Only in New York is construction in the middle of the night considered “less disruptive.” When the sun goes down, the construction sites appear. The streets might quiet down, but somewhere—in my case, next door—someone is throwing wood planks, clanking scaffolding, or drilling into oblivion.

In Germany, this would be unthinkable. The uproar would be instant: neighbors filing complaints, regional news headlines asking Was ist los?! We take our Ruhezeiten seriously. There’s a shared understanding that nighttime is sacred. It’s when the world slows down, rests.

But in New York, what counts is money, money, money. Rush-hour construction costs more. So does blocking daytime foot traffic. The priority here isn’t rest—it’s ROI. And so: midnight hammering, 2 a.m. drilling. And no one bats an eye.

It’s a city that never sleeps—because it won’t let you 😉