I live in NYC as well, and I find the post COVID Berlin-esque Bushwick only scene to be terrible. It's filled with the most dull repetitive music that AI can replicate with a god awful sound system and no atmospherics whatsoever, and while I do appreciate the lack of dress code / door policy / bouncer aggressiveness, it feels like a brutal slog to endure without drugs, and a miserable long ass train ride on the L train back to the city.
I miss the pre COVID Vegas style nightclubs in the Meatpacking District. Yes, crowded and aggressive bouncers who make up the door policy on the spot, but once you're in there's mesmerizing lighting and visual effects, top notch sound systems, the glitziness of bottle service, and the euphoric albeit predictable drops of EDM.
I’d argue that NYC hasn’t done enough with rats for this reason. And indoor roaches and mice too for that matter.
As a New Yorker, it feels unsanitary at best, and psychologically jarring at worst, and I wish I wouldn’t have to deal with seeing rats scurrying around on a daily basis. But there’s been no tangible public health risk so far.