Contrarian take: NYC will get over the “Mamdani shock,” even if it happens. Why do I think that? Because I’ve been dead wrong before. After COVID, the mood was bleak. Doom-posts everywhere. Remote work would kill the office. No one would return to tiny apartments. High taxes would drive everyone out. I believed all of it. Then came the surprise. Just a few years later, rents were breaking records. People came back—willingly, even eagerly. None of the supposed deterrents mattered. There’s a pull to New York that defies logic, pandemics, and politicians alike. This is a city where people chase improbable dreams, fully aware the odds are stacked against them—and do it anyway. That spirit defines big cities everywhere, but nowhere is it more concentrated, more iconic, more relentless than here. So if you think one politician—even one like Mamdani—can bring down New York City, you probably haven’t seen it at its best. You haven’t seen what it’s like when artists, immigrants, financiers, and families all decide that this impossible place is worth the fight. If you are an ambitious immigrant, there is no close second. Warren Buffett famously says to not bet against USA. Betting against New York City is betting against USA.