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
Matthew | Upper East Side, NY