How to live in New York city

[CowboyBob]

^But you didn't even take most of Manhattan into consideration! Don't make this an "outer-borough" issue. Even as an assessment of Manhattan, your opinion fails. You described maybe the space between 30th-60th St semi-accurately. I think it's hilarious when I see so much shit talked on my town by people who fail to experience it.

Nothing but chains? NY? Really? The place where I've lived for eight years and can dine at a new restaurant every night fir the rest of my life? Just like Kansas? Um, okay.

That's because I didn't want to write a dissertation on the city.

And where did I say it's "nothing but chains"...? I mentioned two. And Staples, Macy's, and the stores in the Manhattan Mall are in Kansas also.

Don't get your feathers ruffled. It was just a comment.

[TheFallenAsexual]

You don't have to write a dissertation on the city to not compare it to Kansas.

The ignorance in your comments here are humorous to say the least. Herald Square = New York City.

[loki81]

shopping is one of the things that I've never understood about NYC.

I can't think of anything uniquely in the city that I couldn't buy elsewhere or online (in terms of clothes, accessories, etc)

[CowboyBob]

You don't have to write a dissertation on the city to not compare it to Kansas.

The ignorance in your comments here are humorous to say the least. Herald Square = New York City.

Tell you what, if you want to have a different opinion than me, you go ahead.

And isn't Herald Square in New York City?

Broadway + 6th Ave + 34th

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herald_Square

shopping is one of the things that I've never understood about NYC.

I can't think of anything uniquely in the city that I couldn't buy elsewhere or online (in terms of clothes, accessories, etc)

You're right. Other than some souvenirs that's about it.

[TheFallenAsexual]

Bob, I know Herald Square is in NYC.Your comments make it seem like that's all there IS to NYC.

I have a passion for NY. And I do so even though I truly dislike the direction Midtown has been going in. So when I see some out-of-towner talk shit on NYC using only the "expertise" they got from visiting my least favorite 15-block radius in town, yes feathers are ruffled. If some New Yorker came down to Texas and talked shit on it based on the first George W. Bush bumper sticker they saw on someone's car, you'd likely be annoyed as well.

The world would be a lot better if everyone had a friend in NY and knew how to visit as locals, not as tourists or people on business. Midtown is an NY experience that would be completely nonexistent to me if I didn't work there.

shopping is one of the things that I've never understood about NYC.

I can't think of anything uniquely in the city that I couldn't buy elsewhere or online (in terms of clothes, accessories, etc)

Where are you shopping? I'm not much of a shopper, but to me shopping in the city is all about the smaller businesses. The cheap sneaker shops and the clothing stores that aren't so well known. Basically, Broadway between 14th St and Houston.

Yes, in theory, much of it can be bought online. But I need to try on stuff, personally. Color and size over a computer will never be what it is in person.

[Huntneo(PT)]

Wow. Poor NYC...

You're damned if you do, damned if you don't.

And I don't get all the tourist hate either.

[CowboyBob]

Bob, I know Herald Square is in NYC.Your comments make it seem like that's all there IS to NYC.

I have a passion for NY. And I do so even though I truly dislike the direction Midtown has been going in. So when I see some out-of-towner talk shit on NYC using only the "expertise" they got from visiting my least favorite 15-block radius in town, yes feathers are ruffled. If some New Yorker came down to Texas and talked shit on it based on the first George W. Bush bumper sticker they saw on someone's car, you'd likely be annoyed as well.

So I noticed. Dude, chill. No one pistol whipped your Gramma.

What is your definition of "talking shit"? Someone not agreeing with you? Someone not singing the praises of something you have a passion for? Loki "talked shit" about Chicago. Did I call him ignorant, an out-of-towner who had no expertise? No and I'm not going to.

Would you like my reviews of other parts of the city too? I've been quite a few places.

Do you remember New York before gentrification? That was New York.

[loki81]

Wow. Poor NYC...

You're damned if you do, damned if you don't.

And I don't get all the tourist hate either.

I don't get why tourists insist on walking side-by-side, taking up the entire sidewalk as they slowly meander down the road (randomly stopping to take pictures) while I'm trying to run to work during rush hour

[Huntneo(PT)]

^ try again. that happens to me here in Birmingham Alabama when I'm out and about going ANYWHERE...it's not exclusive to NYC and the tourists there.

I hear people (some New Yorkers and even people who don't live there) talk of tourists with such disdain and contempt, it's disgusting. I'm sorry--I need something a bit more than 'they're taking up my sidewalk space'.

I guess no one should ever bother going anywhere to sightsee and explore for fear of pissing off the natives.

[DigitalFudge]

Oh God, don't attack people's cities.

The winging is relentless.

[chance1]

^I love that your comment is anti-Midtown. But I hate that you associate Midtown with NY as a whole. Love Chicago, but that town ain't nothing compared to NY.

Chicago is a great city

it's apples and oranges

NYC dwarfs it

takes a certain type to live and thrive in NYC

but the funny thing is there are so many, especially gays in NYC who are from:

Columbus, Orlando, Chicago, etc.

who come to NYC and love the openness and the opportunity

but it isn't for everyone for sure

you have to enjoy a great deal of stimulus

and if u don't like it ....... u REALLY don't like it

I LOVE IT

[chance1]

So I noticed. Dude, chill. No one pistol whipped your Gramma.
.

Do you remember New York before gentrification? That was New York.

NY before gentrification was dangerous and people were fleeing

If you don't like "gentrified" Times Square - and I agree with you it's gentrified in a bad way

don't go

reality is

Times Square is the LAST place one should go if visiting

NYC is about NEIGHBORHOODS

Chelsea
Hells Kitchen
Soho
West Village
LES
UWS
etc.

plus the outer boroughs
Brooklyn - Williamsburg, Dumbo, Park Slope, Bklyn Heights
Queens - Astoria, LIC

then there's Long Island - with great PUBLIC beaches

no place like it

and frankly I don't think your experience in NYC is very recent or very in-depth

[chance1]

Tell you what, if you want to have a different opinion than me, you go ahead.

And isn't Herald Square in New York City?

Broadway + 6th Ave + 34th

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herald_Square




You're right. Other than some souvenirs that's about it.

spoken like a guy who doesn't know NYC at all

but talks like he does

Herald Square is not a "go to" in NYC - it's a whatever shopping district not too far from MSG

it's crowded and not worth the time of day

NYC shopping is amazing

Hells Kitchen, Soho, village

man you're missing it

bigtime

[jasoncrew03]

NYC? Give me Chicago anytime. And Chicago's pizza is better too.

Gentrification ruined the flavor of Manhattan. It used to be delightfully seedy but has been scrubbed clean for the throngs of tourist families. What used to be a Mid-Town adventure you couldn't get anywhere else in the world is now nothing but Disney, The Gap and a gazillion tourists. Korvette's, Gimbel's and Horn & Hardart's are gone.

It's now filled with chain stores you can visit in Kansas City, Minneapolis or Birmingham. The homogenization of America killed the real New York. It's insanely overpriced. Buying a hot dog or souvlaki from a street vendor is fun the first time you do it, but after that their carts just block where you're walking.

However, there is the Met, the Guggenheim, the theater district. Once you visit there, you can chalk that up to one of your life's experiences.

I've been there 20+ times, first time in 1977. It's changed a LOT since then.

The only thing here I can agree with is that Mid-Town is horrid. I avoid it like the plague.

I agree with chance, New York shopping is still worlds better than 99% of the world it's just moved to Soho and the Village (and Williamsburg if you're into hipster clothing and/or vintage).

[Apollo]

shopping is one of the things that I've never understood about NYC.

I can't think of anything uniquely in the city that I couldn't buy elsewhere or online (in terms of clothes, accessories, etc)

It's an experience that you really dont get anywhere else. That is the whole point of it.

A great show to understand New York is "How To Make It In America" That is New York life.

[loki81]

It's an experience that you really dont get anywhere else. That is the whole point of it.

A great show to understand New York is "How To Make It In America" That is New York life.

I've experienced it and I still don't get it

I'm not really a try-things-on'er, though, even when I am shopping in retail stores. even living 5 minutes outside of the heart of Manhattan, I'm a lot more inclined to just buy clothes online and return whatever doesn't fit through the post office.

[RazorzEdge88]

Ah yes, another "my favorite city is better than yours" pissing contest.

Reminds me of my lurking days at citydata.

[jasoncrew03]

I've experienced it and I still don't get it

There's the tourist experience which is pretty much buying a shit ton of clothes in Mid-Town and on 5th that you can get mostly online or in any decent mall.

The true New York shopping experience, however, is in the "boutique" (I hate that word) stores that literally don't exist anywhere and with completely unique clothes. And, contrary to popular belief, there are more of these than those reserved exclusively for the likes of hipsters. There's everything from "normal" casual clothes to suits each with some sort of flair that signifies its unique origins.

Edit: Whoa. That got deep there at the end lol.

[Travisevian]

Gentrification ruined the flavor of Manhattan. It used to be delightfully seedy but has been scrubbed clean for the throngs of tourist families. What used to be a Mid-Town adventure you couldn't get anywhere else in the world is now nothing but Disney, The Gap and a gazillion tourists. Korvette's, Gimbel's and Horn & Hardart's are gone.

It's now filled with chain stores you can visit in Kansas City, Minneapolis or Birmingham. The homogenization of America killed the real New York. It's insanely overpriced. Buying a hot dog or souvlaki from a street vendor is fun the first time you do it, but after that their carts just block where you're walking.

However, there is the Met, the Guggenheim, the theater district. Once you visit there, you can chalk that up to one of your life's experiences.

I've been there 20+ times, first time in 1977. It's changed a LOT since then.

You make it seem so conservative and bourgeois.

[RazorzEdge88]

You make it seem so conservative and bourgeois.

It's not. He's just confining his experiences to one section of the city.

[Shepherd 2]

Ah such a nice place to visit.
I ♥♥♥♥♥ NY!
Shep+

[chrisrobin]

NY before gentrification was dangerous and people were fleeing

If you don't like "gentrified" Times Square - and I agree with you it's gentrified in a bad way

don't go

reality is

Times Square is the LAST place one should go if visiting

NYC is about NEIGHBORHOODS

Chelsea
Hells Kitchen
Soho
West Village
LES
UWS
etc.

plus the outer boroughs
Brooklyn - Williamsburg, Dumbo, Park Slope, Bklyn Heights
Queens - Astoria, LIC

then there's Long Island - with great PUBLIC beaches

no place like it

and frankly I don't think your experience in NYC is very recent or very in-depth

Don't forget Murray Hill!

When all is said and done, NYC really is the capital of the world!

[chance1]

I've experienced it and I still don't get it

I'm not really a try-things-on'er, though, even when I am shopping in retail stores. even living 5 minutes outside of the heart of Manhattan, I'm a lot more inclined to just buy clothes online and return whatever doesn't fit through the post office.

LOL

are you gay? are you sure?

just teasing of course

check out near NYU on Broadway - great stores and more popping up all the time

don't you need that great t-shirt that fits JUST right for your body?

so when you go to clubs and you're dancing like a fool ............. u look great

online shopping IMO is only for re-ordering things that you know fit you right

we gotta get u a makeover loki

[chance1]

Ah yes, another "my favorite city is better than yours" pissing contest.

Reminds me of my lurking days at citydata.

I'm not seeing or sensing that here

just some passionate NY'ers and NY lovers making the case is all

[TheFallenAsexual]

You make it seem so conservative and bourgeois.

In the one-mile radius he's reporting on, it is. There's plenty more in the boroughs as well as Manhattan itself that he isn't experiencing.

[TheFallenAsexual]

^ try again. that happens to me here in Birmingham Alabama when I'm out and about going ANYWHERE...it's not exclusive to NYC and the tourists there.

I hear people (some New Yorkers and even people who don't live there) talk of tourists with such disdain and contempt, it's disgusting. I'm sorry--I need something a bit more than 'they're taking up my sidewalk space'.

I guess no one should ever bother going anywhere to sight-see and explore for fear of pissing off the natives.

Having worked the hospitality industry, I definitely appreciate the money tourism brings in both to our economy and to me personally (especially American tourists that actually tip when drinking and dining). That being said, it can be annoying. Tourists everywhere do funny things, but I don't think anywhere in NY is there a bigger disconnect between tourists and locals. It's not that tourists are "wrong," it's just that they lead drastically different lives and their New York will never be the magnificence of what we experience day to day.

Tourists come to Times Square on a Sunday night and whine "I thought this was the city that never sleeps!" when all of the family restaurants are closed at 1am. Locals drink at the bars in their own neighborhoods on their own blocks where people LIVE and drink till 4 in the morning every night. Or even if they aren't drinking in a residential area, they have the sense to make it down to the Village or maybe the Upper West Side.

Tourists go to restaurants like T.G.I.Fridays, Olive Garden, or whatever corporate Behemoths surround known high-trafficked touristy areas and marvel at how chicken fingers and fries can set them back $20, and go home to tell everyone they know about it. Locals realize that chains are stupid and can easily spot a smaller business with a head chef that has put personal spins on original dishes they can't get at a million other restaurants; and they get that dish for a fraction of the price.

I get the tourist mentality (I was one), but I have to say that when I am off the clock, I have zero desire hanging out with them. It's nothing against them, but a place that is too touristy is simply a turn-off. When I go to a bar, do I want to chat with someone about something real, or do I want to spend hours answering questions about where the Empire State Building is or how long it takes to get to the World Trade Center? Tourists have this profound ability--even in the age of Google and smartphones--to make every single local their tour guide.

No, I do not know where "that famous restaurant with a Star Wars theme" that you heard about is. I'm not sure it even exists. No, I have no idea where the new ______ store is. Think maybe it might be in the phone book? Etc., etc.

And yes, they move slow as hell.







*achem*

But they are good for the economy, they are good for NY. It's just that they're really an opposite species at the end of the day. Hate is a strong word, I don't hate them. I don't think many New Yorkers hate tourists, either. Yes, by the time January rolls around, you are happy that 90% of them are on a flight back to wherever they came from, but we do appreciate what they mean to the city. Few people were happy with the loss in tourism immediately following the events of 9/11, and most welcomed the tourist numbers when they came back up.

But yes, when you deal with them all the time, it definitely is fun to let out an occasional rant.

You know, the way people rant about how we locals are all rude and such for wanting to get to work on time.

At the end of the day, it's funny experiencing both sides.

For the record, despite my rant, I'm always friendly with locals even when I'm secretly judging them (take that ugly, white I HEART NY T-Shirt OFF!!). I especially am helpful with giving directions (no, I'm not a human directory, but if you know where you're headed, I can tell you what train to get to a given intersection and the like).

I want people to have a good time here, I just wish people could broaden their desire to explore once they get here. Why pay for that expensive flight to spend all of your time within the same set of blocks?

[SonOfSlobone]

I want people to have a good time here, I just wish people could broaden their desire to explore once they get here. Why pay for that expensive flight to spend all of your time within the same set of blocks?

OK, that's where you lost me. First you say you don't like going to places where tourists hang out, now you're saying you want them to spread out more so they'll be everywhere?

I just always think it's kind of funny how much people everywhere, not just New Yorkers, look down their noses at people from out of town. I mean, everybody's a local somewhere and a tourist everywhere else. If you were visiting San Francisco you'd probably do all the same dumb things there that a San Franciscan does in New York.

[EJMichaels]

Serious request - I need some ideas for a relatively cheap place to stay. I want to attend an event in the Lower East Side and don't want to be too far away if traveling by myself.

My knowledge of the city is based on tagging along with friends who lived there 20 years ago. I never needed to figure it out myself. I'm female, in case that matters.

[TheFallenAsexual]

OK, that's where you lost me. First you say you don't like going to places where tourists hang out, now you're saying you want them to spread out more so they'll be everywhere?

I just always think it's kind of funny how much people everywhere, not just New Yorkers, look down their noses at people from out of town. I mean, everybody's a local somewhere and a tourist everywhere else. If you were visiting San Francisco you'd probably do all the same dumb things there that a San Franciscan does in New York.

When I go to zsan Fran, I'm making it a goal specifically to go the way of the Locals. I m fortunate to have friends in San Fran. I want to learn it from the point of view of a local. I'm definitely hitting up Oakland.

[MoufOfKhaos]

There's too much family in that state for me to EVER want to live there.

And, it seems, too much class warfare.

I'ma stick to small towns with public transportation access.

[TheFallenAsexual]

There's no public transit access in NY?

[MoufOfKhaos]

No, I know that there is, I was just saying I prefer living on the outskirts of a major city as long as it there is public transportation access to it - it's why I moved to where I am in Florida.

Of course, I actually don't know what major city is near me just yet... at least one with a sufficient concert venue.

[chance1]

OK, that's where you lost me. First you say you don't like going to places where tourists hang out, now you're saying you want them to spread out more so they'll be everywhere?

I just always think it's kind of funny how much people everywhere, not just New Yorkers, look down their noses at people from out of town. I mean, everybody's a local somewhere and a tourist everywhere else. If you were visiting San Francisco you'd probably do all the same dumb things there that a San Franciscan does in New York.

Tourists in NYC help pay the bills

Many (not all) congregate in the least best parts of town - think Times Square, 5th Avenue Midtown (where Apple Store, Tiffanys plus are)

Bloomberg just put in walkways IN where the streets were - so no cars - in a few sections - that helps

I'm not sure Naughty Arousal is accurate

Locals fight over who will help a tourist in need - how to get somewhere, etc.

I (and most NY'ers) DO NOT look down at tourists

Sure they can clog sidewalks by walking slow, together, looking up not forward

But so what

Many of them are here for the first time

Bottom line for me is the idea that NY'ers aren't nice is just silly

and inaccurate

[TheFallenAsexual]

^I agree with everything you said, actually.

If you read my post, we're pretty much in agreement.

[Burberry]

I agree with the statement about neighborhoods being key in New York.

Having lived in Soho, Union Square, Upper West Side, Greenwich Village, East Village, Gramercy, and Bowery/Noho -- each neighborhood is a totally different identity.

But that's sort of what makes it great.

The article is shit. TC is a bunch of Brooklyn hipsters.

[SonOfSlobone]

And actually I've usually been treated very well in New York when I've visited there. People would give me directions, tell me which bus to take, etc. Only time I had a problem was when I was being an asshole.

[kevbo]

NY pizza is so amazing. This person probably probably didn't even go to a legit pizzeria.

I'm fairly certain the worst pizza in Chicago is still better than the best pizza in NYC.

[nafhoosier]

NYC? Give me Chicago anytime. And Chicago's pizza is better too.

Gentrification ruined the flavor of Manhattan. It used to be delightfully seedy but has been scrubbed clean for theat used to be a Mid-Town adventure you couldn't get anywhere else in the world is now nothing but Disney, The Gap and a gazillion tourists. Korvette's, Gimbel's and Horn & Hardart's are gone.

It's now filled with chain stores you can visit in Kansas City, Minneapolis or Birmingham. The homogenization of America killed the real New York. It's insanely overpriced. Buying a hot dog or souvlaki from a street vendor is fun the first time you do it, throngs of tourist families. Whbut after that their carts just block where you're walking.

However, there is the Met, the Guggenheim, the theater district. Once you visit there, you can chalk that up to one of your life's experiences.

I've been there 20+ times, first time in 1977. It's changed a LOT since then.

This thread is way too complicated and generic, but I'll be fair here.

You need to go back to New York. I think you're off with anti-gentrification and chains analysis. Gentrification is what saved Manhattan, not killed it, though of course, I wasn't around in the 70s and 80s to witness New York in its nadir.

Manhattan (and yes, I say Manhattan only, not the other boroughs) has endless things to do and opportunities. It never gets old.

But frankly, I don't get the frequent New York attitude that it's the sole place on Earth to be. I prefer cities in Europe or South America, and yes, I prefer Chicago (though I don't get the frequent comparisons, Chicago and New York are completely different except for the fact that they both have big buildings all over the place).

[TheFallenAsexual]

^He strikes me as the type that likes to romanticize the fact that people got mugged nonstop on 42nd St, that the city faced Bankruptcy, that all the poor neighborhoods were leveled by the '70s blackout, etc.

RE: Pizza.

I hate when people compare Chicago Pizza to NY Pizza. They're apples and oranges. Not everyone is in a mood for a deep dish every time they eat Pizza. For me, Pizza is often a food I like to eat and walk.

I like Chicago Pizza when I'm in the mood for it. But it's not even in the same category of food as NY Pizza, IMO, so what's the point of comparing?

Oh, and to anyone interested, please check out Artichoke. The original store on 14th btw 2nd and 1st is the business! The pizza was so good that five weeks after it opened, it already had positive write-ups everywhere. A cab driver told me about it and since it was on my way home, I agreed to stop and have a slice and buy his for him if the pizza was that good. And it was. One of my finer "only in NY" moments.

[TheFallenAsexual]

I agree with the statement about neighborhoods being key in New York.

Having lived in Soho, Union Square, Upper West Side, Greenwich Village, East Village, Gramercy, and Bowery/Noho -- each neighborhood is a totally different identity.

But that's sort of what makes it great.

I'm more of a Brooklyn guy, but when I'm in Manhattan, the places you mentioned are the places where I want to be. That's what made me take such offense to Bob's comments. Like talk shit about the city, say Chicago is better, all based on a horrible sample size.

[chance1]

But frankly, I don't get the frequent New York attitude that it's the sole place on Earth to be[/B]. I prefer cities in Europe or South America, and yes, I prefer Chicago (though I don't get the frequent comparisons, Chicago and New York are completely different except for the fact that they both have big buildings all over the place).

I don't think that's a fair representation of what's being said here by NY'ers

not at all

[nafhoosier]

I don't think that's a fair representation of what's being said here by NY'ers

not at all

Would you live in another city if offered a better job?

[chance1]

Would you live in another city if offered a better job?

Funny you ask - I'm currently interviewing with a great co. and the position is in Cambridge, MA - it's early in the process but I am considering it because the co. is fantastic and the oppty. is very good

I like Boston
I like Chicago
I like San Diego

these are all cities I could def. live in

I love NY

[chance1]

Just passed a Starbucks walking to meet a friend

Boy in window has his iPad out

Checking out his grindr puzzle

Only in NYC

[TheFallenAsexual]

Would you live in another city if offered a better job?

There are a million better jobs than what I'm doing now. But I have to love where I live.

I'd accept a better job in San Fran. But even then, I'd accept the fact that it was only temporary. My dad wants to give me his business in Philly. I won't ever do it because I need NY.

[nafhoosier]

I won't ever do it because I need NY.

That's great. But not everyone else does.

I'm happy you're happy there. I don't see why everyone's pants are in a knot.