| I think some people are answering the question, “What are NYC diners _like_?” And it’s confusing to non-New Yorkers because those things do occur everywhere: One can find matzo ball soup and rubbery burgers and formica counters in plenty of major cities. The second question people could answer is, “_Why_ are there ‘NYC diners’?” The answer to _this_ question is the real reason why people are so fond of diners and claim they’re unique to NYC. NYC-style diners thrive in the unique-to-NYC combo of... - true 24-hour foot traffic from the city’s “never sleeps” thing, cars being impractical, and its massive 24-hour (lol, mostly) metro system - an economy that supports individual-owned quirky businesses (for now!) with decades of history - people having to leave their tiny apartments in order not to go mad, so you find more people from all backgrounds using the same few public spaces to relax, and more of these random communities of “regulars” built around nothing other than a shared space - you can be almost whatever you want here and no one will stop you, so we accumulate more glorious eccentrics than elsewhere, and our diners fill up with legendary, cherished characters - you’re often anonymous and lonely here so some people get into the habit of quick intimacy with strangers As the article mentioned, diners are dying out a little in Manhattan. This because it’s getting harder to run a small business here (taxes/expenses/rent), and people might just stay home and watch Netflix to relax rather than go out, among other reasons... But diner fanatics are usually just NYC lovers. I can’t imagine who would love diners but hate the city. |