America 03: Rooftops

Expensive neighbourhoods are all the same, but every cheap neighbourhood is cheap in its own way. The rise of the cool rooftop is a reminder of how wealth has changed. When the goal was bright lights, tall buildings, gold, diamonds and marble, everything came together nicely. Opulence and success, hand in glove. However, modern opulence isn't based on the scarcity of goods but experiences. Hanging out with artists, going to dive bars before they get popular, claiming the cachet of a less wealthy life. Of course, you can still buy these things, and many do. Thus the cheap part of town becomes the expensive part of town, and the experiential wealth slips further away, gripped too tightly by the invisible hand.