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yesterday took a short road trip - very depressing

blion72

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Jan 1, 2010
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wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.
 
wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.

Similar experience. I was in the Union Train Station in DC for the first time since this started and was shocked to see the number of stores and restaurants that were not just closed but flat out gone.
Very weird. And it looked like the "homeless" population doubled (and there was already a significant amount hanging around before this went down). It was kind of creepy.
 
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Drove up the NJ Turnpike yesterday...more traffic than when shut down first started, but was still able to cruise past the NYC tunnels without having to stop, as have had to for so many years.

It was awesome.
 
wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.

Yup. And IMO, unless the government is willing to offer some amazing business start-up incentives after this is over, I just do not see many small businesses coming back. "Would you be willing to invest your life savings into starting up a small business now???".
 
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wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.
Is this the first time you've been out since March?
 
We planned to go to a sunflower farm to pick flowers in NoVA thinking being outside would make it easy to safely social distance. We got there and the queue to get in was just people on top of people. We left. Passed a Catholic Church on the way home as it was letting out and masks were few and far between (very healthy attendance too).
 
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Yelp reports that 60% of restaurants closed due to Covid are permanently going out of business.

I leave for California tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how the LA region is doing.
 
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Drove up the NJ Turnpike yesterday...more traffic than when shut down first started, but was still able to cruise past the NYC tunnels without having to stop, as have had to for so many years.

It was awesome.
Yelp reports that 60% of restaurants closed due to Covid are permanently going out of business.

I leave for California tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how the LA region is doing.
People were racing out of California before coronavirus...that will turn into an avalanche now.
 
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wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.

One of our favorite restaurants in San Francisco (highly rated on Yelp/4* 4800 reviews) is closed for good after 26 years. I can only imagine how many restaurants that aren't going to survive this.
 
Yelp reports that 60% of restaurants closed due to Covid are permanently going out of business.

I leave for California tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how the LA region is doing.

+1.
I'm leaving for San Diego/Joshua Tree on the 16th. the BWI airport has the long term lots closed so you have to park in the daily or hourly garage and they just charge you the Long Term Fee. As of today the Hourly garage was 75% full and the Daily was 65% and the wait times at TSA were under 5 minuets and that was WITH 2 of the Security Check Points closed.
I don't think many people are flying.
 
Drove up the NJ Turnpike yesterday...more traffic than when shut down first started, but was still able to cruise past the NYC tunnels without having to stop, as have had to for so many years.

It was awesome.
Did you take the Miata?
 
+1.
I'm leaving for San Diego/Joshua Tree on the 16th. the BWI airport has the long term lots closed so you have to park in the daily or hourly garage and they just charge you the Long Term Fee. As of today the Hourly garage was 75% full and the Daily was 65% and the wait times at TSA were under 5 minuets and that was WITH 2 of the Security Check Points closed.
I don't think many people are flying.

What time do the lots open?
 
wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.

How is it that a guy who has posted numerous times here about shutting down his own business doesn't realize that other businesses are hurting? smh
 
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+1.
I'm leaving for San Diego/Joshua Tree on the 16th. the BWI airport has the long term lots closed so you have to park in the daily or hourly garage and they just charge you the Long Term Fee. As of today the Hourly garage was 75% full and the Daily was 65% and the wait times at TSA were under 5 minuets and that was WITH 2 of the Security Check Points closed.
I don't think many people are flying.

Good info.

I am flying out of Philly. Fortunately I take rail to 30th street and Septa from there. It is great to have no drive and no car to be concerned about.
 
talked to a guy last week who does a lot of work with small business. something with insurance or financing. said that over the past couple of weeks, he has seen the sentiment among small business owner's plummet. he said that the amount of calls he is taking about how to shut down your business is just growing exponentially. basically they all have the same general saying. that they now see that this isn't going to end in 2020 and they see no path to when this will ever end. so they basically are either running out of money and know they cannot last another 5+ months or they have some money but would rather keep that money and start fresh when this all ends up finally and will start fresh then.

Point being, expect a mass amount of closures over the next couple of months. I think it will get ugly by end of this year.
 
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We planned to go to a sunflower farm to pick flowers in NoVA thinking being outside would make it easy to safely social distance. We got there and the queue to get in was just people on top of people. We left. Passed a Catholic Church on the way home as it was letting out and masks were few and far between (very healthy attendance too).
I suspect that masks were worn inside for the mass.
 
Given the decent Covid numbers in NYC these days, we're thinking of doing our previously scheduled early October visit to Manhattan. We canceled our July visit, of course. I know it's a day to day thing, but any advice from New Yorkers concerning this would be appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. I should have read Sullivan's link above. Not encouraging, but would still like additional input.
 
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We planned to go to a sunflower farm to pick flowers in NoVA thinking being outside would make it easy to safely social distance. We got there and the queue to get in was just people on top of people. We left. Passed a Catholic Church on the way home as it was letting out and masks were few and far between (very healthy attendance too).


Wondering how long they’ll stay healthy.....:eek:
 
Question I have is that will there be a permanent movement of people and business out of urban areas do to draconian quarantine, looting and rioting in urban centers. I know the county I live in is very rural and a friend who is a real estate broker has lots if people looking for real estate in the county.

My friends who are realtors here in southeast Florida along the coast say business is booming never even much of a slowdown. People pouring out of NYC/NJ/Boston/Chicago all saying they don't want to do another pandemic in a city and to find them a house here. Prices here just keep going up and up.
 
Given the decent Covid numbers in NYC these days, we're thinking of doing our previously scheduled early October visit to Manhattan. We canceled our July visit, of course. I know it's a day to day thing, but any advice from New Yorkers concerning this would be appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. I should have read Sullivan's link above. Not encouraging, but would still like additional input.
What do you enjoy doing in NYC that you can still do these days?
 
wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.

We have been going out for dinner or ordering out many nights supporting all the family owned restaurants that we can here in Delray Beach. Giving out large tips to the wait staff, they are all hurting so much it breaks our hearts to think so many great restaurants could close and be gone forever. Trying to do all we can to help them hold on until some type of relief comes...
 
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wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.
LULZ

ICYMI, that's not bad. It's good.
 
Went to the outlaws on Long Island over the weekend. Traffic was a bit lighter on 495 coming out of the city. Costco packed, Stop and Shop packed, Home Depot packed, Hot Bagels packed. Nephew had multiple LL baseball games over the weekend. Other than the face masks, it was pretty normal.
 
wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.
What are your thoughts on the long term effects of the economy? Let’s assume Covid is in the rear view mirror by March and we are free to move about without masks and social distancing, like the old days. Do those stores reopen or get replaced, with Covid proving to be just a speed bump? Is there a paradigm shift where people don’t use their cars as much shifting this sort of revenue? Is the current economy in total denial and come crashing down when we realize there is no way to employ everyone with all of the small businesses shuttering?
 
What are your thoughts on the long term effects of the economy? Let’s assume Covid is in the rear view mirror by March and we are free to move about without masks and social distancing, like the old days. Do those stores reopen or get replaced, with Covid proving to be just a speed bump? Is there a paradigm shift where people don’t use their cars as much shifting this sort of revenue? Is the current economy in total denial and come crashing down when we realize there is no way to employ everyone with all of the small businesses shuttering?

I know 1 thing... many businesses that were totally against remote/work from home are now all for it. Productivity measured has been increased and by large amounts in some companies. I know my company is looking to reduce their leased square footage already on the contract. Many others are doing the same when you add in all the expenses and projected savings. Could be a large chunk of commercial space available over the next year...
 
What do you enjoy doing in NYC that you can still do these days?
Well some of the stuff I know we won't be able to do such as theater and restaurants (Although DeBlasio did make reference to inside dining possibly being allowed after Labor Day) I'm assuming museums and the like will be open on a limited basis. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If it's still safe in early October, we're probably going. We've been going three to four times a year for a long time. Love the place and the people, so we just want to be there if we can. Having not been there since February, I don't have a feel for what the environment is like now.
 
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wife and I took a short vac trip and visited an outdoor shopping center. this is a place that is really nice with lots of national name brand stores and several places to eat. it was a dystopia like some kind of sci fi movie. several stores closed for good - a few were open but limited hours. AMC movies shutdown. We were able to park about anywhere we wanted. Very few people walking around. It was actually shocking how bad this was.
Ocean City MD was a different story last week. The place was packed. We avoided restaurants and bars so I can't comment on them, but every thing else was normal, including the traffic which sucked. Beach at 67th street was busy but people kept their distance.
 
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Ocean City MD was a different story last week. The place was packed. We avoided restaurants and bars so I can't comment on them, but every thing else was normal, including the traffic which sucked. Beach at 67th street was busy but people kept their distance.

+1.
I95 is back to being a parking lot with beach traffic.
 
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Yup. And IMO, unless the government is willing to offer some amazing business start-up incentives after this is over, I just do not see many small businesses coming back. "Would you be willing to invest your life savings into starting up a small business now???".

Once people feel comfortable going places, things will open up. The free market will demand it.

If people enjoyed going to bars before covid-19 and if/when covid-19 is under control, then why wouldn't people want to go back to the bars? And if there is a demand for bars, why wouldn't somebody decide to open one up?
 
Went to the outlaws on Long Island over the weekend. Traffic was a bit lighter on 495 coming out of the city. Costco packed, Stop and Shop packed, Home Depot packed, Hot Bagels packed. Nephew had multiple LL baseball games over the weekend. Other than the face masks, it was pretty normal.

Middle-age fat asses can get their bagels and cream cheese and oversized tubs of mayonnaise, but we can’t put 22 18-22-year-olds in top physical shape on a football field.
 
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