January 12, 2006
new york
I'm currently in London, back home tonight.
It looks like Stormhoek will be spending more marketing efforts in the USA starting this year, which might mean I get to spend more time in New York, after a few years away from my most beloved city.
Also, there's some interesting things happening with English Cut on the company front. Since most of our customers are American, I can't see not spending more time over there for that as well.
I've no real interest in living there full-time again [Honest!]. I'm not Wall Street material, nor does Big Media or Madison Avenue do much for me these days. Right now I'm thinking a few days every month or so would be good, not unlike the frequency I currently visit Paris and London.
It's funny, even five years ago doing what I'm doing outside a big city would be nearly impossible. But the blogosphere changed everything.
A $5000-a-month Tribeca loft is far less appealing when you don't actually have to live there in order to get ahead.
But yet, in spite of the internet making things possible for so many people near and far, the property prices in New York, London and other central hubs do nothing except rise. And rise fiercely.
What's going on? The Pre-Cluetrain crowd having one last gasp before the party ends?
Posted by hugh macleod at January 12, 2006 12:30 PM | TrackBackActually housing costs in NY supposedly have stalled late last year. The Powers That Be are all hoping that the record bonuses on Wall Street will re-invigorate the housing market.
So maybe the party is over.
We're an hour and a half north of midtown, we have a nice fat data pipe going into the house, our kids can go to great schools and right now I can look up and see the miles of woods behind our house. Beats the hell out of looking at other buildings.
Posted by: david parmet at January 13, 2006 11:56 AMHugh you should try living in Reykjavik, Iceland. Last year we were just behind N.Y. and London as the most expensive cities on earth.
But you SHOULD visit Iceland. There are alot of people here that could use a little shaking and waking up in both marketing and advertising. I know not one of them has even heard of blogvertising or the kind of work you are doing.
Cheers.
Posted by: Egill at January 13, 2006 12:12 PMLooking at a Picasso on the Internet just isn't the same.
The cultural richness of cities remains difficult or impossible to capture electronically.
This is a surprise to someone who's lived in New York?
Posted by: Katherine at January 13, 2006 2:40 PMHugh. I'll buy you a beer when you're here. That will save ya.
P
Posted by: Piers Fawkes at January 13, 2006 6:39 PMI've got a 3 bedroom house, a studio building and a couple acres surrounded by some of the most beautiful forest and rivers you've ever seen, all for house payments of $315 a month. I do about half my business and 90% of my social life over the web or the phone.
And actually, I kinda hate it. It was fun for a while.
Trips to Chicago help, but the thing is, where I'm living, there are no restaurants to speak of, few art galleries, not many like minds to converse with and don't even get me started on the dating options...
I'm thinking seriously about a return to the city. Yeah, the idea of paying 1000's a month for space is unappealing, especially when you need as much space as I do, but at least I'd have company.
Posted by: john t unger at January 13, 2006 6:58 PMWe traded London for Toronto and so far it works for me.
No more sky high property prices, nature in abundance an hour away but all the multi-culturalism and diversity I could possibly wish for.
People live in cities because cities are fun to live in, especially if you're under 35.
Posted by: Andreas Duess at January 13, 2006 7:17 PMMyself and the good Mrs Friday shared our first bottle of Stormhoek tonight.
By the end of it we were toasting your very good health!
Pip pip!
Posted by: Jack Friday at January 13, 2006 10:34 PMNew York? Try Phoenix
Posted by: alan herrell - the head lemur at January 17, 2006 4:39 PM