‘Doubling Down on New York’: A Manhattan Neighborhood Bounces Back
The New York Times
The Omicron variant is keeping Manhattan’s offices empty. But an influx of residents and a housing boom in neighborhoods like Chelsea hint at a better future.
Not long after graduating from the University of Florida this spring, Emily Locke decided to move to the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan.
Ms. Locke, 22, grew up near West Palm Beach, but had long been attracted to the invigorating, unpredictable energy she felt during childhood visits to New York. Chelsea offered the perfect blend of shops and access to multiple subway lines.
She knew of the pandemic’s devastating toll in New York and how so many people had fled the city. Still, this summer she jumped at the chance to rent a studio apartment. Fully vaccinated, she has gone to Broadway shows and restaurants close to home, and even has a favorite neighborhood juice shop.
