NYC myths and misconceptions: What are they? (New York, York: middle-class, fit in)

[UpstaterInBklyn]

Originally Posted by nyctc7

That everyone lives in tiny, cramped apartments. While the cramped NYC apartment is certainly no myth, many people, and not necessarily just the super wealthy, live in apartments with a square footage that is equal or bigger than many houses.

Actually, I would say that just the opposite is a misconception. Someone who has never been in a Manhattan apartment usually thinks that a typical apartment is "normal" sized, like they see on TV (Friends, Seinfeld etc.). People are generally shocked at how small most apartments are.

[jazzymentality]

The rats are bigger than cats down there. I sometimes do feel like NYC is dirty. It's an industrial city like New Jersey. Smokey, overcroweded, stinky..

[gradstudent77]

I think the biggest myth is the whole "its sooooooo expensive" thing. I hear this a lot from people who use those online calculators that show what $x/year in one city is equivalent to in another city. Those calculators are wacky so there are people out there who think $150k/year is middle class in nyc.

[analyticalkeys]

Originally Posted by gradstudent77

I think the biggest myth is the whole "its sooooooo expensive" thing. I hear this a lot from people who use those online calculators that show what $x/year in one city is equivalent to in another city. Those calculators are wacky so there are people out there who think $150k/year is middle class in nyc.

Yea.. the problem with those calculators is that the large portion of rich people that live in select areas throw off the average salary by so much, that it's not even fair to count it like that since the surrounding neighborhoods are not that much more expensive than anywhere else in the states, especially considering the fact that you won't need a car.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by jazzymentality

The rats are bigger than cats down there. I sometimes do feel like NYC is dirty. It's an industrial city like New Jersey. Smokey, overcroweded, stinky..

Yeah, that's a myth too. There was a time when Brooklyn was sort of industrial (including a couple of breweries), but if it were as industrial as Detroit or Cleveland housing prices would be much lower and the population losses of the 70s would continue to this day.

[zdg]

Something that's really bugging me about our new adopted hometown is the outrageous set of myths that are perpetuated on a daily basis about NYC as if it is its own country, with its own set of rules, laws, standards, and truths.

Our move to NYC is 8 months coming; mostly due to our own constraints (selling our house, moving my business, etc).

In the last 8 months, here are some of the things I've been told about NYC or moving to NYC and then the truth as we saw it. Feel free to add.

- NYC is wildly expensive. Prohibitively so. If you're not making at least $xxx,000, you'll die in the streets in days. I don't know what country these people are coming from. I'm coming from what is generally considered one of the cheapest cities in America; Houston. Once you factor in everything (taxes, housing, transportation, food, tuition, entertainment, utils, and all other misc crapola), our new life in NYC is going to cost us exactly 6.2% more than Houston. Pardon me, but big deal. If $53,100 is all I need in NYC to live like I would in Houston on $50,000, someone will have to explain to me how that's is prohibitively more expensive.

- Schools? Ha. The public schools are horrible and the private schools are impossible to get in to. You needed to be on a waiting list 3 years ago and gosh I hope your dad is a Senator. Joined the Parents League (as we were told we "had" to do) on a Tuesday morning. Picked out a private school 3 blocks from our apartment on Wednesday. Saw it the next Monday. Accepted the next day. First choice, one application, one visit, done deal. Yeah. Wow. That was really difficult. This is like when they told us the same thing about the private schools in Houston and acceptance was as difficult as making a single phone call and asking if they had any space.

- You will live in a shoebox. Get used to being able to touch all four walls of your bedroom without having to move your pivot foot. Granted, the apartments as a whole are smaller for the money than what you'd pay in the middle of other enormous cities, but our bedroom in NYC has 112 more sf than our bedroom in Houston (a city known for overly gigantic houses). Our living room in NYC is as big as our living room and kitchen combined in Houston. And no, we're not having to spend 8x as much for that apartment (not even 15% more than we were spending in Texas).

- Office space will run you $3,000/mo for a one man private space anywhere between, say, LES and Inwood. $495/mo for a private, 24/7 access real office in Midtown. Furnished. With internet. Or, in other words, $300 less per month than I spent to be outside of downtown Houston for office space.

- Taxes. You don't even know what taxes ARE, buddy. You'll see maybe 40% of your paycheck by the time she takes her bite. Yes, paying state income tax for a change will suck. But it's 10.5% of my pay, not 30% of my pay. Considering the fact that I get to live in a city where I never have to pay for gasoline, parking, valet, car insurance, or car payments again...we'll call it even dollarwise and I'll be happy not sitting in traffic, thank you.

- Watch your back, Jack. Everyone in this city is trying to hose you. Even if it's in writing, good luck...you're gonna need it. I'm sure there are plenty of cases where this is true, especially with slumlords taking advantage of poor tenants (and that sucks). So far, everyone has shot straight with me with one exception; and that was just because she was a moron.

- NYers are so rude. Where does this even come from? Were NYers rude 100 years ago? Is this myth made up only by polite people from Savannah, Georgia? I've found people in NY to be some of the most helpful, kind, generous, community-minded people in America. And not this fakey, Southern, pour it on and lie to your face junk. People seem genuinely helpful in NY.

- Red tape. Get used to it. You think it's bad in France? Wait til you move to NY. Have you people ever tried to get the utilities turned on in a city where there are 7 different companies for the 7 utilities/services? Here in Houston, we had to call Reliant for electricity (cash deposit, had to be there for a serviceman), Centerpoint for gas (cash deposit, had to be there for a serviceman), Directv for TV (had to be there to let them in), AT&T for phone (had to be there to let them in), Comcast for internet (had to be there to let them in), City of Houston for water (cash deposit, finally something I didn't have to let someone in for), and Sanitation for trash (had to be there to sign for the trash can). It takes DAYS. Literally. And a load of cash. Moved to NY? Called ConEd, took 30 seconds, no deposit, doorman lets him in the day before I move in, gas and electric turned on in my name. Called Time Warner, cable, phone, and internet will be on the morning after I move in, have to let him in. Heat, water, and trash are provided by landlord. Took minutes and cost not one penny down. If you think that's "red tape" you've never tried to get your utils turned back on after a Cat 3 hurricane bowls through your neighborhood. THAT, my friend, is red tape.

[homenj]

Misconceptions.

From what I've seen others depict New York is that it's a utopia where all races, whites, blacks, gays, Jews etc. live in harmony and always get along.

Also the huge gap between the rich and the poor. Although there probably is some truth to that.

Oh yeah and those guys with tank tops and gold chains who are like "Badda bing! Ay you talking to me?" type (very huge misconception)

[SeventhFloor]

Originally Posted by zdg

Something that's really bugging me about our new adopted hometown is the outrageous set of myths that are perpetuated on a daily basis about NYC as if it is its own country, with its own set of rules, laws, standards, and truths.

Our move to NYC is 8 months coming; mostly due to our own constraints (selling our house, moving my business, etc).

In the last 8 months, here are some of the things I've been told about NYC or moving to NYC and then the truth as we saw it. Feel free to add.

- NYC is wildly expensive. Prohibitively so. If you're not making at least $xxx,000, you'll die in the streets in days. I don't know what country these people are coming from. I'm coming from what is generally considered one of the cheapest cities in America; Houston. Once you factor in everything (taxes, housing, transportation, food, tuition, entertainment, utils, and all other misc crapola), our new life in NYC is going to cost us exactly 6.2% more than Houston. Pardon me, but big deal. If $53,100 is all I need in NYC to live like I would in Houston on $50,000, someone will have to explain to me how that's is prohibitively more expensive.

- Schools? Ha. The public schools are horrible and the private schools are impossible to get in to. You needed to be on a waiting list 3 years ago and gosh I hope your dad is a Senator. Joined the Parents League (as we were told we "had" to do) on a Tuesday morning. Picked out a private school 3 blocks from our apartment on Wednesday. Saw it the next Monday. Accepted the next day. First choice, one application, one visit, done deal. Yeah. Wow. That was really difficult. This is like when they told us the same thing about the private schools in Houston and acceptance was as difficult as making a single phone call and asking if they had any space.

- You will live in a shoebox. Get used to being able to touch all four walls of your bedroom without having to move your pivot foot. Granted, the apartments as a whole are smaller for the money than what you'd pay in the middle of other enormous cities, but our bedroom in NYC has 112 more sf than our bedroom in Houston (a city known for overly gigantic houses). Our living room in NYC is as big as our living room and kitchen combined in Houston. And no, we're not having to spend 8x as much for that apartment (not even 15% more than we were spending in Texas).

- Office space will run you $3,000/mo for a one man private space anywhere between, say, LES and Inwood. $495/mo for a private, 24/7 access real office in Midtown. Furnished. With internet. Or, in other words, $300 less per month than I spent to be outside of downtown Houston for office space.

- Taxes. You don't even know what taxes ARE, buddy. You'll see maybe 40% of your paycheck by the time she takes her bite. Yes, paying state income tax for a change will suck. But it's 10.5% of my pay, not 30% of my pay. Considering the fact that I get to live in a city where I never have to pay for gasoline, parking, valet, car insurance, or car payments again...we'll call it even dollarwise and I'll be happy not sitting in traffic, thank you.

- Watch your back, Jack. Everyone in this city is trying to hose you. Even if it's in writing, good luck...you're gonna need it. I'm sure there are plenty of cases where this is true, especially with slumlords taking advantage of poor tenants (and that sucks). So far, everyone has shot straight with me with one exception; and that was just because she was a moron.

- NYers are so rude. Where does this even come from? Were NYers rude 100 years ago? Is this myth made up only by polite people from Savannah, Georgia? I've found people in NY to be some of the most helpful, kind, generous, community-minded people in America. And not this fakey, Southern, pour it on and lie to your face junk. People seem genuinely helpful in NY.

- Red tape. Get used to it. You think it's bad in France? Wait til you move to NY. Have you people ever tried to get the utilities turned on in a city where there are 7 different companies for the 7 utilities/services? Here in Houston, we had to call Reliant for electricity (cash deposit, had to be there for a serviceman), Centerpoint for gas (cash deposit, had to be there for a serviceman), Directv for TV (had to be there to let them in), AT&T for phone (had to be there to let them in), Comcast for internet (had to be there to let them in), City of Houston for water (cash deposit, finally something I didn't have to let someone in for), and Sanitation for trash (had to be there to sign for the trash can). It takes DAYS. Literally. And a load of cash. Moved to NY? Called ConEd, took 30 seconds, no deposit, doorman lets him in the day before I move in, gas and electric turned on in my name. Called Time Warner, cable, phone, and internet will be on the morning after I move in, have to let him in. Heat, water, and trash are provided by landlord. Took minutes and cost not one penny down. If you think that's "red tape" you've never tried to get your utils turned back on after a Cat 3 hurricane bowls through your neighborhood. THAT, my friend, is red tape.

great post. and especially great because you came here from houston, so that its not a native new yorker saying this, people will believe you!

[gentlearts]

I've only been there once, but some of the things that surprised me were:
Nobody was rude, everyone was just as nice as at home.
Manhattan is so small. Nothing is very far away.
Even though we were in an upscale area- Bryant Park/Grand Central area- nobody was walking around wearing chic clothes like they do on TV. They were all just wearing casual clothes like anywhere. I didn't see a single pair of stilleto heels..only walking shoes.
Most people wear a lot of black.
Hardly anyone was fat, since everyone walks everywhere.
There were more bums on the streets than here in flyover country.

[zdg]

Oh yeah, I forgot one.

- Getting an apartment in Manhattan is an ordeal the likes of which you couldn't imagine. It will take you weeks of interviews, paperwork, documentation, and probing. Just like the school thing. We found the place we liked on a Thursday at around noon. Submitted an app that afternoon, which included a copy of last year's 1040 and a credit report request. No app fee, no interview, no verification of employment, no bank statements, and a day later the lease was overnighted to me to sign. It was half the work of trying to secure student housing at the University of Texas. 3 business days after we saw the place, we had an executed lease in a doorman prewar on CPW.

So this all leads me to this question: do NYers just perpetuate this myth to keep people out or what?