Nine Reasons Why I Hate New York City

Let me begin this by saying I do not really hate New York city, well not just yet. In fact, the last time I was there I had a great time, although it was at the beginning of Covid-19 and there were already signs of New York’s downfall. I am not one of those out of state NYC haters, in fact if you read my posts here, you will see that I usually love it. I am an ex New Yorker wishing for the older days of the city, while worrying about the current trend. Maybe it is more accurate to say I dislike what it is becoming, rather than I hate New York.

I am not alone in this sentiment. From the things I see on the news, hear from my friends that live there, and have seen with my own two eyes, New York is in trouble. This is confirmed by the great exodus out of the city. Maybe I am just writing this because my negative posts get so much more hate attention than my upbeat articles. Still I have some legitimate gripes.

New York used to be strong, it has survived depressions, terrorist attacks, crime waves, and blizzards. What it cannot survive is a city government set in place that is determined to stick to its backward ideology regardless of all the proof of its failure.

Now, not all the reasons I hate New York City are the fault of the politicians. Some aspects always bothered me about the city… but I loved it, so I lived with the negative things. Things now are just tipping toward the bad. It is like being in a relationship, you could put up with some nagging from your girlfriend if the loving is great. Take that away and the nagging is all you have.

Is NYC Dying?

Who knows, it has been said before, but this time feels different. My major complaint with NYC today is it is losing what makes it so great. New York used to be a place with energy and grit. It was a place with the best food in the country and the most entertainment. Even with previous poor governments there was a sense of freedom. That seems to be fading, I am not the only one who thinks so. When you have more moving trucks than taxis there is a problem. Below are nine reasons why I hate NYC.

Mayor De Blasio is a Horrible Human Being (and Mayor)

A lot of the current problems with New York can be attributed to the jackass that was elected mayor and the city council behind him. This man is an admitted communist, if you do not believe me look at his own quotes. I hate that New York city has this man for its king. Someone tell me how the center of capitalism can elect someone with a disdain for free markets.

Look at all the stats under his administration. His response to the riots in New York was abysmal. The city leaders are not even protecting businesses or people in the city they were elected to lead. His Covid-19 response was awful (along with the governor). Half the population is leaving and he blames everyone but himself, like all wanna be dictators it is never their fault. Of course, he is a “do as I say not as I do mayor,” ignoring the rules about gyms, because well he is more important than you. Even his own party hates him.

Like any good communist leader as he calls for more controls of private business and higher taxes, he and his wife use the city as their own personal piggy bank (source). New York deserves better than this guy, hell Venezuela deserves better than him. I hate that New York city residents allow people like him to gain a foothold on the city. As mentioned, most problems start with him and the rest of the city government. Say what you will about Giuliani, before he lost his mind and became a walking meme, he was a good mayor. Bloomberg embraced the nanny state but was also decent for New York.

Crime is Getting Much Worse

What do you get when you put down the police and praise criminals? More crime to chase away those pesky tourists that bring cash to your city. As of September there is a 166% increase in shootings in the city. Mind you this is a time when Covid-19 was supposed to have closed the whole country down.

No one is on the streets, yet there is an increase in crime. Politicians brag about helping the poor areas of the city, yet who do they think is suffering most? The city council shifted 1 billion dollars out of the police budget and New Yorkers are paying the price. There are bad people out there. There are also mentally ill people roaming the streets. You must support your city by protecting it. If not, exactly what is happening will happen… people will leave, and tourists will stay away. If crime gets any worse, people will disappear for good.

Times Square

Ok, so I cannot blame the mayor for this one. One reason I hate New York City is every time I go with someone new, they insist on seeing Times Square. If there is one place in the city that makes me cringe it is Times Square. Sure, it looks great with all the lights, and it is what every foreigner thinks of when they think of New York. It really is just a New York Disney land without the rides. It was a crowded mess before the virus that shall not be named and will be again.

Everything about it is awful. The food is terrible, a city with a million great Italian restaurants and you steer people toward Olive Garden. There really is not anything fun to do unless you like wax museums. Then you have the roaming characters that are usually drunk under their suits hustling tourists. Bottom line Times Square is a tourist trap. It is the definition of a tourist trap. Maybe it is a necessary evil, but it is not New York, not truly. Head to the East or West Village if you want to have a good time and see the best of New York City (or Brooklyn, or any other area!).

The Restaurant Scene is Dying

I hate this about New York city, because this is my favorite part about New York. To be fair many of the best places have (yet) to close, but we lost so many good ones in the past few months. Yes, the virus is to blame, but the reaction to the virus is worse. Funny how forcing restaurants to close will put them out of business. I guess socialist’s do not understand basic finance.

Of course, it is not all of the governments fault. Even when they are open there are no office customers. Big corporations realize their employees can work from home effectively. Add to that a total drop off in tourism and it is a recipe for disaster. It is like the restaurant scene has changed permanently.

If it gets any worse there will be no coming back. Even when new places open up, they just are not as good. There is no replacing the 40-year old Nom Wah china town spot with a bearded hipster’s version of $25 dumplings. Maybe I am always in the newer is worse camp, but that is only because it is proven to be true. Once a 50-year-old establishment disappears, it is like losing history. One of the things that makes New York so great is the history of the city and tradition of the food. Now that is at risk.

It is Expensive

I would hate to live in New York city, because it is so overwhelmingly and needlessly expensive. True, with all the people moving out rents are coming down. Still one will have a hard time getting ahead if they are paying $3000/month for a studio. With all that is going wrong with the city, what is the benefit of paying these prices. Food and beverage prices even before Covid-19 are out of control, sometimes I pay close to $10 for a domestic beer. New York does allow happy hour, unlike Charlotte (a city I truly dislike), that is one positive.

Still, everything from parking to the clubs are out of control. The problems can be attributed to how the city is run. This is not solely the fault of the current mayor; he just exasperated the situation. Things like rent control and ridiculous property tax bills have consequences. As do crippling regulations, all these factors help increase the cost of everything you buy. In the past I wanted to move back to New York, but I choose not to be on a hamster wheel for the rest of my life.

It is Getting Dirtier

The city has always had some grit in it. That was one of the things I loved about New York. Now it has gone from gritty to unsanitary. This again is directly attributed to the current people running the city. I hate that New York city, a world class city, is filthy. Before you think I am just being a jerk, read this. Compare Tokyo to New York and the difference is shocking …why? First it is a cultural thing, people care about and take pride in their neighborhoods in Japan. Secondly, most of the problems go back to mismanagement. Homelessness has become a headache all over the country and it is worse in New York. This has led to tent cities outside of the Chelsea market and needles on the streets. How can you expect people to pay unbelievably high taxes and not clean the streets?

Then there is the rat problem. It is too bad one cannot put a saddle on these things, because they are the size of horses. With less tourists flocking the streets I guess they are getting a bit more aggressive in finding food. Or more likely it is the fact that millions of dollars were cut out of the sanitation budget giving the rats plenty to feast on. Having a clean city is one of the most important jobs that the government is responsible for, yet they cannot even do this right. It boggles the mind how this is viewed as acceptable.

The Weather

This might be an unfair criticism since A) there is nothing that can be done and B) It is better than the daily 100-degree summer hell that is the south. Still I hate New York City weather. I think it is fair to bring this up because this is after all the reason why the Governor said everyone is leaving. Spring is fine in New York and of course Fall is pretty good, but both are over too quickly.

Winters are cold, I usually love the cold until I am walking, and the buildings create a wind tunnel that ices me and pushes me back 500 feet. Summers are still annoyingly hot most of the time, not as bad as Charlotte, but I have had more than a few uncomfortable days. Snow was a problem when growing up, not as much in the last few years. Still when it does snow the beautiful white coating lasts about as long as Donald Trump with a Russian Hooker, 2-minutes or so. Then it becomes a thick sludgy mess, making the sidewalks oh so pleasant. Yes, complaining about New York weather might be petty, but it is a factor in why so many leave.

The People

New Yorkers have never been the warm and fuzzy type … I think in most places people could not pick out their next-door neighbor in a lineup. I remember a time when a woman dropped something (a house key), I pointed it out to her, she glared at me and stormed off. In case you New Yorkers are wondering the correct response is “Thank You.” This is just the way I grew up, so I was used to it.

Still New Yorkers used to have more grit to them. Something has changed and I cannot put my finger on it. Most would never allow rioters to bash their cities. Or allow a mayor to ruin entertainment areas. It is like the droves of useless bearded hippies that have invaded so many other areas are taking over New York. Dare I say it … New Yorkers are getting soft. I am sure if this post gets popular a lot of commenters will kindly tell me just how soft they are. I hope so actually, it pains me to see the opposite happening.

The Sports Teams

I hate New York Sports teams. No scratch that I hate myself for being so loyal to these teams. For the greatest city in the world, we really are being embarrassed in almost every sport. Maybe I am being punished, I watched the Giants win the Super bowl 4 times in my life and the Yankees win a championship five times.

Still lately none of these teams can seem to get themselves together these days. At the time I am writing this the Giants are in first place at 4-7, they always find a way to blow it. The Jets are like that child who lives at home at 40 and dresses his pillow in women’s clothes. Everyone knows he is there, but they are too embarrassed to talk about him. Then we have the Knicks, by accident this team should win a championship game. The Yankees are usually relatively good, but it would be nice to see another World Series win in the next decade. I will purposely leave out the Mets, we all have suffered enough. For a world class city, New York should have better representation in the sports arena.

Conclusion: Nine Reasons Why I Hate New York City

A lot of this is just tongue and cheek, I really do not hate New York City. Even with its faults I still love the area, I just wrote this out of frustration. I see where it is going and for the life of me, I do not know why. Why vote in politicians that let the city burn? Why accept that taxes and the cost of living are so high? What are you getting for all you are paying for?

Just about everything that is great in the city was brought about by private industry. Yet you have a greedy politician with characteristics of a tyrant trying to destroy what made the city great. He, and the city council are not smart enough to lead the city, nor smart enough to bring it back to its former glory. People need to wake up before the damage can’t be reversed. There is a reason why thousands of people are fleeing the area, do not be blind to what is happening. Also, maybe you could convince the Jets to move to Mississippi, that would help.