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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, and we're in today with a call in on the question, if you moved because of the pandemic, how's that working out? (646) 435-7280 . According to data from the commercial real estate firm CBRE, Metro New York had net outflows in 2020, and this relates back to our census segment from earlier in the program, but net outflows from Metro New York at twice the rate of 2019.

We're going to open up the phones for those who have moved because of the pandemic. Where did you go? Is it better there, or do you have any regrets or are you coming back or figuring out if you can? Give us a call. (646) 435-7280, (646) 435-7280. The New York Times recently analyzed that moving data and the net in-migration increased most last year to our area. I'm sorry, increased most last year to smaller metros outside of New York City.

For example, as people were moving out of downstate, they were moving into Hudson and Kingston, South of Albany, and places like Torrington Connecticut, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, two hours, three hours by car from the city respectively.

If you moved out of the city, but not too far out of the city, how did you come to make that decision? (646) 435-7280. How's that working out? Did you stay close because you'll still have to come into the city for work, maybe part-time or once in a while for meetings, even if you can work remotely, we know those markets are hot right now with many reports of people putting in cash offers, buying houses in the suburbs, sight unseen. Did you manage to score a house? (646) 435-7280. How's it working out?

Now, according to Gothamist, the outflow of population across the five Boroughs was heavily concentrated in Manhattan's core. That is, some of the movement was from Manhattan to other boroughs. Among the top 10 zip codes with the highest rates of move-outs last year, compared to 2019 are Hell's Kitchen, Midtown, both the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, SoHo, Chelsea, and the financial district.

Who, listening right now, moved out of Manhattan into another borough? Were you able to find a house or an apartment with a backyard in Brooklyn or more square footage in Queens? Was it more competitive than usual to get a lease or anything else you'd like to report on that score? (646) 435-7280.

Wondering if there are those of you out there who moved into Manhattan during the pandemic, did you find a good deal on a place to rent or buy because values were dropping, rents were dropping? Are you gaming it out now for when the pandemic might be over? Recent reporting indicates people are now bargain hunting in Manhattan and as the pandemic eases, at least for now, maybe for good, thinking, "Oh, now's the time to move back to those neighborhoods," that I just mentioned that people left.

Did you get a good deal? Are you now looking in Manhattan? Tell us your story of if you moved, how that work out. Are you looking to come back or looking to move to Manhattan for the first time? (646) 435-7280. We'll take your calls right after this.

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, and now to our calling question. If you moved because of the pandemic, how's that working out? By the way, just for some extra fun. Let's see if we can add a little bit of competition. Who among you, listening right now, thinks you've moved the furthest away from New York City during the pandemic?

If you're still listening to WNYC, we're grateful and call us now to tell us your story. If you think you've moved the furthest away because of the pandemic. (646) 435-7280. Edward in St. Louis is our first caller. Edward, you're on WNYC. Hi, there.

Edward: Hi, thanks for taking my call. Big fan of the show. We moved, my girlfriend and I, we were there when it all started in March, I guess it was, and everything shut down and there we stayed until sometime mid June. We got a phone call that her dad had died, but not from COVID. Packed up the car that same day and came here, and then we've basically just been living here since, but we came back once to get some stuff, but it's been a massive, massive change. It's really huge difference in lifestyle. We had-- [crosstalk] in a car.

Brian Lehrer: How do you feel? What's the biggest difference? A car, what else?

Edward: I just feel, personally-- I just feel a little bit unmoored. It's like I don't know anybody out here. It's-- I don't know. It's a little less feeling of community. I'm having a hard time really saying it, but all I can say is I very much miss New York and hopefully we can get back there at some point.

Brian Lehrer: Edward, good luck. Thank you so much for calling in. Leslie in Highland Lakes, New Jersey. You're on WNYC. Hi, Leslie.

Leslie: Hi, how are you?

Brian Lehrer: Good. What's your moving story?

Leslie: My moving story, I'll try not to cry, starts back during the pandemic early. My mother and my stepfather both got COVID and they both died from COVID.

Brian Lehrer: Oh my gosh. Sorry.

Leslie: Thank you. They were both youngish, going to be 75 last year. We already had some plans, not actually for their birthdays, but for my 50th, I had plans with my mother which didn't happen. Anyway, between that feeling as that last gentleman said he felt kind of unmoored, feeling like the rug was just pulled out from under me with losing my mother and my step-father. I felt like, "Well, maybe I should just blow up the rest of my life and get out of here," because I have a five-year-old and we're in a small one bedroom apartment.

A friend of mine had mentioned that she just put an offer on a house out here and I should come. She's a single mom like I am and should come check it out. I said, "Oh, great. Sounds good. Sign me up". It's 60 miles West of the city. I think a lot of people in the metropolitan area know it from way back when Action Park was in existence out here in Vernon.

Brian Lehrer: "Action Park."

Leslie: What? Yes. Exactly.

Brian Lehrer: That was the radio commercial, "Action Park".

Leslie: Yes, that was the commercial.

Brian Lehrer: I gather from what you told us screening, you're an architect. You can work from home now with your child, instead of living on the Lower East Side in a little apartment, you have a house in a partial view--

Leslie: Upper Easter.

Brian Lehrer: Upper East, sorry.

Leslie: Right, Upper East Side.

Brian Lehrer: Now you have a house in a partial view of a lake, so better, worse, mixed?

Leslie: No, definitely not worse. Look, I come into the city about once a week and I'm grateful. It was a long roundabout way because we lived like nomads in different places for two months at a time because, as you mentioned, the real estate frenzy, I got the third house I tried to buy. Things kept falling through, prices kept going up. It was getting quite challenging, but yes, on balance I'd say better. When I come into the city, I feel like I miss it, but my kid's been in school full-time since October. They're managing the-- There've been some COVID instances, but they're managing it.

Brian Lehrer: By the way, my producer, who remembers Action Park better than I do said his nickname was 'Accident Park'. We will leave that there, but Leslie, thank you so much for your call. Good luck to you and your family. Quinn in Portland, Maine, you're on WNYC. Hi, Quinn. Thanks for calling in.

Quinn: Hi, Brian. I just moved to Portland, Maine on the 15th, so just got here.

Brian Lehrer: Wow, and you haven't found Maine Public Radio yet? I'm lucky.

Quinn: I haven't.

Brian Lehrer: Why'd you move?

Quinn: Because of the pandemic I've been working from home for a year and my lease ended in January and I decided to try something new and try new place. Portland's super cute.

Brian Lehrer: What do you find super cute about it, or what do you think is going to be better?

Quinn: I just feel like it's a little bit easier here, cleaner than New York. I have been in Brooklyn. I still have the same amenities. There's great restaurants and coffee shops and everything is within walking distance. It's just a little bit quieter, a little slower. I'm doing the same thing that I was doing in Brooklyn, working from home, so I'm just at home all day on my computer.

Yes, I might go back to the city, I find a nine-month lease. I'll be here for spring and summer and the good parts of the year. Maybe by the time my office decides to reopen, then I'll go back to the city. For now, for the past two weeks, it's been great.

Brian Lehrer: You might have made a temporary move. You might just be parked there until your office goes back in person and then you'll see. Quinn, thank you. Good luck to you and your family. Oh, this might be the shortest move. I asked for the furthest move if you think you're that person, this might be the shortest move. Jake in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hi, Jake.

Jake: Hi, Brian. We have an awesome landlord and people were abandoning ship so fast during COVID. The building was emptying out.

Brian Lehrer: What neighborhood?

Jake: Hell's kitchen. They were abandoning ship. Anyway, we were looking around these apartments were on the sixth floor and we had a two-bedroom and on the ground floor, they had some apartments opening up. We asked around and we waited, we missed one of them. Then as COVID went on longer, negotiation became better for the tenant.

Anyway, we got this place that's a better apartment with higher ceilings and newer stuff, and 600 feet of earth, outdoor patio space for less money. We were both actors, so we need to live in New York and we also really like living in New York. The flight has helped us out actually.

Brian Lehrer: Jake, thank you very much. As actors, I hope the theater comes back so that you can keep paying that Hell's Kitchen rent-

Jake: Me too.

Brian Lehrer: -when the market rebounds. Oh my gosh, I thought we were going to get a lot of regrets on the phone and people saying-- For a couple of callers did have it, at least ambivalence. I thought we were going to get a lot of, "I'm coming back as soon as I can." What we're getting is, "I like it but here--" Oh, by the way, before we leave Action Park in the dustbin of history, somebody else said, "Oh, it's also known as Class Action Park." Somebody else also said, "Oh, it's known as Traction Park." Enough of that. Jeffrey in St. Paul, Minnesota, you're on WNYC. Hi, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey: Hi, Brian.

Brian Lehrer: You moved to St. Paul, when and why?

Jeffrey: Yes, I moved from Brooklyn to St. Paul in September of 2020, mostly because my family lives in St. Paul, but I had lost my job in March or April and I had a lot of time to drink. I was really in a downward spiral in my apartment. It was bad. I felt claustrophobic and I really didn't know what to do. I didn't have a job. I didn't know if I could get a job. I didn't know what was safe. I didn't know what was right. There was a lot of noise coming from everywhere and so I left.

As I was driving-- It took me about three days to drive. As I was in Cincinnati, I was like, "Why did I leave?" Immediately, I regretted it. I was like, "I could have found another way, I could have done something else." I've been here in St. Paul since and I'm really just trying to find a way to get back.

Brian Lehrer: Jeffrey, I hope you get back. Thank you very much and good luck out there while you're there. Here's-- As time is going to run out anyway, our one moving back to New York in the pandemic story. Juliet in East Harlem. Now, you're on WNYC. Hi, Juliet.

Juliet: Oh, hi. Thanks so much for taking my call, Brian. I listen as much as I can. I am semi-retired. I'm in my 60s. I left New York when I was in my late 20s for work and stayed away for 30 years for work reasons. My family, my both parents are from New York City. Then my niece came to live with me about 9 years ago because her family's situation became way too explosive for her, so she joined my husband and me in Burlington, New Jersey. She always wanted to come back to New York because she's in the arts. She went to school while she was with me and always wants to come back. She has all her college friends here.

Last year, we were living in Montclair, New Jersey. As I said, I'd been away for 20, 30 years. She'd been away for about 8 years at that point. One of her doctors said, "The rents are coming down in New York and you should really think about moving back here." Which is the first time I had thought about it that way, she had thought about it before. My niece's there.

Brian Lehrer: Since we have 20 seconds left in the program, after living for decades in Montclair, how's it working out for you being back in the city?

Juliet: Great. I lived in Pennsylvania and I lived in Southern New Jersey, so happy to be back with the arts and Brian Lehrer. I love it and she loves it.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much.

Juliet: Thank you.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you for your call and good luck to you and her and to everybody, no matter where you move and no matter how it works out, but we get it from this little sampling that experiences are all over the map of satisfaction or regret or ambivalence among people who moved during the pandemic. Thanks for your calls.

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