By Gamal Hennessy
New York has never been known for being cheap. Our nightlife can be especially expensive. The $30 cover, the $9 pack of cigarettes, the $15 cocktail, and the $700 bottle are not uncommon. As Wall Street falters and gas prices rise, some New Yorkers have less and less disposable income. All of a sudden, a $15 margarita seems a little pricey. This situation can become even more stressful when you look across the bar and tourists of every stripe seem to be buying bottles of Grey Goose and then giving it away. Tourists are using their economic power to wine, dine and pay for all the things we can’t afford this summer…
New York City nightlife has always included a considerable amount of tourists. This year the numbers are expected to rise. NYC Company expects tourism to increase 20% from the same period in 2006, which means almost 3.3 million tourists will descend on New York this summer. A large reason for the increase is money. The U.S. Dollars is currently weaker than currencies in Europe and Asia. When tourist exchange their euros, yen and pounds for dollars it turns normal, middle class people into extravagant VIP’s who are willing to make it rain from SoHo to Central Park.
If you’ve ever taken a trip to the Caribbean or to Mexico, you’ve probably lived through this experience before, just on the other side. We show up with our American dollars and we can get into clubs where the locals can only work. We can easily afford things that we couldn’t afford back home. The people who lived in the places we visit probably feel a mix of appreciation and envy. They wanted us to spend money…that’s how their clubs stayed open. They just wanted to be able to have fun too. New York hasn’t become Cancun just yet, but experiencing the feeling from their point of view can be a little disturbing.
A savvy New Yorker will see this cash invasion as an opportunity, not a problem. If you have European friends, invite them to New York, all of them. Offer to take them to the best spots. When they bring you along, you’ve got a built in sponsor. If you don’t have international friends, now is a good time to make some. As a native, you know the best spots to party, now they have money to party. It’s a win win situation.
And if you want to find out more about what's going on in New York nightlife, sign up for NYN Insider. It's free.
New York has never been known for being cheap. Our nightlife can be especially expensive. The $30 cover, the $9 pack of cigarettes, the $15 cocktail, and the $700 bottle are not uncommon. As Wall Street falters and gas prices rise, some New Yorkers have less and less disposable income. All of a sudden, a $15 margarita seems a little pricey. This situation can become even more stressful when you look across the bar and tourists of every stripe seem to be buying bottles of Grey Goose and then giving it away. Tourists are using their economic power to wine, dine and pay for all the things we can’t afford this summer…
New York City nightlife has always included a considerable amount of tourists. This year the numbers are expected to rise. NYC Company expects tourism to increase 20% from the same period in 2006, which means almost 3.3 million tourists will descend on New York this summer. A large reason for the increase is money. The U.S. Dollars is currently weaker than currencies in Europe and Asia. When tourist exchange their euros, yen and pounds for dollars it turns normal, middle class people into extravagant VIP’s who are willing to make it rain from SoHo to Central Park.
If you’ve ever taken a trip to the Caribbean or to Mexico, you’ve probably lived through this experience before, just on the other side. We show up with our American dollars and we can get into clubs where the locals can only work. We can easily afford things that we couldn’t afford back home. The people who lived in the places we visit probably feel a mix of appreciation and envy. They wanted us to spend money…that’s how their clubs stayed open. They just wanted to be able to have fun too. New York hasn’t become Cancun just yet, but experiencing the feeling from their point of view can be a little disturbing.
A savvy New Yorker will see this cash invasion as an opportunity, not a problem. If you have European friends, invite them to New York, all of them. Offer to take them to the best spots. When they bring you along, you’ve got a built in sponsor. If you don’t have international friends, now is a good time to make some. As a native, you know the best spots to party, now they have money to party. It’s a win win situation.
And if you want to find out more about what's going on in New York nightlife, sign up for NYN Insider. It's free.
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