Humans do not develop lasting immunity to the viruses that cause the common cold, so, personally, I'd rather get the cold less frequently than more frequently.

But if you enjoy getting the cold as frequently as possible, by all means move closer to the next person you see sneezing and coughing their lungs out on the subway.

It is just totally weird to me that we now have folks arguing in favor of getting the cold. I remember it used to be no one was in favor of getting sick. Folks: you can believe whatever you want about COVID without coming out in favor of repeatedly catching the cold and the flu. You know better than that.

>I constantly see so many people on the trains, public spaces just coughing and sneezing openly without covering their mouths+noses. You would think everyone learned a thing or two after almost 3yrs of a global pandemic but it seems some just either forgot or just don’t care.

Yes, it's ridiculous and it frankly really pisses me off. If you're coughing your lungs out, you should not be on transit, and if you "have" to be on transit for whatever personal justification you've made, the least you could do is wear a fracking mask and, if not, at least cover your coughs and sneezes!

But instead, I see so many jerks just sneezing and coughing their lungs out into the open air on trains and buses. Including well-dressed white-collar professionals who could almost certainly WFH.

Even aside from these jerks, it's crazy (to me) how few people mask up on transit. I don't care whether you believe in COVID conspiracy theories - why would you want to breathe in someone else's cold, flu, RSV germs?? Like do people actually enjoy getting sick, or are people actually so ignorant that they don't realize breathing in someone else's cough droplets is going to infect them?

What would really spur NY's economy is a return to expanding the subway system.

The lion's share of today's entire subway system was built between 1900-1930.

In 1900, it only took 4 years to build the first subway line all the way from City Hall to Harlem. That was back when literal animals were used to assist with hauling construction materials!

It is inexcusable that, over a century later, despite all of our technological advances, we are now taking almost 10 years to build a measly three stations. Yes, there's more underground infrastructure and cables to contend with. But technological advances also ought to help speed construction! Surely modern construction equipment ought to help things go faster than using animals to haul construction materials around?

With new subway building, there would automatically be a development boom like no other. Imagine a new subway tunnel linking FiDi to St. George - imagine the resulting development boom in tragicomically underdeveloped St. George, Tompkinsville, Stapleton, Clifton, where today huge abandoned lots sit right next to SIR stations. This would also dramatically drive down rents in lower Manhattan as far more people would find it practical and desirable to live in Staten Island.

Or imagine a bi-state project to build a new subway line between FiDi and Bayonne, NJ. Imagine the amount of pressure that would take off of rents in northern Brooklyn. As is, Bayonne is so close to Manhattan as the crow flies, but the commute is absolutely miserable (HBLR -> PATH -> subway).

Good luck!

There's the legal argument and then there's the ethical argument.

If the alternative is becoming homeless, then obviously use whatever leverage you have to avoid homelessness... but it just strikes me, personally, as a really lousy move to force someone who's been giving you a free room to incur the time and expense of going to housing court to evict you.

Maybe see if you can try to negotiate a longer grace period than a week? Hopefully this person who's been giving you a free room would be willing to accommodate you a bit longer to avoid (i) making you homeless or (ii) taking you to housing court. Because a one-week deadline to (i) find a place and (ii) move out is pretty tough for most people to meet.

Welcome to New York!

I recommend looking on StreetEasy and Zillow for rooms for rent. Focus on the less expensive parts of the city (i.e., anywhere outside of Manhattan below 96th Street, Morningside Heights, western Queens and northern Brooklyn). Widen your net. It wouldn't be the end of the world to land in Jersey City or even St. George. Here for instance is a $1,400/month studio in St. George that's available right away.