NYC? What's it like?

brimstone- Housing is expensive in Manhattan, and you don't get too much for your money. Check this out. You can do an "advanced search" to get a sense of the type of apartment that you can get for the money that you want to spend:

http://www.allcityny.com/public/rentals.do

Notice that the listings of the least expensive places, although they show pictures, rarely show the square footage of the apartments.

There is no better nightlife, than in NYC. I would have to know what your interests are, before I could advise you.

I don't know where you are from, but in general, the restuarants in Manhattan are more expensive than in many other places in the country, although the "locals" always know of little gems that won't break your pocketbook.

Manhattan has an "electricity" about it that is palpable. The pace is very fast, and the streets are crowded. There are many unique neighborhoods within the borough. I would need more information about what you are looking for.

Since Mayor Giuliani, the streets are much safer in Manhattan, but as it any large city, you need to keep your wits about you. In all my years, I was robbed once, on the street. I was very tired, looked it, and not paying attention to the surrounding environment. I was an easy mark.

If I were you, and intending to relocate, I would definitely spend a couple of weeks checking things out.

You can get some good information here:

http://www.nycvisit.com/home/index.cfm

brimstone, I've just started a thread of things to see and do in NYC as I'm hoping to go for a visit in late April.

Come by and read some of the comments/suggestions by the locals.

http://able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1126371#1126371

Brimstone, my daughter has just returned from a fab visit to NY (as a tourist) but she got loads of great advice from A2K. There's a thread 'what's Ruth's hotel like?'

ebeth, I just asked you a question on the breakfast thread...when you have a mo...

Chai question answered, Smorgs.
I've got to go back to Ruth's Hotel question as well.
I'm going to throw a link to it into my question, so I can stay, sorta, organized.

ooooh, your so 'technical' ebeth, I've only just found out how to quote!

Thanks for the chai (I love it) will post with some recommendations later. :wink:

You will need a ton (metric or otherwise) of money to live in the West Village and about two tons to live around Central Park.......

Rents in the West Village range from $2500. to holy crap! how much?
Rents 'near' Central Park can be in the $30,000 to 110,000 per month. (Trump Tower)(Central Park West)(Fifth Ave)

but, as always, you can find places for much less, much much less, just not in the primo areas. If you are willing to walk a few block to the park you can find a good place in the 60's 70's or 80's East or West Side in $1200 to $3000 range.


And there are much cheaper places, even on Manhattan, Clinton (Hell's Kitchen) Hudson Heights (above the GW Bridge) and others....

Come to the city. We'll give you the tour. You'll find a place.


Joe(read the NYTimes Real Estate Section Online)Nation

Ruth did say she found NY tres expensive!

Apartments tend to be small and very very expensive. Brooklyn is now becoming expensive, though still in my opinion much better living. Real estate trumps every other value in NYC. If you are looking for one, the ritual is to go to Astor Place at 10pm Tuesday night to grab the earliest copies available of The Village Voice.

There really are coffee houses just like in Friends.

NYC is now the 200th or so most dangerous city in the United States, below pretty much anywhere. Talking on your cell phone would not elicit the attention of any muggers, since it appears that no one in NYC is not ever not talking on their cell phones. Keeping your eyes open is still advised, however.

The best restaurants in America, both continents, and pretty much everywhere but France are in NYC. You can get a great meal at a reasonable price in NYC ... something for which you'd pay an arm and a leg in another US city. NYC nightlife? Haven't you heard? It's known as "the city that never sleeps" for a reason.

Of course you should visit first! NYC ain't for everyone.

Is this an entirely serious post?

ive only been to nyc one and went to central park and found it very expensive i really couldnt live in ny its just not my type of a living but it is a very very beautiful state.

Thanks guys! (PS : This is serious!)

Start reading the New York Times Metro Section online. Find maps and locate the places referred to in the news that way you won't get Chelsea mixed up with Alphabet City.

Joe (Which subway train service has recently changed for the better?)Nation

Are you saying that the subways have gotten better? I have not lived in NY for almost 11 years. I get into Manhattan at least once a year, and have never gone into the subways during that time. I just walk to where I want to go.

They've decided to end skip/stop service on the 1/9 line.

Don't ask.

It's not explainable.
NO. NO.

People at cocktail parties attempting to provide advice on how to use skip/stop or, better, how to get to a particular stop if by some chance you've gotten on the skip train rather than the stop train, (don't. ask.) have been known to implode into a mass resembling the pepper jack cheese cheese dip.

So I'd rather not say.

Joe (if a train leaves the station can Spring be far behind?) Nation

Oh, and here are, and I have just nine minutes to write this, some glimpses of the city:

Yesterday, at Bloomie's Nails, I watched through the window of my passing bus as the well dressed woman was assisted on with her coat. Not so much assisted as, was dressed. She held her arms and hands out gingerly as the nail stylist slid the garment sleeves over them, then stood there like a schoolchild while the girl fumbled with the zipper, finally pulling it up to madam's neck. Next her hat was placed firmly on her head and her scarf was wrapped around her collar. All this while carefully making sure that nothing touched her still wet nails.

The man on the 1/9 overheard two women talking about the problems they were having casting a commercial. "Excuse me," he said, "I know someone who might be right for that." "Oh no," replied one of the women, "that was over three years ago." There was a pause. The other woman smiled and said "We just like remembering the really bad ones, it makes the bad ones we have now seem better."

I have a new game. It's called WanderBus. I'm going to play it on Fridays instead of going to the movies. Here's how it goes. You get on a bus and you ride it until you don't recognize where you are, then you get off and walk around and look at stuff. How you get back is anybody's guess.

MLK day was bitter cold and Tuesday following was colder yet. The morning train cars were dotted here and there with homeless men encamped in the corner seats or lying prone across three places, rolling shelters. "How did these men," and they were all men those mornings, "get missed by the dream of Martin Luther King?" I thought as I walked up the stairs past Bloomie's nails where the nail stylist was just beginning her day, preparing to dress grown up women against the cold.

Joe (okay, it took longer, but I stopped for coffee) Nation

Brimstone, I'd suggest that you visit first to see if you like it enough to live there. It IS one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Thanks for all your information guys! I have booked a flight to New York for the 19th February. I'll let you know about it!

brimstone- Have a great time. If you can deal with the weather in NY in February, you'll love it there!

Hopefully I'll be fine - but I saw the snowstorms in NYC on the news today. *Gulps*

We are very tough here, brimstone, and we know what to do with bad weather (Even with last night's snow, the airports are all open, the streets are clear) we just like to complain about it ...... carping about life in the city is the second most popular sport here (but don't say that to a New Yorker, they will deny it.)

Let us know what is on your agenda and maybe we can lend a hand or offer a suggestion.

I'm going to go look up a couple of sites for you now.

Joe (I tell yah, I cannot believe this city!) Nation

Live from New York
Times Square Camera

My favorite camera on this site is number four. Save this page. You can stand by the phone booth and wave to your friends back home.

Now would you like a map of the subway system?

Here you go.

Joe