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Thanks for the clear message. Yes that is what I found from my last trip.
Then a quick question out of my curiousity, why is everybody crazy about New York? What is so good about it that makes people feel dying to go there and miss dearly when they left?
To me it looked like a typical busy city with constructions and traffic jams all around, no difference from Tokyo, Paris etc. Didn't mean to insult the city but just curious what is making New York so different and attractive since I couldn't get even a sense from my last trip in October 07.
^^^ Same reason why you want(ed) to move here. NYC is arguably the center of the world. MANY people from all over the planet move to NYC. Why? I guess it has to do with the energy, the cosmopolitan lifestlye, diffrent nabes, etc. To me, it seems like you're judging NYC by only Manhattan. There are 4 other boroughs besides the city (Manhattan). You should try to visit the other boroughs to get a real feel for NYC.
Yes I will have to be very careful and still need to do lots of research before I make the big move especially when I have a little one. Definitely I need to get a job first.
Thought New York has decent public schools for gifted children. Found two but one of them only accepts Manhattan residents and both require very high testing score and have a long waiting list.
Maybe this sounds like a dumb question but then do you think I can survive New York if I live outside of Manhattan? After I read all posts in this forum, I am kinda discouraged and almost giving up New York.
^^^ Maybe. How much is your buget? How far are you willing to commute to the city. Do you want to rent or by an apartment? What about crime and schools. Theres are some of the things you have to think about when living in NYC. The outer boroughs have the best of both worlds. Some areas are close to Manhattan (like LIC in Queens, or Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn) While some are a good distance from the city (like the South Shore of Staten Island or the Northern part of the Bronx).
Maybe this sounds like a dumb question but then do you think I can survive New York if I live outside of Manhattan? After I read all posts in this forum, I am kinda discouraged and almost giving up New York.
Especially with a child and wanting a car, you are probably better off outside Manhattan as you can get more space for the same money and parking is easier (not easy, but easier). Depending on how far outside Manhattan you go, the commute could be no worse than from many places within Manhattan, though it can get quite long as you go farther away. On average NYC has the longest commutes in the country but it's because so many people come from pretty far away.
As to raising a child in New York, that is a very personal decision. There are significant advantages, as kids in New York have exposure to people of all kinds, both ethnically and in terms of lifestyle, professional field, and personality. There are a lot of fascinating people, and a lot of smart people at the top of their fields here. There is also exposure to an incredible array of cultural options. One downside is that kids here can get cynical and jaded because it's a tough, sarcastic place.
Don't give up on NY just yet. There are a lot of challenges but also a lot of benefits. You have to think about what you want and whether you'll be able to get that here.
Aw, don't give up so easily! And don't believe everything you read. Public schools are actually very good, if you move into the right zones. The G&T testing route is tough, you need to score from 95% to 98th percentiles to qualify, but if your child can do it, you're set. A handful of city public schools usually are tops for the number of finalists they send to the national Intel Science competition every year.
A good Web site to check out is insideschools.org, they profile all the schools, give you a rough idea of their test scores, ethnic makeup, and provide zone maps as well. If you get to the point of picking a specific address, it's important to double-check what school it's zoned for with the city's Department of Education site ... often the line runs right down the middle of the street. There is a dramatic difference between the good ones and the other ones.
My wife and I are doing our best to raise 3 kids (2 now in public school pre-K) in Brooklyn, and that, along with close-in Queens, is probably where you'd want to consider living. Manhattan has gotten insanely expensive, though it also has some great public schools, if you don't mind shelling out $2500-plus for a 1-bedroom apartment.
But people come here for the energy and the variety. And the sun shines in the winter half the time, too! Sorry if I sounded cranky in knocking SF ... it's a great place and I'm sure I could be happy living there for a few years, but it AIN'T New York. Seriously, there's a reason they wrote so many songs and set so many movies here! It's a little crazy but also romantic and a million other things. When you live here, you know you're part of something huge ... a place that's so larger than life that even monster egos like Donald Trump are destined to only be footnotes in a decade or two.
Last edited by keith talent; 02-28-2008 at 02:03 PM..
I've lived both places. Given your criteria, move to SF area and look for jobs on the Peninsula (Sunnyvale, Santa Clara). Schools are great there and it's Silicon Valley so if you're any good at your job, you ought to have no issue finding something.
NYC is not the best place for good schools...kids have to "test" into the gifted schools about a year ahead and private is $20K+. Plus driving here is no fun. It's much easier in SF area.
Thanks Morningside_gal. Yes that is what I figured so far.
My life here is already enough hectic. I carry my pager and laptop with me wherever I go so I can work from anywhere - I'm 24 hours on-call most of times. I drive 3-4 hours a day crossing 2 bridges two times a day between my home/work and his school which is not really good but the only school accepted him in BC.
He has some behaviroural issues which drives everybody around him crazy. I really cannot figure out where he is up to just like most of parents of gifted children. I was going to have him try The Anderson in Manhattan but it looks like too late for 2008-2009 school year. Not sure the school is worth one year waiting and there is no gurantee that he will pass the test by 97%.
I am also looking Dunham Academy in San Rafael, Marine County. He still needs to take a test but it looks like more friendly. Do you know about this school? Have you been to Marine County?
Thanks for your reply holden125. To me, I cannot live without a car. I know it sounds silly. But it is just the way I am. Driving gives me rest, peace and energy. I don't mind no friends aound me but cannot stand not having a car. It is almost like suffering....
So New York is not going to work for me, is it?
Sounds like most of New Yorkers there don't have a car, right? Then how do they manage grocery shopping etc. especially with little ones in rainy/snowy days - you know what it's like, you need to carry lots of stuff around if you have little one. Just curious...
What do they do over the weekends?
Forgive me if I sound like no brain to you guys. It just doesn't ring the bell to me because the life in the ease sounds like SO different from the west. And as you said, I don't want to give up yet but there should be enough motivation for me to make such a big move to NY.
Thanks.
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