Who are you?

My name is Peyton, and I am 28 years old. Pronouns she, her, and I live in Brooklyn.

How do you identify?

I guess I identify as a black woman. Yeah. Pretty straightforward there. I guess. I guess I identify as Gen Z, too, maybe, and just like, [a] progressive liberal. Yeah, I haven't thought about that, really. Like, my identity too much or those different ways I could identify. But, yeah, I guess that kind of covers everything.

How do you want to/prefer to be seen?

I want to be seen and experienced as, like, a compassionate friend and person and as a thoughtful person. Yeah. And a thoughtful community member. I don't mind being seen, I suppose. Yeah. I'm sorry if that's not good.

There's no such thing as a bad answer here. You're doing great. So don't. Don't worry, like, all. Okay, the next question is, why you live in a city?

Oh, well, I definitely have lived in suburbs for most of my life, so when you talked about the study, I was, like, recalling my experiences growing up or whatever, because I think a lot of why I enjoy living in New York City has to do with. Yeah. Understanding the ways I've been, limited in my experiences growing up. I grew up in a suburb in Southern California that was super white. And I was also isolated from extended family. I was with my immediate family, but we lived the farthest away from, like, my mom's side of the family and my dad's side of the family. So I didn't have access to cousins very much unless it was a big trip that we took. So, yeah, access to, like, black communities and communities outside of, like, the homogeneous normal suburban culture were not a thing for me growing up. I guess the values people have on the west coast as well, versus the east coast, are super different. So when I moved away for college, I chose Boston to go to school because it was the farthest away from San Diego. And I thought it offered me the most different experience I could have. And that that was, like, its own thing because Boston is not the best city in the world, but it was like a starter city in that there was public transportation. There was, like, a lot of young people, a lot because of the huge population of college students. And there was access to different scenes, like the art scene and the music scene, which were just very accessible compared to being in a suburb in San Diego.

And once I got a taste of that through my early 20s, I decided to stay in a city or suburban, like, or in an urban area. But I was rerouted for a bit because I didn't have a job after college, and I ended up living in Utah because my parents had moved to Park City, so I lived in this, like, really remote mountain town for like a year. And then I moved to Salt Lake City for about a year. And this was during the pandemic and everything. What I feel is kind of like an isolating American experience of, like, most cities are, like, you drive places and you need to go very much out of your way to make friends and most [of your] connection to other people is through work or maybe, especially in Utah, it was like, sporty hobbies, which then require a lot of equipment and maybe even like general experience and knowledge of the wilderness, which not everybody has. You know what I mean? It's like, if you're skiing or if you're camping and things like that, those are activities that have a high barrier to entry.

And so I found it slightly difficult to make friends and exist out there, especially in such a different community than what I am used to. But it was super beautiful, obviously, and [there was]access to nature [that] was hugely healing in a lot of ways. That's like a whole other experience that I could break down. Yeah, that would just take a long time to break apart. But, yeah, basically I ended up back in on this side of the country, living in Brooklyn because I had lost my job in Salt Lake and this is during the pandemic. But then they were giving me severance and I was on the phone with my friend who already lived in Brooklyn and she was moving apartments and I just decided to join her apartment search and then move to Brooklyn in, like, early 2021. And I've been there here ever since. And yeah, don't have plans on leaving within the next five years or what have you, just because of easy access to community art and just like, anything. Opportunities and experiences that I wasn't able to have growing up and then immediately after college. So that's kind of how I came to be in a city.

Can you tell me about a memorable urban experience you have had?

I feel like most days in New York are memorable, which is so. It's hard to pick [one]. I'll try, though. Halloween this year was kind of memorable because it was the first Halloween that I wasn't working for a few years or whatever. So I was here on the stoop and passed out candy. But, like, my neighbors were passing out candy, and they gave me a bag of candy to pass out, too. So then, yeah, I got to interact with some young children, which was just cute and very neighborhoody. And that was a nice recent memory that I have of living here.

I think most of my memorable, fun moments take place in this neighborhood of just, you know, seeing the cats every day and interacting with them or talking to my neighbors, which is different. I used to live in Williamsburg and yeah, it's just the way the neighborhoods are set up there is like not as communal, I suppose as Bed Stuy. So yeah, it's not as social of an experience [there]. So I definitely really love living here and especially the cats. You know, just like it feels like a homey place with lots of positive interactions. Like. So yeah, I think the Halloween thing is like emblematic of that.

How supportive do you feel the city is to your needs?

Yeah, I guess this was hard because I'm like what part of the city? I've never had the chance before to just be so mobile. Growing up in San Diego, I was reliant on cars and permission from my parents. And that's just like an age thing, not so much a city thing. But yeah, I feel like things are just accessible. Any foods I want, like friendships are maybe easier to nourish. I mean also I'm also able-bodied and in good health or what have you. So I can walk for an hour to someplace or access most public spaces very easily. And I think the abundance of just relevant things or things relevant to my interests is very helpful and nourishing to me. So I would say that the city is accessible and that the public transportation and the things happening feel like they fulfill me or interest me. And then yeah, in this neighborhood specifically the community is much more accessible. Whereas, in other neighborhoods, I haven't had like really a way to connect with people so much. I was even over in my old neighborhood last week, and all of the places I went to regularly are now gone, or they're like have changed ownership, or they're just a different business, or what have you. Because I guess Williamsburg is very late, like late-stage gentrification. You know, it's like pretty done. But here it's like I have really friendly communications with my baristas, and I go to this local family-owned grocery store, and I say hi to the old lady on the stoop down the street. Yeah, I see the same cats and stuff. So it's like this neighborhood has a more, available community than other neighborhoods would. But I know the city as a whole is like a whole other beast, but yeah, I would say that it. What's available interests me and nourishes me and that's that.

Do you feel included in the city (as a person of value)?

I could be a more active community member. So I don't feel like I add too much value, too many spaces. But yeah, I don't know if I'm answering that well or I don't know how to.

What do you mean when you say, like, you don't add value to spaces?

I guess I mean, like, I should be part of more, like, organizations or something to make sure that I'm being valuable to, like, communities or to the neighborhood or something. Yeah, I don't know if that makes sense.

Why should you [do more]?

Because obviously I moved here in, like, 2021. I moved to this neighborhood in…December 2023. Wait. Yeah, I'm in my second year here, so I'm like. As someone who is new to the neighborhood, I feel like it's important to do stuff [to] preserve the legacy of the neighborhood since I'm inherently taking away from it by being like a gentrifier, you know? So I do feel like I should do more things to add value to the community that I am taking up space in.

Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, I feel that as well. Although to me, I don't live in this neighborhood, so I can't say anything, but it seems like you do have good relationships with the people you meet. I think even just like, this is just my opinion, like saying hi to people or interact with people at local businesses. It's like, that is, you're definitely adding community to the neighborhood. Like, even if you're not buying anything. But that's just my opinion.

Yeah. Yeah. I definitely try not to take away, but I think I could add more.

What would make the city more convenient for you?

I mean, there is a, you know, housing and rent crisis, unlike the, you know, laissez faire. Like, rents are crazy. Especially because I'm like a young [in my career]. Like, my career is so new. Like, my entry into the workforce is so new, and I don't have, like, you know, the savings or years of experience to, I think, be like a really influential or financially independent. There are a lot of resources, I think for free financial counseling and stuff. There's a lot of things that I just don't know about that I guess could empower me.

I would say that housing and rent [are really important]. Is like always a number one fear and of the scarcity of it and just how I'll be able to manage myself or grow enough wealth to stay in the city is always a thing that I think about because it's like, maybe there is an expiration date if I'm not able to buy property or something. You know what I mean? It does feel like a place that I may not be able to stay for as long as I would want to just because it's hard to be here long-term without a ton of resources, which is sad. Which is sad because, I guess the next quote, unquote “step” or something to build a permanent life here would be ownership or something. And that's making an assumption. But just…it's hard to think how living here for a long time would be financially smart if nothing were to change. I obviously could live a higher quality of life somewhere else, probably in terms of, like, when I was living in Salt Lake City, I lived on my own. I had a one-bedroom, and it was about $900 a month or something. It's much easier to live well in other places. Whereas now, I'm 28, and I live with roommates, and most people are like that. So it's kind of like what kind of life I might want when I'm older, might not be accessible or suitable here in the city. So that kind of sucks. But. Yeah, so I guess just like, how expensive it is. It's really difficult. And I'm often thinking: “what do I need to get out of being here, like, in order to feel fulfilled? “You know, like, if I were to leave, even though it feels you know, there's not so many places in the States that would feel safe or good to live in. But I also can't necessarily stay here forever. I don't know. You know what I'm saying?

Who is part of your community?

I really like Bed-Stuy because it's like a historical spot and there are people I see regularly. So I guess just like my neighbors, the cats, the people at the coffee shop, my friends who live nearby, and. Yeah, just the people who have lived here forever that I, like, admire and respect.

What else should we know about how you feel about cities?

All of my answers are coming from a person who, like, did a cliche thing and, like, moved to the city to find opportunities. You know, it's just kind of, I guess, the underlying truth of my being here and wanting to choose to live here. And I know a lot of people who have, maybe stronger, more stable home lives. Or like family lives that find it easier to live near their parents or whatever, or like a stronger, familial community that, like, maybe they wouldn't be making the same choices as me. So I guess it just seems like the best place to be for becoming an independent person. And that's my underlying belief. But I also know there's other places to live that are great.