When I was searching for a new apartment, I came across this view of a courtyard that made me cringe more than I expected. I suddenly felt the city suck me in, trapped in a gridlock that does everything it can to keep you there. You know those post-apocalyptic-future movies where everything is chaotic, dense, and dirty; everything is stacked for lack of space and the air is hardly breathable but there's still new exciting tech everywhere and everyone is just trying to figure out how to survive? That's New York. Time period: now.