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It definitely, in many cases, distinguishes who is "low income" for the most part.
In NYC taking the buses and subway is considered 'cool' and 'urban'.
In Albany taking the bus means you're part of the 'ghetto' demographic.
Anyone else notice this?
Whenever I am waiting for the bus in Colonie I get a lot of stares from people in cars. I can tell they are looking down at us for taking the bus, even if they wouldn't openly admit so.
Obviously there is a cultural stigma attached to taking the bus in Albany.
Yeah, that's pretty much true. It's because Albany isn't as "cool" and "urban" as NYC is. Albany isn't really gentrified in the same way NYC (Manhattan) is. Until more middle and upper class people live in downtown Albany it will continue to be this way.
Yeah, that's pretty much true. It's because Albany isn't as "cool" and "urban" as NYC is. Albany isn't really gentrified in the same way NYC (Manhattan) is. Until more middle and upper class people live in downtown Albany it will continue to be this way.
The only equivalent to a gentrified lower east side Albany has is the area between lark and empire plaza and washington and Dove. This area has rents that are fairly consistent and on the higher end.
For me personally the perfect area to live in Albany is the downtown business district, as it is utterly DEAD after 6 pm, pretty much till 6 AM.
But I often feel like I am part of the 'ghetto' demographic when I am on the bus, even though I am cultured and educated.
I think it makes it difficult for me to meet decent women in the area, outside of the quick glance situations I often encounter.
The only equivalent to a gentrified lower east side Albany has is the area between lark and empire plaza and washington and Dove. This area has rents that are fairly consistent and on the higher end.
For me personally the perfect area to live in Albany is the downtown business district, as it is utterly DEAD after 6 pm, pretty much till 6 AM.
But I often feel like I am part of the 'ghetto' demographic when I am on the bus, even though I am cultured and educated.
I think it makes it difficult for me to meet decent women in the area, outside of the quick glance situations I often encounter.
There's been steps to improve the living situation of downtown. Many, many apartments have opened up downtown and a few cool new shops have opened up downtown recently. The problem is downtown needs even more apartments and condos. But I'm excited for the continuing trend.
Its not just an Albany thing. I am originally from Rochester and it has the exact same vibe there. Like it or not, public transport carries a "lowlife" stigma. Personally I hate it when I have to ride the bus; my time in my car is enjoyable, convenient, and private. I can drink my coffee, stop at the store, listen to my music, and it is quiet, comfortable, and relaxing.
I think public transport makes a lot of sense for bigger cities. For smaller cities not so much, and this may be why people will tend to assume anyone using it is doing so because they have to, not because they choose to.
There's been steps to improve the living situation of downtown. Many, many apartments have opened up downtown and a few cool new shops have opened up downtown recently. The problem is downtown needs even more apartments and condos. But I'm excited for the continuing trend.
Yea, prior to my most recent living situation I rented an apartment from a guy who renovated a building. Unfortunately it had a rat problem because his renovation process was inadequate to combat said issue and the building was two doors down from an abandoned/condemned building. Needless to say as soon as I saw the first Rat I made arrangements to move, even though it took a few weeks to fully move.
So yea, I am much more careful now what streets I choose to live on and who my landlord is.
Its not just an Albany thing. I am originally from Rochester and it has the exact same vibe there. Like it or not, public transport carries a "lowlife" stigma. Personally I hate it when I have to ride the bus; my time in my car is enjoyable, convenient, and private. I can drink my coffee, stop at the store, listen to my music, and it is quiet, comfortable, and relaxing.
I think public transport makes a lot of sense for bigger cities. For smaller cities not so much, and this may be why people will tend to assume anyone using it is doing so because they have to, not because they choose to.
Unfortunately it almost seems as if people will judge you for it. Women too.
There is a reason I seldom if ever encounter attractive females on the bus. And it has to be because their 'standards' preclude taking the bus.
It is so ****ing alienating man, I tell you.
But part of me wants to say that if a woman cannot look past that, then she is not worth it.
Another part of me is saying maybe she is judging based on the perceived mentality of most people who would take the bus and she must be generalizing. I really do not know.
All I know is there is such strong separation in the capital area socially as a result of this.
Now, once I am off the bus, at the Gym, or at the Mall, barnes and noble, etc. I do not really encounter this separation, despite any residual feelings of Alienation I may have.
When you're walking around the mall people can't really tell where you come from, what mode of transport you use or what have you.
I enjoyed CDTA when I lived there. I was a grad student at UAlbany, so the bus was free. Perfect for a basically broke grad student. And it was more consistent and reliable than the public transportation in my current city.
I think it's a state of mind issue. I had a car, but I took the bus downtown, enjoyed it, and didn't feel "ghetto" at all. Although I was in grad school and poor, prior to grad school I was pretty much a yuppie. There were definitely some interesting characters on the bus and people who were definitely lower income, but there were also commuters like me on the way to Empire State Plaza on the bus, too. I never had problems with the interesting people or lower income people. If there were annoying people on there, I just put myself in my public transportation mode: headphones on/look busy or distracted/stare out the window or "through" the people around you. I really didn't give an iota what people driving by me in cars thought.
Taking any public transportation in most places typically means you're culturally lower income. Of course, unless you live in an area where it's cool (i.e., many middle and upper income people) to take public transportation (e.g., NYC, DC, Chicago). For many places where it's cool to take public transportation, it just makes sense to do so.
It's this way in pretty much all small and mid-size cities in the US. The places where this is not the case - e.g. NYC, Boston, San Francisco - is where parking is difficult to find and expensive. As much as people like to complain about downtown Albany parking, it is really quite easy and cheap compared to big cities. This is obvious from the fact that many more commuters drive than take the bus.
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