearing the pizza kept me here. Father time will tell.