Forbes Discovers New York's Middle Class
“Despite Mayor Bloomberg’s celebration of “the luxury city,” there’s still a middle class in New York, although not in the zip codes close to hizzoner’s townhouse. In many cases, they live in Bay Ridge, Bayside, Brighton or Bensonhurst, in the vast sprawl that is Brooklyn and Queens. Some of the emerging middle class also cluster…
“Despite Mayor Bloomberg’s celebration of “the luxury city,” there’s still a middle class in New York, although not in the zip codes close to hizzoner’s townhouse. In many cases, they live in Bay Ridge, Bayside, Brighton or Bensonhurst, in the vast sprawl that is Brooklyn and Queens. Some of the emerging middle class also cluster in places like Ditmas Park, a reviving part of Flatbush. The new population here is made up largely of information age “artisans”–musicians, writers, designers and business consultants who cluster in New York. They may have migrated there for the culture, but they stay because they find these neighborhoods congenial and family-friendly. “It’s easy to name the things that attracted us–the neighbors, the moderate density,” explains Nelson Ryland, a film editor with two children who works part-time at his sprawling turn-of-the-century Flatbush house. “More than anything, it’s the sense of the community. That’s the great thing that keeps people like us here.” — Forbes
I would think there are others who’ve celebrated the luxury city more than Bloomberg has.
No mention of Crown Heights or other more inspired, spot-on neighborhoods. Mainstream journalism is so awful these days, why do I read these magazines at lunchtime??:)
“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us realâ€
quote:
Number one, yes…I do think I’m extraordinary. I think it would be great if everyone thought that of themselves, actually.
Browntoner’s very own Stuart Smiley!
*r*
I don’t see why those two things are incompatible.
Number one, yes…I do think I’m extraordinary. I think it would be great if everyone thought that of themselves, actually.
Number two, to make it in NYC and be successful one needs to have a certain pride in their work, pride in their skills and be assertive with their goals and aspirations. That’s not to say I’m not humble (if you knew me in person) but I don’t see anything particularly crazy with saying that I’ve been offered some great, while low paying jobs.
Why is that so bad?
While I believe that many people are not afforded the same things in life to start out with (and I am very lucky) I don’t think the particular audience on brownstoner grew up in those circumstances. I am sincere that I believe that most people can achieve a whole lot more than they give themselves credit for.
“I’m not sure why that involved a eye roll.”
I think you get eye rolls because you constantly shift between two incompatible world views:
1. I’m extraordinary.
2. Anyone can do what I’ve done and if they haven’t then that is their decision.
And you seem very sincere about it, which seems odd.
“housing costs are expensive if you want a doorman building with a gym and spa.”
Oh be serious… go check the pricing on a 2 bedroom condo in a brownstone and tell me about the gym, spa, and doorman there.
“so you’re entitled to have a kid? Just the same way as my gf thinks she is entitled to have her own bathroom?”
Entitled?
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Would you like to set a salary limit on parents? That would be funny.
BTW, if your girlfriend leaves you over the bathroom, you would then end up with your own bathroom. Ironic huh?
Also, if she doesn’t leave, you may find out that there is rather a big difference between having a kid and having a private bathroom.
I have the former but, sadly, not the latter.
I’m sorry that offended you Rob. I work in a very small industry and have worked my way up the ladder, and worked very hard to make a lot of contacts in my industry.
I’m not sure why that involved a eye roll.
quote:
I get offered jobs all the time that look like SO MUCH fun
::rolley eyes::
*r*
Ditto,
Sure, that’s true. But out in the burbs, having a new(er) car is more common. It’s a car culture.
I regularly hear friends outside NYC say that their car expenses are roughly 400-500 PER CAR! And they usually have 2.
I guess times are a changin’ as we can see from the drop off in car sales, but a lot of people I know “treat” themselves to a nice car perhaps because that’s how they get through having to drive it around for hours a day.
Gas is not going to be 1.50 a gallon forever, btw. When it was 4 bucks a gallon, gasoline costs for an average suburban dweller was about $75 A WEEK!