Location - 2/14/2007

I live in a condo on the upper westside of New York (the Borough of Manhattan). My location is the best as I have access to the subway and four (4) bus lines.

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New York, New York - 2/4/2007

As a lifelong resident who grew up in Brooklyn, and has policed the city for 18 years thus far, I think I can provide a unique and honest assessment that some may find useful. The "City" is comprised of 5 boroughs. Brooklyn, Queens, Staten island, The Bronx, and the one most are familiar with, Manhattan Island. Let me begin with the "plus" side: There is no more diverse city in this country ( or most others). You will encounter folks from every corner of the globe. A walk down any street, particularly within the outer boroughs, will expose you to more languages in a day than most people living elsewhere will hear spoken in their lifetimes. There is a tremendous amount of sights to see and things to do. The nightlife is world class. From Bars, clubs, restaurants, theatre, museums etc...to great outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, rafting, hunting etc...within an hour or two by car or train. The crime rate for a city of this size is fairly low. Minor property crimes are what effect most, if at all. As with any place else, there are neighborhoods and activities to avoid. If you don;t spend your time associating with low lives, you won;t have a problem. The people, contrary to the stereotype, are actually pretty friendly within context. I think the stereotype comes from newcomers or visitors being intimidated by the constant bustle of the place. The city is full of "characters" who will charm you if you give them a chance. The job market on the whole is good, though competition can be fierce depending on the sector. Public Transportaion, though crowded at times, makes it pretty easy to get anywhere. Now for the negatives...... The city is Expensive! You are taxed to death here.. to be "middle class" in New York, you must earn well into the six figures. The housing market is completely out of control and buying is out of reach for most people earning 40,000 to 80,000. Rents are insane. Manhattan is turning into a Bland, white bread sea of liberal mid western transplants (urban pioneers as we call them) gentrifying and infesting every last nook south of 96 street and North along the Hudson river. Now that the real estate market in Manhattan has become too expensive even for them, they are spreading like a plague into Brooklyn (Park slope, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Cobble hill) and parts of Queens (Astoria, Woodside) pushing out the working class and causing the City to lose even more of its ethnic flavor. ( What is it with these people and their obsessio

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Single family home takes on a new meaning in NYC - 2/3/2007

I can't imagine how people can consider themselves happy to live in an overcrowded, overinflated city like NY where 2/3 of the population are renters and renters of apartments to boot. Single family home to these people mean living in an apartment that's not shared with friends or other family just to be able to make the rent payment. I don't care how many cultural amenities are available if you have to pay premium money just to live in a cracker box where you have to worry about whether your neighbors are going to do something careless that will cause your building to burn down overnight. People in NY would turn up their noses at salaries in many other states, but what they don't realize is that the lower salaries balance out with the also lower cost of living. There's no way I could live in a place like that-ever-and nothing can convince me otherwise. You can have it!

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Great place to live - 1/19/2007

New York is a great place to live if you like the hustle and bustle of city living. Easy to get around with the public transportation system we have. Just an hours drive and your in the mountains. Bill

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The Meadows - 12/18/2006

Fresh Meadows is a pleasant area located in Queens County.

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Going Higher & Higher - 12/3/2006

It's NYC ...the meca of culture, nightlife, entertainment and finances but it is definitely becoming an expensive place to live. I am a true-blue NYer and I never thought I would want to leave but as my kids get older I find myself thinking differently. The opprotunity to make more money is here but at some point you have to think how much of your home/family life are you willing to risk to make it ahead? How many more hours can you possibly be away from your kids? How much more money can you pay to others so that they can raise your kids? How many more hours can you stand to be on the train/bus/car/ferry? So,I think that unless your income alone will be six figures think real hard before you move to the BIG APPLE.

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City Living - 11/28/2006

I've lived in Manhattan for 12 years...so I guess I'm a New Yorker now. At first the over stimulation of walking, schleping, and the sites and sounds was a bit much but later you adapt. Everything is convenient and the entertainment, culture and career opportunities are endless. If you can't afford a large apartment, or a weekend getaway place, and you life is all about being out -- then quality of life is great. However, if you are a person who needs more at home, Manhattan might be a challenge -- particularly if you're raising a family here. Overall, it's a great place and everyone should live here when they are young.

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New York City - A great place to live work and pla - 11/23/2006

I have lived in Manhattan my whole life, and I watched it transform from a place where the slum areas outnumbered the safe ones, to one that ACTS almost slum-less (more about this in the coming paragraph). Throughout the 80's and into the early 90's, you were hard pressed to venture into Times Square without returning home with empty pockets from pickpocketers, three-card monty artists or other street thugs who would find a way to rob you. Now you return home with empty pockets for a different reason; excessive costs. Rents and housing are absolutely impossible to afford, and even in the absolute worst neighborhoods prices have gone through the roof. With these rising property values also comes rising commercial rents. So if you're thinking of starting a business here, you better plan to work from home unless your idea can generate at least $10,000 a month to cover the rent. Speaking of those bad neighborhoods, they are bad. Don't let the high housing prices fool you. I do feel very safe here in NYC and it is of course one of the safest cities in America. However, the rising property values are indiscriminate and are not an accurate reflection of the fundamentals in a particular neighborhood. Instead, they reflect the combination of overwhelming demand of the very wealthy to live in Manhattan, and the lack of available space to build. To give you an example, a 1 bedroom in West Harlem is now over $200,000. That's right, HARLEM. It has improved, but my view is that you would have to pay me to live there. The murder rate is down but there is still marijuana dealing on every corner as well as loitering youths that seem to have no place to go. In addition, I have noticed the homeless population rising in the last few years and the police becoming more apathetic about quality of life issues. If you can overcome these challenges, as well as the pervasive sense that your city is the main target of terrorism in the world, you will have a great time here. There is no limit of things to do. Every culture is represented. There is a fantastic night-life and restaurants are out of this world. Geographically, NYC is situated such that you can enjoy getaways of all different types, beach, mountain, lake; just about everything except the desert. Business-people here are driven and competitive, and when you patronize just about any establishment in NYC you receive competent service that makes every place else look bad. People here expect it, and take it for gr

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Raised in New York but would never go back - 11/8/2006

I came to New York when I was only 8 years old, I have more bad stories than good stories. Now as an adult I would not raise my kids in NYC. I left NYC when I was 24 and moved to Connecticut with my girlfriend (now wife). After I left NYC I noticed a lot of things that I had never seen before. Now I go to NYC just to visit and I don't even like that anymore. one weekend a year is the most I can do in NYC and I only go when I have to. Good bye big apple.

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yuck - 10/24/2006

I lives in NY (and London) for over 20 years and yes, I am VERY SUCCESSFUL! You couldn't pay me enough to live there again. It is filthy and filled w/ a bunch of insane egomaniacs. No, NY'ers are not "smarter" more "cultured" or "cooler" than people in say Houston. Actually, if you walk around you see how unhealthy and creepy most of them look and there is a HUGE underclass - also , few real adults a lot of kids out of college and creepy people living out a prolonged neurotic adolescense. If you are young and just beginning your career a few years will season you but get out before you are too old! I will take trees and fresh air anyday - thank you!

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New York, New York - 10/22/2006

NYC is certainly not for the faint of heart, nor is it a place for the laid-back and mediocre masses to live. That's what the outter boroughs are for, and I have nothing against them - especially since I spent most of my childhood in the nicest brownstone neighborhoods in the city, which are in Brooklyn. Living in Manhattan is peerless by any American standard - on a scale that few other cities in the world can match (London, Paris, and Tokyo can complete). It's a city where most the world's richest 1% have at least one home, and where whether you make $40k or $400k you're still condiered middle calss. A place where you can pay $3000 to rent (over $1MM to purchase) a 500 sf studio. A place where anything can happen and usually does. A place that makes few and breaks many....where a 60 hour work week is a light one and where Sinatra's rule still applies - If you can make it here you can make it anywhere. Spend 10 years in NYC and living anywhere else in the US will be gravy. Unparalleled in opportunity, whether it be business, culture, shopping, art, theater, clubs, dining, bars - there's something here for everyone. Contrary to some posts, the city isn't that dirty - most of Manhattan is pretty clean actually compared to other American cities. The views are more breathtaking than anywhere in the world, and the public transportation is better than anywhere I've been (except London). Great parks, and for the most part great people who demand the very best because they are the very best (just stay out of there way if you're from out of town and haven't acclimated). Air quality is pretty good too, from what I can tell. Washington, Phoenix, San Fran, Boston, Miami, LA, Philadelphia, and Chicago are all great American cities. But not one holds a candle to the Big Apple.

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Living is believing. - 10/4/2006

It is getting too high to live here. You have to have a great job to be able to live here and normally. I mean, to be at ease instead of being stressed out with all the movements involved aroung you and being participant of that without realizing the potential harm you are doing to yourselve in trying to deal with the situation at hand.

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big apple - 10/2/2006

has it all. also too warm.

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Cost of living too high in NY. - 10/1/2006

Cost of living too high in NY.

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Love the City, Hard to find Affordable living - 9/22/2006

I live in Brooklyn, a boro outside of Manhattan. Rent is expensive the closer you live to Manhattan. If you are willing to give up some amenities, you could fine a place for about $900, but you might have a long commute (about 1 hour- 1 hour and 30 min) to manhattan. So if you don't mind taking an hour long ride each way to manhattan, the outter areas of New York City might work for you.

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A Great Place to Live - 9/5/2006

I would be very willing to give information on different things in NYC. I live in one of the suburbs, Brooklyn, it's about a 45 min. train ride into midtown manhattan where all the theaters are and "Broadway". There is just so much to do! If I can be of any help to anyone feel free to ask away. But remember, it's expensive.

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a third generation new yorker who moved away 15 ye - 9/5/2006

everyone who dreams of it should live in new york just once. it's an experience like no other. it's tough, gritty, demanding, exhausting, and very expensive and sometimes just cruel. but it is also filled with some of the greatest opportunities and most brilliant and talented people. it's a place to put yourself way out there on the edge. after moving away while still a baby, i returned in my 20s and left in my 30s, just as the city was finally becoming livable again. i still visit family and friends once a year or so, and it always feels like home. sometimes i think i should live there again, but there is no way i could afford to return. living there changes you forever, and in some ways makes you unsuited to live anywhere else. because most other places, things are mediocre. it's a good place to go if you have a dream, because new york is a place where you can make your dreams become real. it's a tough place to live if you need to be in the outdoors, though. that was the reason i left. i live in the rockies now, and while i love the wide open spaces, lack of crime, and no people around, there are lots of days i get frustrated that people here do not know what excellence is and you can't get good thai food. it's a tradeoff.

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Culture Capital - 8/30/2006

Where else in the world can you choose from over 200 theatre events nightly (except Monday nights), much less the additional film, opera, music, art choices available?

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Too high a price for the Culcha - 8/28/2006

We're moving because just it's way too expensive here.

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NYC - 8/27/2006

expensive, fast paced, crowded and a lot of gray days

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