flâneur

Why American cities are squalid - UnHerd

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The Thursday before Christmas, I woke up in downtown Sofia, leisurely drank a coffee, and jumped on a metro that took me directly to the airport. In less than an hour, I was at the gate for my flight to New York’s JFK. My plan was to get the last bus upstate that evening, so I could be in my own bed a little after midnight. But it would only work if the flight landed on time — and if passport control took under an hour and a half. The first happened, but the second didn’t even come close. To describe Terminal One that Thursday night as a shitshow is unfair to shitshows, which are at least darkly entertaining. This was bureaucratic hell: lines of exhausted travellers snaking out into dreary linoleum hallways festooned with disconcertingly cheery posters welcoming us to NYC. It took close to an hour to even reach the main hall, and then we endured another hour of slow shuffling up to the 10 or so border security agents. Ever since I began my project to walk around the world, it has alway

Why American cities are squalid Human flourishing is seen as dirty Removing benches won’t fix homelessness. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) Removing benches won’t fix homelessness. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) America Class Homelessness NYC safetyism Transport Prefer us on Google Chris Arnade Jan 17 2024 - 12:00am 7 mins The Thursday before Christmas, I woke up in downtown Sofia, leisurely drank a coffee, and jumped on a metro that took me directly to the airport. In less than an hour, I was at the gate for my flight to New York’s JFK. My plan was to get the last bus upstate

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