Looking ahead at the year 2057 seems like a silly thing to do. I am not going to even try to guess what New York City will be like at that point, but I want to examine a few changes that are occurring today.

• The New York Post reported that a Barnes & Noble leaving a location on 4 Astor Pl. on account of rent prices being too high. This is B&N, a giant bookseller with millions of dollars in profit annually.
• Unemployment rates are hovering over 5.5%
• Cost of Living as it relates to housing is 639 times more in New York City than the national average
• Air Quality; 100 being ideal, the U.S. is at 48 on average; NYC is at 12

The city is split unevenly between the rich and the not so rich. There are gross distinguishing marks about this as to the amount of money & police attention spent on lower income neighborhoods v. the more affluent ones. There is clearly going to be a huge discrepancy in the next few decades as they come.

The overall quality of life in New York City - when you look at it from the monetary, health, education, crime - is poor and you’re pretty much drowning a lot of hard earned cash living here.

But then again, if you’ve lasted here a while and “made it” there’s nowhere else in the world that comes even close in the charm, attitude, and thrill that NYC is capable of. It’s a give and take relationship. We give everything to it, including our life expectancy, in return, you get to know very well, that wherever you go you will be either respected or feared. Wait a second, this wasn’t meant to be the Sopranos entry…hmm.

I hope this has been both informative and entertaining…

Related posts:

1. Gentrification
2. New York Firsts: City Life
3. Senseless Violence Still Happens in New York City
4. Moleskine’s City Notebook, New York
5. Inexpensive therapy in the city