Good Morning and Happy Memorial Day Weekend.

NYC continues to be vibrant and incredibly exciting at the moment. And most notably, WAY YOUNGER (see #1 below). Let me know if you’re seeing anything similar where you live.

1. NYC is chock-a-block with under-30s

I’ve noticed this over the last few months, ever since the weather got nicer and more people flocked into the streets.

• I’ve not seen any statistics on this trend but anecdotally I’ve heard from friends that in their buildings they too have noticed that many of the older couples, as well as young families, are gone. They fled the city at the start of the pandemic heading to the suburbs or to second homes in the Hamptons, Upstate, or Florida. Those that remain, or are newly renting, are younger folk.

Why is the young crowd coming back?

• Rents have come down significantly.
• As the city has reopened, there is clearly more fun to be had here than in the suburbs with mom and dad (check out that awesome young jazz group above or the comedy dating scene #5 below).
• Young people also appear to be less fearful of crime, looting, protests, etc. than older people or families.
• Keep an eye on this. It has the potential to change the dynamic of cities, making them more vibrant, creative, and ultimately livable.

2. Masks? On? Off? Way Fewer people are wearing them!

Again, observationally in NYC over the last 7 days:

• Last Friday at Hudson Yards, masks were no longer mandated although many people were still wearing them. IF you were fully vaccinated, you could go mask-free. However, nobody asked us for vax proof.
• My local Chinatown hairdresser told me I would no longer need to wear a mask as of this week but that she and her sister would continue to wear masks occasionally (as they’ve always done during flu season etc.).
• At Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea, masks were still required even as the galleries were filled to capacity, and appointments were no longer necessary. No word on when masks could come off.
• At Soho House, the same thing. Full capacity but still taking temperatures and requiring masks as you enter until you get to your table. No word yet on when we will no longer be required to mask up.
• At the Don’t Tell Mama cabaret in Times Square on Sunday we were met with a non-masked hostess who told us not to be alarmed when we saw staff without masks because that meant they were fully vaccinated. We were also informed that if we were fully vaccinated, we no longer needed to mask up. Temperatures were taken but no proof of vaccination was requested.
• Looks like everyone is relying on the honor system. I’m OK with it because I have been vaccinated. If anyone has chosen not to get vaccinated then that’s on them. I’m NOT going to mask up to protect an anti-vaxxer at this point. Might sound harsh but that’s how I feel.
• Overall, walking around Manhattan, the number of people without masks is at about 40-50%, with fewer being worn by the day.
• And finally, the NYC borough with the highest vaccination rate is Manhattan where 53% of us are fully vaccinated (62% have had at least one dose). Still surprising to me that we can’t get it to 70%.

3. Las Vegas, Orlando, and Myrtle Beach: Top 3 Memorial Day Road Trip Destinations!

AAA is forecasting a 60% travel increase this year

• Las Vegas is not only the top road trip destination but also tops for air travel for this weekend’s Memorial Day holiday. WooHoo!
• Rounding out the Top 5 for road trips are Denver and Nashville.
• When it comes to AAA Travel Bookings for Memorial Day Weekend, the top 5 are Orlando, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Anchorage, and Colorado Springs.
• Room rates in Vegas have quadrupled since early in the year going from $100 per night in March to $400 per night for Memorial Day Weekend. (Source: Casino.org)

4. Cities are Back: AirBnB’s top three destinations for long-term summer stays are New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles

Per AirBnB, there’s been a huge uptick in long-term stays ( June 1 thru Aug. 31)

• In New York, 62% of summer nights booked are for long periods
• In Seattle and Los Angeles, long-term stays are at 40 and 43% this summer.
• Meanwhile, in LA, Airbnb is blocking one-night rentals over the 4th of July weekend to prevent large, unruly parties. (Source: CBSLocal)

5. Have you heard of “UpDating”? It’s a first-date game, at a bar, in front of an audience.

Checking it out on June 10th with my friend, Dave Moreland. Will report back! Sounds like a hoot.

• Per the NYPost, singles are flocking to this roving weekly comedy show called UpDating, which puts two love-seeking locals onstage for a first date in front of a live crowd. For the participants, it’s literally blind dating — their eyes are shrouded by a blindfold.
• There are currently over 600 singles on the waitlist vying for their chance in the dating spotlight.

6. The Kardashian-Jenner clan are unstoppable. Always onto the next hot thing.

They are opening their first Kardashian Kloset retail store at the new Resort World Hotel in Las Vegas on June 24.

• Kardashian Kloset launched in October 2019, quickly gained a huge following, and spurred a trend on YouTube of influencers posting unboxing videos with their Kardashian Kloset hauls and presenting side-by-side photos of themselves with the Kardashian-Jenner family member wearing the same look.
• Kardashian Kloset has had a 40.3% repeat customer rate and sold 9,000 pieces since launch.
• An Instagram Story post from Kylie Jenner last month about Kardashian Kloset drove over 250,000 people to the site and increased sales by 400%.
• Kardashian Kloset is broken up into “collections” from each Kardashian-Jenner family member and includes sections for kids and men’s offerings from an array of designer labels.
• Prices go as low as $25 for athleisure offerings and as high as $55,000 for a rare Hermès Birkin bag from Kylie Jenner’s collection. (Source: Yahoo)

7. Common, NY’s top Co-Living Company, is expanding to LA, making It their biggest market

Have been a big fan of co-living since 2015 when I first met Brad Hargreaves, founder of Common.

• By the end of 2021, Common plans to open 1,125 units in L.A.
• Common’s co-living units start at $1,077 in Los Angeles (vs. $1900 rent for the average LA studio) plus they come furnished and include utilities. (Source: LABusinessJournal)

In Denver meanwhile, you can get a hybrid co-living, co-working, private membership club — all in one!!

• X Denver, an 813-bed co-living fully-furnished apartment building near Coors Field, welcomed its first residents this spring.
• The membership club, soft opening in June, features a full-service bar and restaurant, reservable conference rooms, a fully equipped gym, private meeting pods, and a rooftop pool “house” with a swimming pool, 30-person jacuzzi, firepits, amphitheater seating and mountain views.
• The rooftop also features a “bark park” with sections for both larger and smaller dogs.
• The building is also equipped with 24/7 security cameras and professional cleaning staff. (Source: milehighcre.com)

My major concern with co-living at this point in time is vetting tenants for unruliness and just bad, obnoxious behavior. People are out of their minds at the moment (as we’ve seen on planes, in stores, and even at NBA Games). Sharing an apartment with one of those crazies could be grim. That aside, however, co-living is a great concept — and not just for the young!

8. Co-working Hybrids Are Booming

• Cubework (above) was founded in 2018. It’s a hybrid office & warehouse operator and one of the fastest-growing flexible workspace providers in the U.S.
• The hybrid company, which offers both flexible workspaces as well as warehouse space to SMEs, is adding 100,000 sq. ft. every month. Currently, the operator holds over 10 million sq. ft. of modern industrial co-working space in 30 cities.
• Over the past year and in spite of the real estate impacts of COVID-19, Cubework has expanded rapidly, opening locations in Dallas, Memphis, Phoenix, and La Mirada, with additional locations planned in the next few months. (Source: Co-working Insights)

9. Hi-Tech can’t deliver the goods without a solid Lo-Tech assist!

• Does anybody else find it curious that their e-commerce orders (placed through highly efficient apps) ultimately can only be delivered in such a low-tech way, e.g., a guy on a bike with an insulated bag slung over his shoulder?
• Since the pandemic began, e-commerce orders spiked and NYC has been overrun by thousands of bike and foot messengers. (Online grocery sales grew 54% in 2020, reaching nearly $96 billion, according to eMarketer.)
• Instacart is dominating the space with a 323% surge in year-over-year sales in 2020.
• However, I can say with confidence, these deliveries are not efficient and they’re also not safe. In all the years I’ve lived in NYC, I have never seen as many bike accidents as I have over the last year. I’ve even experienced it firsthand when I was knocked off my Citibike by a delivery guy on an e-bike.
• I’m not opposed to delivery workers but I do find it baffling that high-tech cannot deliver the goods without the assistance of this completely low-tech, manual workforce.

10. Why do we let the “shelter-industrial-complex” keep raking in the dollars while the homeless, stay homeless.

More than $2,600 per tent, per month at this city-sanctioned encampment for homeless people in Los Angeles.

• According to a report by the city administrative officer, the new East Hollywood campground costs approximately $2,663 per participant per month.
• That’s higher than what a typical one-bedroom apartment rents for in the city, according to the website RentCafe.
• Homeless activists, on the other hand, are most concerned that these $2600 per month tent sites will come with enforcement of rules that counter the current free-for-all spirit of LA and curtail people’s right to camp, sleep, and lie anywhere and everywhere they deem fit. Am I the only one that thinks this is CRAZY on multiple levels? (Source: KCRW)

And that’s a wrap for this week, my friends!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you’ve been privy to my nervous nelly documentation of the mourning dove couple that established a homestead on my fire escape (2 eggs hatched over the last month). I’ve documented the feeding, nurturing and the gradual, tentative attempt at flight as they prepare to move out of the nest.

Yesterday (Thursday morning), one of the baby doves was missing. Had it flown the coop? I went downstairs to the street with trepidation, Would I find the baby dove dying on the sidewalk? It was nowhere to be seen. And indeed, by the time I got back up to the apartment, the whole family was reunited, albeit on different fire escapes.

Observing nature in action like this has been fascinating. I’ve also been totally impressed by what a good mom this dove has been! So innately nurturing and patient…..amazing to witness, really cool!

UPDATE: As of this morning, my mourning dove family has indeed flown the coop. Mom and her two babies were still on the fire escape at 6 am but by 7:30, all three had moved on. 👋👋👋

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, everyone. Next ZandlSlant will be coming at you on June 4th!! The year is flying by so fast. 😳😳😳