Living in NYC - all it's cracked up to be?

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 8:34pm

I've been pondering moving to NYC for quite some time. In the next couple of years, I'd like for this actually to happen. So here is my question - is it as great as many people make it out to be?

Here are a few questions I've thought about since my recent trip:

What is the best area to live in (with a "normal" non-astronomical salary to pay rent from)if you wish to live IN the city ?

If you live IN the city, can you really survive without a car?

Safety? Assuming that you don't make any stupid choices - do you feel safe in your neighboorhood after, say, returning to home after a show? I generally stay in the Times Square area where there tends to be busy at all areas of the night.

Day to day life. I've lived in Chicago, and I found simple things such as grocery shopping and going to a doctor when ill a pain, but found leisure time to be much easier and more enjoyable.

Dating. As difficult as it seems on shows such as "Sex in the City"?

Is there really an area without tourists in the city?

Time to enjoy the city. Do you actually have time in your normal life to enjoy the perks of NYC? Or do you enter the day to day dreariness of work and normal life?

I know these answers will vary with experience, but I would like to hear the opinions you are willing to share.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:03pm

>>>What is the best area to live in (with a "normal" non-astronomical salary to pay rent from) if you wish to live IN the city ?

The question is what are you willing to pay? What can you tolerate?


>>>If you live IN the city, can you really survive without a car?

It's nearly impossible to survive with a car here. The subway and bus system is unparalleled.


>>>Safety? Assuming that you don't make any stupid choices - do you feel safe in your neighborhood after, say, returning to home after a show? I generally stay in >>the Times Square area where there tends to be busy at all areas of the night.

I live in Ridgewood, Queens, and moved there from rural Pennsylvania. It takes some getting used to, but once you get settled it all comes together.


>>>Day to day life. I've lived in Chicago, and I found simple things such as grocery shopping and going to a doctor when ill a pain, but found leisure time to be much >>easier and more enjoyable.

It's the same.... only there is much more and it is open longer.


>>>Dating. As difficult as it seems on shows such as "Sex in the City"?

I've never seen that show (gasp) and frankly I imagine dating for anyone resembling Sarah Jessica Parker would be difficult anywhere. I think NYC is very difficult for people because there are so many choices. It is hard to settle down in place where settling down is just not possible. Everyone rents, it is not easy to raise kids here unless you are super rich, or super poor. It's really hard to walk down a block and see 10 hot guys and go home to the same pot-roast every night... For women NYC is very hard when it comes to dating. The ratio of women to men is a bit skewed. Straight single women far outnumber eligible straight guys. So you have to kinda get in-line. Or "on-line" as they say it here.


>>>Is there really an area without tourists in the city?

I rarely see tourists.

>>>Time to enjoy the city. Do you actually have time in your normal life to enjoy the perks of NYC? Or do you enter the day-to-day dreariness of work and normal life?

When people ask why I like New York, I say something like "because it's alive." It is the most amazing place. I am kind of a recluse in my apartment, but I do love the live theatre when I can. I love working in the media. I love eating every kind of food on the planet. I love meeting people from all over the planet. Also NYC has BY FAR the hottest selection of Gay men on the planet. Trust me, you will not find this variety ANYWHERE. Bar none. The subway is really really draining at times. It wears on your soul. The pavement grinds at your bones and the air is as congested as the streets.

I always tell people two things about NYC.

1. NYC is called the city that never sleeps. The reason for that is because nobody can sleep!!! Try to get an apartment away from the noise... It's soo important.

2. There are some 8 million people here, and the one thing you will find is that this can be the loneliest place on earth.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:20pm

i don't live in nyc but about 5 minutes away and i am fine. tried the city, liked it, fire in neighbors apartment....

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:30pm

>>>>>>Here are a few questions I've thought about since my recent trip:

>>>>>>What is the best area to live in (with a "normal" non-astronomical salary to pay rent from)if you wish to live IN the city ?

I was told to either live in Mahattan (expensive depending on situation with money and roommates) or Astoria.

>>>>>>If you live IN the city, can you really survive without a car?

Hell yes! Subway and bus. You really DON'T need a car AT ALL.

>>>>>>Safety? Assuming that you don't make any stupid choices - do you feel safe in your neighboorhood after, say, returning to home after a show? I generally stay in the Times Square area where there tends to be busy at all areas of the night.

Go to the local police stations at neighborhoods you plan on living at and find out about the certain area, block, and apartment building you are interested in.

>>>>>>Day to day life. I've lived in Chicago, and I found simple things such as grocery shopping and going to a doctor when ill a pain, but found leisure time to be much easier and more enjoyable.

Can't help you here. I know that in Manhattan, you can get delivery from restaurants (Chinese, diners, etc) for free, fast, and from a plethora of selections. I know grocery stores and delis are in abundance in Manhattan. I'm sure it's the same in Queens, Astoria, etc.

>>>>>>Dating. As difficult as it seems on shows such as "Sex in the City"?

Can't help you there. Someone wanna help ME out? *wink wink*

>>>>>>Is there really an area without tourists in the city?

Tourists stay in Manhattan. I don't know of any tourists that go to Queens or Astoria. There's the zoo in the Bronx and there's stuff in Brooklyn.

>>>>>>Time to enjoy the city. Do you actually have time in your normal life to enjoy the perks of NYC? Or do you enter the day to day dreariness of work and normal life?

I'm sure you can take an afternoon a week to do something. Central Park is free to enjoy.

>>>>>>I know these answers will vary with experience, but I would like to hear the opinions you are willing to share.

I've lived there for two weeks on my own, staying at the YMCA. THAT'S my experience. So take what I say with that knowledge. I have friends who live in Astoria and uptown Manhattan and downtown Manhattan.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:48pm

What is the best area to live in (with a "normal" non-astronomical salary to pay rent from)if you wish to live IN the city?

Get an apartment in Astoria - the "City" is just a 20 minute subway ride away.

If you live IN the city, can you really survive without a car?

Yes. Subway and busses are the easiest things possible.

Safety? Assuming that you don't make any stupid choices - do you feel safe in your neighboorhood after, say, returning to home after a show? I generally stay in the Times Square area where there tends to be busy at all areas of the night.

There are more cops on the street than you'll ever see. You're 100% safe - provided you don't do anything stupid.

Day to day life. I've lived in Chicago, and I found simple things such as grocery shopping and going to a doctor when ill a pain, but found leisure time to be much easier and more enjoyable.

You can always find something to do. Supermarkets, et al, are everywhere.

Dating. As difficult as it seems on shows such as "Sex in the City"?

No comment.

Is there really an area without tourists in the city?

Yes. The other 4 boroughs. And Manhattan in February.

Time to enjoy the city. Do you actually have time in your normal life to enjoy the perks of NYC? Or do you enter the day to day dreariness of work and normal life?

There's always time to relax. You just have to make it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:49pm

A short answer to your question

YUP

[Calvin]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 9:57pm

I won't go through all the questions again, but I live in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan, where the rent is reasonable, I rarely see tourists, I always feel see and it is somewhat quiet except in the summer when there are a lot of street parties (and they usually stop around 1 or so). I can get to midtown in 15-20 minutes if I hit the trains right, and my commute to the East Village is no more than 45 minutes each day.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:00pm

Calvin

Check out Rev Ikes 175 th St - The old Loews Theater

******* georgeous. It is open to all for weekend services

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:05pm

Thanks for all the great answers. I know some of these could be considered silly questions, but since I've lived in a city for a bit I know what I loved and disliked about this lifestyle. While I've visited NYC several times, I know living there is a completely different experience.

I'd love to hear any other opinions and thoughts that anyone else wants to share!

Updated On: 1/10/07 at 10:05 PM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:14pm

Oops, yodamarie is not very bright!

Updated On: 1/10/07 at 10:14 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:15pm

I live in Greenwich Village.

First thing is that the city is extremely expensive, especially housing. You should have a lot saved up before you come.

What type of job are you looking to get? The job market is very competitive right now.

I've found the city to be extremely safe (thanks to Rudy Guiliani).

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:16pm

What is the best area to live in (with a "normal" non-astronomical salary to pay rent from)if you wish to live IN the city ?

If you wish to live in the city your best bet will be somewhere like Washington Heights or Inwood. There are nice apartments that are not ridiculously expensive if you're willing to go that far uptown.

If you live IN the city, can you really survive without a car?

If you live in the city there is absolutely no reason why you would need a car, as others have said, the public transportation is excellent.

Safety? Assuming that you don't make any stupid choices - do you feel safe in your neighboorhood after, say, returning to home after a show? I generally stay in the Times Square area where there tends to be busy at all areas of the night.

I feel very safe in my neighborhood (Morningside Heights near Columbia) and have rarely felt at all nervous anywhere in the city. As you said, just don't make any stupid choices.

Day to day life. I've lived in Chicago, and I found simple things such as grocery shopping and going to a doctor when ill a pain, but found leisure time to be much easier and more enjoyable.

There's a wonderful service called FreshDirect that brings your groceries to you. I only go to the grocery store when I need to pick up a couple of items and have never found it too inconvenient. There are days when I really don't want to walk the 7 blocks to get there, but it's really not bad at all.

Is there really an area without tourists in the city?

I rarely see tourists around my apartment and it's actually pretty quiet, especially compared to midtown.

Time to enjoy the city. Do you actually have time in your normal life to enjoy the perks of NYC? Or do you enter the day to day dreariness of work and normal life?

I love to just go out and walk around the city on weekends and when you live in the city you can take advantage of lots of last minute ticket options to go to the theatre.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:16pm

Yes, the city is all it's cracked up to be and more.

What is the best area to live in (with a "normal" non-astronomical salary to pay rent from)if you wish to live IN the city ?

For those who are answering "Queens", then you obviously didn't read the question. "The city" is MANHATTAN. You can find affordable living almost anywhere in the city. You just need to dig around. Use craigslist and look for prices that are in your range. If you see something you like, make an appointment to see it right away as 15 other people have already responded to that ad, and the first one to sign the lease gets it.

If you live IN the city, can you really survive without a car?

I agree with mejusthavingfun. You cannot survive in this city WITH a car.

Safety? Assuming that you don't make any stupid choices - do you feel safe in your neighboorhood after, say, returning to home after a show? I generally stay in the Times Square area where there tends to be busy at all areas of the night.

Manhattan is one of the safest cities in the world.

Is there really an area without tourists in the city?

The only places I see tourists are in Times Square.

Updated On: 1/10/07 at 10:16 PM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:39pm

I pretty much concur with what everyone else has said. Can't help with specific living arrangements, having a car is rididculous, once you're out of Times Square, tourists become sparse, aside from particular areas like Ground Zero and stuff like that. Can't help at all with dating.

But a couple of things I wanted to comment on...the having time to appreciate the city and such. I've realized that's a completely individual thing/decision. If you want to make time to appreciate the city, you will. I mean in my dorm in Brooklyn, I would go to shows all the time and such and another one of my friend's always got up early in the weekends and he would go to museums and the buildings and state of liberty...but hardly anyone else in the dorm took advantage. When I brought my friend with me to a show, she realized it was the first time since she came here that she's been to Times Square. I mean, it's probably worse in college with classes and schoolwork time-wise, but still...it really is something that if you know you want to do it, you will. And that's that.

Also, both in terms of the groceries and safety...it can vary from area to area. Last semester, I lived in Brooklyn and I just moved to the Financial District...both are a little weirder/differenter than most of Manhattan. I felt safe coming back to Brooklyn only because there was a cop in front of my dorm, but if it was like after midnight, sometimes the streets were empty...and apparently that's the case here in the Financial District. Everything closes at 6 and everyone leaves. In Brooklyn, we had a 24-hour Duane Read and everything else, including McDonald's closed pretty early. Here in the Financial District, the Duane Read closes at 4.

Not to say that these areas aren't safe and things aren't always available, but I think it's just a little different than the general answer to those questions.

And I think the general question, is it all it's cracked up to be--again, i think that's a totally individual answer. I adore living here, one of my sisters could never. It has it's pros and cons and certain people are made for it, certain aren't. I think that's really the final answer.

Updated On: 1/10/07 at 10:39 PM

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 10:48pm

I don't live in the city, I live in Astoria, but I have to ditto others who are saying you should check out Astoria/Queens. I did look in Manhattan before moving to Astoria (I was moving from Brooklyn), but in Astoria I am just getting more space for my rental dollar, and Times Square is just 15-20 min away on the subway.

I work in Times Square, and that is the only time I see tourists. It was really bad commuting into that madness every day to/from work over the holidays. but now it's back to 'normal' and I don't have to plant my elbow or bag or boots into tourists while walking to the office every day.

I have never really felt unsafe in NYC. There's a pretty good website for neighborhood info (like crime statistics, etc) here:
http://gis.nyc.gov/ops/mmr/address.jsp?app=MMR
and then also the NY State sex offender registry online, and honestly I did check out my new apartment on both, but moreso for curiosity's sake than actually a feeling of being 'unsafe' or anything.

Apartment hunting: apartment hunting in NYC should be a sport. There's 20 other people who want the apartment that you do, but not only do you have to be first, but you want to be first with everything (I came armed with copies of paystubs, credit reports, and prepared to put down a deposit right then in the room, etc.) in order to get the apartment.

Car: I am an L.A. transplant, so I know of being in a car city. I have now been carless for a little over a year, it's been that long since I've driven, and I do not miss it at all. Anything you want/need you can get delivered, and you get used to carrying stuff on the subway- I can pick up much more at Target and carry it home on the train than I would have ever figured I was capable of.

enjoying the city: museums, lottos for shows, free Shakespeare in the Park, finding new places to eat, new places to drink, meeting people from all over the world, etc. There is as much time to enjoy the city as you're willing to make time for. Sometimes I'm out at all hours, sometimes I like to just be at home watching tv and posting on BWW. :)

dating: ok, so so far 90% of the men I know in this city are gay, but a girl can never have too many gay boyfriends. Oh, and by the way this:

I've never seen that show (gasp) and frankly I imagine dating for anyone resembling Sarah Jessica Parker would be difficult anywhere.

made me laugh, thanks! I've ever understood the SJP appeal.


Updated On: 1/11/07 at 10:48 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:11pm

I wouldn't even bother to look in my neighborhood (Greenwich Village). It is really too expensive and the apartments are small. (except mine, lol!). Tourists are around here all the time. I think the village is definitely on every traveler's itinerary. It's not the same village now though. Now it's filled with upscale families with small children and dogs. Designers have all opened showrooms, etc. That's fine but I preferred in the "olden" days when it was the gay mecca.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:51pm

"What is the best area to live in (with a "normal" non-astronomical salary to pay rent from)if you wish to live IN the city?"

As some have mentioned, check craigslist. I *just* moved to manhattan a little under a month ago and the only reason I got my apartment for such a great deal is because I was the first person to call, the first person to look at the place, and I didn't hesitate...I just took it. I am proof that you can find a clean apartment in a nice building for a great price.

"If you live IN the city, can you really survive without a car?"

Yes. I always drove when I still lived in Westchester, but now that I don't anymore, I don't miss it. I love the subway!

"Safety? Assuming that you don't make any stupid choices - do you feel safe in your neighboorhood after, say, returning to home after a show? I generally stay in the Times Square area where there tends to be busy at all areas of the night."

I feel completely safe in my neighborhood...even coming home after a show.

"Day to day life. I've lived in Chicago, and I found simple things such as grocery shopping and going to a doctor when ill a pain, but found leisure time to be much easier and more enjoyable."

Walk a few blocks. Buy some groceries. Walk back to your apartment. It is so simple. So much better than having to take a car.

"Dating. As difficult as it seems on shows such as "Sex in the City"?"

I haven't been here too long yet, but in my personal opinion, it is very hard to date, but very easy to have sex.

"Is there really an area without tourists in the city?"

I never see tourists in my area.

"Time to enjoy the city. Do you actually have time in your normal life to enjoy the perks of NYC? Or do you enter the day to day dreariness of work and normal life?"

First of all, I don't know what "dreariness of work" means because I love my job. But for me, now that I'm living in manhattan, I am able to take advatage of what it has to offer. After work, I am able to see shows, go to cabaret concerts, go out to dinner with friends, go on dates...even in the middle of the week, which I didn't used to be able to do. Plus, I have weekends free to do whatever I want to do in manahttan. As long as you don't work ungodly 12 to 15-hour days, you will definitely be able to enjoy manhattan. Good luck!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:58pm

It's all it's cracked up to be, and more.

I live in Manhattan, and really have no desire to live anywhere else. I have friends in most sections of Manhattan, though I, myself, have only lived in midtown east, turtle bay, and the upper east side.

The Upper East Side is exceptional. It's a neighborhood of its own with absolutely zero tourists. The only downside to it is the sole subway line, but you find ways around it. It's also very affordable.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/10/07 at 11:59pm

i wish
i wish
i WISH
i liked someplace better
but so far i havent.

[liotte]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:04am

I live in Midtown West, meaning minutes from Times Square. Most tourists don't venture past 8th avenue, and very rarely do any come past 9th. It's fantastic to be within a 5 minute walking distance to Times Square.

I drive in the city on occassion and it's more of a pain. I only use a car if I need to get out of the city, like to go to Jersey or the airport.

Safety is fine, there are cops everywhere, never felt unsafe except for that staying overnight on the sidewalk outside of a theater for rush tickets, 4 and 5am get a little sketchy!

I've lived in Chicago, NYC is much easier to get everything you need and find your way around.

Dating sucks. I am a straight single female, gone on a few dates, had more like finding guys online to meet than meeting guys in bars. Good place to meet guys is sporting events. Yankees fans are better than Mets :)

Time to enjoy the city. Do you actually have time in your normal life to enjoy the perks of NYC? Or do you enter the day to day dreariness of work and normal life?
I go to the gym, I work, but I also see theater usually 4-5 nights a week, have season tickets to the Yankees, and really try to enjoy NYC. Tomorrow I am going ice skating in Bryant Park. I also used to be in a city volleyball league (if you play sports- also a great way to meet people). Ditto on all those events like Broadway on Broadway, Stars in the Alley, Broadway in Bryant Park, Softball League, Shakespeare, there is free kayaking on the hudson river in the summer, everything in Central Park or bike riding along Riverside, there is so much to do!
NYC is great!

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:11am

Liotte is a walking advertisement for making the most out of living in NYC.

Updated On: 1/11/07 at 12:11 AM

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:19am

Except for the boyfriend issue!

[liotte]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:20am

LOL, thanks guys! (for real to Foster and sarcastic to Brd)

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:22am

Honey, you are young!!!

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 1/11/07 at 12:22am

If you move to NYC and don't like it, you can blame Liotte.

On the other hand, if you move to NYC and love it, thank Liotte.