Moving to NYC

[Josh]

So I've been all around the world and considered myself a resident of New Hampshire for long enough. I think I want to try the big apple for a year or two while I'm still young. Does anyone here live there? Can you give me some tips?

 

[terryl965]

Yea do not go :lol:

 

[Josh]

psh..this from a man "living under a rock"??? hahahha :lol2:..

I know NYC is tough for some people because they are not in their early 20s and they have kids and that "responsibility" thing (whatever THAT is lol).. but thankfully for me, I'm looking for adventure. Thanks for the reply.. OLD MAN! hahaha I'm kidding

 

[exile]

Josh, I'm a New Yorker—born there, lived there till I was exiled to the suburbs at age 7, came back when I was 16 to start university and lived there for eight more years... It's an unbelievably great city. One of the greatest in human history—brilliant museums (you can spend a week in the American Museum of Natural History or the Metropolitan and still not see everything); brilliant music scene—anything you can imagine, seven nights a week; fantastic restaurants at every price range; magnificent architecture, magnificent theatre, beautiful parks, grand boulevards, superb universities... and the place crackles with ideas, nonstop. It really does never sleep, because no one wants to go to bed. The greatest place in the world to be a young person, especially. If you have a chance to spend time there, do it!!

Sigh....

 

[Josh]

It sounds so amazing. Any tips for moving there?

 

[MBuzzy]

I'm with Exile. Greatest city in the world. I loved it there. I lived in NJ, about an hour from NYC and visited regularly. You'll have the time of your life.

 

[MBuzzy]

It sounds so amazing. Any tips for moving there?

Tips for moving? Find a rent controlled apartment! Learn your way around well, get used to the subway and bus schedules.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Tips... Don't go out in Manhattan or Flushing Chinatown after dark

The only reason I go to NYC is for Flushing Chinatown but there certainly is a lot there to see and do
.

 

[MJS]

So I've been all around the world and considered myself a resident of New Hampshire for long enough. I think I want to try the big apple for a year or two while I'm still young. Does anyone here live there? Can you give me some tips?

Never lived there, but I go to the city every year and I have an awesome time!!! Don't know what it is, but there is something about being there that keeps me coming back! I think it'd be great to move there, although it'd definately take some getting used to.

If its something you're interested in doing, go for it!

 

[exile]

It sounds so amazing. Any tips for moving there?

Well, it's been a long time since I lived there, Josh—have been an academic migrant worker most of my life, following the jobs, from NY to Idaho to Victoria and Vancouver, to Columbus... so I don't know that what I have to say is all that up to date. But the big issue for anyone moving to NY is affordable housing. What kind of arrangements have you made? Rent costs in Manhatten itself are outlandish, as you'd expect—NYC has the highest per-square-foot real estate in North America, probably. So you need to think about that. Where are you going to be based, and what will you be using for income?

One place that you might do better looking for rental is Brooklyn, which has become an incredibly cosmopolitan, genuinely beautiful part of the city with its own young/hip/well-off crowd living there, its own nightlife/art-scene/restaurant culture, and relatively more affordable housing than Manhatten—but easy access on the subway, which is now a vastly safer mode of transport than it was when I was a student there. The whole city is a much safer place, come to think of it. I wouldn't recommend Queens; it's so far, culturally speaking, from Manhatten that it doesn't really count as NYC—it's really an eastern outpost of Long Island, where I spent some really awful years as a kid before escaping back to the City.

I'll say this: people in NY are great, often ridiculously helpful, in spite of their reputation for rudeness. They aren't rude, but they are direct and upfront about what they're thinking. It's a very different mindset and approach to life from most of the places I've lived, but I do think there's a lot to be said for it. You always know where you stand with NYers.

The main disadvantage of the city is the housing crunch. But that tells you something. In my parent's generation, everyone was fleeing the City to the suburbs; these days, people are giving their right arms to be able to move back there. You can probably find a good book or two on the logistical aspects of the city, and advice about finding a cheerful, comfortable place to live that you can afford. That's where I'd start, if I were going to do what you have in mind—which, as I say, is a very good and exciting idea!

 

[MJS]

Tips for moving? Find a rent controlled apartment! Learn your way around well, get used to the subway and bus schedules.

Yes, finding your way around if you're not familiar with the area can be a bit of a challenge. I avoid the bus and the subway.

Tips... Don't go out in Manhattan or Flushing Chinatown after dark

I've been there at night, although it hasnt been anything like 1am. I'm not that crazy. LOL!

The only reason I go to NYC is for Flushing Chinatown but there certainly is a lot there to see and do
.[/quote]

Agreed!

 

[MBuzzy]

Tips... Don't go out in Manhattan or Flushing Chinatown after dark

The only reason I go to NYC is for Flushing Chinatown but there certainly is a lot there to see and do
.

I've got to say here....I've been all over Manhattan, the Bronks, Brooklyn, the Village, even Harlem after dark....and sometimes at those crazy late hours. NYC is not a dangerous place. NYC is a dangerous place if you are not alert, aware, and smart. I mean, going running around harlem at 3am is probably not the best decision, but if you have to, mind your own business, don't look like a tourist, do what you've got to do and get out and you'll be fine.

BIG TIPS....NEVER take your wallet out and start looking through money in public. Especially don't start taking out maps and looking around. If you have to do that, do it in a store, or on the subway, not on the street. To be honest, one of the most dangerous places for getting pickpocketed is Time Square....think about it - victim central. Where EVERY tourist goes. It is packed tight and no one is paying attention, they are looking around. I avoid Times Square at all costs (Well, the Virgin Records has one of the cleanest bathrooms...so that's a reason to go there).

Just be smart and be careful. Don't look like a victim or a tourist. If you look like you know where you're going and what you're doing - and look like you're from there, you'll be fine. I learned that the worst thing to do in NYC is to be scared of doing something or going somewhere. Be AWARE and do your homework, but don't be afraid of it. NYC CAN be dangerous, but it doesn't have to be.

Oh yeah, and K town in Queens is AWESOME. You want REAL Korean food - go there! You have to stop in Little Italy for Canollis, go drinking at the Slaughtered Lamb in the Village, hang out at the crazy theme bars up near Central Park, really, there is a never ending list of things to do. If you're still online when you go there, I'm sure you'll find it, but if you ever need a tip, let me know! It hasn't been too long since I was there.

Oh yeah, and as usual, Exile's dead on. The biggest issue is getting a place to live! rent control rent control rent control rent control.....watch the Obits.

 

[MBuzzy]

Yes, finding your way around if you're not familiar with the area can be a bit of a challenge. I avoid the bus and the subway.

When I first started going up there, I avoided busses and the subway like the plague. For me, it was walking and cabs EVERYWHERE....but man, that gets tiring or expensive. It is $30 to go from Battery Park to the Central Park.....that is insane.....The subway is only a few bucks to get anywhere and generally faster. And it isn't hard to use once you've learned the system. Not dangerous at all, these days EVERYONE uses the subway....unless you're rich enough to have a driver that is.

 

[MBuzzy]

OH! I almost forgot....DIRTY WATER DOGS. There are street vendors there that sell hot dogs out of a cart. The hot dogs have been sitting in the boiling water for...well....and undisclosed amount of time, but I promise, dirty water dogs are one of the greatest foods on the planet.

 

[exile]

I've got to say here....I've been all over Manhattan, the Bronks, Brooklyn, the Village, even Harlem after dark....and sometimes at those crazy late hours. NYC is not a dangerous place. NYC is a dangerous place if you are not alert, aware, and smart. I mean, going running around harlem at 3am is probably not the best decision, but if you have to, mind your own business, don't look like a tourist, do what you've got to do and get out and you'll be fine.

This has been my experience too. Per capita, NYC has a much lower violent crime rate than a lot of big eastern cities. It was a kind of dicey place when I was a student there in the 60s and early 70s, but it's been way better during the past 20 years.

BIG TIPS....NEVER take your wallet out and start looking through money in public. Especially don't start taking out maps and looking around. If you have to do that, do it in a store, or on the subway, not on the street. To be honest, one of the most dangerous places for getting pickpocketed is Time Square....think about it - victim central. Where EVERY tourist goes. It is packed tight and no one is paying attention, they are looking around. I avoid Times Square at all costs (Well, the Virgin Records has one of the cleanest bathrooms...so that's a reason to go there).

Just be smart and be careful. Don't look like a victim or a tourist. If you look like you know where you're going and what you're doing - and look like you're from there, you'll be fine. I learned that the worst thing to do in NYC is to be scared of doing something or going somewhere. Be AWARE and do your homework, but don't be afraid of it. NYC CAN be dangerous, but it doesn't have to be.

Very sound advice. The best route to a safe, secure time in NYC is, look purposeful. Like you know where you're going, and why, and you mean business. That intangible sense that you are on track and in control is something native NYers project without being aware that they're doing it, and the best way to blend in with the home crowd is to cultivate that same manner. Not unfriendly; just, I'm taking care of business.

Oh yeah, and K town in Queens is AWESOME. You want REAL Korean food - go there! You have to stop in Little Italy for Canollis, go drinking at the Slaughtered Lamb in the Village, hang out at the crazy theme bars up near Central Park, really, there is a never ending list of things to do. If you're still online when you go there, I'm sure you'll find it, but if you ever need a tip, let me know! It hasn't been too long since I was there.

Oh yeah, and as usual, Exile's dead on. The biggest issue is getting a place to live! rent control rent control rent control rent control.....watch the Obits.

Absolutely. Rent controlled apartments are getting fewer and further between, but they're still there, and the obits can give you some pointers as to what's opening up. It will take a little bit of effort... but wow, is it ever worth it!

OH! I almost forgot....DIRTY WATER DOGS. There are street vendors there that sell hot dogs out of a cart. The hot dogs have been sitting in the boiling water for...well....and undisclosed amount of time, but I promise, dirty water dogs are one of the greatest foods on the planet.

And in winter, hot roasted chestnuts from the street sellers... oh, the memories.... :wah:

 

[MJS]

When I first started going up there, I avoided busses and the subway like the plague. For me, it was walking and cabs EVERYWHERE....but man, that gets tiring or expensive. It is $30 to go from Battery Park to the Central Park.....that is insane.....The subway is only a few bucks to get anywhere and generally faster. And it isn't hard to use once you've learned the system. Not dangerous at all, these days EVERYONE uses the subway....unless you're rich enough to have a driver that is.

I usually go with my wife, sister and brother in law. We mostly walk where ever we need to go, although there have been a few times when we've taken a cab. Usually when I say what I'm about to say next, peoples jaws drop. Once ground zero was cleaned up, we actually walked from Grand Central to the site! Yes, it was hot and it was one hell of a long walk! LOL! Needless to say, on the return trip, we flagged down a cab. As for having a driver...yes, I comment all the time, saying that one of these days we need to all chip in, get a limo and travel in style. LOL!

OH! I almost forgot....DIRTY WATER DOGS. There are street vendors there that sell hot dogs out of a cart. The hot dogs have been sitting in the boiling water for...well....and undisclosed amount of time, but I promise, dirty water dogs are one of the greatest foods on the planet.

Oh man..I've heard some stories about those carts. A girl I used to work with grew up in Brooklyn. I asked her about the carts..lol.

And in winter, hot roasted chestnuts from the street sellers... oh, the memories.... :wah:

We usually make our trip around the holiday time, so yes, that chestnut smell fills the air.

 

[Josh]

Thanks for all of the great tips

I think I'm going to check it out some more in person and online before I make up my mind for sure.