‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
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‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
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Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#2Happy to see I'm not alone and someone else is complaining about our sad parks,
"What we call parks look like parking lots with some grass on them, perhaps a baseball diamond. That's not the kind of park that draws people in," Tayana Panova, a researcher who studies the built environment's effects on mental health, told me. "We need parks that have amenities and assets that make it desirable for people to go there." A third space of dreams isn't a barren field. It also includes pools, benches, art, fountains, playgrounds, and food stands — things people gather at.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#3This is one of the reasons that, despite the immense cost, we're trying to stay in NYC as long as we can.
Two small children in an apartment definitely has its tough moments. But we live by a giant park packed with playgrounds, when we go we frequently bump into friends from school, meet friends of friends, etc. Everyone can go get an ice cream, head home happy. We have dozens of museums an easy subway ride away. etc etc etc
It's not like it's a perfect life but for this moment in life I really wouldn't trade it.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#4> We can see this shift everywhere. The characters of the biggest shows of the '90s — "Friends," "Seinfeld," "Cheers" — spent the overwhelming majority of their time hanging out at the café, diner, and bar, and work was either an afterthought or a running joke.
These were television shows, not reality. Even in the 80s and 90s you couldn't spend all of your time in a Manhattan coffee shop or a bar (unless you were a drunk). I think our concept of what a "friend" is was heavily shaped by 20th century sitcoms and not realistic, setting up a couple of generations to be very lonely and very disappointed that life doesn't turn out like TV.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#5This is one of the reasons that, despite the immense cost, we're trying to stay in NYC as long as we can. Two small children in an apartment definitely has its tough moments. But we live by a giant park packed with playgrounds, when we go we frequently bump into friends from school, meet friends of friends, etc. Everyone can go get an ice cream, head home happy. We have dozens of museums an easy subway ride away. etc…
Why is this a New York specific phenomenon? Living in a large town/small city in Europe, I find the same effect plays out here. A very few number of times my social activities have been actively planned. Most occur after bumping into someone at a local venue, concert, or other event.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#6This is one of the reasons that, despite the immense cost, we're trying to stay in NYC as long as we can. Two small children in an apartment definitely has its tough moments. But we live by a giant park packed with playgrounds, when we go we frequently bump into friends from school, meet friends of friends, etc. Everyone can go get an ice cream, head home happy. We have dozens of museums an easy subway ride away. etc…
Why is this a New York specific phenomenon? Living in a large town/small city in Europe, I find the same effect plays out here. A very few number of times my social activities have been actively planned. Most occur after bumping into someone at a local venue, concert, or other event.
I guess it's quite rare within US.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#7This is one of the reasons that, despite the immense cost, we're trying to stay in NYC as long as we can. Two small children in an apartment definitely has its tough moments. But we live by a giant park packed with playgrounds, when we go we frequently bump into friends from school, meet friends of friends, etc. Everyone can go get an ice cream, head home happy. We have dozens of museums an easy subway ride away. etc…
Why is this a New York specific phenomenon? Living in a large town/small city in Europe, I find the same effect plays out here. A very few number of times my social activities have been actively planned. Most occur after bumping into someone at a local venue, concert, or other event.
I am talking from a US perspective. There are few cities in the US that offer this, though NYC is by no means the only one.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is this a New York specific phenomenon? Living in a large town/small city in Europe, I find the same effect plays out here. A very few number of times my social activities have been actively planned. Most occur after bumping into someone at a local venue, concert, or other event.
I guess it's quite rare within US.
It's actually not, every city in the US has packed parks and stuff to do.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#9This is one of the reasons that, despite the immense cost, we're trying to stay in NYC as long as we can. Two small children in an apartment definitely has its tough moments. But we live by a giant park packed with playgrounds, when we go we frequently bump into friends from school, meet friends of friends, etc. Everyone can go get an ice cream, head home happy. We have dozens of museums an easy subway ride away. etc…
Why is this a New York specific phenomenon? Living in a large town/small city in Europe, I find the same effect plays out here. A very few number of times my social activities have been actively planned. Most occur after bumping into someone at a local venue, concert, or other event.
I agree, it's not exclusive to NY. I live in a college town of around 65k (100k with the student population) and it's amazing. We have a very modest home, but it's super walkable: 1/2 mile to a small grocery store, 3/4 mile to downtown, 1 mile to the river, 1 1/2 mile to the library.
We moved during COVID from one of those cities where "a park is a giant empty field of grass". Major life changer.
Re: ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness
#10This is one of the reasons that, despite the immense cost, we're trying to stay in NYC as long as we can. Two small children in an apartment definitely has its tough moments. But we live by a giant park packed with playgrounds, when we go we frequently bump into friends from school, meet friends of friends, etc. Everyone can go get an ice cream, head home happy. We have dozens of museums an easy subway ride away. etc…
Why is this a New York specific phenomenon? Living in a large town/small city in Europe, I find the same effect plays out here. A very few number of times my social activities have been actively planned. Most occur after bumping into someone at a local venue, concert, or other event.
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