Google Plus Business   Pinterest

800.ELLIMAN

uptowngirl
uptowngirl

NYC - a haven for suicidal jumpers

The Wall Street Journal reports that NYC has the largest number of jumper suicides in the nation and says the city's many sky scrapers provide an easy conduit to suicidal folks looking to end it all.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704392104575475951109822016.html

Is the roof of your apartment building easily accessible? I think ours is locked all the time and you don't really get easy access to it. The only time that the roof is opened I think is for viewing of the Fourth of July fireworks. What's the situation in your high rise?
Question asked via StreetAdvisor The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
5 people following
this discussion
Report

30 Comments

hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
The door to the roof is not locked. It has some kind of latch on it to prevent someone from coming in, but going out is easy.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Ours is only accessible by a ladder or something, I think. I've never actually been up there, but I really should, since we kind of have a good view of the Statue of Liberty.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Whaaat? I would have bet anything the suicide capital is San Fran, since apparently the Golden Gate is a virtual suicide magnet for people who don't even live in the city.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I think recent economic events probably hit people harder than the city itself - although fair enough, those high-rise skyscraper offices have to provide some psychological momentum in a moment of despair...
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
I guess splattering on a sidewalk is not how I'd choose to go out, if I could at all help it...
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish there have been times in my life when I have been so down that i have actually had suicidal thoughts and I have thought about ways to end it but I think you have to have a huge amount of courage or be really,really desperate to have the guts to throw yourself out of a building. As I write this though I can't help but think of those helpless souls who leaped out of the burning towers of the WTC, I guess they really didnt have much of a choice.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish: San Francisco is not a melting pot like New York. When I went there last year, I felt so calm and peaceful. The people I talked to were terrific. I felt no stress at all. And the people I talked to did not have stress either, at least they told me they didn't. I found San Fran to be a rarely calm city with a lot to offer people.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@hhusted So how about you move?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish: Maybe I will and I take you along for company. :) This way I can hear your chatter. The trip won't be boring then. :) Ha. Ha.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@hhusted Weren't you supposed to move to California in the summer?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps thanks for the extract helps illustrate the diversity of San Francisco quite adequately.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist so true that's exactly what makes NYC such a great city its diversity and its openness.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I've lived all over the world (Paris, Rome, Exeter NH, Oxford, Tbilisi...to name a few!) and I still have got to say that there is nowhere in the world like NYC. Nowhere with the same energy, the same "vibe," the same diversity, the same fantastic atmosphere! I'm insanely in love with the city. Perhaps I'll end up settling there after all...
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl Ha. No problem.

@ajadedidealist I am with you on the cost of housing thing - it's hard to get a bang for your buck around here, but I think the cost of living throughout this country has gotten pretty ridiculous. I am always reading articles about how our generation needs more help from parents than ever before - well, why is that? Maybe if rents reflected what people made at entry level positions then young college grads wouldn't have to call home so much!
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps doesn't look like entry level wages are going to go up anytime soon and just yesterday I read an article in the NYT that says Landlords are back in control of the market in NYC.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/realestate/26cov.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
Have been keeping a track of the market as our apartment is likely to be offered for rent soon.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I seem to remember in another post all of us remarking how 'optimistic ends to the recession, etc keep on being declared...maybe this supposed improvement in the real estate market is another example of that kind of wishful thinking.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Everyone the Times analyzes from census data how the recession affected New York City and its residents-:
an excellent read-
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/nyregion/29census.html?_r=1&nl=nyregion&emc=ura1
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: Thanks for sharing that article. Good reading.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@uptowngirl That was really interesting. And a lot more thoughtful of an analysis than these overly optimistic declarations that the recession is over. It so is not. Here's another short blurb:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gdp
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish: Thanks for the article. I do not agree with some of her figures as I read reports from other economic writers who reported different numbers. I guess it is the way the numbers are interpreted.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl Interesting read... but not the greatest news for those who insist the recession has been over for a while now.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps I do believe that when unemployment levels dip well below their current 10% level that the recession can truly be declared as 'over'.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@uptowngirl You mean when they go above 10%?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish If I remember my Keynesian economics correctly Unemployment levels of 10% are very high they have to come down to reasonable levels for us to be out of a recession.
Here's another grim report about NYC's unemployment rates
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/economy/20100927/21/3372
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Wow, I'm feeling very dyslexic just now. Yeah, below.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish No worries happens to the best of us.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: Unemployment is below 10%. It is currently at 9.5%. The market has gone over 11,000 points for the first time in a year or so. There have been an increase in job creation in many parts of the country. The recession is over and has been over a while. It is just that for the first few months, the economy was in a jobless recovery. But now, the economy is picking up again.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@hhusted Amen to that .. though I do hope the Dow touching 11000 is not due to speculation. Its been on a roll for quite a while now hasn't it? Bankers I know seem to think its the money that has been pumped into the economy that has gone into the stock market. Fingers crossed , hopefully we will be able to dig ourselves out of the hole we have fallen into.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: I hope so. It is time this economy starts percolating again.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Ahhhh... so the recession is officially over once unemployment drops to 9.9%. What a relief that it's finally over then! Hahaha.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.

Add a comment

Corporate information:
Services:
Affiliates:
© Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
All Rights Reserved.

All data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the RLS or Douglas Elliman. See Terms of Service for additional restrictions.

All information regarding a property for sale, rental, taxes or financing is from sources deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy thereof, and such information is subject to errors, omission, change of price, rental, commission, prior sale, lease or financing, or withdrawal without notice. All square footage and dimensions are approximate. Exact dimensions can be obtained by retaining the services of a professional architect or engineer.

The number of bedrooms listed above is not a legal conclusion. Each person should consult with his/her own attorney, architect or zoning expert to make a determination as to the number of rooms in the unit that may be legally used as a bedroom.

© 2014. Douglas Elliman Real Estate. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings are deemed reliable, but should be verified by your own attorney, architect or zoning expert. Equal Housing Opportunity.