Reviews & Comments
New York, NY
Living in Brooklyn, NY -
9/2/2014 I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I attended elementary school, middle school, and high school, in Brooklyn, New York, and college in Manhattan. I worked at part time summer jobs while going to college. I even worked for the City of New York for three years before moving out. I hated living in NYC for the last eight years that I lived there. Basically, I couldn't take the following:
a) Quality of life-The polluted air, and the polluted streets, flowing with debris, litter, and dog droppings;
b) The unfriendliness of the population, who would step right over you, if you fell down in the street. One time, when I had a lot of heavy suitcases, and was returning from a trip, I offered to pay someone if they would help me carry the suitcases for several blocks to my home. Not only did they refuse, but they even cursed me out;
c) The aggressiveness of the population- New Yorkers will want to start a physical fight at the drop of a hat. It could involve giving a seat to someone on the subway, moving out of someone's way in the street or on the subway, not blocking someone's driveway with their car, or just starting a fight for the heck of it. One time, when I was cleaning my car in front of my home, some idiotic pedestrian came along and accused me of cursing him out the night before. I never saw that individual before in my life, and to this day, I'm convinced that he was a psycho;
d) Hostile merchants-If you don't give a merchant the exact change or pretty much close to the exact change, or he has to break a $1.00 bill, a $5.00 bill, a $10.00 bill, or heaven forbid a $20.00 bill, it is like a declaration of war! He will get very hostile, and state "GOT ANY CHANGE" or "GO TO A BANK". I've never encountered that situation out of town-only in NYC;
e) Racial tensions-There seems to be a preponderance of racial tension in NYC, which can have bad consequences;
f) Noise- All night, one hears police sirens, burglary alarm car sirens, car horns honking, and other noise. In some neighborhoods, around July 4th, it sounds like a war zone. It is impossible to get a good night's sleep, with all of the noise;
g) Tipping-Everyone has their hand out for a tip. I remember when the Sanitation Dept. used to ring our doorbell around Christmas expecting a top for taking out the garbage. Although NYC threatened to fire any Sanitation worker who engaged in that illegal and unethical practice, it still continues around the holidays. One time, a delivery person brought over some furs to our home, which had been stored by them. He insisted on an additional penny, before he made change. Then, he cursed me before he left, as he was expecting a tip;
h) Double Parked and triple parked cars; cars which back up a full block to get a parking spot; cars which block fire hydrants and driveways; cars which race around without a muffler, causing a loud grating sound; cars which run red lights, and fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians; cars which drive like Kamikaze pilots and pass other cars on a double yellow line. A few years ago, in Borough Park, which is part of Brooklyn, NY., an elderly man, who was 99 years old, and a survivor of the Nazi death camps, politely asked an 83 year old man, not to block his neighbor's driveway with his car, as his neighbor was a Doctor, and he needed his driveway cleared for emergencies.
At that point, the 83 year old beat the heck out of the 99 year old, breaking his nose. Although the 83 year old was convicted of felonious assault, I doubt that he was sent to jail. If this case didn't happen in NYC, the felon would have done jail time, for such a heinous act;
i) Neighborhood residents who refuse to shovel their walkways of snow, and who refuse to expeditiously pick up their empty garbage barrels, after the garbage has been collected;
j) Sanitation workers who throw the barrels all over the street, because they are too lazy to place them neatly where they found them, in an upright position;
k) Cops who do not expeditiously respond to calls for assistance, from citizens;
l) Hoodlums who terrorize pedestrians, and who disturb the peace at all hours;
m) City workers who think that it is their right to strike the subways, buses, bridges, schools, social services department, schools, as well as public safety forces;
n) Utilities who think that it is their right to drill with loud pneumatic drills in residential areas late at night, on non-emergency routine maintenance.
o) Heating oil delivery truck drivers, who think that they have a right to block the street, while making fuel oil deliveries;
p) Delivery personnel who strike and cause a disruption in bread and milk to all grocery stores throughout NYC. One time, when my Father was visiting me out of town, he bought some milk at a local grocery store, to take back on the plane, since there was a milk strike in NYC!
q) Lazy subway token workers who will deliberately cause lines, by servicing the token machines, when a train is pulling into the station.
r) Subway cars which are too hot in the summer, and too cold in the winter, because of deficient maintenance. Subway trains which deliberately slam on their brakes for no apparent reason, causing passengers to lurch forward, causing injuries;
s) Surly and rude bus drivers, who could use a lesson in manners.
t) Lazy NYC postal workers who do as little as possible. When they went on strike, it was the beginning of the end of good postal service, as we once knew it;
u) The NYC Fire Department who would routinely make "inspections" in residential neighborhoods. They came into our home, and gave us a summons for not having a fire escape. However, a check with the building department revealed that according to the NYC Administrative Code, two family homes built before 1910, were not required to have fire escapes. The NYC Fire Department should have known about that regulation, but they just insisted on harassing the populace. In any event, the summons was dismissed.
I last visited Brooklyn, NY in 2011, and quite honestly, I couldn't wait to leave, even after a brief visit! When tourists think of NYC, they think of Manhattan, and all of the tourist sites to visit. However, they don't have to live in the outlying residential areas, and put up with all of the garbage, which I enumerated above.
New York, NY
Crime and Quality of Life in Brooklyn, New York -
8/24/2014 Prior to the July 4th weekend, in 2011, I decided to visit my brother and his family, in Brooklyn, NY. He lives in the area of Avenue L, and E. 33rd St. There is a street called Nostrand Avenue, which is to the west of his location. On Friday evening, we were walking to Synagogue; my brother decided to take Nostrand Avenue, between Avenue K and Avenue L. Immediately, I was uneasy, as I saw dozens of teenagers making noise, and creating a disturbance in a local school yard, in close proximity to the street. Unfortunately, I forgot about that incident. However, on the way home, my brother, who should have known better decided to walk back the same way. He should have taken E. 31st St., or E. 32nd St., which run parallel to Nostrand Avenue. To this day, I don't know why he decided to go again, walk on Nostrand Avenue. This time, there were more teenagers congregating, and fighting with each other, as well as throwing water balloons at each other. One of them landed near us, and I threw it back in their direction. I made a terrible error in assuming that it was an accident, and that they were aiming for each other. In fact, one of those miscreants even falsely apologized to place me off guard. I make a mistake in turning my back on that gang. A few seconds later, two or three large water balloons were thrown very close to us. The water splattered all over our suits. There is no doubt in my mind, that those hoodlums deliberately targeted us. We were both wearing skullcaps, and were dressed in suits. They knew that were Jews, and deliberately decided to harass us with the water balloons. Surely, this was a case of ethnic intimidation. However, in the eyes of many, it was nothing but a "prank", since those who were throwing the water balloons, were members of a minority group, and they couldn't possibly be biased (yeah, sure). One adult in the street tried to justify that incident by stating "kids". However, if it was him, who was struck by the water balloons, he would not have been grinning. In retrospect, I should be happy that it was only water balloons, and not knives or guns, which were directed our way. I have since warned my brother not to take that route. I've always wondered if he still goes that way. The point that I've been trying to make, is that the quality of life in Brooklyn, NY, especially in the above area, leaves a lot to be desired. Parking is almost non-existent. Even if one does find a place to park, the cars in front and in back, won't even leave you a half inch to back out of a spot. Also, cars double park, and even triple park, and hence, make driving next to impossible. In addition, people leave their garbage barrels all over the sidewalk, long after the sanitation department has collected their garbage. The reason is that people are simply too lazy to bring their barrels in. Also, I've noticed that people have the disgusting habit of standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and won't move to let other pedestrian traffic pass by. Car horns and truck horns are blaring all of the time. It is very dangerous for a pedestrian to cross the street, even when they have the right of way. There are insane drivers in Brooklyn, who invariably fail to yield the right of way to pedestrian; they will actually honk their horns at pedestrians, whom they perceive are crossing the street too slowly. Last, another disgusting habit of merchants in that area, is that they feel as if they are giving you their right arm, when they have to make change from a transaction. They always want the exact change, and will cringe if they have to give change. They will always state "got any change". I heard one merchant once state "Next time, go to a bank". In short, the rudest, nastiest, inconsiderate and suspicious people live in Brooklyn, NY.
Columbus, OH
Lack of good mass transit in the Columbus, Ohio ar -
8/8/2014 The public transportation system in the Columbus, Ohio area, does not compare with the mass transit systems in other cities. For years, it used antiquated buses, which were not on a par with buses in other cities. For example, the New York City Transit Authority had buses, whereby the passengers could exit via the rear door, by opening the door after the bus stopped. For years, the Columbus buses lacked that device, and passengers had to depend on the whim of the drivers to let us off. I tried to tell one nasty driver that he couldn't see the passengers at the rear, if the bus was crowded. He became incensed and started becoming belligerent and pointing his finger in my face. Those devices were finally installed, after many years. Unfortunately, the cushioned seats which were once prevalent were replaced with plexiglass seats, which are very uncomfortable. Also, those seats really are not wide enough to comfortably seat two passengers. In addition, the buses are rarely cleaned, and they smell badly. The drivers run those buses at a snail's pace. One time, I actually observed a driver reading a booklet, while driving his bus, on a major thoroughfare. Another time, a driver actually had the gall to ask some foreign born passengers to move to the rear of the bus, as he didn't like to hear them speaking in Russian. There was a strike which lasted nearly a month. After the strike was over, the drivers gained very little, and still had the same bad attitudes and chips on their shoulders, once the strike was concluded. Last, it isn't always safe to go on the buses, as there have been instances of gangs perpetrating assaults on the buses, and gunfire being directed at the buses. The alternative is driving; however, I try to stay off the roadways during rush hour. The reason that there is so much vehicular traffic on the streets and the roads, is because the mass transit system, as outlined above, is not that great. When driving, one has to deal with Columbus drivers who love to tailgait, even at a high rate of speed; they also love to pass cars in front of them, with only inches to spare. There have been instances where drivers who have been going very slow in the right lane, will intentionally speed up, to prevent a motorist in the left lane from passing them. Other specialties of Columbus motorists include going through stop signs, red lights, driving cars with defective mufflers, inoperable brake lights and head lights, cracked windshields, wheels which are out of balance, failure to yield the right of way, racing down residential streets, at a speed way over the speed limit, playing loud boom box music from their cars, and throwing cigarettes and other debris out of their cars. Outside of the above, transportation in the Columbus, Ohio area, is an absolute delight!
Columbus, OH
Drivers' in Columbus, Ohio -
7/30/2014 Previously, I've commented about the terrible driving habits of Columbus motorists. However, I realized that I omitted some habits which I'd like to add to the list. There have been occasions when some motorists, for whatever reason, will choose to travel in either the right or left lanes, at a speed well below the legal limit. Then, when one attempts to legally pass them, using directional signals, and allowing plenty of room to change lanes, those despicable motorists will deliberately accelerate, and attempt to prevent one from passing them. It appears to be a sadistic habit, of which there is really no logical explanation.
Another terrible habit of Columbus motorists, especially in residential neighborhoods, is their habit of backing out of a driveway, even when they don't have the right of way, and a car is approaching from the opposite direction. One can honk their horn from today until tomorrow to warn them; it won't do any good, as they will insist upon backing out into the middle of the street, even if there might be a pending collision!
In addition, Columbus motorists are just too lazy to dispose of their used cigarettes in their automobile ash trays. Instead, they toss their used cigarette butts out of the windows, thus adding to the dirt on the city streets. They could care less about the littering laws. If they engaged in such conduct in Singapore, at least a $500.00 fine would be imposed.
Columbus motorists also love to exceed the speed limit in many
residential neighborhoods, often flying down the street between 40-45 miles per hour, when the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour.
More often than not, people have visitors in the residential areas, who could care less about parking laws. I've seen cases of people leaving their cars parked longer than 72 hours on the street, even though there are laws against that. Also, people like to park closer than five feet to a driveway, in spite of the fact that is also forbidden.
Last, I've noticed the proliferation of not only boomboxes in some cars, but cars driving with cut off mufflers, which make a very loud, grating, and unpleasant sound.
The government of the City of Columbus never ceases to amaze me. It was only the other day, that it sent several sweeper trucks sweeping the empty streets, when their services weren't really needed. However, during the winter, when the snow piles up, and residents need their streets plowed and salted, snow plows are not to be found on city residential streets. Residents should not have to drive down the equivalent of an ice skating rink, because the city officials wish to save money on salt, equipment, and labor costs.
Columbus, OH
Addendum to review of Columbus, which was written -
4/22/2014 In my prior review of Columbus in 2012, I commented then, pertaining to the substandard snow removal program, which Columbus has. I might have well predicted the winter of 2014, in Columbus, as the nearly 58 inches of snow, which Columbus received this past winter and early spring, was not removed very well. There was ice and snow (including black ice), which stayed on the ground for weeks. Sure enough, we heard the same nonsensical excuses, which I've heard for forty two years. Now, it appears that snow plows which were on order, didn't arrive in time, and the city officials promised to have more snow plows in time for the winter of 2015. Unfortunately, I heard the exact same excuse in 1978, following the blizzard, which struck that year. In 1979, the snow plows which we were ordered, never arrived in time. Also, even if the additional snow plows arrive in time for next season, it won't make any difference, since many of the older plows will be retired. Also, to this date, the city of Columbus still has not officially revised its obsolete policy of ignoring the residential side streets, until the snow reaches four inches. The fact of the matter, is that Columbus has ignored its own policy and has failed to spread salt and plow residential streets, even when the snow has reached four inches. Indianapolis has the same amount of miles of streets as Columbus does (about 6,000), yet it has over three times the amount of snow plows (over 300, counting ones provided by private contractors). On the other hand, Columbus has barely 100, counting private contractors. Until this town decides to devote a higher priority to snow removal, the quality of life, in the winter, will continue to be abysmal.
Key West, FL
re: great place - 9/13/2007 -
4/10/2014 I'd like to respond to Keith's posting, whereby he appears to blame the "Snowbirds" for the high cost of living in Key West. He wrote that "Snowbirds will pay anything to escape the snow and cold". I would like to ascertain from Keith, why he feels that somehow the Snowbirds are the cause of the high cost of living in Key West? Has he ever lived up north and dealt with a bitterly cold winter, similar to the one, which we just went through? I can tell him from personal experience that it was no fun, shoveling snow, on at least 10 occasions. Even with a large snow blower, it was more than a chore. My car became stuck on the ice in my own driveway. It was so bitterly cold, that snow salt didn't seem to help. There were many days when the temperature was minus 10 degrees. I don't know about Keith, but I don't enjoy walking on snow and ice, or driving in snow and icy conditions. There were times when there was black ice on the road, and the result is that one loses all steering traction. Last, the natural gas heating bills were very high. Keith doesn't have to worry about paying high heating bills in Key West; therefore, he should stop complaining, and count his blessings. If we Yankees wish to relocate to Key West, to escape from Arctic like conditions up north, that is our right. This is America, and people are free to legally relocate to wherever they wish to live, and spend as much money, as they wish to. Incidentally, Keith, if it wasn't for us Snowbirds, as well as the out of state tourists from up north, the economy of Florida, which is heavily dependent on tourists, would suffer. Regarding Key West, I briefly visited Key West this past winter. Our cruise shipped stopped there for a few hours. We really enjoyed our visit there; we visited the winter home of former President Harry S. Truman. The next time that we visit Key West, we will definitely spend more time, and rent a car. We may even consider spending our winters there.
Columbus, OH
Comments on living in Columbus, Ohio -
2/5/2012 I've lived in Columbus, Ohio for nearly forty years (yes, four decades), having moved here from Brooklyn, N.Y. There are a number of positive aspects of life in Columbus, and the immediate vicinity, as well as a number of aspects of life, which are either unpleasant, or which can stand improvement.
Pros-
a) The cost of living in Central Ohio is lower than the national average. Although the cost of electricity has recently climbed to about 13 cents per kilowatt hour, for years, it was much lower than that. Also, the cost of natural gas has moderated, and has actually decreased in recent years. In addition, the cost of water/sewer services provided by the City of Columbus is reasonable. Columbus does not charge its residents any additional fees for trash collection, and recycling, at no additional charge, will be provided in the near future. Real estate taxes of homes, are much lower than similar homes in the northeast, or on the west coast.
b) Commuting by car is not really a problem, even at rush hour. Rarely, does the Columbus area experience the bottlenecks in traffic, which are prevalent in larger metropolitan areas, such as L.A., Chicago, NYC, etc.
c) Maintaining a car- It does not cost that much to maintain an automobile in the Columbus area, as there are many auto mechanics, and competition tends to drive the prices down.
d) Food- There are many retail grocery markets such as Krogers, Walmart, Meijers, which tend to be competitive, and keep grocery prices at reasonable levels.
e) Medical care- The quality of medical care, with rare exceptions is very good, and prices are also reasonable. There are many drive in drug stores, which make buying prescription drugs very convenient.
f) Banking- There are also a number of banks with drive in facilities, which also make the banking experience a pleasant one.
g) Home maintenance contractors- One can choose from many different contractors for home repairs, whether it involves roofers, plumbers, electricians, painters, driveway contractors, heating and air-conditioning personnel, etc. Although prices have risen in recent years, I still feel that the prices are competitive.
Cons-
a) I've never gotten used to the driving habits of Columbus motorists. I've observed numerous accidents which could have been avoided, if the offending motorist would have kept a clear distance from the car in front of him, as required by law. Instead, Columbus drivers tend to tailgate, and fail to stop in time, thus striking the car in front of them.
b) Also, I've observed numerous Columbus drivers who excel in making obscene gestures with their fingers and hands. Many times, Columbus drivers will daydream and hesitate, when the light changes from red to green. Hence, a gentle tap on the horn is a gentle reminder for them to accelerate. Unfortunately, it is also a signal for some drivers to make obscene gestures.
c) Many Columbus drivers don't believe in using directional signals when changing lanes, make sudden, and unsafe lane changes, fail to yield the right of way, go through stop signs, drive with defective mufflers, headlights and taillights which don't work,or drive with license plates which have not been cleared of snow, or even drive with license plates which should have been replaced. Also, I've noticed drivers who will pass one's rear bumper with less than two inches to spare!
d) Anti-semitism- Although people don't like to hear about this phenomenon, there are still those in the Columbus area, who can't seem to accept the fact that observant Jews have the right to walk to the Synagogue of their choice on Saturday, without being verbally assaulted or intimidated by anti-semitic motorists in their car, who will either loudly honk their horns, or yell things out of their cars.
e) Racial tension- Unfortunately, racial tension in the Columbus area still exists, whether it involves whites against blacks, or blacks against whites.
f) Crime- Many homes in quiet residential areas, now have burglar alarm signs in front of them. Whereas years ago, there would be signs which stated "Welcome, "The Smiths", now there are signs which prominently display the name of the security company, with warning signs. Unfortunately, homes have suffered burglaries, and homeowners have incurred thefts of items, which cannot be readily replaced. Hence, they have no choice, but to invest in a security system. In addition, there have been a number of heinous crimes in the Columbus area, too numerous to mention on this site.
g) Sports arenas- Regarding Nationwide Arena and the Schottenstein Center, unless one has a private box, it is difficult to feel comfortable being seated, when watching a professional sports team, as opposed to a college team. Alcohol is served at those events, and it tends to loosen inhibitions in people, leading to rowdy, and aggressive conduct.
h) Lack of an effective snow removal program- In the forty years that I've lived in Columbus, I always hear the same ridiculous excuses every winter, to justify the City of Columbus' substandard snow removal program. The excuses are "the equipment broke down, we didn't have sufficient warning that such a large snowfall would result, we didn't anticipate that a freeze would result, before the salt could be spread, our personnel have worked twelve hours straight and are fatigued, we don't plow residential areas, if the snow is less than four inches", etc. Quite frankly, Columbus has run out of excuses. In 1978, there was a large blizzard which struck Columbus, and the city closed the downtown area for days. Motorists were stranded all over town. At that time, the city promised that new snow plows would be ordered, and such a situation would never occur again. Unfortunately, the same situation has occurred time and time again. In March, 2008, the City of Columbus failed to effectively plow James Road, a large arterial roadway. As a result, there was black ice on that street, which caused a very precarious driving situation. Also, even when the snowfall has reached four inches on the residential streets, the snowplows in many instances never come to the residential areas. If they do, all they do is spread the existing snow around with a plow. The residential streets are never salted. On the other hand, a number of the suburban municipalities in the area surrounding Columbus, have very good snow removal programs, as does the airport.