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If you’ve been on TikTok recently, then you might have noticed that Gen-Z has a new nickname for Manhattan. It all started when a TikToker commented on a video of two girls leaving Manhattan to go back to Brooklyn and one user commented: “no for real, because why would I go to work island for fun?”
From there, the term “work island” got a life of its own, and it evidently hit a deep nerve among Gen-Z, many of whom have chosen to live in the outer boroughs because of affordability and fun, but have to commute to work to offices in Manhattan. One TikToker made a video pointing out why it was such an appropriate name and subsequent videos stopped calling the borough by its name altogether, simply referring to it as work island. “Pov on our way to work island at 9:36pm on a wednesday,” read the caption in one TikTok.
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There’s debate about what, exactly constitutes work island, though: Some TikTokers swear the nickname doesn’t apply to Uptown or Chinatown, while others have argued that people calling Manhattan “work island” are just transplants who spend all their time in Bushwick and have no idea what they’re talking about.
It’s not just transplants joining in on the fun, though. Many native New Yorkers from the outer boroughs also took the opportunity to poke fun at the borough that has historically tended to get all the love and attention. “Work island makes sense,” said a Queens native on TikTok. “The function is always in Brooklyn and Queens and the Bronx.”
“Work island is brilliant because for the longest (time) anyone who lived in Brooklyn or Queens had to commute into Manhattan for work,” said another New York native. “It was called money making Manhattan for a reason… Brooklyn has everything Manhattan has in terms of recreation.”
Although we can see where they’re coming from—the outer boroughs have some of the best parties, food and bars in New York City—Manhattan is still a heavyweight when it comes to having fun. Whether it’s wild, open bar Lunar New Year parties or an ice skating rink that will blast breakup songs ahead of Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of fun and unique things to do on work island in any given weekend. There’s also no shortage of amazing restaurants, whether you’re looking for some of the best Afro-Caribbean food in existence, Indian food that serves lesser-known dishes and sushi crafted by a chef made famous by Netflix, there’s a million reasons to go to Manhattan that are decidedly not labor-related.
We know calling Manhattan “work island” is all fun and games, and it’s kind of nice seeing the outer boroughs rally together for a common cause for once. But Gen-Z shouldn’t sleep on Manhattan because whether they like it or not, there’s no shortage of things to do.
As one wise TikToker put it: "If you only associate with Manhattan with work, that's your own doing, sweetbean."