The perfect storm:
- really, really cheap money
- pandemic fears: people fleeing urban centers
- autonomous zones will add to urban flight
- on-line shopping replaces need to go downtown
- working from home will only increase
- colleges, universities: on line
Across the San Francisco Bay area -- home to some of America’s earliest and strictest shelter-in-place rules -- demand for real estate is soaring in outer suburbs and wealthy havens known for their gorgeous landscapes. From affluent Marin County to Napa wine country and south to Monterey’s Carmel Valley, brokers say the coronavirus outbreak is leading to a surge of interest from homebuyers looking to spread out.
“I’ve never seen the demand higher for Marin County real estate than when Covid-19 hit,” said Josh Burns, an agent with Sotheby’s International who has been in the business for about 20 years.
Like New York, where Manhattanites fleeing the city have fueled newfound interest in tony suburbs, San Francisco is flush with people with the means to upgrade to more spacious areas. The tech companies that drive the region’s economy are also signaling a long-term acceptance of remote work, raising the prospect that there’s little need to live close to offices.When one looks at downtown urban centers, really, why are they even needed any more?
- financial centers and banking? it's pretty much all on-line now
- theaters: except for a few cities, maybe NY, SF, and Chicago, theaters are not a big draw any more; all have been closed down due to pandemic; unlikely to recover any time soon
- museums: ditto
- public libraries: ditto
- city hall: turned into autonomous zones
- Utah
- Washington
- Idaho
- New Mexico
- Wyoming
- Montana
- Colorado
- Texas
- Oregon
- Tennessee
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Alexa
Why can't you turn on my television?
Wow, TCM was awesome last night. Critics' choice: LGBTQ-themed. Who wudda guessed?
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Social Distancing No Longer "A Thing"
We have been notified by "neighborhood watch" that there will be a protest march in our neighborhood this afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m. A parade of 200 is expected. Apparently social distancing is no longer a "thing."
I'm sure they will all be wearing masks. LOL. Despite the fact that there is little evidence Wuhan flu is a risk when one is out and about. LOL.
I'm staying in bed all day. YouTube music. TCM. Blogging. No Uber-granddaughter-driving responsibilities today.
TCM: wow -- Petrified Forest followed by North By Northwest early this afternoon.
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Target
Sophia had a special request yesterday; necessitated a visit to local Target store a few blocks from our house. Parking lot absolutely full. Picked up our item; self-check-out. In/out, five minutes. I noted that Target has some of the best prices on grocery items -- especially compared to our local grocery stores. I'm talking significant price-savings.
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Amazon
Amazing.
Apparently there was a local/regional shortage of Ponzu sauce last week in some areas of the country. My wife and younger daughter were unable to find Ponzu in Portland, OR. When I heard that last week, I immediately ordered two bottles of Ponzu sauce to be delivered to their house. Ordered on Sunday, it was to arrive Thursday. Unusual for it to take so long, but not unexpected during the pandemic.
Wednesday, I received a notice that the shipment was canceled due to shipping problems. I was refunded my $10.38. I immediately re-ordered. Slightly after midnight early Friday morning (late, late, late Thursday night, I simply clicked on past Amazon orders and re-ordered the identical item). The Ponzu sauce -- both bottles --arrived in perfect condition Friday afternoon.
We don't know reason for "original" shipping problem but I bet at least one bottle broke in transit.
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Psycho Killer
Ms Weymouth will be 70 years old this fall.
In this video, one month before her 60th birthday.
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