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thatchick
thatchick

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Hey, I'm moving to New York this summer with my guy and i was just wondering what life was like up there. I'm a small town kind of person so i'm half thrilled and half terrified. I visited one winter when i was a kid, but that was before 9/11 and everything else. So, whats it like?
Question asked via StreetAdvisor The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
Oh boy, thatchick. There's really only one way to find out and that's to jump in. It's a crazy, crazy city and it really depends on the person for whether you like it or not. My Cali friends and I always joke that if you are really tough, you'll make it three years before you move back to Southern Cal. From where are you moving? That usually makes a big difference for whether or not you'll adjust. . . .
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thatchick
thatchick 2yrs+
Ugh, South Georgia. My town has about 3000 people and were like the third biggest county (area wise)
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@thatchick Well, you will be warned that you need to be tough to survive the place at all, and for good reason, but there's also nothing like the exhilaration of being young and in New York for the first time. Granted, I hid in my room for most of the first year, but then I was just fine after that...
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Well if you're moving here for college you'll get a lot of help from the university. My own college did a lot with freshman orientation and whatnot, because everyone knows how traumatic it can be to move to NY for the first time. Hence, I hid in my room all my freshman year, but felt like a real New Yorker after that. My collgege also made it a point to assign us "friends" and "buddies" and "residential advisors" which felt weird and forced. It's a lot easier to stop feeling scared if you realize that everybody else is scared too. The neighborhoods are easy to pick up once you're here, but you can look all that up on a map too.
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landee
landee 2yrs+
I also thought about moving there as well, but i've been told it's soo much more expensive than here in PA. How true is that? Or maybe i guess it just depends on where you live right? I think New York might be a little too much of a fast life for me to live but i think visiting would be great! The busiest place i have ever been was Miami, Fl and even that's not too busy.
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@landee The absolutely number one most expensive thing in NY are rent prices. If you want to live in Manhattan, then you need to be making MUCH money. Then again, a lot of job salaries are scaled to New York cost of living, so people earn more here than they do in the rest of the country for doing the same kind of work. They say it's a question of personalities. Some people LIKE the fast pace, so they stay in Manhattan. But there are also "normal" and "middle class" enclaves in Brooklyn and Queens...
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Thatchick: My question why do you want to come here? There are so many better places to be. Just curious. NYC is not the same it used to be. It is way overcrowded, high-priced, and dirty. I see you are from Georgia. I have a friend who moved out of Georgia and went to San Francisco. She loves it there. I've been to San Fran and loved it. Much better than NYC.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@DBlack: There are many jobs that do not pay according to the the high cost of living. You just need to do research to find that out.

@Landee: NYC may be okay to visit, but I went to your area late last year and loved it. Why leave such a great area for this place. If you want to visit, come on and see what NYC has to offer. Then you can make up your own mind whether to move here or not.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Landee and Thatchick NYC really is the world's most exciting city but its true that you do need a fist full of dollars to truly enjoy it especially Manhattan. Sure its dirty, chaotic, crowded but it is also an accepting city for a you can be want you want in NYC and nobody cares. Also if you enjoy being anonymous then NYC is the city for you. I am sure that there are other city's in the US and elsewhere that offer a better quality of life at a much lower price but if you enjoy fast paced inner city living then NYC is for you and DBlack is absolutely right when he says the outer boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn are definitely more affordable than the center of the universe .. i.e. Manhattan. Good luck..
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landee
landee 2yrs+
@DBlack I think i'm going to stick to living in Pa and visiting New York.
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landee
landee 2yrs+
@uptowngirl I do like to be a little more anonymous, I tend to keep to myself and be a little more secluded when it comes to dealing with lots of people. Maybe in NY i could be more of myself and also keep to myself huh?
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@uptowngirl Well I'm glad somebody's speaking up for the thrill of living in NY. Geez, @hhusted, what a way to slap down any interest anyone else has in living here. Maybe not everyone would hate NY as much as you do...?
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Benthedude
Benthedude 2yrs+
Just remember that the gum under rails is not candy
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@landee sure thing...
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landee
landee 2yrs+
@benthedude Lol! ewwww!
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Landee: Great choice. I commend you on your decision.

@Uraniumfish: I am speaking the truth. I am not trying to influence anyone away from here. It is up to the person to decide on their own whether to come or not. I just want the person to know the pros and cons so they will know what to expect.

If you have traveled across this city extensively and seen the dirtiness, filth, ugliness, and ignorance that is prevalent in some areas, I think you would have bitter feelings as well. I have been to cities that are ten times better looking than NYC. The one thing I do like about NYC is the ease of getting around.

Hey, what makes you think I hate Manhattan? :)
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landee
landee 2yrs+
@hhusted When i finally do take this vacation, i'm going to try to see all that NY has to offer so i can then make a better decision on if that kind of lifestyle is right for us. But thanks for all the good info about it. Hopefully when i go, and the parts i go to aren't as bad as they seem.
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landee
landee 2yrs+
@hhusted Thanks for that awesome response! You sure do give great advice!! I will surely keep you in mind when i do finally get to go out there and make sure i think very carefully about whether or not it is a good idea to live out there.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
hhusted: San Francisco? It's the 2nd most expensive city in the US (next to NY) and it is dirty, crowded and loud. Sure, the weather is slightly nicer but I wouldn't call it nice. It never gets above 70 degrees and it is pretty much always overcast because of the bay. There are far fewer employment opportunities and far more hippies (People's Republic of Berkeley is right there, afterall). Waaaaay more homeless people in SF than NY. And, you have to have a car there but there is no where to park. Great city but I'm not sure I understand that reasoning for picking SF over the legendary New York.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Man, San Fran is cold in the summer! Maybe it doesn't get as cold there as it does here, but I'll take the hot summer over a chilly one any day.

And, yes, you either have to have a lot of money to live in New York or just be willing to spend most of it on rent, but it is completely worth it to live here. And I don't know why anyone would say that the city isn't what it used to be like that is a bad thing. I would definitely say that the city keeps on changing for the better - in general, at least.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@JenMac and Neversleeps Hurrah for the NY vote.. I so agree about the chilly summers give me hot, humid ,sultry NY summers any day.. love 'em.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I vote yes on hot humid summers as well.

And as to the original question, "What is New York like?" I am trying to imagine what I would say to a little cousin or great aunt or somebody who would wonder such a thing... and I am at a loss.

@thatchick You should read The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead (http://www.amazon.com/Colossus-New-York-Colson-Whitehead/dp/1400031249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272590016&sr=1-1). It's a quick read and I think it gives you a good sense of what you're getting yourself into.
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