One Year Later
A message from Ben Blumenthal
At this time one year ago, New York City was in a very different place - under lockdown and with great uncertainty abound. While some parts of life are “back to normal”, the apprehension about returning to the city has noticeably diminished over the last several months, with many organizations beginning to formally plan for the future of their offices.
In contrast to the Fall of 2020, when many executives could only predict what their space needs would look like in a post-pandemic environment, the warmer weather of 2021 has led these same executives to reenter the market with a noticeable increase in clarity around their needs - ready to right-size, relocate, sublease, or even expand (you better believe it!) accordingly.
Practically, Uptown restaurants are teeming with outdoor diners, sports venues welcomed fans back, the Manhattan residential market posted a strong increase in transactions, malls have begun seeing an uptick in shoppers, and the MTA recently recorded its most subway swipes since the onset of the pandemic.
While there will always be an appetite for catchy stories, we've remained focused on communicating real-time feedback from the hundreds of weekly conversations we have with prospects, clients, and landlords, with a goal of filling the information gap that is often missing for those with a keen interest in NYC.
To that point, our team recently launched a street-level LinkedIn Vlog to share an on-the-ground, daily perspective on what’s happening in Midtown. If you’re curious, I’d encourage you to check it out and appreciate any feedback that you can share!
For better or worse, the pre-COVID NYC workplace is not coming back, but it’s encouraging and awe-inspiring to be on the ground every day with folks who believe that we are witnessing the greatest evolutionary chapter in New York City’s history.
Wishing you all the best,
Ben
Ben Blumenthal
Principal Broker
Noah & Co.
For the rest of our April 2021 Newsletter, click here.