tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post4984812465597882707..comments2024-02-01T04:37:41.878-05:00Comments on Cap'n Transit Rides Again: Is the rent 2 damn high?Cap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-25980277896833746782010-10-26T11:57:26.412-04:002010-10-26T11:57:26.412-04:00So many things to comment about in this post!
I t...So many things to comment about in this post!<br /><br />I think the big challenge in New York City is how to afford to live within 5 miles of one's job in a decent neighborhood (low crime, transit-rich, parks, quality retail and dining, etc.) and in decent housing. Whereas in almost any other part of the country, I could easily live on the salary I'm making live right downtown in a well-maintained apartment building or historic rowhouse without having to take on roommates. So, yes, from that point of view, the rent is 2 damn high. I'd be delighted to live on the UWS or the Village or Gramercy or SoHo, but I simply can't compete with the unlimited resources of, say, Kate Winslett or the Wall Street tycoons who are also looking in the same neighborhoods.<br /><br />I'm okay with living way uptown for now, but I do yearn for the ability to be home within 20-30 minutes by foot, bike, or train--and I say this as someone who enjoys reading on the train and biking to work. Also, I feel my neighborhood lacks so many of the amenities of others farther south. Occasionally, I think of taking a leaf for the Cap'n's log and moving to Queens in hopes of a better balance of neighborhood/housing/commute time.<br /><br />Anyway, let's just say that living in New York (and on a salary that would be considered affluent almost anywhere else) makes one *very* aware of the compromises and trade-offs one makes in trying to forge a decent quality of life for one's self. For now, it's worth it for the access to world-class institutions, vibrant cultural and social opportunities, and car-free living.Urbanishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370473350327406071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-49825746612257045802010-10-26T11:20:21.424-04:002010-10-26T11:20:21.424-04:00Of course, I don't mean to imply that the issu...Of course, I don't mean to imply that the issues she advocates *aren't* important as well. For example, marriage equality is a cause near and dear to my heart. And I'll certainly take her over Palladino in the proverbial New York minute.Urbanishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370473350327406071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-31861151957169466062010-10-26T11:14:51.658-04:002010-10-26T11:14:51.658-04:00Oh yes, I agree, Urbanis. I disliked almost every...Oh yes, I agree, Urbanis. I disliked almost everything she said. But she did have a plan that involved stimulus, and not empty promises to "eliminate wastefraudandabuse" or genuine promises to cut needed spending.Cap'n Transithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-91194236989637523042010-10-26T11:06:11.326-04:002010-10-26T11:06:11.326-04:00Kristin Davis showed complexity and nuance? From w...Kristin Davis showed complexity and nuance? From what I can see, her platform is ridiculously simplistic: legalize prostitution, same-sex marriage, marijuana, and gambling. Now I agree with at least 75% of her platform (some discomfort with the gambling part), and I love the idea of a former(?) sex worker heading the state BUT, for example, none of these issues even begin to address Albany dysfunction, the highly vexed relationship between the city and state, the transit crisis, sustainable development, poverty, etc.Urbanishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370473350327406071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-85071855383703271562010-10-24T19:40:18.805-04:002010-10-24T19:40:18.805-04:00It seems to me that the rent is too damn high in M...It seems to me that the rent is too damn high in Manhattan because there's too damn much employment relative to housing.<br /><br />-MichaelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-14427101656028189092010-10-24T08:29:22.280-04:002010-10-24T08:29:22.280-04:00Rent also consists of expenses passed on. "Re...Rent also consists of expenses passed on. "Rent 2 damn high" includes "Water 2 damn high", "Property taxes 2 damn high", "Fuel 2 damn high", "Electricity 2 damn high", "Income taxes 2 damn high", "Paint 2 damn high", "Cleaning 2 damn high", "Repairs 2 damn high", you can go on.W. K. Lishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02259823076268184746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-2839348025816801602010-10-24T03:13:11.177-04:002010-10-24T03:13:11.177-04:00The rents in New York really are high by any non-N...The rents in New York really are high by any non-New York standards. What my roommate and I pay for a two bedroom in Manhattan Valley is what my parents paid for a 250-m^2 penthouse in a walkable upper middle-class Tel Aviv neighborhood ten years ago. The neighborhood has gentrified since; the same penthouse probably rents for something like a three bedroom in Manhattan today.Alon Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12195377309045184452noreply@blogger.com