We millennials are a unique generation. However, our go with the flow attitude, our ‘you do you’ mindset and our ghostin’ habits have skewed our reputation. These wishy-washy tendencies have made us a misunderstood generation by the baby boomers, often taken for being selfish and demanding, rather than self-starters with high expectations in our personal and working worlds. Our reputation is also influenced by the reality that we live vibrant lives, and we portray an even better version of those lives on social media. We are also known for spending our money and time in cities if it means making our lives more convenient.
Thus, instead of framing this list in our misconceived nature as, “things millennials expect in the cities we visit,” it is framed around appreciation. Because we millennials are willing to work to make our cities better and we are grateful for those progressive places that are paving the way for the cities of the future. So here’s a list of 8 things millennials appreciate in the cities we visit and live in
Public Transportation
We get around, which is why we appreciate a cheap and well-communicated public transportation system. We frugal millennials appreciate a low-cost service that gets us where we need to go. Our mode of public transportation extends beyond the traditional buses and metros to scooters, bikes, and mopeds. Cities that offer viable transportation services for this generation of innovators are up our alley. We perceive cities with feasible public transportation as safer, easily maneuverable and more affordable.
Sunday Fundays
Whether it’s mimosas and brunch, jazz in the park, or a book at the beach, we millennials don’t let Monday’s fate stop the weekend festivities. A city that embraces this culture and provides a Sunday Funday ambiance with green space and sunny skies, bottomless mimosas, and large pancake servings, or live music with lovely venues is a city that doesn’t slip by millennials. We work hard, but we play equally hard, and we appreciate a city that welcomes this way of life.
Influencers to Pave The Way
We, as millennials, put less faith in marketing and advertising and more trust in the influencers living in our vast and wavering social media world. Influencers embody relatability, they portray transparency, and they, at the very least, speak more truth to us than television advertisements or billboards. In planning a trip to Rome, Italy, millennials much prefer to seek out trip inspiration for an authentic pizza parlor or a quaint hotel via an entertaining and aesthetically pleasing Instagram. It speaks to us better than a sales versed travel agent. We are digital natives; thus we can do the research and planning ourselves through the help of influencers that look like us, talk like us, likes what we like, and do what we do.
Craft Beer Breweries
We millennials are avid adventurers. Our adventure spectrum is a wide one, ranging from our willingness to stay in strangers homes to our desire to taste varying flights of craft beer. We try new things, we reject mass appeal, and we invest in sustainable brands; craft beers brands tend to fit into all of those categories. The brewing industry has very much grown to be a creative one, and we millennials are all for creatively and locally brewed craft beer in the cities we meander through. Craft beers tell stories and stories resonate with millennials.
Farmers Markets
Much like organic content, we millennials love and appreciate organic produce. We value our health, and when our food purchasing experiences offer a sense of place, we are all the merrier. Farmers markets are desirable to us because the produce is more affordable than at organic grocery stores, there is a sense of community as you are supporting a local community, and there is a vibrant atmosphere provided by the husting farmers and the bustling neighborhoods. When traveling to a new city, we trust that a farmers market will provide local produce and seasonal treats, giving us a better understanding of the city’s food culture.
Communal Workouts
We appreciate communal activities so much that what may even bring us to your city is a marathon or theme race. We are one of the fittest generations ever, and it’s not because of expensive gym memberships. Millennials like the togetherness of workout classes and the sense of accountability we feel in our workout groups. Millennials fitness culture is expanding because of the value placed on fun fitness and communal wellness and self-care. A new barre class, outdoor yoga class, or disco-lit spin class brings workout buddies to new neighborhoods for post-workout brunches, making working out a lifestyle rather than a dreaded chore. In visiting a new city, millennials might join a hiking group or jump in on a ropes course just for the experience of it.
Culture: Food, Music, Sports, and Art
People pick fun at millennials and their high expectations, and number seven partially proves those nitpicky people right. We have grown up in a globalizing, socially conscious, well-cultured, and diverse world, meaning we have tasted unique flavors, have been exposed to various genres of music, have been committed to sports teams, and have learned our art history. This means we appreciate a city rich in flavors, rhythmic in music, active in sports, and abundant in art.
Sharing is Caring: Co-working/Co-living
We don’t own our own homes, our own cars, or our own offices. In fact, when we visit new cities, we prefer to stay in the homes of strangers, to share vehicles, and to work side by side people from varying professions and backgrounds. The sharing economy and the now economy are our close friends because they embrace convenience and value feasibility, just like us. A city of like-minded people that welcomes car-sharing services and accommodation sharing services is one that we feel at home in. We are co-fanatics, and we work in co-working spaces, we live in co-living residences, and the only marketing we millennials tend to fall for is co-creation campaigns.
Do you agree? What are the things you look out for when you visit or move to a new city?
Photo Credits: Unsplash
