New York has always been a city that has little time for nostalgia. But at the same time, people always have time to believe that “things were better when…”.
The main problem with the article is that it really neglects the fact that general corporate homogenization is the same across the nation, if not the world. The difference with New York is that if people in a neighborhood really want to protect a business, or really don’t want a business in the neighborhood, they have a good amount of power to affect whether that business stays. Further, real estate costs and travel limitations in the city make “bulk” businesses harder to manage, so smaller bodegas and hardware stores have a place, as well as providing a unique service – late night shopping for whatever you want. Also, because distance is compressed in NYC, a larger business really has to offer something astounding to consumers to make people in the neighborhood get on the subway to get there when they could easily just go around the corner. And even if they do go less, they will still go to their local places. And price differences make a lower impact as salaries are generally higher, so the dollar value is lower.
Finally – one thing – New Yorkers are, if nothing else, fiercely loyal and proud of this city. They find the local bar and stick with it. They know the bartender and the regulars. And we know an outsider when we see one. We want you to enjoy the city…but anyone coming in and trying to tell us that they know what would be better for us than we do…well…not so much.
New York is a great blend of novelty and tradition – and has the population to support both.
@john65pennington – perfectly valid to feel like NYC is not your cup of tea…but it seems like in your statement that you’ve never been here. It’s definitely crazy busy here, so that’s a fair assessment. But 9/11 has as much provided a national insight into the community here in NYC as it has the danger. I’ve never lived anywhere where I felt safer. And rightfully so…as the murder rate here is the lowest it has been since the 1960s – and other crime trends similarly. As @JLeslie notes, NYC ranks 256 out of 400 cities according to FBI crime statistics, and has a rate below the national average (which means throw a dart at a map of the U.S., and more often the not the place the dart hits will be less safe than living in NYC), (@JLeslie – Nashville is ranked 56 and Memphis is number 10).