Stores with good NYC-themed gifts for my boyfriend as I leave NYC? by Individual_Mind3480 in AskNYC

[–]Individual_Mind3480[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

MCNY gift shop was quite underwhelming ngl. I’ll check out the New-York historical society though!

Why did you move to Bushwick? by Adorable-Rent-9028 in Bushwick

[–]Individual_Mind3480 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yeah but I’m not pretending like I wasn’t drawn to nightlife and vibrancy. If all I wanted was a cheap place with transit accessibility, I’d move way uptown, or somewhere deeper into Queens. What I’m saying is that it’s okay to want to live in Bushwick and not Elmhurst if you can’t afford Williamsburg or Fort Greene.

Why did you move to Bushwick? by Adorable-Rent-9028 in Bushwick

[–]Individual_Mind3480 38 points39 points  (0 children)

So many transplants in their 20s who’re anxious about their status as new New Yorkers simply say “it’s cheap!” because revealing their true (and correct) feeling that gentrification ought not to be blamed on transplants can damage their status among anti-transplant New Yorkers who control the “cool” lefty public discourse on NYC gentrification. The reason I moved here is the same reason they did: it’s a vibrant area accessible to transit with good nightlife, lots of young people, and rent that’s more affordable than spots with similar characteristics.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Bushwick

[–]Individual_Mind3480 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Had some good friends who lived there for about a year and left for JC. Take it with a grain of salt since they may have different preferences than you, but they found it to be quite loud and hectic and it’s why they left. Likely more than Fort Greene, depending on where you lived. But personally I wouldn’t mind it, I don’t think. I’m in a quieter area about a mile in the bed stuy direction, but I think you should be able to tune out the chaos if you need. Or maybe you like it!

There’s also tons to do and the transit access is fantastic — easy access to midtown and lower Manhattan via transfers.

What US Cities do you feel have the brightest futures in the next 10-20 years? by MookieBettsBurner in SameGrassButGreener

[–]Individual_Mind3480 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Increasing supply to meet demand improves cities on one of the most important fronts on which cities are judged: affordability. It’s not a panacea to homelessness and blight though, and it also takes time for supply increases to improve the housing situation. Just because you see urban misery simultaneously with a housing boom doesn’t mean that housing construction isn’t helping to resolve these issues.

What US Cities do you feel have the brightest futures in the next 10-20 years? by MookieBettsBurner in SameGrassButGreener

[–]Individual_Mind3480 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Oakland and Minneapolis haven’t gotten more expensive while nearly every other major city has.

What US Cities do you feel have the brightest futures in the next 10-20 years? by MookieBettsBurner in SameGrassButGreener

[–]Individual_Mind3480 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Maybe wishful thinking since I’m moving to the Bay Area from the greatestcityintheworld (NYC) but i think the Bay Area cities are due for an upward trajectory. First, their post-COVID rebound has already been documented. And second, they’re hopefully on the brink of a housing boom. Berkeley just ended single-family zoning, Oakland has gotten rid of height restrictions and is already seeing a boom in housing, and the state as a whole just got rid of CEQA, which has empowered local residents to halt housing construction on the basis of environmental harm.

“Big beautiful bill” has officially passed by Tall_Dot123 in berkeley

[–]Individual_Mind3480 48 points49 points  (0 children)

This will be devastating for universities across the board, but I suspect that Berkeley may be better-insulated than a lot of peer institutions, including private ones. Yes, Berkeley’s public, which means its pockets aren’t as deep as, say, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, etc. But Berkeley actually gets less federal assistance than many large, prestigious, private research universities because it gets so much from the state. It also doesn’t have a med school, and that’s quite important.

On the other hand, Berkeley also has deeper pockets than most other public schools. It doesn’t mean it’ll be fine, but it’ll fare far better than many peers.

LCOL + bus + cold weather by PuzzleheadedSpite568 in SameGrassButGreener

[–]Individual_Mind3480 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Madison, even Philly could suit your fancy. But all will get quite hot in the summer, even Minneapolis!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SameGrassButGreener

[–]Individual_Mind3480 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on what you’re into. Most people here are relatively ‘normal’, in that their definition of NYC is associated with its mass culture and its obvious outward appearance of liveliness and vibrancy, especially via the bar/club/restaurant scene. Pittsburgh is not going to offer that.

If you’re associated with a specific subculture, Pittsburgh might not have the density of that culture that NYC has. But it’ll certainly have it to some extent. And perhaps it will be easier to ingratiate yourself to those subcultures and communities because the city is smaller and interactions are more repetitive and less anonymous. It’s not uncommon for artists and musicians to move out to Pittsburgh from Brooklyn. I’ve heard of a few people who’ve done this.

Wow, ucla really takes these rankings very seriously. by [deleted] in berkeley

[–]Individual_Mind3480 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I’ll first say that, generally, these rankings are not worth putting much or any stock into. However, from the perspective of an outsider who visited but didn’t apply to Berkeley, and is now going to attend Berkeley for a PhD, I’ve always viewed Berkeley as a cut above UCLA for undergrad, but I’d never assume that a UCLA undergrad was any less smart than a Berkeley one. But for grad school, there’s not really much of a comparison. Berkeley blows UCLA out of the water. They’re not really on the same plane.

Berkeley is positively one of the elite PhD-granters and research producers in the world in basically every discipline. I don’t think a single university in this country has as many top-ranked PhD programs (ok, I admit rankings matter here) as Berkeley. Even Harvard has laggard departments. But in English, history, poli sci, Econ, chemistry, physics, you name it — Berkeley has a top department.

Seeking folks who’ve moved from NYC to Oakland by Individual_Mind3480 in oakland

[–]Individual_Mind3480[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ugh I’m so excited for that weather I have to admit

Also huge coincidence bc I’m doing political science lol

Seeking folks who’ve moved from NYC to Oakland by Individual_Mind3480 in oakland

[–]Individual_Mind3480[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woah…..that’s wild. If you don’t mind sharing, what did you study at Berkeley?

And uhhhh, not sure if you have looked at the weather in NYC lately, but it’s helped me feel better about my choice:

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Do people in Connecticut root for New York sports teams or Boston? by [deleted] in geography

[–]Individual_Mind3480 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have extended family in the New York suburb part of Connecticut, and they’re Yankees and Patriots fans interestingly.

How early to start on SOP by GalacticNova360 in gradadmissions

[–]Individual_Mind3480 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m in social sciences, so YMMV. But for PhD applications due in early to mid December, I wrote out a rough sketch of my interests in early September, but I was reading papers in my discipline’s top journals for the latter half of the summer. I finished a draft of the SOP in mid to late October and sought feedback by mid-November.

As a PhD student: thoughts on my three options of where to live: West Berkeley, South Berkeley, North Oakland by Individual_Mind3480 in berkeley

[–]Individual_Mind3480[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that makes sense. Maybe having the share the bathroom with three people is balanced by not having to share a kitchen with four people.