While living in NYC for this past year I’ve had many conversations with friends, family and complete strangers about the state of the city. Questions usually come off like this ‘OMG, what’s it like there now?’, ‘How are you holding up there?’, ‘Maybe it’s time to leave the city?’, ‘Didn’t everyone move to Miami?’ While there were many people that moved away from the city for the right reasons and some wrong, I’ve never felt like NYC was on it’s deathbed. Even when it was at it’s darkest time, the meaning of New York Strong shined through. Here’s my reasoning below about why I think New York City will Never Die. Coming from someone who’s not a native New Yorker (moved from Ohio 7 years ago) but lives here happily and will continue to thrive here.

Lockdowns in NYC, justified or not?

First and foremost, it’d be best to go back to last year and delve into where things looked shaky for NYC. The lockdowns. I’m going to try my best to speak on this in terms that aren’t political and from a logical perspective. I believe the problem with a divided America right now is that it’s easier to bash a state’s decision on how they reacted to the coronavirus. Rather than to look at it from the state’s perspective and understand why they enforced or didn’t enforce restrictions. With all of that in mind I think NYC’s stricter lockdowns were justified. The big apple is the largest populated city in America and highly condensed compared to other cities. So it made sense in the beginning to having stricter restrictions on people gathering indoors and in large groups. We also have to consider the amount of tourism that was happening before the pandemic with NYC being #1 most visited place in the country. From Statista: New York was forecast to be the leading city destination in the U.S. in terms of international arrivals with approximately 14.01 million visitors from foreign countries in 2019.

That’s a lot of people in one place! So it made sense at that time to do what was necessary as far as stricter lockdown protocols. Of course there were some big mistakes in the beginning like the nursing home tragedy, and back then we didn’t realize how much being outdoors there was less risk in spreading. But overall I feel NYC shouldn’t be persecuted for trying to do the right thing by keeping their citizens safe. We had a lot of cases and deaths due to the fact of how crowded it is and most of the tourists were bringing it here first before the virus started spreading to other states. With that in mind, I also don’t think people should be so judgmental about how other states that are less crowded and populated took a lighter approach on lockdowns. States like Georgia and Texas clearly had the ability to approach it less restrictive since they have warmer weather year round, more space between residential, more outdoor dining options, etc. In conclusion I think we should all take a step back from the finger pointing or sentiment of relishing in cities that had a hard time dealing with the pandemic to more of an understanding of why some cities did it different than yours. Now that’s out of the way let’s go over why the Big Apple will never die.

Tourism and how the world loves NYC

One of the biggest factors in why I feel New York city isn’t dead is because of the perception people outside of America have about it. I’m pretty sure I can speak for them and say that they love it and always will. The rich history of art and entertainment is engrained in their heads from movies and television. Think of the classic movies like Home Alone 2, Spiderman, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Wolf of Wall Street all capturing the excitement of city exploration. These television shows captured how interesting it would be to live here; Friends, Seinfeld, Mr. Robot, Sex and the City. So as much as some people in America like to assume the city’s dead now, frankly the rest of the world will always aspire to visit and live here.

I was a Superhost for Airbnb for a few years before the pandemic hit the U.S. During that time I was able to get guests from almost every country around the globe. I always made it a point to ask right before they left what they felt about their visit. All of them would tell me how much fun they had, how much they loved the freedom to do whatever they wanted here. Some were surprised how dirty the city is but it didn’t take away from their overall experience. These type of tourists will be eager and ready to come back to vacation. Some have reservations on the vaccine passports. Not sure why these end up falling into the conspiracy theory where the government will use it to track us when they already have our addresses, tax information, and social security numbers. Most of the apps on our phones are already tracking us too. Vaccine passports used in a city like NYC would be a good idea. It’ll help bring back tourism safely along with the economy which is a win win.

The resiliency of the Restaurant Industry

The food scene has always been why everyone loves NYC. When I moved here from Ohio, I was amazed at all the different types of cuisines that I could try on a given block. I loved the fact that the majority of the restaurants weren’t franchises. Fast food was also less accessible compared to back in my home state. Instead you got more family owned establishments who pour their soul into every dish they serve. That’s why I believe the city never died because our restaurant industry didn’t give up during the pandemic.

Even during the most trying times, most restaurants were able to shift their dine-in dishes to takeout only. Many New Yorkers found ways to support their local businesses by buying gift cards and tipping extra. Sure as with cities across the country, unfortunately there were some that had to shut down. It’s a painful reminder that the pandemic didn’t only take it’s toll on us through our health but with businesses we loved. Hopefully those owners can find a way to reinvent their dreams of being a restaurant owner again. I’m sure over time the federal and state government will step in even more to help those in need. The ones that did survive those first tough months were able to get outdoor dining back up during the summer of last year. Since then, take a walk down any street and you’ll see unique outdoor dining experiences. And that’s really the silver lining in it all. Without the pandemic happening restaurants wouldn’t have realized how to optimize their space as best as they know now. With the mayor granting outdoor dining to stay permanently instead of more parking spaces, once we go to a full reopen most restaurants will have even more business then they had in 2019. There’s even instagram accounts dedicated to showcasing outdoor dining in NYC like @nyc.eats.outside

Now is the best time to move to NYC

I was caught by surprise when I got an email from my landlord recently giving me the option to resign my lease. That part wasn’t what shocked me. It was the fact that in the 7 years that I lived at this building this was the first time they won’t raise my rent! With all the migration away from the concrete jungle to warmer and softer lands, this has created a renter’s market in all the boroughs. Even with the deal my landlord offered me, I know it’s nothing compared to what I can get if I sign somewhere else. Places in my area that are comparable to where I live are anywhere between $500 — $1000 cheaper a month. Many New Yorkers that dreamed up moving to lower Manhattan have the means to do so now.

All of my friends are trying to renegotiate their rent to be lower when their lease is up. Or they’re moving out to capture the offers that will probably only last for this summer. There’s deals like no deposit, first month rent free, free gym memberships, laundry in unit, etc. One of my friends even received a $1,000 credit to hire professional movers. New York Curbed has an awesome list of where to look for apartments in the city.

Outlook for NYC in 2021 and beyond

History has a way of repeating itself. A hundred years ago it was the roaring 20’s that came after the Spanish Flu. So here’s my take on where NYC will be for the rest of the year and going forward. This can apply to most cities across America as I truly believe our economy will only continue to get stronger and smarter.

NYC feels like it’s going through a renaissance phase. I don’t think we’re out of the tough times yet. There will probably higher crime, less jobs, less innovation, less people moving to the city for at least a year. A lot of wealthy people have moved away already either keeping a permanent stay in the Hamptons, Miami or Atlanta. Rightfully so, if I was in their shoes why pay such high taxes for a city that feels like it’s on the decline. But I believe that migration will shift for them to come back in a few years. I compare this time to how it’s similar to NYC in the 80’s. Back then Times Square was a crime ridden place to buy drugs and prostitutes. What we’re dealing with now is a fraction of how chaotic the city was back then. If you paid close attention though to those times, the artist movement is what attracted all walks of life to the city more than anything else. The wealthy and entrepreneurs always gravitate to the art scene. Think of all the pure artists that were making a cultural impact back then. Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Keith Haring and Richard Prince to name a few. So I believe there will be a similar artistic movement with New York in the coming years that will bring people back here.

There’s also the concern of all the empty office space in midtown. One thing that won’t happen is skyscrapers getting demolished. There’s too much money invested and at stake that have ties to global corporations. Property Owners will have to get creative since a part of work from home strategy is here to stay. Companies will take advantage of saving money by only leasing out half their office space from years before. My guess is corporations will try to do something of a hybrid, where teams rotate each week to go into the office. That’s where there could be a bigger possibility that some buildings get renovated with a mix of office space and residential. Or office space, retail, art exhibits, indoor farming. Weed did just get legalized!

This is where the Mayor’s race on June 22nd will be crucial to the city’s future. The front runner at the moment is Andrew Yang, and so far I have a good feeling about him. His vision as a businessman, philanthropist and author might be the fresh perspective this city needs. He’s worked in startups before and could introduce some tech driven initiatives NYC desperately wants. Including working with businesses on how to encourage them to stay here or start here.

In conclusion, this is only a sliver of the reasons New York City is primed for a big comeback which I’m proud to be a part of. I’m excited for how this summer will be, especially when we’ll fully be reopened by July 1st! With my enthusiasm it only felt right to create an instagram account called @newyorkcitywillneverdie. We’re a community of creatives promoting all the reasons New York City Will Never Die. Give us a follow to see our city’s best inspiration and talent!