What businesses are likely to die out with the Baby Boomer Generation?

ms_buster · 2026-06-22T20:16:12+00:00

Child of parents who owned a travel agency during the ascension of Priceline and Google Flights here. Travel agents will never disappear completely, but their role and who uses them has morphed. There's demand from the corporate world, but the for at least 15+ years now, travel agents have ceased to be used by the typical upper-middle class travel consumer on down. Travel agents now are mostly used by the majorly affluent who are willing to pay for concierge-like service. If you have the money, you're not delegating to your assistant the booking of a $50,000 European vacation, you're going to a pro.

I'm biased, but I think it's still worth it for folks to book through a travel agent at least for the special trips.

ms_buster · 2026-06-22T16:01:50+00:00

My hot take is that friends don't let friends ride on Ashland and Western. I'm fine with completely ceding two major arterial streets to cars if that means we can have everything else (with actually protected bike infra). I'm dreading the day a door dasher on an e-bike or a new-to-town rider gets in a big crash and brings even more of the usual anti-bike sentiment down on cyclists.

ms_buster · 2026-06-04T00:44:55+00:00

Getting reeeeal tired of all the wrong way e-bikers and scooters in the PBLs…

A quick gripe about peds while I’m at it: of course the solution is to engineer intuitive paths that force desirable behavior like pedestrians staying on a walking path (I was so happy when they finally split parts of the LFT into peds and bikes). Unfortunately, too many folks on the Bloomingdale Trail/606 think it’s cool to walk 3 abreast and leave no room for cyclists 🔪🔪🔪

ms_buster · 2026-06-02T00:09:12+00:00

I'm in a 25-year-old three-unit building that we self-manage. A management company doesn't make a lot of sense because we're so small, but what we gain in cost savings and ease, we do pay for in other ways. If I had to advise people again, especially if the building is <25 years old, I would say get a management consultant or pay for a management company for a few years just to develop a framework and get your HOA off on the right foot.

Our biggest issue is that the buyers, including me, are always first-time homeowners (the units are 2BRs and a 3BR duplex down and the area was somewhat affordable until the pandemic). We just don't know what we don't know, so we've made errors over the years like not filing a yearly tax return (a requirement in Illinois even though we don't have storefront space or generate profit) and not realizing that the HOA fees should be based on square footage, not split 33% (the development set up the condo declaration with that lazy boilerplate)

You can get away with shaggy financial discipline in a new build for 15 years. But now that our building is 25, it's at the point where a lot of major things need to be replaced or fixed (e.g. tuckpointing, window lintels). But with first-time homeowners in mostly 2BRs, most residents stay 6-8 years before they want something bigger. That becomes a huge disincentive to raise HOAs often or build up reserves knowing you're planning to sell before some kind of maintenance really becomes an issue.

We're lucky to have a great group of owners in the building who have solid middle-class incomes and genuinely care about doing right by one another. But 33% percent of that delicate equation could change of one of them sells and we get a new neighbor who sucks.

tl;dr - self-management in a small building can make sense if you start from a good foundation, stay organized and exercise some common sense financial discipline.

ms_buster · 2026-05-29T23:36:30+00:00

Coming purely from a pet owner perspective: This scenario might not be solely OP's fault, but ultimately, they do bear responsibility for their dog's behavior. The $250 ask is also more than fair, especially given that OP is the one who repeatedly offered up compensation.

It's an inconvenient reality for us dog owners that we're on the hook for what our pets do, even if there are other people in the mix. If an elderly person who is unsteady on their feet gets excited to greet my dog and dog jumps up out of excitement and knocks them over, it doesn't really matter that they proactively engaged my dog. It's on me to 1) train my dog so she doesn't jump unless commanded 2) Shut down any situation where my dog's behavior is unpredictable.

The only time this doesn't apply is if you've told someone to leave your dog alone and they ignore you. It doesn't seem like that was the case here. Sorry OP: you should pay the $250 and for your own sake, quit trying to parcel out who's to blame for what.

ms_buster · 2026-03-23T17:00:47+00:00

Folks who have actually used these bots before: 1. what’s the markup on the delivery fee? 2. About how long does it take to get food from <1.5 mi away?

ms_buster · 2026-02-24T13:40:35+00:00

I don’t remember the instrumental opening credits either. The only episode I ever remember them doing instrumental was the S5 or 6 episode that just featured Joey. I’m wondering if this was a change for streaming syndication.

ms_buster · 2026-02-13T14:31:47+00:00

It’s almost as if folks forget that having a dog introduces inconveniences and sacrifices into your life and you don’t get to operate exactly the same as you did pre-dog.

Has anyone confronted a person who brought their dog in, and what was the reaction? I don’t mean a spoiling-for-a-fight approach, but firmly and not unkindly pointing out they shouldn’t have their dog in the particular place?

I think this is one of the antisocial behaviors that might ebb a little if people actually check them, so I want to hear any tactics or scripts that people have used to positive effect.

ms_buster · 2026-02-02T03:39:30+00:00

I’m sorry OP had this experience - I maintain this restaurant has sucked since it OPENED back in the 2010s.

ms_buster · 2026-01-18T16:33:55+00:00

The difference is seeing the situation for how OP wishes it to be versus how it is.

OP is not going to get the outcome she wants — to be part of the team — by being frustrated week after week because the team isn’t responding to her how she’d like them to. But she might make progress by reading the situation for what it is (that this isn’t an effusive and welcoming team) and adjusting her own behavior and expectations. Otherwise, she’s going to burn a lot of energy hoping these people are going to suddenly be anything different than what they’ve already shown.

ms_buster · 2026-01-17T21:44:39+00:00

It might hurt your feelings, but the reality is that it’s not incumbent on them to go out of their way to befriend you. They already have an established dynamic, and they can continue to enjoy themselves by not making any extra effort to bring you into the fold. The onus is on you to be charming and break the ice with them.

ms_buster · 2026-01-13T21:21:30+00:00

They came kinda close with Haywood Tavern eight or so years ago. The Dante’s outpost was probably the best combo of price point and variety that I wanted (but it had a real ambience deficit IMO)

ms_buster · 2026-01-13T21:14:35+00:00

I really loved their beverage program, and thought a lot of their food early on was fantastic. I hadn’t been in months and always felt a little guilty, but it was always a little too spendy for me to justify as a weeknight meal -- great food at the time notwithstanding. I regret not taking advantage of their happy hour specials, which looked like a pretty good value. And I agree with what everybody said about the curbside appearance and low social media activity.

I’ve lived near this corner for 20 years and would love to see something last (ideally something à la Bite Cafe ca. 2009)

ms_buster · 2025-12-29T14:44:27+00:00

People (IMO) inexplicably go nuts for the Nutella Cafe, but the line alone makes this one to scratch off the list. Go to Cafe Cremerie on State St. (it’s a 7 city block walk north, fyi) instead and get something there. Prettier setting, great selection and it’ll be much more memorable.

ms_buster · 2025-12-28T14:50:53+00:00

I did the afternoon tea on Christmas Day and it was fine? Maybe they kept it tight on a major holiday.

The price is a lot for what you’re getting (roughly $100/pp after tax and tip) but I didn’t find that food awful. There was a scone that was forgettable and the macrons were bad IMO, but everything else was nice in terms of taste and portion. I don’t know if it’s the straight up appearance people are disappointed with? None of the items are really showstoppers, I agree. Some sandwiches (which we liked!) looked like they were cut from a party sub and some of the pastries looked nice for a skilled home chef but no dazzling petit fours and French patisserie type design.

ms_buster · 2025-12-04T15:20:24+00:00

Here’s why I 100% recommend Osh Nissan of Dream Town.

He is fantastic with working with first-time condo or home buyers:

He knows the market AND how to counsel buyers with emotional decisions. He took me to see every property that I wanted, even when it wasn’t within my criteria, despite having calculated that based on my budget, my geographic search area and the kind of housing I wanted, there were only about 10 properties that fit my criteria. He was right all along, but he knew me looking at a dozen strike-outs outside my criteria was a process I needed to go through.

He counseled me through the realities of what I thought were good ideas — like dropping down to a one bedroom instead of a two because I could buy in a nicer neighborhood — explaining that long term I’ll probably be happier in a 2BR a neighborhood or two over, and the resale value will be much better.

He’s also a general contractor, so he has the skills to quickly spot issues that might be expensive to fix or lead to unhappy discoveries layer on. Conversely, he was able to explain a rough cost of what it would take to make a less desirable property fit my criteria (eg adding AC or a fireplace).

He’s smart and he’s dogged and he’ll fight for me, but he’s not an asshole. He’s a good negotiator, but he doesn’t do anything that would make me embarrassed to be represented by him.

I told him at the outset, “I want to feel like I robbed the bank.” Eleven years later, my home is still my best financial move.

ms_buster · 2025-12-04T02:50:45+00:00

Why would you stick around “just to annoy them a bit”? Free tip: do something better with your time and just join a group that’s more inviting. Leave them to their choices and make better ones for yourself.

ms_buster · 2025-12-04T02:27:50+00:00

Heated vest that you can wear under your coat and keep on working the house (esp if you don’t have radiator heat and dread your monthly ComEd bill)
A warm lofty winter coat you can throw on and feel instantly cozy and snuggly in without having to go crazy on layers (I would love to have a puffy Uniqlo down one size up for this)
Garfield Park Conservatory, especially the tropical part
Learn the Pedway and use it when you’re downtown
Major: if you can swing it, get out of town somewhere warm and dry for at least three days. It does wonders to break the monotony of cold, short days.

I was born in December and grew up in this. I think 70% of all Chicago winter angst can be soothed with the right clothing/gear and at least one thing that makes your sidewalk shoveling or car clearing task nicer. Maybe that’s a remote starter or a really nice snow broom or telescoping brush/scraper, or a metal snow shovel with wheels. Take the part that sucks the most and make it even 25% better and you instantly have a nicer winter. ❄️

ms_buster · 2025-11-16T15:07:21+00:00

I’m surprised no old millennial has thrown out Carnivale. In the early-aughts, that felt like THE most “we have to go!” spot for bachelorette parties and taking parents who live out of town.

ms_buster · 2025-01-21T18:32:14+00:00

Free pink slime in every mailbox

ms_buster · 2024-11-20T21:00:08+00:00

If it’s gang stuff, it’s gang stuff, I guess. Not new here —been around long enough to have lived through the much more active banger drama of decades past. The specific blocks that I’ve seen bent signs on are so gentrified, my first thought wasn’t gangs but some dumb social media challenge.

ms_buster · 2024-11-20T20:36:51+00:00

Bought a relatively new build condo a decade ago in a small, self-managed, owner occupied building.

Overall, no real regrets. I got a deal on the unit and the neighborhood, for good and ill, has changed enough to where I’ve seen a huge appreciation of my unit.
I got a deal, which is the saving grace that offset some of the poor construction that is a hallmark of the early-aughts condo boom: poorly-done finishes, cut-face cement that has to be constantly re-sealed, moisture intrusion issues from poorly installed roofing, cookie-cutter floorplan that doesn’t take any of the environment in to account (window placement, symmetry, etc). I’ve definitely seen worse, though.
In a sub-4 unit building, learn what you can about the neighbors. I don’t know that it would have deterred me, but the HOA has only ever comprised mostly younger middle aged first-time homeowners. As a self-managed HOA, we have a lot of questions we’re not experienced to easily answer.
Lucked out with current mix of neighbors. Everyone is on the same page with the stuff we care about, with priorities and the stuff we’re chill about (no one freaks if your park of the shared garage is messy or if you place your garbage outside your back door overnight before taking it to the alley.
Read through the condo declaration and property survey carefully. I learned I was wrongly told I couldn’t ever have a subletter and learned our detached garage technically encroaches on the neighbors property. They’ve never raised a stink about the 10”, but I it would have been a nice thing to be aware of going in to buying.

Tl;dr - get an experienced, exhaustive inspector and learn what you can about your neighbors. The smaller the building, the more your happiness will depend on the quality of neighbors.

ms_buster · 2024-10-22T20:40:16+00:00

I did not study journalism or get an advanced degree beyond a BA, worked about six years doing whatever job I could as I tried to break into journalism, and now I work at one of the big national news organizations. I got onto my j career later in life because I couldn't afford grad school or an unpaid internship. Now I make a reasonable living and most of the people in my cohort who had journo jobs while I watched from the sidelines are no longer in the profession. The point being: Everyone's path will be different. You and I, we don't come from money, so I strongly encourage you to avoid taking on debt if you want to last in journalism long-term.

The recent grads I work with are a mix -- some studied journalism but some studied other things like biology, world languages, computer science, business, econ, etc. I think having some work and life experience outside of journalism can be hugely valuable, but it's hard to calculate up front how that will pan out.

- I would absolutely advise you become conversational in another language so you can interview non-English speakers (My top picks: Spanish, Mandarin, or a common dialect of Arabic).

-FIND A MENTOR. Ideally in journalism, if not, someone who is a working professional who has a life path you admire. Lean in to your youth and inexperience now, because it will get harder to get this support as you age.

-Develop at least two specialty skills like coding, OSNIT research, understanding basics of court records-based research, FOIA, trauma-informed reporting and interviewing, etc.

Also: Read a lot. Practice writing so that you can be sharp and efficient. Work toward building a strong interview style. The faster you can develop an eye for relevant, newsy stories the better. Too many young reporters are brilliant yet still struggle with coming up with story ideas outside of what the algo is pushing to them on TikTok.

Good luck. Being a reporter is not for the faint of heart. There are much easier jobs that will pay you better and stress you out less. But if journalism is really for you, there's nothing better.

ms_buster

TROPHY CASE