Calibrated to cities

Don, as you may recall, suffers from a malady we dubbed "Poliphobia" – namely, a "fear" of cities.

This is not a real phobia (an irrational fear), of course, but rather an intense dislike bordering on hatred of urban areas. "I didn't used to be this way," he says. Like me, he's spent many years living in – and even enjoying – urban environments; but the older he gets, the less tolerance he has for such settings.

For those not afflicted, this aversion is difficult to understand. But from the Eaton Rapids Joe blog comes this gem:

One of the reasons I dislike visiting cities is that I am no longer calibrated to them. I don't have a solid baseline of what is normal and what is not-normal.

YES!!! He gets it! It's not just us!

Poliphobia?

"I've decided I have poliphobia," Don said this morning.

The prefix "poli," according to this website, derives from ancient Greek πολύς (polús, "many, much"). Don decided to use this prefix to coin the new term "poliphobia," a fear of cities.

He does not have enochlophobia, a fear of crowds. Far from it. He's fine with people. Nor is he "afraid" of cities. But in the last few years, he has come to loathe and despise urban settings with a passion. Driving through anything more than rural two-lane roads sends his blood pressure skyward and his temper south.

"I didn't used to be this way," he explains. Like me, he's spent many years living in – and even enjoying – urban environments; but the older he gets, the less tolerance he has for such settings.

Why the change? When I asked him, he replied, "Too much sensory input. I've gotten so used to not having to be on the 'swivel' all the time. The odds of getting hit by a car where we live are practically nil. There are nuts in every crowd, but in larger populations, there are that many more nuts, many of them driving around."

This last observation derived, ironically enough, from a recent experience in which I was driving (and Don was in the passenger seat) on a dark, unfamiliar, winding rural highway. Two pickup trucks, both driving at high speeds, crowded up against my backside and tailgated me aggressively, even though I couldn't go any faster and they couldn't pass because of the curves. The moment they had the chance, both roared by me and even tried to outpace each other. They were out of sight within moments. It was a few minutes of sheer danger and stupidity caused by two dangerous and stupid drivers.

Now multiply these types of drivers in urban areas, and you get why Don now suffers from "poliphobia."

I'm okay in cities, at least for now. I don't like them any more than Don does, but at least I can drive in them without my blood pressure spiking. If an occasion calls where we both need to go to a city, I do the driving. If the occasion calls where an errand needs to happen in an urban environment, I'm the one who goes.

Frankly, I can see myself suffering from "poliphobia" at some point in the future. I'm not there yet, but I can see the warning signs on the horizon.

Poliphobia. The latest trendy medical self-diagnosis.

The future of cities

A few years ago, we received in the mail a Christmas catalog from the luxury retailer Gump's.

Don and I got a great deal of amusement from this catalog, largely centered around the question of "Why?" As in, "Why was it sent to us, people who have no money or interest in luxury goods?" We had never received the catalog before and never have since.

At any rate, we had ourselves a good chuckle over the unaffordable trinkets in the catalog, and then forgot about it.

But now Gump's is in the news, and not for a good reason. It seems the iconic store, which has been a San Francisco staple for 165 years, may be leaving its current location. The reason? The city has become "unlivable."

John Chachas, the owner, says: "It's a sad state of affairs. I spoke to a customer today who's come to us for 50 consecutive Christmases and who won't come back because the city is in a difficult and awfully dirty condition. Our business is a business that people love and people want to come in to San Francisco, want to come visit a store, but if you can't get around and when you're trying to walk the streets you step over needles and human waste and often bodies on the streets, it makes it an unworkable business environment."

This is tragic on so many levels because it's indicative of what's happening to large cities in general and San Francisco in particular.

I have – or had – a great deal of fondness for San Francisco. I grew up in the North Bay Area where a trip to SF was a fun excursion. My college roommate grew up in SF and we sometimes spent a weekend with her parents, and she would show me some of the sights of the city not normally seen by tourists. The memories I have of this city are overwhelmingly positive. Now you couldn't pay me to visit it.

I remember some afternoons spent in an enormous jaw-dropping fabric store off Union Square called Britex Fabrics, where I purchased some fabrics and trim we used in our wedding. The city's zoo and the museums are first-class. I even attended (as part of a school trip when I was 13 years old) the exhibition of the treasures of Tutankhamun when it came through in either late 1976 or early 1977.

San Francisco was always funky and fun. Now it's violent and lawless. It pains me to see a beautiful city degenerate to such a degree that a luxury retailer that has been around for 165 years is now fleeing for greener pastures.

Certainly we'll never purchase anything from Gump's – their products are far outside both our finances and our interest – but their departure is yet another indicator that San Francisco appears to be on an unchangeable "doom loop" trajectory. Where its future lies is anyone's guess.

Of course, Portland (another city I'm fond of), Seattle, Philadelphia, Chicago, and numerous other cities are facing similar issues. Where the futures for any of these cities lies is anyone's guess.

Living your best (fake) life

I came across a bizarre article a few days ago entitled "New Grads Chasing 'TikTok Lifestyles' Struggle In NYC As Rents Surge."

As the title implies, it seems "influencing" has become a way of life for a lot of college grads. The opening paragraph reads: "Some social media influencers and college graduates defy financial logic and sign leases for New York City apartments at record-high prices. Some of these kids who don't have access to the 'bank of mom and dad' are finding side hustles or draining their savings to afford the high cost of living expenses."

The aim for these young influencers, bizarrely, is to pretend they're living high on the hog while being absolutely broke. Rather than spending their money on useful things (or – gasp – putting some away for a rainy day), they're spending their meager income on silly stuff while pretending they're rich.

One young woman "said her priorities this year were to maintain living at a prime location in the city while documenting her life on social media. She admitted she has trouble affording $20 cocktails and $90 dinners with her friends, who all have high-paying banking jobs."

Am I missing something here?

The article covers the sky-high rental prices in New York City (about $4,395 per month in Manhattan), which is shocking enough and an incredible hardship for anyone who isn't earning way more than six figures. Rent prices are being called, with justification, a "once-in-a-generation housing crisis." So why do these broke young grads prance around in what looks like designer clothing while eating pricey meals and such? Who are they fooling? What am I missing?

Apparently this lifestyle is justified in the eyes of those with a lot of "followers." One 22-year-old influencer "posts TikToks on her personal account, where she commands $1,000 for sponsored posts, or creates content for other companies. Her side gigs put her on track to bring in a total of roughly $100,000 this year, she said."

She goes on to say, "I worked so hard to get here, I didn't want to compromise on the life I wanted to live. ... The cost of living here is an investment in myself. It sounds crazy to justify $25 cocktails, but being here opens doors for my career. That's worth the costs."

Opens doors for her career. A career as what? What am I missing?

I know these infleuncers are fake. They know they're fake. Their followers know it's all fake. So what's the purpose?

I am genuinely baffled.

Trip to the city

I did something yesterday I haven't done in three months: I took a shopping trip to the city. Seriously, I haven't been there since October 11.

I concentrated on the big box stores, since that's the only reason to go into a city anymore. My stops were: Staples, Home Depot, JoAnn's Fabrics, Cash'n'Carry (now called Chef's Store), Costco, and Winco. Aside from our purchases, however, I also wanted to gauge how full the shelves are since I keep hearing dire news stories about supply-chain shortages.

I had very little to get at Staples and Home Depot (a floor mat for under my desk and another step stool, respectively). I also had just one purchase at JoAnn's: some gnarly elastic to use as earthquake strapping for our spice rack in the pantry. While the lady at JoAnn's was measuring out the elastic, I asked if they were having trouble getting things. She gave a rueful chuckle and gestured toward an enormous wheeled cart stuffed with, I'm guessing, 200 bolts of fabric (including Christmas-themed prints).

"See that?" she said. "That was supposed to arrive two months ago. We just got it yesterday."

"Stuck offshore, was it?" I asked, and she said it was.

Chef's Store is probably my favorite place to shop. It's a restaurant-supply store and simply the best place to purchase bulk bags of flour or beans. I did not see many obvious holes in their inventory, with very select exceptions.

They even had plenty of frozen potatoes. We don't buy these, but I'd heard they're in short supply for many restaurants.

I noticed a few holes in the meats, but honestly not many.

I did ask about the availability of a 40-lb. box of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, since I had it in mind to can up some additional chicken. The fellow shook his head and said they have it in stock, but I wouldn't like the price.

"How much?" I asked.

"$110," he replied, himself scandalized. "It dropped to $80 for a while, then went up to $110."

Granted the last time I bought a 40-lb. box of chicken breasts was nine years ago, and it was on sale for $60. Nonetheless, I didn't buy any.

While checking out, I asked about their supply chain. Two of the men operating the cash registers joined in. "Horrible," they said. Apparently they're only getting in fifty percent of what they order. For this reason, I was pleased to get nearly everything I was looking for.

Costco, my next stop, was another story. The shelves all seemed full, including produce and meat, but something seemed amiss. I finally realized what it was while picking up some dog food: all the upper tiers of massive shelving were bare. And I mean bare.

I asked a passing Costco employee what was up with that. Apparently the reason was Snoqualmie Pass – the main east-west thoroughfare between Washington and North Idaho – had been snowed shut for several days, and had only just reopened. It wasn't just Snoqualmie Pass, it was every other east-west pass that had been closed due to weather, and Idaho was feeling the effect. I happened to hit Costco just as they were beginning to restock.

Interestingly, there were hardly any people in Costco. I've been there at times when it's wildly crowded. This was the opposite, even though it was mid-day on a Tuesday in decent weather. Go figure.

(Oh, and no restrictions of purchases of toilet paper. I snagged two packs.)

My last stop was Winco, which unquestionably has the best bulk-food section of any store I've seen. I was able to pick up some bulk pasta, farina (Cream of Wheat), coffee (still attractively priced), powdered milk, and red lentils.

What I couldn't find, however, was generic (Western Family brand) saltine crackers. Chef's Store didn't have any either, nor did our local grocery store.

They had Nabisco Premiums (notice how they're stacked forward to disguise the bare shelves behind), but those cost literally three times the price of the generic, and I wasn't about to pay that much. They also had plenty of generic saltines with unsalted tops, which were clearly an unpopular option. So, I didn't buy any crackers. I think I'll make them instead.

The other thing I couldn't find were strike-anywhere matches. What's up with that? For weeks we've been looking for strike-anywhere matches. Every time we go into a local grocery or hardware store, we search the shelves for strike-anywheres, and they're sold out. Winco had plenty of strike-on-box matches, but those aren't our preference.

I didn't specifically mention matches, but I did ask the checkout lady about supply chain issues in general. She made the same observations as everyone else I spoke to: aside from the passes being closed, the store is getting anywhere from half to three-quarters of what they order. In light of this, I was pleased to see the shelves seemed full (though granted I didn't hit many of the center aisles, since I tend to be a perimeter shopper).

So that was my trip to the city. What's happening in the rest of the country?

Leaving the city

I've been collecting links to articles about people leaving the cities. Here are a few:

 • Free to Work Remotely, Young Americans Are Covid Road Tripping

• The Slow Suicide of New York City

• Wealthy Britians flee cities, send rural real estate sales soaring

• Report: More than 300,000 People Have Fled New York City Due to Coronavirus, Crime 

• Apartment Prices Are Crashing In Major Cities Worldwide 

 • San Francisco Rents Crash Most On Record Amid Mass Exodus

• The Urban Exodus and How Greatness Goes Bankrupt 

 • Suburban Rents Rise As Urbanization Trend Reverses

• 'The city will be on fire': New Yorkers prep to flee homes to avoid post-election rioting

• Can you blame anyone for fleeing what cities have become? 

• The Great Conservative Migration And What It Means For The Future 

• Massive exodus from NYC leaves apartments empty

• New York City Residents Flee In Mass Exodus – So De Blasio Doubles Down With Call For ‘Redistribution Of Wealth’

• Why There’s an Exodus From California Cities

• Escape From San Francisco: Sales Tax Revenue Plunge "Worst In The State" Amid COVID Exodus

• America's Summer Exodus: Thousands Flee The Cities Every Day Because They Don't Feel Safe

• Shaken by summer looting in affluent neighborhoods, some Chicagoans moving away

• New Yorkers are leaving the city in droves. It will be decades before the city recovers(video)

• "A Lot Of People Are Leaving": COVID Shutdowns Have Turned San Francisco Into A Ghost Town

• Mass Exodus: People are Fleeing Democrat Cities

• The Great California Exodus

• Businesses LEAVE PORTLAND After DEMOCRATS FAIL To Secure The Streets For Months

• "She Hasn't Done Her Job": Looting, Riots, & Mayoral Ineptitude Prompt Mass Exodus Of Chicago Residents

• Residents fleeing North are voting against 'policies of blue state America,' economist says

• New York exodus accelerates amid pandemic as some residents head south

• Portland’s Endless Riots Are Destroying Lives and Businesses

• New York City exodus and de Blasio’s response

• California is a failed state. How do we know? They're moving to Arizona in droves.

• Housing boom: Lumber Spikes To Unprecedented Level After Soaring 240% In 5 Months

• "Pent-up Supply" in San Francisco Turns into Record Glut of Houses & Condos for Sale. Prices Weaken

• From 'I love New York' to 'I leave New York'

• Affluent Chicagoans Fleeing Due to Leadership Inability to Calm BLM Violence

• Slammed NYC Movers Turning Away Business As Residents Flee City

• People And Voters Leaving As Democrat-run San Francisco Crumbles

• New Jersey Is Becoming The Most Hated State As Households Flee In Record Numbers

• Bill De Blasio Says NYC Indoor Dining May Not Happen Until June 2021

• Businesses leaving downtown Portland over 'lawlessness'

• "Demand Is Insane": NYC Movers Turn People Away, Suburban & Rural Housing Snagged Up, As Big City COVID-Exodus Accelerates

• Chicago Store Owner Spent $300,000 To Reopen Destroyed Business After Riots, Only For It To Be Struck Again By Vandals

• NY Subway Windows Being Smashed At Such Rate The MTA Can't Get Glass Fast Enough To Replace Them

• Haunting Photos Of San Francisco's Desolate Financial District During Morning "Rush Hour"

• Americans are fleeing the nation's great cities in droves

• San Francisco curbs virus but once-vibrant downtown is empty

• The NYC exodus

• Movers in N.Y.C. Are So Busy They’re Turning People Away

• Urban Exiles Are Fueling a Suburban Housing Boom Across the U.S.

• "White Flight Is Real" - Hollywood's Apocalypse Triggers Mass Exodus

• A Mass Exodus Away From Big Cities On Both Coasts

• Portland Companies Are Fleeing Downtown Area Because Of Black Lives Matter Riots

• All Federal Buildings in Portland Evacuated Amid Car Bomb Threat

• Zillow Exposes Dramatic Exodus Out Of San Francisco Real Estate

• Americans say there’s not much appeal to big-city living. Why do so many of us live there?

• Hollywood's Apocalypse NOW: Rich and famous are fleeing in droves as liberal politics and coronavirus turn City of Dreams into cesspit plagued by junkies and violent criminals

• When Authority Vanishes: Chicago’s leaders have surrendered to vandals

• New York: Is a Great Exodus Imminent?

• Chicago Shuts Down Its Business District Overnight This Weekend Due To Continued Riots And Looting

• "Ghost Town": Shocking Dystopian Video Of NYC Shows An Abandoned And Boarded Up 5th Avenue

• Illinois' Demographic Collapse: Get Out As Soon As You Can

• Lake Tahoe Real Estate Booms 'Like Never Before'

• 49 People Shot In Last 72 Hours In New York As City Hits Its "Expiration Date"

• Real Estate Expert Warns 'Exodus' From Cities Will Last Two Years

• Murders Spike In NYC As Residents Flee For Suburbs

• San Francisco Rent Drops Most On Record As People Flee For Suburbs

• U.S. New Home Sales Plunge To 10 Year Low As Exodus From Cities Accelerates

• Downtown business decides to shut down due to city council's decision to defund Seattle Police

• NYC Has Lost All Population Gains for Last 70 Years – People Finally Waking Up

• Police Warn 'Portland Is Lost' if 'Failing' Mayor and DA Don't Stop Riots

• Chicago Store Owner Spent $300,000 To Reopen Destroyed Business After Riots, Only For It To Be Struck Again By Vandals

• A mad rush for the exits as New York City goes down the tubes

• NYC Is Dead Forever… Here’s Why

• ‘Straight out of a Movie’: Portland Cops CHARGE Antifa shield wall in FULL-ON STREET BATTLE

• Macy’s Looking to Leave Chicago After SECOND ROUND of Mass Lootings – More ‘Protests’ This Weekend

• Seattle BLM protesters demand white people 'give up' their homes

• N.Y. businesswoman: New Yorkers are fleeing because of Bill de Blasio

• BLM mob beats white man unconscious after making him crash truck

• Escape From New York: Wealthy Residents Flee In Droves As The City Degenerates Into A Hellhole

• Lawless NYC: Shootings skyrocket by 140% compared with the same week last year as 76 people are injured in seven days - including a man who was killed lighting a candle for another shooting victim

• Trash Piling Up Over NYC After Sanitation Department’s Budget Slashed By Over $100 Million

• Chicago Alderman says businesses leaving Magnificent Mile

• Oregon State Police Pull Out Of Protecting Portland Courthouse After City Refuses To ‘Prosecute This Criminal Behavior,’ Department Says

• Upper West residents furious after homeless junkies and sex offenders are moved into luxury hotels

• Black Lives Matter defended the Chicago looters, saying looting i their "right" as crime skyrockets across the U.S.

• Maybe if we ignore the riots, they will just go away?

• New York City Is 'Dead FOREVER' Says Proud New Yorker

• Charles Payne on 'mass exodus' from NYC: The snowball is turning into a 'boulder'

• Am I Being Too Upbeat If I Know American Cities Might Never Be the Same?

• NYC Homeless Visibility and Violence Skyrockets Under Mayor de Blasio

• Chicago looting videos spread on social media: See the footage

• Widespread looting in Chicago caught on video after police-involved shooting

• Chaos In Chicago: Bridges Raised To Prevent Gun-Toting Looters Getting Downtown

• Black Lives Matter DEFENDS Chicago Looters, Say Looting Is Their RIGHT As Crime SKYROCKETS Across U.S.

• Seattle Rioters Ransack Amazon Store, Whole Foods, Bank Ahead of Defund the Police Vote

• New York City Rifle Permit Applications Surge by 340%

• Chicago mayor considers property tax hikes as residents fear exodus from city

• People are fleeing leftist run states: fleeing high crime, taxes and leftist policies

• The Economy Is Struggling, but Gun Sales Are Soaring

• Guess What Happened When New York Put Homeless People In Luxury Hotels

• San Francisco – the Last Chapter

• A Stay-at-Home Mom on Her Reasons for Leaving Portland

• Shootings, Murders Spike By Record In Portland After Disbanding 'Gun Violence Reduction Team'

• How America’s future is changing as a result of anarchy in Democrat cities

• Survey: Two in Five New Yorkers Want to Leave the City 'Because it’s turning into a sh*thole'

• Flight from Democratic stronghold cities accelerates; disease transmission, violence and hostile governments helps lead to exodus

• More than 60 overnight calls to 911 couldn’t be responded to right away because of Portland rioters

• The Death of New York City

• Wrecking the American Dream. Yes, suburbanites, Democrats plan to destroy your community

• Democrats Are Destroying Their Own Cities, and it all Makes Perfect sense

• Seattle Defunded Police. Now Businesses Are Leaving, and Rioters Still Aim Explosives at Cops

I'm sensing a trend here. Aren't you?