MESSAGE
| DATE | 2020-06-17 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Abandoning NYC faster than ever
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/across-the-hudson-reluctance-to-return-to-new-york-city-11592316001
-- Across the Hudson, Reluctance to Return to New York City
Anne Kadet
7-8 minutes
Until the coronavirus hit, Taras Hicks made frequent trips across the
Hudson River to explore Brooklyn and the Bronx with his three children.
“I teach my kids, don’t be fearful of anything but the creator,” said
the Jersey City utility worker.
But even Mr. Hicks is in no hurry to return to New York City now that
its three-month lockdown is lifting. “It’s like when a new cellphone
comes out,” he said. “People buy it the first day. Then you return it
because it has glitches.”
Residents of the New Jersey towns across from Manhattan have long
commuted to New York City for work. “And while local options have
steadily improved in recent years, many…still looked to the city for
dining, shopping and entertainment,” said Maria Nieves, president and
CEO of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, which includes
municipalities such as Jersey City, upper-middle-class Hoboken and
blue-collar Bayonne.
But now, even as the lockdowns ease on both sides of the Hudson River,
fears of a New York City that is still grappling with pandemic issues
have people staying away.
At the pandemic’s peak, daily PATH train ridership dropped 95%, to
14,000 from 281,000, before creeping up to 24,000 in early June. While
these numbers surely will climb further, they may be indicative of a
fundamental shift in the relationship between New York City and its
nearby suburbs.
Many say coronavirus concerns will continue to keep them away. While New
Jersey had a high number of cases, everyone knows New York City was the
pandemic’s epicenter. It’s hard to shake that association.
“Unfortunately there is going to be a lot of hesitation, if not fear,
about going back to New York any time soon,” Ms. Nieves said.
Global coronavirus cases cross 8 million; The Federal Reserve deploys a
$250 billion lending program to buy individual corporate bonds; The U.S.
opens the door to more passenger flights by Chinese airlines. WSJ’s
Jason Bellini has the latest on the pandemic. Photo: Johannes Eisele/AFP
Christian Bermudez, a Bayonne student and retail worker, says that for a
long spell this spring, even locals who went into New York City were
regarded with trepidation. “You’d try to distance yourself from them,”
he said.
The city doesn’t seem as scary now, he says, but he’s waiting for more
people to go in and report back that it feels safe.
Natalie Luciano, who just reopened her all-day breakfast and sandwich
restaurant, “Bayonne Eats,” is wondering about her establishment’s
tagline, “With a Taste of New York.”
“It will help if they taste the food,” she said, of potential customers.
“But if they’re just looking at that, it could be a problem.”
Even those eager to return to the city are concerned about
transportation. Some say they will go in only if they can drive or take
an Uber. Others say they’re comfortable taking the train, but the
journey stops there.
Hoboken resident Ashley Ward says she prefers to ride the PATH instead
of the New York City subway because it is generally cleaner.
Photo: Anne Kadet for The Wall Street Journal
“I’ll try to avoid the subway at all costs,” said Ashley Ward, a Hoboken
executive in her 20s who works at a Manhattan fashion company. “The PATH
is public transportation too, but it’s always been a little cleaner than
the subway.”
Another factor discouraging returns—Gotham’s slower reopening pace. In
New Jersey, indoor shopping and outdoor dining launched Monday. But
there’s still no date set for these milestones in New York City.
Hoboken resident Katherine Perry, a retired government worker, says
she’s made frequent trips to Manhattan all her life to shop department
stores such as Saks, or just explore. But she won’t be heading in if
there’s no place to land. “I need to be able to sit down somewhere and
have a meal,” she said.
Many commuters, meanwhile, have realized they can do their jobs just
fine from home.
Gregory Elliott, a consultant who lives in Hoboken and works in lower
Manhattan, says his employer probably won’t reopen the office until
September, and then it will give employees the option of working from
home. Mr. Elliott expects to head in just a few days a week. “On the
ferry,” he said. “It’s the less risky way. Open air, less people.”
Jon Litt, founder and chief investment officer of Land & Buildings, a
real-estate hedge fund based in Stamford, Conn., says towns that derive
a good deal of their value from their proximity to New York City might
see a decline in home prices as suburbs farther out are seen as
safer—and just as convenient.
“If they are not going into the city as much, people might say, ‘Why do
I need to be in Hoboken?’ ” he said.
On the other hand, he says, restaurants and stores in Hoboken, Jersey
City and Bayonne will get more business as residents opt to shop and
dine local.
Gabi Lombardi, owner of Sorellina, an Italian restaurant and wine bar in
Hoboken, says that in launching outdoor dining this week, she is
offering lunch service for the first time since opening in 2016.
“Usually lunch is not a big market for us. Most people work in
Manhattan. But right now, everyone is working from home, and we’re going
to give it a try,” she said.
So far, so good—reservations are booked solid.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a shift. Usually we’re the ones going
to Manhattan to dine, but now they might be coming here,” Ms. Lombardi
said. “Just like everything else, it’s crazy times!”
A pedestrian walks past a reopened flower store in Hoboken.
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
http://www.mrbrklyn.com
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
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Being so tracked is for FARM ANIMALS and extermination camps,
but incompatible with living as a free human being. -RI Safir 2013
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