24hr city? (New York, York: neighborhoods, living, professionals)

[talktobrent]

I'm curious if manhattan really has a 24hr feel to it anymore, considering the cost of living would seem out of reach for most outside of white collar 9-5 professionals and globe-trotting millionaires. I spent time in DC, which also is expensive and caters to a large workforce of professional service types, and the place REALLY dies after 9:30p or so on weekdays (true of most cities, but the contrast seemed extreme there).

[SeventhFloor]

we are "the city that never sleeps".

cost of living has nothing to with it. clubs are still open, restaurants and diners stay open. can take public transportation 24/7, unlike DC. can catch a cab in manhattan any time of the night.

[Tofusensei]

Yeah, it truly is a 24 hr city.

I'll add... it's pretty rare to find a bar that isn't open till 4am 7 days a week.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by talktobrent

I'm curious if manhattan really has a 24hr feel to it anymore, considering the cost of living would seem out of reach for most outside of white collar 9-5 professionals and globe-trotting millionaires. I spent time in DC, which also is expensive and caters to a large workforce of professional service types, and the place REALLY dies after 9:30p or so on weekdays (true of most cities, but the contrast seemed extreme there).

It's one of the few cities in the world that are 24/7. You have to realize that the city of NYC has the most people it ever has--8.3 million and growing--and Manhattan is luring the rich and wealthy--along with the poor/middle class that have always lived here (although numbers for them are dropping).

The subways run 24/7. The city has 8.3 million with a metro of 20 million plus. There are thousands of bars, restaurants, shops, delis, and workers going to and from all times of the day. Unlike in a city such as DC, for example, that has about 600,000 in the city itself, and 5 million plus, metro.

You should visit and you'll realize how big NYC really is.

[K.O.N.Y]

I work at mcdonalds in times square. And its open 24/7 and its literally crowded 24/7

[Fred314X]

I'm curious as to why you asked specifically only about Manhattan. The City of New York has five boroughs, not one--and all five are 24-hour operations!

[KYLE1]

Originally Posted by K.O.N.Y

I work at mcdonalds in times square. And its open 24/7 and its literally crowded 24/7

The first time I visited NYC, I got there at 2 am from a flight and went to a McDonald's in Times Square and I remember it being crowded and lively at 3 am. It was also so strange seeing 70 year olds up at at that time eating McDonalds and chatting.

NYC really is a 24/hr city!

[artgoeshere]

Originally Posted by Fred314X

I'm curious as to why you asked specifically only about Manhattan. The City of New York has five boroughs, not one--and all five are 24-hour operations!

Just a quick comment, I don't live in NYC (yet) and I always thought that Manhattan was just another name for New York City. I didn't even know that there were separate boroughs , I just figured that they were just certain neighborhoods. Of course I feel stupid now, but I've found that lots of people who haven't been to New York or done any research on it don't know these things either.

[passdoubt]

As a night owl who lives in nyc I gotta disagree that the whole city is poppin after midnight. The outer boroughs are kinda dead for the most part... Upper Manhattan too (yeah, you can get fast food takeout but there are very few 24 hour diners/sit-down restaurants or other businesses up here above 96th st). There are definitely neighborhoods that come alive at night but they're all in midtown and downtown Manhattan.

And yeah, I don't think the fact that bars are open til 4 is particularly meaningful 'cause they usually stop serving food at an earlier hour.

[Andysocks]

I would never say the outerboroughs are poppin after midnight, but there still is life, and it depends what neighborhood you're in. The worst is Jamaica Ave, that place dies at sundown, even though it's crazy crowded at all times during the day. I work in retail, and everyone envies the people who work on the Ave because the chain stores close earlier there than anywhere else.