Bye Bye Bachelor Pad

Jason Brooks downsized pad (Photo by Tina Fineberg, The New York Times)

Bachelor pads have always been “pimped” out with the hottest electronics and gadgets on the market. They functioned as a “man cave,” or safe haven for single men to gather and just relax. Bachelor pads were also considered a man’s calling card that would help to separate him from the pack.  However as the recession rolled in, it steam-plowed over many men’s dream of a luxuriously styled pad.

Jason Brooks con’t (Photo by Tina Fineberg, The New York Times)

In the New York Times article, “The Decline and Fall of the Bachelor Pad,” we learn that unemployment has hit New York males hard. “In 2008, the unemployment rate for men ages 20 to 34 in New York State was 7.4 percent. The countrywide average was 7.7 percent while the state average for women in the same range was 6.1 percent.”

Urtzi Grau 900 sf shared pad (Photo by Ruby Washington, The New York Times)

Before the economic decline, bachelors would soak up homes in posh neighborhoods. Studios in the Financial District and lofts in Tribeca were the norm. Now, we are seeing a growing trend of major downsizing. More bachelors are moving further out in the boroughs for cheaper finds. Others who desire not to leave the “scene” partner up with roommates in order to tackle [now] steep prices.

Urtzi Grau con’t (Photo by Ruby Washington, The New York Times)

Bachelors have now learned a hard lesson; a flashy bachelor pad is an accessory, not necessity. Former MTVhost Jason Brooks states,”the great thing about a recession is that girls are not going to pass you up, because every other guy they are meeting isn’t doing that great either.”