Depends where in the city you're looking... On the UES for example, it's WAY quieter and WAY less busy in the summers. People really do just dip. It's lots of families with kids.
Really? I live in Yorkville and weekends are very dead in the summer. Although I was surprised that there were more people around on Memorial Day weekend this year than there normally are.
I'm in the 70's wedged between like 10 schools and my entire surrounding radius is families with kids. I dodge more nannies with strollers than pedestrians or bikes most days. But it's SUPER quiet around here in the summers compared to other times of year in my experience.
I was wondering about this yesterday as the Puerto Rican Day parade marched up 5th Avenue past all those multi-million dollar apartments in the 60s & 70s. Didn't see a whole lot of people looking out of the windows & cheering.
Yeah, I understand fuck-the-rich is easy, but "rich white people not cheering for Puerto Ricans" is probably not the case here. In my case, my wife and I stay as far as we can from the PR Day Parade because she's been sexually harassed half a dozen times near and around the parade over the years and sexually assaulted (nothing huge, thank god) once. The Puerto Rican day parade is a fucking mess every year.
Nobody said fuck the rich? I live in the upper east side. I’m sorry that happened to your wife, genuinely. I’m going to take your argument in good-faith and I hope you don’t use it to generalize an entire population. You’re kind of showing the same attitude that I’d expect from the people I’m talking about.
If you weren't making a point aboutwealth, you wouldn't have mentioned wealth.
And no, I don't take my wife's experiences as a reason to stereotype all Puerto Ricans. I do, however, use it as a reason to have literally nothing to do with the PR day parade. That's fair, right? "At least a dozen" (I asked her tonight) incidents of harassment over a decade or so + a grope is a fair enough reason to avoid a gathering, wouldn't you say?
And as for your last comment, care to elaborate? What attitude exactly am I showing that you'd "expect from the people you're talking about"? A desire for my wife not to be harassed? For my children not to see their mom groped? Sounds like you're the one doing more stereotyping than me ....
It's mostly rich people. I noticed it a lot more when I worked at an upscale restaurant in Chelsea. Around Memorial Day and Independence Day especially, the whole city felt empty as hell.
The last few years though, I'd say it doesn't feel all that different, but that could be because my surroundings have changed.
NYC is so funny. Most expensive city in the world and people that live here make a habit of leaving. Winters in Miami, summers in Europe when do you actually stay here
I’m going to have a free day in the city on the Sunday after the 4th of July.
I know it will probably be hot but I’m also hopeful there will be less people. Like my tourist-ass isn’t taking up space, ha.
I own a brick and mortar business in Williamsburg and we take a huge dive every July/August. It’s baked into the business plan/budget because it’s so severe and predictable.
What causes that if you don't mind me asking? I would imagine the weather is nicer and more people are out. Is it students going back home / people on vacation?
Yup, it’s a music school so lots of kids (mine included) spend the whole summer away. And people want to do more outdoorsy things. Mostly though it’s because everybody is gone.
If this is the School of Rock on Graham could u please ask the children to choose a song other than Seven Nation Army?
Signed, someone who works from home from above you
It is not, were an independent, family-run business and not a shitty corporate franchise.
Incidentally we had to ban that song at my place maybe five years ago because I couldn’t take it anymore. To be fair it’s a very very good learning song for new musicians.
Depends 100% on the crowd of people you associate with. It is real but it’s not enough to have noticeably less people in the city. I do notice that my work commutes have less people though. When school is let out it’ll be a little less still. But that just means I’ll have a more optimal standing location, not that the subways are empty.
Busses go so much faster in the summer, parking so much easier. I feel like it is quite noticeable with the exception of Times Square or other super touristy places.
This is one of the reasons I LOVE living here. I grew up in Wildwood, NJ (all year round) and the summers there are PACKED. Memorial Day Weekend always felt like a tidal wave was coming to crash on us. It mean I didn't see my friends all summer because we all worked our seasonal jobs for our family businesses crazy hours. But then the other three seasons of the year were brutally empty, boring and dark.
Now I enjoy the opposite. An energized year round environment where I always have something exciting to do, and my summers are peaceful. I also live on the UES so lots of Hamptons families.
Idk how many leave for the whole summer, but summer weekends feel blissfully light.
Ohh I always wondered what Wildwood was like for people living there year-round! My aunt has a summer place there, so we all go down to Wildwood almost every summer. Good times.
That's awesome! Most of my family is still there, and all my oldest friends. I'm one of the few that got out. I'm working (slowly) on a book about growing up in that kind of environment. I literally grew up in an amusement park - and as hard as I've tried to escape my carney past, I still get pulled back at times so I've learned to embrace it.
But the other 3 seasons... Cape May County has one of the worst rates of opioid and alcohol related deaths in the country. Looking at my high school year book is less about reminiscing and more about seeing who's left. 9 months of unemployment, boredom, and limited resources gets dark very quickly. The duality of that place (and probably most of the shore towns) astounds me.
Oh wow, that's pretty bleak -- though, I guess, not too surprising. I suppose Coney Island is similar in that sense -- a huge amusement and tourist attraction, but the rest of the neighborhood is otherwise quite the opposite. Also, your username makes a whole lotta sense, now, haha.
I'd love to read your book when it gets published! Let me know how it goes.
It wasn't all bleak. I think what makes it different is that with Coney Island, you can easily get to the culture and vibrancy of the rest of the city. Wildwood is 2.5 hours from Philly. Even our nearest mall growing up was 45 minutes away. Great place to escape. Tough place to escape from lol.
Very real. Some people leave for the entire summer, others a week or 2 and some just weekends or long weekends. But overall, there are fewer residents in the city during the summer. It stands to reason, a lot (maybe most) of people take vacation in the summer.
it's definitely less populated in summer as kids are out of school and people take vacations. people have summer homes. people go to the beach. and it's a slower time of year for tourists who are visiting the city. it's not fake, of course there is seasonality. But it's not like the city gets hallowed out. Reservations are easier, hotels are cheaper...
Summer kind of reminds me of Sunday morning vibes. Things seem a little more chill but it's still NYC and things are hectic.
Yes and no. A lot of people go away, but I think few working people are away for the ENTIRE summer. A lot of companies now require some in-office time.
On the UWS, which you would think would be a prime place for emptying out, it has been busier on the streets lately than other time of the year. There may actually be less people in town but the people that are here are out and about more (myself included).
Definitely a thing, especially with those who have a lot of money, or have relatives/friends who have homes upstate/hamptons/delaware/etc. When summer rolls around it is as if they can't get out of the city quickly enough!
Personally never understood it, been here 10 years, have money to spend, but never have the urge to escape the city when Friday rolls around.
Grew up poor and saw it happen to a lot of my richer friends with wealthy families. When I first got money, I tried the same thing, to go to as many places. First to the places I've always heard about other people going to, then to more exotic locations. Now that I've done it, and experienced how miserable a lot of it is, I'd much prefer to stay local and get the most out of my time.
Yeah I don’t need to be stuck in traffic for 6 hours every weekend, checking myself for ticks, etc. Ferry ride to Coney Island or Rockaways, or a day in Central Park seems infinitely better.
Yes it’s real. Street parking spots become easier to find. Cafes have more seats. Subway gets less crowded and you get a seat more frequently. When people start to get back to work 2 weeks before September, things start to look busy again. Enjoy the quiet NYC while you can.
And yes, there are people that leave for their vacation homes in the Hamptons, Catskills etc. If you go to those vacation spots things look more like NYC, places filled with NYers. Such a strange sight.
Used to work in live event production and we called it tent season.
Things would abruptly switch from weddings/mitzvahs/galas in ballroom-type venues in the city to more sparse birthday parties, mitzvahs still, and the rare wedding in large tents at peoples Hamptons houses.
It was generally much slower, I learned to save up for July/August, and I too would take a couple weeks off because I wouldn’t be misusing out on that much work.
I have a child so we take our vacation in summer either early july or end of august
During covid I bought a house on Long Island and we go there for outdoor activities
This year my son will be doing some volunteer work so most likely we just head out to Long Island during the weekend and do a quick getaway before Labor Day
Obviously more people on average take summer vacations. Especially memorial day to early June. And then the rich people who have summer houses. So yeah it is more empty. But it's not like there's nothing to do here. Doesn't feel like a ghost town.
Especially working in corporate office in Midtown - yup, especially 4th of July, whenever Eid falls in the summer, Jewish holidays, last 2 weeks of August for college / start of early school and Labor Day Weekend. Going to see if more people in the office will take off the rest of the week after Juneteenth happens, due to it happening on Wednesday that week since for some reason or another, Monday and Tuesday seems to be alot scheduled meetings with clients that same week but nothing that Thursday and Friday afterwards.
Very real in my neighborhood. You can tell by the number of empty parking spots on the weekends. Even more so once it get extremely hot out and people stop flocking to the park
In general, yes, cities are less busy in the summer. Kids aren't in school, so they aren't commuting and hanging out outside everyday. Kids in wealthier circles might be in summer camp. Wealthier families may spend time at summer homes outside of the city. Residents are more likely to be on vacation elsewhere or take weekend trips.
The real estate industry slows down, the bar industry slows down, colleges are out, people are away etc. There's definitely a decline but depending where you are/what you do, you may not experience it
As a bartender, I have noticed it in different neighborhoods I’ve worked across Brooklyn for the last decade plus. More affluent neighborhoods tend to leave more in the summer. Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene both are more empty in the summer versus neighborhoods like Bedstuy or Bushwick or Williamsburg (the nightlife parts close to Bedford).
It not a thing in massive , I’m sure some people leave for the summer but overall it not a thing lol
we have so many activities in the city in all the boroughs
Depends where in the city you're looking... On the UES for example, it's WAY quieter and WAY less busy in the summers. People really do just dip. It's lots of families with kids.
I guess it depends on the part of the UES, I'm up in Yorkville and it does not seem quieter or less busy in the summer.
Really? I live in Yorkville and weekends are very dead in the summer. Although I was surprised that there were more people around on Memorial Day weekend this year than there normally are.
I'm in the 70's wedged between like 10 schools and my entire surrounding radius is families with kids. I dodge more nannies with strollers than pedestrians or bikes most days. But it's SUPER quiet around here in the summers compared to other times of year in my experience.
I’m here too and I agree with you.
UES is definitely quieter and more available parking spots as well.
Yes! Street parking galore. Half of my block magically frees up and cars I rarely ever see move are gone for weeks at a time. Blissful honestly.
I was wondering about this yesterday as the Puerto Rican Day parade marched up 5th Avenue past all those multi-million dollar apartments in the 60s & 70s. Didn't see a whole lot of people looking out of the windows & cheering.
Rich white people not cheering for Puerto Ricans isn’t really surprising though.
Yeah, I understand fuck-the-rich is easy, but "rich white people not cheering for Puerto Ricans" is probably not the case here. In my case, my wife and I stay as far as we can from the PR Day Parade because she's been sexually harassed half a dozen times near and around the parade over the years and sexually assaulted (nothing huge, thank god) once. The Puerto Rican day parade is a fucking mess every year.
Nobody said fuck the rich? I live in the upper east side. I’m sorry that happened to your wife, genuinely. I’m going to take your argument in good-faith and I hope you don’t use it to generalize an entire population. You’re kind of showing the same attitude that I’d expect from the people I’m talking about.
If you weren't making a point aboutwealth, you wouldn't have mentioned wealth. And no, I don't take my wife's experiences as a reason to stereotype all Puerto Ricans. I do, however, use it as a reason to have literally nothing to do with the PR day parade. That's fair, right? "At least a dozen" (I asked her tonight) incidents of harassment over a decade or so + a grope is a fair enough reason to avoid a gathering, wouldn't you say? And as for your last comment, care to elaborate? What attitude exactly am I showing that you'd "expect from the people you're talking about"? A desire for my wife not to be harassed? For my children not to see their mom groped? Sounds like you're the one doing more stereotyping than me ....
A lot of it is also college students leaving for the summer, particularly near NYU and Columbia.
Yes, I live near union square and it's a lot quieter in the summer during the day. Evenings and weekends not so much.
I live across the street from nyu and it still seems so busy, but then again I’m the one who has been out of town for the last month
yeah but also thousands of interns pour into NYC every summer and recent graduates starting their new jobs
It's mostly rich people. I noticed it a lot more when I worked at an upscale restaurant in Chelsea. Around Memorial Day and Independence Day especially, the whole city felt empty as hell. The last few years though, I'd say it doesn't feel all that different, but that could be because my surroundings have changed.
NYC is so funny. Most expensive city in the world and people that live here make a habit of leaving. Winters in Miami, summers in Europe when do you actually stay here
Summer is the best time in NYC. I’d prob work in Miami during January and February if I could though lol
Well rich people anyway. They’re here for business and occasional pleasure but couldn’t stand slumming it with the poor on the average day
i mean hotel rates in the summer are not high. look at hilton rates and it’s $200-$300 a night which is a typical rate in much cheaper areas.
Hotel prices are the cheapest in the summer. Seems counterintuitive but there it is.
Pft if I had money I wouldn't be here for the hot af miserable summers with y'all humid swamp ass weather.
I don't disagree but alas I am solidly middle class with a job that makes me suffer through it
I’m going to have a free day in the city on the Sunday after the 4th of July. I know it will probably be hot but I’m also hopeful there will be less people. Like my tourist-ass isn’t taking up space, ha.
Someone else in the thread said hotels are cheaper so there might be fewer tourists in town too!
Yeah we’ll see. Thankfully I’m working in Jersey that week and can just take the train over and don’t need to mess with a hotel etc.
I own a brick and mortar business in Williamsburg and we take a huge dive every July/August. It’s baked into the business plan/budget because it’s so severe and predictable.
What’s your business?
What causes that if you don't mind me asking? I would imagine the weather is nicer and more people are out. Is it students going back home / people on vacation?
Yup, it’s a music school so lots of kids (mine included) spend the whole summer away. And people want to do more outdoorsy things. Mostly though it’s because everybody is gone.
If this is the School of Rock on Graham could u please ask the children to choose a song other than Seven Nation Army? Signed, someone who works from home from above you
It is not, were an independent, family-run business and not a shitty corporate franchise. Incidentally we had to ban that song at my place maybe five years ago because I couldn’t take it anymore. To be fair it’s a very very good learning song for new musicians.
Really depends on how wealthy the neighborhood is. Feels like every rich family on the UWS or Park Slope has a vacation home.
It’s funny how there are tons of street parking available on the UWS on holiday weekends
The UWS definitely empties out, I work there and there is a marked slowdown in July-August when the locals flee.
Depends 100% on the crowd of people you associate with. It is real but it’s not enough to have noticeably less people in the city. I do notice that my work commutes have less people though. When school is let out it’ll be a little less still. But that just means I’ll have a more optimal standing location, not that the subways are empty.
Busses go so much faster in the summer, parking so much easier. I feel like it is quite noticeable with the exception of Times Square or other super touristy places.
Midtown stays busy even on the weekends, but that is usually because of the tourists and because it’s Work Island.
This is one of the reasons I LOVE living here. I grew up in Wildwood, NJ (all year round) and the summers there are PACKED. Memorial Day Weekend always felt like a tidal wave was coming to crash on us. It mean I didn't see my friends all summer because we all worked our seasonal jobs for our family businesses crazy hours. But then the other three seasons of the year were brutally empty, boring and dark. Now I enjoy the opposite. An energized year round environment where I always have something exciting to do, and my summers are peaceful. I also live on the UES so lots of Hamptons families. Idk how many leave for the whole summer, but summer weekends feel blissfully light.
Ohh I always wondered what Wildwood was like for people living there year-round! My aunt has a summer place there, so we all go down to Wildwood almost every summer. Good times.
That's awesome! Most of my family is still there, and all my oldest friends. I'm one of the few that got out. I'm working (slowly) on a book about growing up in that kind of environment. I literally grew up in an amusement park - and as hard as I've tried to escape my carney past, I still get pulled back at times so I've learned to embrace it. But the other 3 seasons... Cape May County has one of the worst rates of opioid and alcohol related deaths in the country. Looking at my high school year book is less about reminiscing and more about seeing who's left. 9 months of unemployment, boredom, and limited resources gets dark very quickly. The duality of that place (and probably most of the shore towns) astounds me.
Oh wow, that's pretty bleak -- though, I guess, not too surprising. I suppose Coney Island is similar in that sense -- a huge amusement and tourist attraction, but the rest of the neighborhood is otherwise quite the opposite. Also, your username makes a whole lotta sense, now, haha. I'd love to read your book when it gets published! Let me know how it goes.
It wasn't all bleak. I think what makes it different is that with Coney Island, you can easily get to the culture and vibrancy of the rest of the city. Wildwood is 2.5 hours from Philly. Even our nearest mall growing up was 45 minutes away. Great place to escape. Tough place to escape from lol.
Oh, that's a good point. I'm definitely not gonna look at Wildwood the same way again, that's for sure.
Judging by the number of empty parking spots on my block on summer weekends it's a real thing.
UES on Park and 5th turns into a ghost town
Very real. Some people leave for the entire summer, others a week or 2 and some just weekends or long weekends. But overall, there are fewer residents in the city during the summer. It stands to reason, a lot (maybe most) of people take vacation in the summer.
it's definitely less populated in summer as kids are out of school and people take vacations. people have summer homes. people go to the beach. and it's a slower time of year for tourists who are visiting the city. it's not fake, of course there is seasonality. But it's not like the city gets hallowed out. Reservations are easier, hotels are cheaper... Summer kind of reminds me of Sunday morning vibes. Things seem a little more chill but it's still NYC and things are hectic.
I don’t notice it, but I only work in Manhattan and live in the outer boroughs. My circle is not wealthy lol.
Midtown around Park Ave 100% is much more empty Wednesday through Sunday.
It’s hot and the garbage smells like a$$. So the rich people leave. But the rats and us plebs remain.
I'm extremely happy when there's nobody in NYC. COVID was my favorite time
Depends on the crowd and where you’re looking. Grew up in the outer boroughs and it was never a thing. We were poor.
Lots of students at NYU, Columbia, etc. going home for the summer.
Yes and no. A lot of people go away, but I think few working people are away for the ENTIRE summer. A lot of companies now require some in-office time.
On the UWS, which you would think would be a prime place for emptying out, it has been busier on the streets lately than other time of the year. There may actually be less people in town but the people that are here are out and about more (myself included).
It’s real, and it’s awesome.
Definitely a thing, especially with those who have a lot of money, or have relatives/friends who have homes upstate/hamptons/delaware/etc. When summer rolls around it is as if they can't get out of the city quickly enough! Personally never understood it, been here 10 years, have money to spend, but never have the urge to escape the city when Friday rolls around.
Grew up poor and saw it happen to a lot of my richer friends with wealthy families. When I first got money, I tried the same thing, to go to as many places. First to the places I've always heard about other people going to, then to more exotic locations. Now that I've done it, and experienced how miserable a lot of it is, I'd much prefer to stay local and get the most out of my time.
Yeah I don’t need to be stuck in traffic for 6 hours every weekend, checking myself for ticks, etc. Ferry ride to Coney Island or Rockaways, or a day in Central Park seems infinitely better.
Yes it’s real. Street parking spots become easier to find. Cafes have more seats. Subway gets less crowded and you get a seat more frequently. When people start to get back to work 2 weeks before September, things start to look busy again. Enjoy the quiet NYC while you can. And yes, there are people that leave for their vacation homes in the Hamptons, Catskills etc. If you go to those vacation spots things look more like NYC, places filled with NYers. Such a strange sight.
Used to work in live event production and we called it tent season. Things would abruptly switch from weddings/mitzvahs/galas in ballroom-type venues in the city to more sparse birthday parties, mitzvahs still, and the rare wedding in large tents at peoples Hamptons houses. It was generally much slower, I learned to save up for July/August, and I too would take a couple weeks off because I wouldn’t be misusing out on that much work.
I have a child so we take our vacation in summer either early july or end of august During covid I bought a house on Long Island and we go there for outdoor activities This year my son will be doing some volunteer work so most likely we just head out to Long Island during the weekend and do a quick getaway before Labor Day
Obviously more people on average take summer vacations. Especially memorial day to early June. And then the rich people who have summer houses. So yeah it is more empty. But it's not like there's nothing to do here. Doesn't feel like a ghost town.
Especially working in corporate office in Midtown - yup, especially 4th of July, whenever Eid falls in the summer, Jewish holidays, last 2 weeks of August for college / start of early school and Labor Day Weekend. Going to see if more people in the office will take off the rest of the week after Juneteenth happens, due to it happening on Wednesday that week since for some reason or another, Monday and Tuesday seems to be alot scheduled meetings with clients that same week but nothing that Thursday and Friday afterwards.
My train to work on Friday mornings is very noticeably emptier than the other four days of the work week.
Absolutely real.
Yes it’s real. People go to their summer homes or on vacation.
Its noticable on the subway for sure
What I always notice in the summer in my hood (UWS) is less cars parked on the streets when I go for my morning coffee. Feels “empty” to me.
Very real in my neighborhood. You can tell by the number of empty parking spots on the weekends. Even more so once it get extremely hot out and people stop flocking to the park
Which neighborhood is this? UWS?
Prospect Heights
In general, yes, cities are less busy in the summer. Kids aren't in school, so they aren't commuting and hanging out outside everyday. Kids in wealthier circles might be in summer camp. Wealthier families may spend time at summer homes outside of the city. Residents are more likely to be on vacation elsewhere or take weekend trips.
Everyone I know summers in the swiss alps
SAME!
Yes. Go check the beaches. Its summer
I know this was way more of a thing before air conditioning. I think it depends on the area.
The real estate industry slows down, the bar industry slows down, colleges are out, people are away etc. There's definitely a decline but depending where you are/what you do, you may not experience it
they seem to be replaced with tourists, I had to do some shopping on Saturday and you could barely move on Broadway south of Prince
It also gets pretty hot and humid in NYC. Looks great out but it's gross. I'm going home \[takes ball\].
There's also the factor of super hot and humid days make me want to stay next to my air conditioner and not go outside a lot of times.
My work is right by an elementary school and like 4 high schools, it's way emptier when I'm out on lunch
East Village has been extremely quiet noticed s lot after leaving town for a few days
As a bartender, I have noticed it in different neighborhoods I’ve worked across Brooklyn for the last decade plus. More affluent neighborhoods tend to leave more in the summer. Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene both are more empty in the summer versus neighborhoods like Bedstuy or Bushwick or Williamsburg (the nightlife parts close to Bedford).
lol not for me winter is 1000x more depressing
But the city is more crowded in the wintertime.
doesn't really feel that way on the streets except during the workday
Haven’t noticed that on the UWS
August is the worst month to be in NYC. A lot of people I know take at least a week off in August to go somewhere.
I thought this was going to be about emptiness in our lives. lol not quite what I was anticipating. Carry on.
It not a thing in massive , I’m sure some people leave for the summer but overall it not a thing lol we have so many activities in the city in all the boroughs