You do see the irony that jobs at places like restaurants and theaters cannot be done remotely, right?

There's no irony there... either those businesses that require local staff exist because they place they're in is a interesting and/or good place to live, or the place they're in is an obscenely-expensive shithole and they just won't exist.

There is an "infinite" amount of people that need a job and can't do something remotely (because they are not too "techyy" for that). Right now, they have to 1.5H commute from Jersey to Manhattan because that's where the job is. They are not originally from NJ but that's where they found the cheapest rent.

I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to serve the Digital Nomads or the Remote worker that picked small town, out of no where.

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I know a few friends who lives/lived in Jersey and took long commute to Manhattan. They are not "living in the city" by any shot; their relationship ends at 7-8PM when their shift ends and they have to take their long commute back.

Manhattan is attractive because it's much easier (at least pre-2019) to get a job there when you have little skills (a bartender can actually be a skilled job and requires certain connections) and need cash fast. There is also a community of people in the same situation (especially if you are a new immigrant).

Perhaps, but there's also plenty of NYC bartenders who don't particularly want to be bartenders, it's just a job they managed to get and it's what they're doing to pay the bills.

>There is an "infinite" amount of people that need a job and can't do something remotely (because they are not too "techyy" for that).

There are tons of jobs you can do remotely, without being good with tech. I will wager that most people working low paid manual jobs today have the full potential to handle a remote job. They just haven't had or made that opportunity.

As an aside, it is quite curious that we choose to say jobs at places like restaurants and theatres cannot be done remotely. Those are the kinds of jobs that are remote (faraway, distant)!

The restaurants and theaters don't need to be a hour's drive away from where the workers and customers live.

US zoning is shitty because it doesn't allow stores or restaurants in residential areas. But if that could be fixed, you could have a corner store and a diner/restaurant within walking distance of your home.