How would one compare NYC poverty to that of Chicago and elsewhere? (live, cost)
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A lot of people on these boards seem to be students of urban culture / fascinated with urban decay or gentrification. How would you compare what it means to be poor in NY with Chi? Some may say that things are the same all over, but I think others might disagree.
For people that have lived or visited neighborhoods in both places, what do you think?
For example, I think even with its problems, the MTA is much more efficient than the el. One of Chicago's most difficult aspects is probably the endless, soul-crushing winters, while in New York it's the cramped, competitive feeling.
Also, cheap bad food in Chicago is stuff like hot dogs and rib tips, whereas in NYC it's obviously pizza.
In NYC because our transportation system is good, people are free to explore the city and find bargains. In NYC you can find places to buy a "no frills" down coat for $10, or pants and shirts for under $10, along with other items of clothing. I am not sure how that is in Chicago, but in Buffalo NY these types of bargains are harder to find, it is much easier to tell if a person is poor by appearance there, than it is in NYC.
In NYC because our transportation system is good, people are free to explore the city and find bargains. In NYC you can find places to buy a "no frills" down coat for $10, or pants and shirts for under $10, along with other items of clothing. I am not sure how that is in Chicago, but in Buffalo NY these types of bargains are harder to find, it is much easier to tell if a person is poor by appearance there, than it is in NYC.
In cities like NYC and CHI, you have good public transit always available so homeless people have the chance to explore the city and move around much quicker, while in cities like Houston we lack good public transportation. The homeless here usually move by their feet and have to endure long summers of intolerable weather.
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Originally Posted by ainulinale
Impoverished people in NYC and Chicago are far better off than those of the third world.
True...I teach in the south Bronx--a lot of the teachers in the school wonder why people would move from other countries to the S.Bronx. I thought about this too at one point. What we fail to realize is that other parts of the world are a lot worse than bad parts of the major cities here. I have kids from Africa and the Dominican Republic. My mentor went to DR and said it was much more run down than the S.Bronx.
A lot of people on these boards seem to be students of urban culture / fascinated with urban decay or gentrification. How would you compare what it means to be poor in NY with Chi? Some may say that things are the same all over, but I think others might disagree.
For people that have lived or visited neighborhoods in both places, what do you think?
For example, I think even with its problems, the MTA is much more efficient than the el. One of Chicago's most difficult aspects is probably the endless, soul-crushing winters, while in New York it's the cramped, competitive feeling.
Also, cheap bad food in Chicago is stuff like hot dogs and rib tips, whereas in NYC it's obviously pizza.
What does the L really have to do with poverty? I take the L every day, it gives around 650,000 rides/day on weekdays. A vast majority are people going downtown to work and back, not homeless people. I probably see homeless people on the L about once out of every 5 rides. More ride at night, but it really has no effect on homeless or poor people. I really don't get why people still see public transportation as something for homeless people, and not moving normal stable people around large cities.
It's because people in poverty are forced to take public transportation; they don't have the option of taking taxis in emergencies or when they are late. It's has ramifications all over the place: job interviews missed because the train is late; can't pick kids up on time if the bus decides not to stop; have to wait in the cold at night.
Case in point: I almost always take public transportation, but once after a Yankees game I was trying to get home and no buses were coming down Fordham road. I waited with several people for over an hour until everyone started walking. Miraculously, a cab came down the road -- this does NOT happen in the Bronx at midnight. I had money to take it; everyone else had to walk miles to get home, meanwhile leaving children unattended at home to get into trouble; making themselves exhausted for work the next day and increasing the chances that they don't function as well as lose their jobs, etc. If your public transportation sucks you have these problems every day.
Efficiency Public transportation is a HUGE concern for people without money. If you have money, you just use the 'L' because it's convenient. If you don't, you are its slave. It's ignorant to say that it's the same for all people.
I see a lot of posts in the Chicago forum where people don't have cars and don't want cars because other transportation is available. Maybe these would be a better questions: What is the dollar amount of the poverty level for one person in NYC? What is the cost of a studio or a 1 bedroom apartment in a safe but not so nuce neighborhood? What does a one-year bus pass cost?
Chicagoans like their hot dogs as much as they like their pizza, beer and sports. .
I don't think being hungry and homeless feels any different in NYC or Chicago or LA than it does it little town USA excepting weather, available transportation and a food source. Small towns don't have soup kitchens or flop houses.
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