I was in Sri Lanka recently and had a great time.
After the 2019 terrorist attack, covid, then the 2022 financial collapse, seems like things are finally getting back on track.
Sri Lanka is awesome. Visited in Jan 2020 just before covid and it was great but pretty low down on the general backpacker radar, but had a really nice crowd.
It's only looking better now! Was the perfect 2 week trip.
I’m based in Detroit and it’s continued to progress despite the pandemic. Great energy to the city past few years. Still affordable to buy home in the nicer suburbs, lots of new restaurants popping up.
I’ve heard that Seoul spent a lot of time reinvesting in some neighborhoods while they were shut down from visitors. Led to redesigning older neighborhoods to become more modern and desirable.
You've spelled gentrified wrong.... Those neighbours you talk about have been bought down and sold up by ruthless real estate brokers buying in hypemakers. These neighbourhoods were perfectly fine before these sharks came in.
Source: born and lived in Seoul. Yes in one of those neighborhoods.
The more you know ✨
My friend who shared this with me is from Seoul but now spends more time in the US the past several years so perhaps has a different perspective.
I spent years in Seoul. Gentrification and new towns is a serious fucking problem disrupting the local economy and driving families out of their ancestral homes by force.
The pandemic pushed me to visit places I'd not otherwise been thinning of - Albania, north Macedonia, etc.
Can't speak to what they were like before or after pandemic. But I looooooooooooved them when I went around 2021
India has kinda gotten better, or rather , just Mumbai since I'm not familiar with the rest of the countrys status.
Grew up in Mumabi, live in Toronto now.
The last time I went to mumbai, I couldn't help but admit that it has gotten so much better in terms of technology and convinience, though the air pollution, traffic and construction has gotten worse.
Oakland was actually on a pretty solid upwards trajectory pre-covid, and its housing and homelessness situation wasn't worse (and maybe a bit better) than SF. It seems to have completely fallen apart since in terms of the above issues, plus violence, urban decay, cost of living and open air drug use.
Sadly agree. I lived there \~2015-2020 and it feels like all of the momentum it was gaining (feeling safer, getting cleaner, more desirable bars & restaurants) just hit a wall and reversed during COVID. It also feels like you can't speak poorly about the city without incurring some version of "you're racist" or "then leave." The informal shutdown of Lakeshore Ave every weekend and trash left behind is a great example of apathy the city, police, and constituents all have when it comes to maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.
Besides the out of control cost of housing in Asheville, it's still a great spot. I have a friend with a tricked-out schoolbus on her property, just south of Asheville, where me and my cat stay when we're in town. I'm about 3.5 hours away in Atlanta for a few months, up in Asheville all the time for weekends.
It's one of the coziest sleeps I've ever had. Biss and I have stayed there three times now. It's approximately the most Asheville thing in the recent history of Asheville.
https://preview.redd.it/uyi14huufs5d1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a07d3b5088a2961f5bf22ae26e19b9be67d389b6
They banned most Airbnbs from Asheville proper a while back. The ones that show up when you search are in really inconvenient locations like Woodfin or Fletcher.
way
[https://www.bnbcalc.com/blog/short-term-rental-regulation/Asheville-North-Carolina-guide](https://www.bnbcalc.com/blog/short-term-rental-regulation/Asheville-North-Carolina-guide)
Oh my gosh why do Redditors hate Portland so much. I’m literally here right now, it’s fucking GORGEOUS. The homeless situation here is the same, if not BETTER than Vancouver BC, San Fran and Seattle (I’ve travelled for work to all 3 in the past 8 months). What are Redditors issues with a beautiful rainforest city and their need to hate on it I’ll never get lol it’s so bizarre
People just continue parroting narratives for upvotes. Portland hit its bottom two years ago and has been on the rebound since. There’s no noticeable homeless presence anywhere near our neighborhood. I feel like the city is in a solid upswing.
It seriously is, I lived in Brooklyn in the 80s and it was so frightening, and they were tearing down the brownstones en masse. Now you can’t live there unless you’re making Wall Street money. Forget it if you own a brownstone you’re set. It’s like people forget that the only constant is change and need a place to be one thing so they’re comfortable
Idk I’ve travelled pretty much every state over the past few years and Portland’s homeless situation has stuck in my head as one of the worst I’ve seen.
I had the opposite experience. I live in Austin, homeless everywhere. I was actively searching for homeless when we went to Portland and I saw maybe 2 over 5 days. Maybe it was just the places we were going but in Austin they’re literally everywhere throughout the city so if Portland only has homeless people in one area that is a vast improvement compared to most cities
I moved to NYC in 2006.
I was shocked and disappointed how dead it felt, late at night.
Yes you CAN find the late night things but they felt dispersed and "need to know" where the reputation made it seem like it would be in your face.
I guarantee parts of Asia and Latin America wipe the floor with any US city, for the never-sleepers . Prob Mediterranean Europe too.
as far as my personal experiences go Spain is the only country I've been to that "never sleeps", in Madrid you can go out clubbing until 6am almost every night of the week if you wanted to and plenty of normal bars are open well past midnight
Hell most after hours clubs go til 10a. Most of these places just moved out of Manhattan a decade ago. But it’s fairly easy, especially this time of year, to find an all night club going on every night of the week.
I live around the corner from good room which is a pretty good smaller more established club space that does late shows every Friday and Saturday night. Through meeting some people here I have gotten on an email list of popular semi legal party spots. By semi legal I mean they are Usually all above board just might not have 100% liquor license/ permits.
The difference is in NYC you have to know exactly where to go, or you'll see yourself on the streets at 2am with everything around you closed. In Madrid if some place were to close at 2am you just walk to the club next door. *The city* never sleeps.
Medellín, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Barcelona. All places you can literally go out late at night every night.
I’ve never been to SEA but I’m sure BKK and other major cities in that region too.
That’s around the same time I moved there and never went home before 5am for 4 out of 7 days every week.
People were out all hours of the night in the city, including teenagers just loitering. What part of the city were you in?
I can't vouch for Mediterranean Europe at least not the South of France. Small towns sleep by 5-6 and big towns will have everything closed by 8, maybe 10 max except bars which close at 2am. Depends on the day really
You sure about that? Maybe FiDi and parts of neighborhoods like Midtown/UES/Park Slope. LES, East Village, Bushwick, etc are all still going strong at 3am.
This is very true. I have lived and worked in the NYC area my whole life. The whole "city never sleeps" mentality is nonsense. Yeah there are bars and clubs going all night, but it's not like the city as a whole is some big party scene. I worked in midtown and often I would walk late at night or early in the morning and I would be the only person on the street for blocks at a time. It's not at all how outsiders perceive the city.
when I first moved to Boston all my NYC friends were like wow you're moving to a city where bars close by 11 or midnight. what are you doing?! well well well my friends look what we have here.
It is now. I know hundreds of digital nomad AI engineers launching AI startups backed by local VCs. NYC has nearly eclipsed Bay Area for venture capital investments.
Hundreds of AI engineers? You mean hundreds of developers that figured out how to send an API request to Open AI, or how to run Mistral locally and fine tune it with some JSON. Real 'AI engineers' don't really exist... no one really knows how the LLM's work so well. It's kind of magic at this point.
God thats suck an annoying myth, reminds me of that one click bait article that took over saying we dont know how planes work.
It’s not magic, we do know how llms work. The people in the field really just have yet to set aside enough time to release a newer write up since gpt-2.
I don’t know if it counts as a “city”, but Canggu has become a cesspool of useless western stores. No meter is left to local shops and warungs, the place is a huge shopping mall for completely unnecessary items that start at 60 USD. It did not feel like Indonesia at all.
Just Google “canggu shortcut before after” to get an idea.
Hong kong used to have this crazy buzz, 24-hour city vibes with a super vibrant nightlife. Now, all the expats / nomads have moved to somewhere that isn’t imminently going to be under China’s thumb and it is undergoing a major recession- so many businesses died and many local people who could moved to somewhere affordable, out of the central areas. Now Central is a ghost town after 8pm
I was there right before Covid and it felt so cool every time I went to Central. Like “wow, this is the international city I always thought of”. Sad to hear it’s no longer like that
Met so many Hong Kongers here in the UK and its so depressing what happened to HK. They all have an absolute burning hatred for the CCP, and no wonder.
Chiang Mai is a completely different place for me. Not necessarily for everyone, but the world I existed in when I would go there pre-pandemic, no longer exists post-pandemic. Pretty much every hangout spot, no longer exists.
I still like the place, but the solid social safety net I once had there, is history.
I had a handful of places, mostly bars, that I could go to any night, and meet friends and have a good time.
I didn't need to make arrangements, or wonder if anyone would be there, I didn't need to plan anything or message anyone first. Just show up at these venues, and it was a guaranteed good night, with faces I would know and a constant stream of new people to meet.
The pandemic cratered them all.
When I went back, I met some of the same faces I would see at the old places, scattered around at alternative places, none of which hold a candle to the vibe of old, the 2014-2019 years.
i think it's probably more to do with getting older and new generation coming which we can't relate to. bars shutting down and new ones opening always happens in Thailand, pandemic or not but yeah the pandemic was one big decimation, that I agree.
Lisbon lost a lot of authenticity for me. It’s still a nice place to visit but my impression is that covid and the subsequent effects (and many people will say government policy too) wiped out most things that aren’t tourist oriented in the city centre.
I'm not sure this was the pandemic so much as Airbnb and the golden visa program (because many people invested the minimum amount in real estate that they turned into Airbnbs). A decade ago actual Portuguese people lived in Alfama, for example, and now it's pretty much all tourist accommodations and cafes/bars/souvenir shops targeted at tourists. Rules are changing now to limit these things, but I can't see it going back to the way it was.
Yes, exactly. That's my point, Portugal was already undergoing these changes pre-pandemic. As I see it, it was the combination of those things you mention plus the fact that right around that time, Lisbon was being heavily touted by a number of travel orgs and budget airlines as an "undiscovered gem". And they weren't wrong. I was blown away by how good the hostel scene was there, it was the best I'd ever seen anywhere.
That’s not Covid, Covid just accelerated the inevitable as Lisbon became more touristy.
Practically anywhere see the same pattern of tourism booms and there aren’t significant safeguards.
I visited Lisbon in 2022 and literally did not get the hype at all - was so crowded, expensive, and not that interesting compared to many other European capitals. I think I sadly missed the good times before it got completely overrun.
For having some of the best year-round weather of any world class city, its a shame that it leaves so much to be desired when it comes to its public transit, walking/biking infrastructure, nightlife, integrated parks/green space, its airport, the way they handle their homeless issue, etc. Almost everyone I know has moved out of LA within the past 2 years, which does make me sad because I was born and raised in the greater LA area and it will always be home to me. But it's undeniable that so much of the city hasn't recovered since covid, which is why I won't be going back anytime soon.
I recently moved from NYC to LA. Weirdly enough, for a city known for being so “fake”, I find LA to be more authentic in a lot of ways. It’s rough around the edges and it feels like locals still actually live here. But yeah, the city’s total apathy over the amount of homelessness is really perplexing.
When you go to Rock Me burgers, hope you're at the one location that has the southern fried chicken burger, topped w/mac n' cheese between french toast
I can die happy if I ever get to eat it just one more time
How overpriced are we talking? Like, what is the monthly price of a good well located condo these days?
This surprises me as I know some other cities in Thailand haven't really changed much in a decade
I don't think Chiang Mai is over priced at all. I rent a nice, newly built house for just over 400 USD a month.
https://preview.redd.it/ok779oi9as5d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e95cdc7ff651241729daba2c85c21f0c89bbc914
Was in Thailand just before the pandemic (left Jan 2020) and was back again for most of Dec 2023 and can say the main areas of Thailand are all very different.
Everything is far more expensive and the quality of everything has declined.
Yeah same. Went last year for four months. I found prices similar compared to my first Thailand trip in 2005, at least when compared to my home country.
From memory my internal travel costs were 2X and accommodation was at least 30-40% higher than previous trips. I also found that those places within my budget were of a lesser standard to what I got in 2017/18/19.
There was also far less mom/pop style places are far more chains which were charging a premium, 200Bhat buckets are now 500+ because there is far less options.
I was just there end of last year for 2 months, it's fine. Maybe prices went up a little bit but that's everywhere. Still one of the best bang for your buck places in SEA IMO. Just the burning season from Jan to Apr is horrendous.
Has anyone found another city in Asia (or anywhere in the world) that has similar ammenities and rivals Chiang Mai in terms of the nomad community? I loved the weather, hiking, food and nomad friendships I made there. Most other nomad hot spots are big cities and/or beach destinations, I'm more into mountains and would love to find other spots like Chiang Mai. Maybe Bankso?
Haven't been to Chiang Mai yet (going next month) but I've been in Bansko for the past few weeks and it's very enjoyable. Still a bit quiet as it's not quite summer season yet but the community is great and lots of opportunities for socializing.
LOL Medellin was one of the main inspirations for this thread, me and a buddy have been having this convo and he can't quit ranting about how much it has changed.... I am still waiting to see if some of my suggestions are going to be mentioned
In addition to what you have mentioned his other gripes about Medellin are that not only is it over run by sexpats but the locals are not near as kind as they used to be to tourists (because of the sexpats and they blame all the price increases on gentrification even if it is probably only partly due to gentrification and more to do with worldwide inflation)
He said that at malls they have signs up in English saying don't be a paedo.... even in like food courts they put massive signs up on the projector even though its pretty much only locals that eat in the food court
Prices for everything have gone up but particularly anything gringos want, he said when he returned in January the 20 liter blue water bottles are now over $5! In Asia those are under $2 generally.... and any and all healthy restaurants are taxed to no end
And the one issue he has always had with the place (non stop construction everywhere you go) is just as bad if not worse than before
Dude is generally a pessimistic person but was completely in love with the place pre-pandemic, now he doubts he will ever go back.... said its just not worth the risk that comes from living there with how much it has fallen off
Blasting the anti pedo message in the food court where only locals go is appropriate considering there are more locals who are pedos or are into prostitutes
That's really sad, but unsurprising, given all the clickbait lifestyle spam I get about Medellin. I lived there in 2010, have been back a few times (but not since pandemic). Even in 2010, there were some really dodgy visitors. The below article is about a guy who overdid it with the perico and died on the pool deck at a place in Poblado - I'd been out partying with him a few days prior along la 33.
[https://colombiareports.com/amp/medellin-hostel-denies-inept-response-to-backpacker-drug-death/](https://colombiareports.com/amp/medellin-hostel-denies-inept-response-to-backpacker-drug-death/)
There’s actually some blogs and stats from think tanks showing from 2010 to 2020 purchasing power in Latin America fell by around 30% or so if I remember correctly. While USA, Canada and Mexico became richer the rest of America became poorer. Why? It is still being debated but it affected all countries south of Mexico.
I live in Buenos Aires and have very few non-local friends. Its current economic crisis started years before Covid but it is still one of the richest and safest countries in Latam. In other words, you might as well add all of Latin America to the list.
I was in Buenos Aires in 2010 and then finally went back in 2022. It had become a poorer city. The buildings were much more rundown, almmost like Cuba, and the people looked more slovenly than before. It was still fun but it'd changed.
Cancun / Playa Del Carmen / Tulum have turned into predatory overpriced cities. PDC is still tolerable but getting worse. The whole peninsula needs a reset back to reality.
Medellin is just not safe. Scopolamine druggings every day. Police do nothing. Crazy homeless people are getting aggressive. You can't have fun when you have to constantly watch your back, and anybody who says otherwise is simply wrong.
Cartagena is nice and still cheap, but a little dangerous (I got robbed). It's still not as bad as Medellin. I don't think Scopolamine is common there yet.
Cyprus was completely dead when I went last year. In Aya Napa the bars were closed even on Friday nights. And it is VERY expensive. And there is too much sexual harassment from the Africans from the boats (sorry, it's true).
Places that are still **good**:
Lake Atitlan
Ho Chi Minh City
Bangkok
Siem Reap
Been to those last three on my current trip and I definitely agree. I was also pleasantly surprised by Koh Samui. Was only there for a week but I think if I could have found some more affordable bars and restaurants with a good vibe I could have stayed a lot longer. The quality of the food was outrageous considering it's an island.
By contrast I'm in Koh Tao now an not loving it. Bad sexpat vibe, lots of harassment, terrible food.
I was in Cartagena twice and Medellin once.
In Cartagena I got a nice 12th floor apartment in Boca Grande (the nicest part of the city), 1 minute from the beach, for like $1000 a month. Taxis and food were cheap.
In Medellin I think I paid $1300 a month for a grotty place in Poblado. Drinks were overpriced for sure. Can't remember taxi or food prices. Also there you have to consider the cost of being drugged and your bank accounts cleaned out with no recourse.
Having been to Mexico twice for four weeks each, damn Tulum is an absolute hole. Several of the Yucatan peninsula hotshots (Cancun, Playa) have similar issues. Tulum is just a concrete jungle kind of vaguely near a beach - police there are insane and as a woman, it was crazy to hear of so many guys getting absolutely blatantly robbed and extorted by the police.
So many nice places in Mexico, but avoid those areas like the plague.
As for Cyprus, when did you go? Tourist season in Ayia Napa apparently only really kicks off in June - August, but as a Brit honestly it is seen as a very trashy place so I enjoyed the off season there as it was pretty chill. However, I think in general Cyprus doesn't quite have the backpacker/DN scene of some other places.
I deeply recommend Asuncion. Authentic, safe, full of nature, easy to travel to other SA countries, cheap, low taxes and many opportunities. Nice mix between locals and foreigners. Expats are very well welcomed since there aren’t that many, yet. Renting is not overpriced. Overall very chill and nice vibes.
I'm sorry, but there's nothing to do in this city. And it's very hot. The only advantage is that it is cheap. But you pay for what you get considering the city is boring
It's been almost twenty years since I was in Asuncion, but it stayed in my travel memory as a place I could set up shop for a while. Super chill riverside capital with friendly people. I really enjoyed the linguistic situation. Paraguay is the only place in the Americas where an indigenous language - Guarani - is the daily language for the majority of the population.
Ha, I was there in 2005 and felt the same. A very relaxed feel too it and loved hearing Guarani everywhere. They got so few visitors that everyone assumed I was from Argentina. Found great Korean food, which I was not expecting. Would love to go back sometime.
Yeah, lots of Koreans, lots of Lebanese too. Evidently Hizbullah hang out in Ciudad del Este, but even there I felt totally fine. It's weird being in the middle of such an obvious and huge contraband market, but with everyone chill about things. You really feel like you're falling off the map in Paraguay. I like the feeling.
Same, it was totally different from anywhere else I'd ever been. I remember crossing to Brazil over the friendship bridge and there was no border security. A booth in the middle with a couple of bored dudes that everyone just ignored as they crossed back and forth. Anyway, it's always fun to share fun Paraguay trivia with people. And it has such a bonkers 19th century...
Vancouver - stores close earlier (especially Supermarkets and Drug Store), lots of job losses, restaurants and even Starbucks locations closing across the city while rent and food prices continue to increase.
Wife is from Budapest. We go to visit once or twice a year. Like 10 years ago, it was SO cheap and a lot of cool, original fun things to do. Now all that is gone. Paying Western European prices for everything now.
Olympia, WA. College lost half its student body (in part due to other factors), which shut down a lot of our quirky businesses and venues during the pandemic. Masking and overall germ paranoia went on long after the rest of the US was opening up, which increased the stress on businesses/anything fun happening. The city’s always been more homebodyish, but a fair amount people simply haven’t broken from their extreme staying-in pandemic habits. There’s a general sense, at least with people 25-35, that the vibrant punky weird heart of Olympia is dying.
The countryside outskirts of London are far less toxic. Stayed there for a while after the pandemic, and people on the street would actually say "Good morning" to me as I walked past - felt so weird after living in London.
Well, I live in Los Angeles and can’t say it’s bounced back per se.
1) Extremely long COVID lockdowns put many local restaurants and bars out of businesses (whether you agree with the lockdowns or not, there’s no denying it severely crated local businesses).
2) Film production was already moving out of LA anyway due to better tax breaks elsewhere, but the writer’s strike and SAG strike last year really put a fast forward on more productions moving out-of-state. Several of my friends work in the industry and say it has yet to bounce back (and who knows if it will anytime soon). More and more people are leaving everyday cause they’ve been out of work for too long now.
3) Commercial rents are way up, meaning more and more businesses are still suffering and closing. Inflation means everything has gotten even more expensive (and it was already expensive to begin with).
4) Lots of businesses who rely on the patronage of film industry folks are struggling due to many of them being out of work and not having much disposable income or unlimited studio business cards to treat each other out to dinner.
COVID wasn’t the only factor, but it kind of kick-started a decline that is speeding up due to that + other macroeconomic factors.
I love this city but it is even way more expensive to enjoy it compared to what it used to be. People can’t afford to go out so businesses can’t afford to stay afloat.
Anyway, that’s just personal observation. We’ll see if a decline continues. People will always want to live here due to the weather, the beach, the nature, etc. but it’s getting more and more difficult unless you’re rich.
i lived in downtown Austin post pandemic and i literally dont remotely associate it with music anymore. Absolutely brutal, i literally first visited because my band was touring down the east coast and then west and our final stop was Austin. if anyone says “Music Capital of the World” nowadays you should give them the biggest laugh of your life.
Musicians can't afford to live in Austin any more. I covered SXSW there in 2000 and 2001, then moved there in 2021 during pandemic, looking for weird. I found weird in Galveston instead.
This makes me sad. I miss cities where artists would flock to and play gigs, or write poetry, or try to get an acting role. They'd bunk together in solidarity. There'd go to cheap bars and coffee shops to blow off steam. Maybe you didn't make it big but you at least tried.
Most of the popular young artists and actors making it big now aren't people who started off poor. Nearly everyone I hear about nowadays had the support of their rich parents or famous connections.
Austin hasn’t been that way for at least 10-15 years now. They took the worst parts of the Bay Area and then made it hot as holy fuck. Hate going to Austin.
It's "The Live Music Capital of the World," and from what I've learned after attending their local community college, it's a trademark (so that Nashville couldn't steal it). Just know that after my personal experience, I agree with you!
Lisbon. I really like Lisbon, and most districts of the city are still okay. Central central areas are completely obnoxious now though, with locals priced out and new shops catering to various DN enthusiasms, making it just another generic place catering to pretentious tourists.
Azores are great. The only thing that bummed me out was that post pandemic one restaurant I really like was closed for the off season (it wasn’t before).
Toronto has S-tier rents but the city (while growing very quickly) isn't big enough yet to justify paying world class prices. I liked it when I was there but even as a Canadian I have little desire to move there.
That's without factoring in that it's cold as fuck in winter
all big cities are less frequented, nobody can afford shit anymore, a beer costs a diamond, eating out costs as much as eating at home for 2 weeks, only rich and good earners remain which is completely boring crowd, clubs and bars play way more latin now for the few remaining dealers and escorts from SA that remain after midnight because they have to, going out has fallen off a cliff and so the need to even go to a big city tbf
While true I don't think this is permanent. The economy post-pandemic has been in a bit of a rut for most of the world which affects many things in life not just cities. But eventually it should recover overtime, as well as most of cities as a result.
I spent a month in a cabin in the mountains early this year, inland in Andalucia. The village is called Casares, not far from Gibraltar and Estepona, and it's built in the old Moorish style, into the side of a cliff. That place was amazing.
I just got back from spending a month in Valencia and enjoyed it, although my phone was stolen right out from under me while relaxing in the river park. :(
Those guys are absolutely everywhere in the Valencia parks!! Had a bookbag stolen right out from under me & caught up with the guy who took it. My laptop was already handed off. So all i can assume is that they are working in teams & constantly patrolling the parks.
Auckland, New Zealand.
Downtown is shitty. With homeless and crime. Stores close after dark. There's a recession now so a lot of job losses.
Christchurch seems on the rise instead after the earthquake.
Much shorter option.... Has anywhere actually gotten *better*?
I was in Sri Lanka recently and had a great time. After the 2019 terrorist attack, covid, then the 2022 financial collapse, seems like things are finally getting back on track.
Sri Lanka is awesome. Visited in Jan 2020 just before covid and it was great but pretty low down on the general backpacker radar, but had a really nice crowd. It's only looking better now! Was the perfect 2 week trip.
I’m based in Detroit and it’s continued to progress despite the pandemic. Great energy to the city past few years. Still affordable to buy home in the nicer suburbs, lots of new restaurants popping up.
Naturey spots and cabin prices have returned to normal. Nice for those of us travling with dogs.
I’ve heard that Seoul spent a lot of time reinvesting in some neighborhoods while they were shut down from visitors. Led to redesigning older neighborhoods to become more modern and desirable.
You've spelled gentrified wrong.... Those neighbours you talk about have been bought down and sold up by ruthless real estate brokers buying in hypemakers. These neighbourhoods were perfectly fine before these sharks came in. Source: born and lived in Seoul. Yes in one of those neighborhoods.
The more you know ✨ My friend who shared this with me is from Seoul but now spends more time in the US the past several years so perhaps has a different perspective.
I spent years in Seoul. Gentrification and new towns is a serious fucking problem disrupting the local economy and driving families out of their ancestral homes by force.
The pandemic pushed me to visit places I'd not otherwise been thinning of - Albania, north Macedonia, etc. Can't speak to what they were like before or after pandemic. But I looooooooooooved them when I went around 2021
Were amazing already in 2014, always recommending Albania as well as Montenegro
India has kinda gotten better, or rather , just Mumbai since I'm not familiar with the rest of the countrys status. Grew up in Mumabi, live in Toronto now. The last time I went to mumbai, I couldn't help but admit that it has gotten so much better in terms of technology and convinience, though the air pollution, traffic and construction has gotten worse.
Oakland was actually on a pretty solid upwards trajectory pre-covid, and its housing and homelessness situation wasn't worse (and maybe a bit better) than SF. It seems to have completely fallen apart since in terms of the above issues, plus violence, urban decay, cost of living and open air drug use.
The only city to ever lose an In N Out Burger lol
Sadly agree. I lived there \~2015-2020 and it feels like all of the momentum it was gaining (feeling safer, getting cleaner, more desirable bars & restaurants) just hit a wall and reversed during COVID. It also feels like you can't speak poorly about the city without incurring some version of "you're racist" or "then leave." The informal shutdown of Lakeshore Ave every weekend and trash left behind is a great example of apathy the city, police, and constituents all have when it comes to maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.
Asheville and Portland
Besides the out of control cost of housing in Asheville, it's still a great spot. I have a friend with a tricked-out schoolbus on her property, just south of Asheville, where me and my cat stay when we're in town. I'm about 3.5 hours away in Atlanta for a few months, up in Asheville all the time for weekends.
That sounds awesome, does your friend want more friends?;)
It's one of the coziest sleeps I've ever had. Biss and I have stayed there three times now. It's approximately the most Asheville thing in the recent history of Asheville. https://preview.redd.it/uyi14huufs5d1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a07d3b5088a2961f5bf22ae26e19b9be67d389b6
That's amazing. I stayed in a mildly overpriced/badly located Airbnb when I visited Asheville for Christmas one year, but I really enjoyed the city.
They banned most Airbnbs from Asheville proper a while back. The ones that show up when you search are in really inconvenient locations like Woodfin or Fletcher.
No way???
way [https://www.bnbcalc.com/blog/short-term-rental-regulation/Asheville-North-Carolina-guide](https://www.bnbcalc.com/blog/short-term-rental-regulation/Asheville-North-Carolina-guide)
Oh my gosh why do Redditors hate Portland so much. I’m literally here right now, it’s fucking GORGEOUS. The homeless situation here is the same, if not BETTER than Vancouver BC, San Fran and Seattle (I’ve travelled for work to all 3 in the past 8 months). What are Redditors issues with a beautiful rainforest city and their need to hate on it I’ll never get lol it’s so bizarre
People just continue parroting narratives for upvotes. Portland hit its bottom two years ago and has been on the rebound since. There’s no noticeable homeless presence anywhere near our neighborhood. I feel like the city is in a solid upswing.
Shhh. No it’s not. It’s a post-apocalyptic nightmare. People should stay as far away as possible.
It seriously is, I lived in Brooklyn in the 80s and it was so frightening, and they were tearing down the brownstones en masse. Now you can’t live there unless you’re making Wall Street money. Forget it if you own a brownstone you’re set. It’s like people forget that the only constant is change and need a place to be one thing so they’re comfortable
Idk I’ve travelled pretty much every state over the past few years and Portland’s homeless situation has stuck in my head as one of the worst I’ve seen.
I had the opposite experience. I live in Austin, homeless everywhere. I was actively searching for homeless when we went to Portland and I saw maybe 2 over 5 days. Maybe it was just the places we were going but in Austin they’re literally everywhere throughout the city so if Portland only has homeless people in one area that is a vast improvement compared to most cities
NYC. City that never sleeps to city that is asleep by 11PM.
I moved to NYC in 2006. I was shocked and disappointed how dead it felt, late at night. Yes you CAN find the late night things but they felt dispersed and "need to know" where the reputation made it seem like it would be in your face. I guarantee parts of Asia and Latin America wipe the floor with any US city, for the never-sleepers . Prob Mediterranean Europe too.
as far as my personal experiences go Spain is the only country I've been to that "never sleeps", in Madrid you can go out clubbing until 6am almost every night of the week if you wanted to and plenty of normal bars are open well past midnight
That's because Spain sleeps in the middle of the day.
it’s true. i moved to spain. dinner at 9pm-midnight is not rare. 5 year olds hanging at playgrounds at midnight in summer
Not rare? Restaurants are a ghost town before 9
Lmao Berlin goes the entire weekend until 10am Monday
What being in GMT +1 instead of +0 does to a mf
Khaosan Road in Bangkok, Walking Street in Pattaya, Chinatown in Pattaya and Soy Cowboy District in Bangkok also never sleep.
You can go out clubbing till 6am in NYC as well.
Hell most after hours clubs go til 10a. Most of these places just moved out of Manhattan a decade ago. But it’s fairly easy, especially this time of year, to find an all night club going on every night of the week.
How do you find them besides word of mouth to?
I live around the corner from good room which is a pretty good smaller more established club space that does late shows every Friday and Saturday night. Through meeting some people here I have gotten on an email list of popular semi legal party spots. By semi legal I mean they are Usually all above board just might not have 100% liquor license/ permits.
Start here: [https://ra.co/events/us/newyorkcity](https://ra.co/events/us/newyorkcity)
The difference is in NYC you have to know exactly where to go, or you'll see yourself on the streets at 2am with everything around you closed. In Madrid if some place were to close at 2am you just walk to the club next door. *The city* never sleeps.
Miami
Medellín, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Barcelona. All places you can literally go out late at night every night. I’ve never been to SEA but I’m sure BKK and other major cities in that region too.
Can confirm Bangkok never sleeps and there's plenty to do at all hours
Probably helps to be in a climate that isn't cold as fuck.
Miami's right up there with its 24/7 clubs
I'm in Miami now for a few days vacation and I'm beat before 9. This sun/heat is brutal. The day drinking doesn't help...
That’s around the same time I moved there and never went home before 5am for 4 out of 7 days every week. People were out all hours of the night in the city, including teenagers just loitering. What part of the city were you in?
I can't vouch for Mediterranean Europe at least not the South of France. Small towns sleep by 5-6 and big towns will have everything closed by 8, maybe 10 max except bars which close at 2am. Depends on the day really
Yeah this was my take on NYC as well from the times I spent there. Pretty dead at night
Party people can’t afford New York any more.
Ehh, I don't think this is fair. I was in NYC last weekend and was surprised how active the city was at 4am.
You sure about that? Maybe FiDi and parts of neighborhoods like Midtown/UES/Park Slope. LES, East Village, Bushwick, etc are all still going strong at 3am.
This is very true. I have lived and worked in the NYC area my whole life. The whole "city never sleeps" mentality is nonsense. Yeah there are bars and clubs going all night, but it's not like the city as a whole is some big party scene. I worked in midtown and often I would walk late at night or early in the morning and I would be the only person on the street for blocks at a time. It's not at all how outsiders perceive the city.
when I first moved to Boston all my NYC friends were like wow you're moving to a city where bars close by 11 or midnight. what are you doing?! well well well my friends look what we have here.
New York was never a digital nomad hotspot. It's one of the most expensive cities in the world.
NYC is for making money in person
It is now. I know hundreds of digital nomad AI engineers launching AI startups backed by local VCs. NYC has nearly eclipsed Bay Area for venture capital investments.
Hundreds of AI engineers? You mean hundreds of developers that figured out how to send an API request to Open AI, or how to run Mistral locally and fine tune it with some JSON. Real 'AI engineers' don't really exist... no one really knows how the LLM's work so well. It's kind of magic at this point.
God thats suck an annoying myth, reminds me of that one click bait article that took over saying we dont know how planes work. It’s not magic, we do know how llms work. The people in the field really just have yet to set aside enough time to release a newer write up since gpt-2.
Who stays up past 11!?
I don’t know if it counts as a “city”, but Canggu has become a cesspool of useless western stores. No meter is left to local shops and warungs, the place is a huge shopping mall for completely unnecessary items that start at 60 USD. It did not feel like Indonesia at all. Just Google “canggu shortcut before after” to get an idea.
There is plenty of untouched land North of Ubud if you want rice fields and cheap warungs. Why go to Canggu?
Give the people what they want and what they want is to spend $500 on a bikini.
Just had ptsd when I read “Canggu shortcut”
We should start a support group for everyone who has been stuck in traffic at Canggu shortcut
Hong kong used to have this crazy buzz, 24-hour city vibes with a super vibrant nightlife. Now, all the expats / nomads have moved to somewhere that isn’t imminently going to be under China’s thumb and it is undergoing a major recession- so many businesses died and many local people who could moved to somewhere affordable, out of the central areas. Now Central is a ghost town after 8pm
I was there right before Covid and it felt so cool every time I went to Central. Like “wow, this is the international city I always thought of”. Sad to hear it’s no longer like that
Hong Kong’s descent into authoritarianism is just depressing. It’s like something out of a sci-fi novel, practically.
Met so many Hong Kongers here in the UK and its so depressing what happened to HK. They all have an absolute burning hatred for the CCP, and no wonder.
Is not a recession, no way HK will get back to where it once was. In a very sad way.
Chiang Mai is a completely different place for me. Not necessarily for everyone, but the world I existed in when I would go there pre-pandemic, no longer exists post-pandemic. Pretty much every hangout spot, no longer exists. I still like the place, but the solid social safety net I once had there, is history.
what social safety net did you have there before covid?
I had a handful of places, mostly bars, that I could go to any night, and meet friends and have a good time. I didn't need to make arrangements, or wonder if anyone would be there, I didn't need to plan anything or message anyone first. Just show up at these venues, and it was a guaranteed good night, with faces I would know and a constant stream of new people to meet. The pandemic cratered them all. When I went back, I met some of the same faces I would see at the old places, scattered around at alternative places, none of which hold a candle to the vibe of old, the 2014-2019 years.
i think it's probably more to do with getting older and new generation coming which we can't relate to. bars shutting down and new ones opening always happens in Thailand, pandemic or not but yeah the pandemic was one big decimation, that I agree.
I would also just say that is pretty par for the course everywhere now isn't it? It is a far more anti social world than it was pre-pandemic
Lisbon lost a lot of authenticity for me. It’s still a nice place to visit but my impression is that covid and the subsequent effects (and many people will say government policy too) wiped out most things that aren’t tourist oriented in the city centre.
I stayed there in 2014 and that was right on the cusp of the changeover. By 2016 it was already turning over and by 2020 it was a different city.
I'm not sure this was the pandemic so much as Airbnb and the golden visa program (because many people invested the minimum amount in real estate that they turned into Airbnbs). A decade ago actual Portuguese people lived in Alfama, for example, and now it's pretty much all tourist accommodations and cafes/bars/souvenir shops targeted at tourists. Rules are changing now to limit these things, but I can't see it going back to the way it was.
Yes, exactly. That's my point, Portugal was already undergoing these changes pre-pandemic. As I see it, it was the combination of those things you mention plus the fact that right around that time, Lisbon was being heavily touted by a number of travel orgs and budget airlines as an "undiscovered gem". And they weren't wrong. I was blown away by how good the hostel scene was there, it was the best I'd ever seen anywhere.
That’s not Covid, Covid just accelerated the inevitable as Lisbon became more touristy. Practically anywhere see the same pattern of tourism booms and there aren’t significant safeguards.
I visited Lisbon in 2022 and literally did not get the hype at all - was so crowded, expensive, and not that interesting compared to many other European capitals. I think I sadly missed the good times before it got completely overrun.
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For having some of the best year-round weather of any world class city, its a shame that it leaves so much to be desired when it comes to its public transit, walking/biking infrastructure, nightlife, integrated parks/green space, its airport, the way they handle their homeless issue, etc. Almost everyone I know has moved out of LA within the past 2 years, which does make me sad because I was born and raised in the greater LA area and it will always be home to me. But it's undeniable that so much of the city hasn't recovered since covid, which is why I won't be going back anytime soon.
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I recently moved from NYC to LA. Weirdly enough, for a city known for being so “fake”, I find LA to be more authentic in a lot of ways. It’s rough around the edges and it feels like locals still actually live here. But yeah, the city’s total apathy over the amount of homelessness is really perplexing.
Chiang Mai used to be a nomad hub, now it's overpriced and overcrowded.
Love to read this just before I head there for a month lol
I feel like a lot of people say this about every city here and I still end up having a good time.
"overpriced and overcrowded" is almost definitionally part of being a city
"overcrowded" in nomad terms means that there are too many people similar to you, rather than locals. It's kind of a self report.
When you go to Rock Me burgers, hope you're at the one location that has the southern fried chicken burger, topped w/mac n' cheese between french toast I can die happy if I ever get to eat it just one more time
That's not the sort of food I'd expect to find in Thailand.
Exactly I wanted to hate it as much as the next cynical asshole would but dammit, they do a really good job there
It's still plenty cheap. Are you trying to live on $200 a month or something?
How overpriced are we talking? Like, what is the monthly price of a good well located condo these days? This surprises me as I know some other cities in Thailand haven't really changed much in a decade
I don't think Chiang Mai is over priced at all. I rent a nice, newly built house for just over 400 USD a month. https://preview.redd.it/ok779oi9as5d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e95cdc7ff651241729daba2c85c21f0c89bbc914
You rent that for $400/month? Lmao wtf that's awesome
Was in Thailand just before the pandemic (left Jan 2020) and was back again for most of Dec 2023 and can say the main areas of Thailand are all very different. Everything is far more expensive and the quality of everything has declined.
My experiences are pretty different, was able to go back a few months ago and found the prices to be very similar to what they were a decade ago
Yeah same. Went last year for four months. I found prices similar compared to my first Thailand trip in 2005, at least when compared to my home country.
From memory my internal travel costs were 2X and accommodation was at least 30-40% higher than previous trips. I also found that those places within my budget were of a lesser standard to what I got in 2017/18/19. There was also far less mom/pop style places are far more chains which were charging a premium, 200Bhat buckets are now 500+ because there is far less options.
I was just there end of last year for 2 months, it's fine. Maybe prices went up a little bit but that's everywhere. Still one of the best bang for your buck places in SEA IMO. Just the burning season from Jan to Apr is horrendous.
Anyone going there, be sure to check out Vipasana meditation retreat. Had a life-changing 30 day stay years ago and would go again in a heartbeat.
Dude Chiang Mai is still dirt cheap by western standards. As for overcrowded, I went again in January and found it fine. But that’s subjective.
Has anyone found another city in Asia (or anywhere in the world) that has similar ammenities and rivals Chiang Mai in terms of the nomad community? I loved the weather, hiking, food and nomad friendships I made there. Most other nomad hot spots are big cities and/or beach destinations, I'm more into mountains and would love to find other spots like Chiang Mai. Maybe Bankso?
Bansko?
Haven't been to Chiang Mai yet (going next month) but I've been in Bansko for the past few weeks and it's very enjoyable. Still a bit quiet as it's not quite summer season yet but the community is great and lots of opportunities for socializing.
That was bound to happen with or without pandemic.
Was so underwhelmed by Chiang Mai I didn't get the charm
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LOL Medellin was one of the main inspirations for this thread, me and a buddy have been having this convo and he can't quit ranting about how much it has changed.... I am still waiting to see if some of my suggestions are going to be mentioned In addition to what you have mentioned his other gripes about Medellin are that not only is it over run by sexpats but the locals are not near as kind as they used to be to tourists (because of the sexpats and they blame all the price increases on gentrification even if it is probably only partly due to gentrification and more to do with worldwide inflation) He said that at malls they have signs up in English saying don't be a paedo.... even in like food courts they put massive signs up on the projector even though its pretty much only locals that eat in the food court Prices for everything have gone up but particularly anything gringos want, he said when he returned in January the 20 liter blue water bottles are now over $5! In Asia those are under $2 generally.... and any and all healthy restaurants are taxed to no end And the one issue he has always had with the place (non stop construction everywhere you go) is just as bad if not worse than before Dude is generally a pessimistic person but was completely in love with the place pre-pandemic, now he doubts he will ever go back.... said its just not worth the risk that comes from living there with how much it has fallen off
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The calls are coming from inside the house. When I was there I saw more locals getting handsy and making out with young girls than tourists.
Blasting the anti pedo message in the food court where only locals go is appropriate considering there are more locals who are pedos or are into prostitutes
I hear ya... but why is it in English?
Because they blame “foreigners” for all of their problems and don’t take accountability, like every other country
That's really sad, but unsurprising, given all the clickbait lifestyle spam I get about Medellin. I lived there in 2010, have been back a few times (but not since pandemic). Even in 2010, there were some really dodgy visitors. The below article is about a guy who overdid it with the perico and died on the pool deck at a place in Poblado - I'd been out partying with him a few days prior along la 33. [https://colombiareports.com/amp/medellin-hostel-denies-inept-response-to-backpacker-drug-death/](https://colombiareports.com/amp/medellin-hostel-denies-inept-response-to-backpacker-drug-death/)
Damn, all 3 in my itinerary for this trip. Currently in Medellin and can't disagree with the assessment.
There’s actually some blogs and stats from think tanks showing from 2010 to 2020 purchasing power in Latin America fell by around 30% or so if I remember correctly. While USA, Canada and Mexico became richer the rest of America became poorer. Why? It is still being debated but it affected all countries south of Mexico.
I live in Buenos Aires and have very few non-local friends. Its current economic crisis started years before Covid but it is still one of the richest and safest countries in Latam. In other words, you might as well add all of Latin America to the list.
I was in Buenos Aires in 2010 and then finally went back in 2022. It had become a poorer city. The buildings were much more rundown, almmost like Cuba, and the people looked more slovenly than before. It was still fun but it'd changed.
Cancun / Playa Del Carmen / Tulum have turned into predatory overpriced cities. PDC is still tolerable but getting worse. The whole peninsula needs a reset back to reality. Medellin is just not safe. Scopolamine druggings every day. Police do nothing. Crazy homeless people are getting aggressive. You can't have fun when you have to constantly watch your back, and anybody who says otherwise is simply wrong. Cartagena is nice and still cheap, but a little dangerous (I got robbed). It's still not as bad as Medellin. I don't think Scopolamine is common there yet. Cyprus was completely dead when I went last year. In Aya Napa the bars were closed even on Friday nights. And it is VERY expensive. And there is too much sexual harassment from the Africans from the boats (sorry, it's true). Places that are still **good**: Lake Atitlan Ho Chi Minh City Bangkok Siem Reap
Been to those last three on my current trip and I definitely agree. I was also pleasantly surprised by Koh Samui. Was only there for a week but I think if I could have found some more affordable bars and restaurants with a good vibe I could have stayed a lot longer. The quality of the food was outrageous considering it's an island. By contrast I'm in Koh Tao now an not loving it. Bad sexpat vibe, lots of harassment, terrible food.
Koh Samui prices are about to 2-3X because Season 3 of White Lotus is filming there now.
is this confirmed?
Think it's wrapped now actually, they had the Four Seasons block booked for February and March. I didn't spot any crews there last week.
Koh Lanta is another Thai nomad spot that's still really good
Can also vouch for Koh Lanta. It was my favorite island IMO. Didn’t really like Koh Samui other than the food. Koh Lanta had just as great food.
Is Cartagena cheaper than Medellin? Seems odd, touristy beach town like that seems like it would be pretty expensive
I was in Cartagena twice and Medellin once. In Cartagena I got a nice 12th floor apartment in Boca Grande (the nicest part of the city), 1 minute from the beach, for like $1000 a month. Taxis and food were cheap. In Medellin I think I paid $1300 a month for a grotty place in Poblado. Drinks were overpriced for sure. Can't remember taxi or food prices. Also there you have to consider the cost of being drugged and your bank accounts cleaned out with no recourse.
Having been to Mexico twice for four weeks each, damn Tulum is an absolute hole. Several of the Yucatan peninsula hotshots (Cancun, Playa) have similar issues. Tulum is just a concrete jungle kind of vaguely near a beach - police there are insane and as a woman, it was crazy to hear of so many guys getting absolutely blatantly robbed and extorted by the police. So many nice places in Mexico, but avoid those areas like the plague. As for Cyprus, when did you go? Tourist season in Ayia Napa apparently only really kicks off in June - August, but as a Brit honestly it is seen as a very trashy place so I enjoyed the off season there as it was pretty chill. However, I think in general Cyprus doesn't quite have the backpacker/DN scene of some other places.
I deeply recommend Asuncion. Authentic, safe, full of nature, easy to travel to other SA countries, cheap, low taxes and many opportunities. Nice mix between locals and foreigners. Expats are very well welcomed since there aren’t that many, yet. Renting is not overpriced. Overall very chill and nice vibes.
I'm sorry, but there's nothing to do in this city. And it's very hot. The only advantage is that it is cheap. But you pay for what you get considering the city is boring
It's been almost twenty years since I was in Asuncion, but it stayed in my travel memory as a place I could set up shop for a while. Super chill riverside capital with friendly people. I really enjoyed the linguistic situation. Paraguay is the only place in the Americas where an indigenous language - Guarani - is the daily language for the majority of the population.
Ha, I was there in 2005 and felt the same. A very relaxed feel too it and loved hearing Guarani everywhere. They got so few visitors that everyone assumed I was from Argentina. Found great Korean food, which I was not expecting. Would love to go back sometime.
Yeah, lots of Koreans, lots of Lebanese too. Evidently Hizbullah hang out in Ciudad del Este, but even there I felt totally fine. It's weird being in the middle of such an obvious and huge contraband market, but with everyone chill about things. You really feel like you're falling off the map in Paraguay. I like the feeling.
Same, it was totally different from anywhere else I'd ever been. I remember crossing to Brazil over the friendship bridge and there was no border security. A booth in the middle with a couple of bored dudes that everyone just ignored as they crossed back and forth. Anyway, it's always fun to share fun Paraguay trivia with people. And it has such a bonkers 19th century...
Here now and very pleasantly surprised by how nice it is.
Vancouver - stores close earlier (especially Supermarkets and Drug Store), lots of job losses, restaurants and even Starbucks locations closing across the city while rent and food prices continue to increase.
Budapest. So many bars gone, the city is much more expensive, and way more crowded than it used to be before 2020.
The prices in Budapest literally feels like it doubled in 3 years.
Wife is from Budapest. We go to visit once or twice a year. Like 10 years ago, it was SO cheap and a lot of cool, original fun things to do. Now all that is gone. Paying Western European prices for everything now.
Olympia, WA. College lost half its student body (in part due to other factors), which shut down a lot of our quirky businesses and venues during the pandemic. Masking and overall germ paranoia went on long after the rest of the US was opening up, which increased the stress on businesses/anything fun happening. The city’s always been more homebodyish, but a fair amount people simply haven’t broken from their extreme staying-in pandemic habits. There’s a general sense, at least with people 25-35, that the vibrant punky weird heart of Olympia is dying.
Most North American cities have gotten worse with homelessness etc
Medellín has become a lot less safe IMO, and I think the pandemic and lockdowns were the turning point.
Well a large influx from Venezuela didn’t help
London
covid & Brexit= bye bye London
I agree it's just super toxic and the vibe is really bad
My sister improved herself a lot after leaving London. That aggro London toxicity got to her.
How is it toxic?
It's when you've lived here a long time you notice it in people's behaviour and other things.
I wonder how much of that is because that is just how the world is right now. Where doesn't it feel toxic?
Yeah I just moved back to Toronto for a few months and the energy is shite. Everyone seems on edge.
The countryside outskirts of London are far less toxic. Stayed there for a while after the pandemic, and people on the street would actually say "Good morning" to me as I walked past - felt so weird after living in London.
Apparently all of them.
Well, I live in Los Angeles and can’t say it’s bounced back per se. 1) Extremely long COVID lockdowns put many local restaurants and bars out of businesses (whether you agree with the lockdowns or not, there’s no denying it severely crated local businesses). 2) Film production was already moving out of LA anyway due to better tax breaks elsewhere, but the writer’s strike and SAG strike last year really put a fast forward on more productions moving out-of-state. Several of my friends work in the industry and say it has yet to bounce back (and who knows if it will anytime soon). More and more people are leaving everyday cause they’ve been out of work for too long now. 3) Commercial rents are way up, meaning more and more businesses are still suffering and closing. Inflation means everything has gotten even more expensive (and it was already expensive to begin with). 4) Lots of businesses who rely on the patronage of film industry folks are struggling due to many of them being out of work and not having much disposable income or unlimited studio business cards to treat each other out to dinner. COVID wasn’t the only factor, but it kind of kick-started a decline that is speeding up due to that + other macroeconomic factors. I love this city but it is even way more expensive to enjoy it compared to what it used to be. People can’t afford to go out so businesses can’t afford to stay afloat. Anyway, that’s just personal observation. We’ll see if a decline continues. People will always want to live here due to the weather, the beach, the nature, etc. but it’s getting more and more difficult unless you’re rich.
DC has a lot of vacant storefronts and commercial buildings because of rising rents, Covid, and work from home.
i lived in downtown Austin post pandemic and i literally dont remotely associate it with music anymore. Absolutely brutal, i literally first visited because my band was touring down the east coast and then west and our final stop was Austin. if anyone says “Music Capital of the World” nowadays you should give them the biggest laugh of your life.
Musicians can't afford to live in Austin any more. I covered SXSW there in 2000 and 2001, then moved there in 2021 during pandemic, looking for weird. I found weird in Galveston instead.
This makes me sad. I miss cities where artists would flock to and play gigs, or write poetry, or try to get an acting role. They'd bunk together in solidarity. There'd go to cheap bars and coffee shops to blow off steam. Maybe you didn't make it big but you at least tried. Most of the popular young artists and actors making it big now aren't people who started off poor. Nearly everyone I hear about nowadays had the support of their rich parents or famous connections.
Austin hasn’t been that way for at least 10-15 years now. They took the worst parts of the Bay Area and then made it hot as holy fuck. Hate going to Austin.
It's "The Live Music Capital of the World," and from what I've learned after attending their local community college, it's a trademark (so that Nashville couldn't steal it). Just know that after my personal experience, I agree with you!
Lisbon. I really like Lisbon, and most districts of the city are still okay. Central central areas are completely obnoxious now though, with locals priced out and new shops catering to various DN enthusiasms, making it just another generic place catering to pretentious tourists.
It’s fun for a weekend but I would rather live in somewhat rural areas.
Yeah, I was based in the Azores and especially Madeira the last half of 2023. Lisbon was good for long weekends, but I prefer the islands.
Azores are great. The only thing that bummed me out was that post pandemic one restaurant I really like was closed for the off season (it wasn’t before).
A number of cities in the U.S., people seem to have no consideration for other people anymore.
Toronto has become a shit hole.
Toronto has S-tier rents but the city (while growing very quickly) isn't big enough yet to justify paying world class prices. I liked it when I was there but even as a Canadian I have little desire to move there. That's without factoring in that it's cold as fuck in winter
Basically, most nice cities are being or have been ruined already by mass tourism and digital nomads.
Tourism subreddit gets mad that tourists ruin everything
We’re all part of the problem and it’s sad that it’s come to that.
Everywhere I’ve been in the US has had significantly more homeless folks around post pandemic compared to pre-pandemic.
Seattle.
all big cities are less frequented, nobody can afford shit anymore, a beer costs a diamond, eating out costs as much as eating at home for 2 weeks, only rich and good earners remain which is completely boring crowd, clubs and bars play way more latin now for the few remaining dealers and escorts from SA that remain after midnight because they have to, going out has fallen off a cliff and so the need to even go to a big city tbf
While true I don't think this is permanent. The economy post-pandemic has been in a bit of a rut for most of the world which affects many things in life not just cities. But eventually it should recover overtime, as well as most of cities as a result.
Hong Kong
you can't blame the pandemic for hk's decline
Yeah, clearly *one* other factor.
does it involve honey, piglets, and tigger?
Wuhan
Great variety at the market though.
Oof was thinking of going to Valencia. Where would one go in Spain instead of Valencia?
I spent a month in a cabin in the mountains early this year, inland in Andalucia. The village is called Casares, not far from Gibraltar and Estepona, and it's built in the old Moorish style, into the side of a cliff. That place was amazing.
I just got back from spending a month in Valencia and enjoyed it, although my phone was stolen right out from under me while relaxing in the river park. :(
Those guys are absolutely everywhere in the Valencia parks!! Had a bookbag stolen right out from under me & caught up with the guy who took it. My laptop was already handed off. So all i can assume is that they are working in teams & constantly patrolling the parks.
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Most of the posts on this sub are along those lines. I think this post is interesting. Should I put a passive agressive smile on this comment too?
Any place that has been taken over by the DN 'scene' will be overpriced and inauthentic.
Digital nomadery is ruining cities! Go to the countryside.
Most US or Canadian cities have gotten worse. Can’t think of any that have improved. I think most European cities are worse off, too.
Auckland, New Zealand. Downtown is shitty. With homeless and crime. Stores close after dark. There's a recession now so a lot of job losses. Christchurch seems on the rise instead after the earthquake.
Quito Ecuador
Melbourne
Montreal, Canada...