Serious answer to a rhetorical question: Because I was willing to give up the advantages of living in a big city (for me, chiefly better access to jobs) but my family and friends weren’t. Most of them aren’t politically aligned with Mamdani supporters but they have more affection for urban life than I do and they’re more pragmatic than I am too - even if they think a politician will make things worse, they’re not going to move away unless and until things do get worse.
For most of them, NYC because it’s where the family first came as immigrants. If we had come to a different city, then I think they would probably be living there instead, but NYC specifically does have advantages for them: a very developed mass transit system, a large community of other immigrants who speak the same language for the older people, and whatever it is that some people like about big-city life that there’s more of in NYC than elsewhere for the younger people. (I’m the kind of guy who told my real estate agent “I’m moving to Manhattan for work but I don’t like Manhattan and I want to live in a part of it that doesn’t feel like Manhattan” so I don’t really know what that is.)
For my best friend, the Bay Area because of the gay community and the fact that this is the place to be if you want to found a tech startup. (Plus he would never leave California because the climate everywhere else is so much worse, and that limits his options.) My sister also lives in the Bay Area - she came here for a job and for the larger dating pool but now that she’s married she’s planning to move away to somewhere with a lower cost of living and less crime. She’s more liberal than I am but local politics matters a lot less to her than those practical factors, so her next job interview is in Texas.
I never said NYC had nothing going for it. On the contrary, NYC is currently one of the best cities in the USA. That’s why I wanted a “more of the same” mayor rather than someone who thinks dramatic changes are necessary.
EDIT: this gif was in response to the original comment (“NYC will get worse unless Mamdani fails to achieve his policies”) before they edited to completely change their comment
Well, I suppose we’ll both see. I would enjoy being able to say “I told you so,” but I actually hope you’re right, for the sake of the people living in NYC.
Serious answer to a rhetorical question: Because I was willing to give up the advantages of living in a big city (for me, chiefly better access to jobs) but my family and friends weren’t. Most of them aren’t politically aligned with Mamdani supporters but they have more affection for urban life than I do and they’re more pragmatic than I am too - even if they think a politician will make things worse, they’re not going to move away unless and until things do get worse.
Affection for what about it though? 🤔 Why NYC and the Bay Area specifically? There are plenty of areas that offer an “urban life” experience.
For most of them, NYC because it’s where the family first came as immigrants. If we had come to a different city, then I think they would probably be living there instead, but NYC specifically does have advantages for them: a very developed mass transit system, a large community of other immigrants who speak the same language for the older people, and whatever it is that some people like about big-city life that there’s more of in NYC than elsewhere for the younger people. (I’m the kind of guy who told my real estate agent “I’m moving to Manhattan for work but I don’t like Manhattan and I want to live in a part of it that doesn’t feel like Manhattan” so I don’t really know what that is.)
For my best friend, the Bay Area because of the gay community and the fact that this is the place to be if you want to found a tech startup. (Plus he would never leave California because the climate everywhere else is so much worse, and that limits his options.) My sister also lives in the Bay Area - she came here for a job and for the larger dating pool but now that she’s married she’s planning to move away to somewhere with a lower cost of living and less crime. She’s more liberal than I am but local politics matters a lot less to her than those practical factors, so her next job interview is in Texas.
Sooooo a functioning economy, public services, and progressive culture. Got it.
I never said NYC had nothing going for it. On the contrary, NYC is currently one of the best cities in the USA. That’s why I wanted a “more of the same” mayor rather than someone who thinks dramatic changes are necessary.
EDIT: this gif was in response to the original comment (“NYC will get worse unless Mamdani fails to achieve his policies”) before they edited to completely change their comment
Well, I suppose we’ll both see. I would enjoy being able to say “I told you so,” but I actually hope you’re right, for the sake of the people living in NYC.