Moving to NYC.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Full disclosure I don't do well in cities, never have. I don't get the allure of big city living so FWIW it takes something out of me whenever I visit them.

Well stated, FB...you are, of course,wrong

I feel the same way about some big cities. SF, for instance, like another poster wrote of NYC, is a series of small towns that make a big city: I am very comfortable in most of SF.

I enjoyed NYC in my 20's and 30's because I had a lot of friends living in the city and they had a wide network of native New Yorker's as friends...I had the inside track to a lot of really neat experiences; a, as the saying goes, movable feast.

I think HD is going to do very well...he has the exact right attitude going in. Homework is key.

I worked part time for an investment house on Wall Street doing UAS investment analysis of companies in the UAS market. I did it for three years until I went full time with my own companies. I worked as a consultant a lot in those days.

I spent two days a month in person with them. The first night, me a total newb, take the train up and stay at a hotel across the street from GCS. Nice place, nothing to write home about.

I open the door to my room and a rat, I guessing of average size, scurries until the bed and disappears. I call the front desk.

"This is an old hotel, Sir, there is really nothing we can do."

I stay the night and check out a day early. The Wall Street guys look at me like I am a complete idiot: "We'll take care of where you stay, Sparky...not a city guy, huh?"

Yup.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

^^^^ its NYC. You have no reasonable expectation of peace or quiet. Seriously.

But yea, i was a 30 year old maniac and ive paid my debt to society trust me

I was kind of an a-hole in my yoot too, but ya still gotta get off my lawn

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

I was kind of an a-hole in my yoot too, but ya still gotta get off my lawn

I used to park my brand new car on the street in front of my apartment (179 Prince St -in case the A holes who wronged me are reading this). One day, on garbage day, I came out to find my new car's hood was scraped and dented in a right to left pattern. AHAH! the garbage men!!! instead of grabbing the bags and walking them around my car, they simply propped them onto my hood and dragged them across.

Another time shortly after this, I came out to find that someone had poured chicken soup on my windshield. It was winter time. The soup froze. I tried to scrape it off but the grease was stuck to the glass. Im late for work. I had to drive around lower manhattan with my head out of the window looking for a car wash NOT EASY TO FIND. This turned into an all day project.

The night of the black out back in 2003 or 04 that hit the east coast, I couldnt park my motorcycle in the garage I used because the elevator didnt work because there was no power. The one single time I parked it on the street in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country, someone tipped it over FOR FUN -I suppose

oh, the memories

These events basically sums up the environment we are talking about. Its about as close to lawlessness as the old wild west as you will find in this country... Absolutely no respect for anyone's property or well being. I guess it filled me with rage and I took it out on all those tourists staying in hotels in times square by making a racket on my motorcycle a few times.....I coulda done worse I spose

[speeder]

The thing about threads like this, (and there have been about 485 of them since I joined Pelican), is that there is no real right or wrong. It's just a bunch of people with vastly different life experiences and preferences giving opinions about various places. Some of the opinions at least have the legitimacy of being from people who have actually been to the places for more than 5 minutes or even lived in them.

Some are from people who just hate cities in general and base their opinion on some POS city in the midwest that no one on earth would find appealing. Most American cities have exactly nothing in common with NYC other than the fact that they are both cities in the USA. NYC is widely considered the greatest city in the world and Cleveland would not even be in the top 200. NYC is Disneyland for adults.

That said, people are entitled to their opinions. I'm a city guy and I get bored quickly in even second-tier cities. I would hang myself if I was forced to be on a farm in the heartland for 2 weeks. I like being out in nature but it's always available close to big cities. The areas around NYC going north are amazing and beautiful. People who live in NY and are successful travel extensively and get to experience other places on a regular basis, including nature. You cannot live in NYC and wrestle with the rusty lug nuts on your PU truck all day like people do in the heartland, it's a different vibe and time is valuable. Not saying that's all people do out there but I watch YT videos of people and their car stuff a lot.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

I used to park my brand new car on the street in front of my apartment. One day, on garbage day, I came out to find my new car's hood was scraped and dented in a right to left pattern. AHAH! the garbage men!!! instead of grabbing the bags and walking them around my car, they simply propped them onto my hood and dragged them across.

Another time shortly after this, I came out to find that someone had poured chicken soup on my windshield. It was winter time. The soup froze. I tried to scrape it off but the grease was stuck to the glass. Im late for work. I had to drive around lower manhattan with my head out of the window looking for a car wash NOT EASY TO FIND. This turned into an all day project.

The night of the black out back in 2003 or 04 that hit the east coast, I couldnt park my motorcycle in the garage I used because the elevator didnt work because there was no power. The one single time I parked it on the street in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country, someone tipped it over FOR FUN -I suppose

oh, the memories

These events basically sums up the environment we are talking about. Its about as close to lawlessness as the old wild west as you will find in this country... Absolutely no respect for anyone's property or well being. I guess it filled me with rage and I took it out on all those tourists staying in hotels in times square by making a racket on my motorcycle a few times.....I coulda done worse I spose

Those stories are awful but do not jibe w my experience in New York at all. I never had a problem w anyone damaging my car and this is what it looked like outside of the pad 2 weeks ago...same cars parked for days w no damage either then or in the past from the looks of it. Maybe in the bad old days on the LES? Everything has gotten gentrified as heck down there now.

[ramonesfreak]

^^^ I parked for years without an issue. When its your time, its your time. My buddy bought a brand new 5 series BMW he custom ordered and waited 8 months to arrive. He was so excited. He had it about a week when he came out to admire his baby, someone had taken a screw driver to every single panel on the car. This was in Park Slope Brooklyn of all places. Home of the yuppy and semi-retired movie start. Who woulda thought

I have so many storries I could go on for hours.

Mostly harmless and fun but some real WOW unbelievable stuff too.

At 50, im so glad to be able to walk outside and throw some ribs on my smoker in peace under my large maple tree. That said, as I said above, I have no regrets. The experience changed my life, filled my brain with a ton of interesting memories and the experience will stay with me forever. I would never talk anyone out of doing it

[sammyg2]

[ramonesfreak]

My first Easter there I am walking down Broadway on Easter morning in soho and a lady on her way somewhere all dressed up dropped dead. Just, thunk. I almost stepped on her. People were walking over her. Strange sight. Saw a guy in the east village crossing the street drop dead half way across...lights turn green and the cars just drive around him. One new years eve, im standing on the sidewalk next to this drunk guy on Perry Street in the west village. He steps off the sidewalk and his head goes through the windshield of a cab. I saw a real life siamese twin on houston street....guy had a little deformed head sticking out the back of his neck WHOA. I would routinely sit next to Debbie Harry in the bistro across from my apartment. Beck would be at the end of the bar. Gary Oldman would be behind me. Nobody cared or even realized it. Lou Reed would ride past me on his bicycle. James Gandolfini complemented my motorcycle....liked that I had it all blacked out. There was 9/11 and that lingering smell for months. The time I was almost stabbed on the subway. I once went to a party and puked all over someone's Warhol prints........No idea who it was or how I got there... I could ramble on a long time......the cool thing about NYC is you can see more and do more in 1 week than some will do in 10 years or even a lifetime.

The question is, do you want to see or do those things? I loved it. Many are repulsed by much of it. I was young and very open minded and hungry for adventure. I got exactly that.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

...the cool thing about NYC is you can see more and do more in 1 week than some will do in 10 years or even a lifetime.

Very well said!

[stevej37]

I've only been there three different times...as a tourist.
Amazing how everything operates so smoothly with that many people in a small area.

I can see why it is called the greatest city in the usa.

[mdj930]

I was in New York city summer of 77 said never again.
Mike

[jyl]

That's pretty cool. I was born in NYC, never got to live there as an adult but have been there quite a lot. I think that if someone likes energy, art, music, smart people, hustle, subcultures, then they should live in NYC or LA for at least a period of their life. Sure there are negative things about it, but the positives are far more.

One commuting option is to use a bike or e-bike. Manhattan is flat, traffic is slow, and they've been putting in bike lanes and bike share all over. Lots of bike theft, naturally. So I'd either use Citibikes or get a Brompton or electric Brompton. The electric part isn't needed if you're remotely fit, but in the summer you won't want to sweat any more than needed.

[Rick Lee]

I grew up in NJ and went to the City often. We could see the Verazzano Bridge on a real clear day, though we were about 60 miles as the crows flies. Back in those days (Ed Koch, David Dinkins era), NYC was a rough and tumble place. Never boring, pretty expensive, but so unlike it was after Giuliani had been mayor for a few years but before 9/11. It was so awesome for a few years. I was last there around Xmas three years ago. Probably never going again and won't miss it.

[stevej37]

The last time I was there was 9/11/00...exactly a year earlier.
Went to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Twin Towers.
Took the elevator to the top of one of them. Was amazed at the size of the interior of the building.

I will go back someday.

[Por_sha911]

I was born and raised in and around NYC. Please don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.

Pluses:
The food!
The culture and the arts.
The food!
The buzz of city life (you can feel it).
The food!
Amost anything you want is available almost 24/7
Did I mention the food?!

Negatives:
Cost of living and taxes will eat any financial gains you get by moving there.
Buying a home anywhere near (meaning able to commute to Manhattan) will choke an elephant.
More taxes.
Impossible to own a car that won't rust out from the salt on the roads. Also roads in and around the city will beat your car to death.
Bumper to bumper traffic (keep in mind gas prices are going up).
No place to park a car unless you pay a huge mortgage to buy a spot. Parking on the street is a challenge.
Crime. Forget your 2A rights - they don't exist in NYC.
During any kind of COVID event there is no way to distance yourself from millions of strangers on mass transit.
You really need to look at the taxes and cost of living.

Goes either way:
How do you feel about large amounts of snow in winter and heat/humidity in summer?
The buzz of a "city that never sleeps" can be draining. Much harder to unwind if you like the peace and quiet of wide open space and don't self-medicate.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Murray Hill/ Midtown 2009. (I liked how the wind blew an almost shooting brake snow roofline on the bmw).

edit- In 2009, murray hill was an out of the way midtown nice place. Today? I don't know. My wife pulled it up last night and it got an "f" for safety, whatever that means. I'd look into it again and get more info on if it's still a good place or not. It is just east of 34'th enough to thin out some of the tourist traffic.

[Baz]

Used to visit my grandparents in Staten Island in the 60's. World's Fair. Radio City Music Hall. Statue of Liberty. Empire State Building. The Zoo. Watched the construction of the VN Bridge. Loved every minute of it!

One day I'll go back........







For you, Josh......

[gacook]

Best of luck to you, HD. Hope it all pans out for you.

I'm in the group of "not for all the money in the world." I loathe New York (but there ARE a lot of great shops/food).

[HardDrive]

Hey, thanks for input all. We currently live in OH, but my wife and I are both city kids. We met when we both were living in marginal (read as, 'where the artists lived') areas of Chicago, hearing gun shot not uncommon. We have spent time in NYC. It's crowded, and loud 24/7, and there is crime, and lots of homeless folks and people trying to hustle you, and its expensive....were good. We love the city.

I personally plan to gain 10lbs in my first year. DA FOOD.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by tabs

Well we know why he got the job..no one else wanted it.

LOL. Well, you ain't wrong. I've worked with the guy that hired me before. He was my current bosses boss. I'm going to be reporting to someone I've worked with in my current firm. Both no BS folks. Which is why the person hiring me told me that I was coming there to clean up a train wreck. He used more colorful language than that. I have a track record of 'turning around sub-optimal performance, with extreme prejudice'.