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I thought I'd start this thread as a diversion from all the heated Bronx-based conversation. Tell us where you live. List your top three New York headaches, and the top three things you love about living in the city as a whole. And then, a simple question: Does the good outweigh the bad? I'll go first:
Where I Live: South Bronx, Melrose
Top 3 Headaches:
1. Bad neighborhood
2. Crowded-ness
3. High rent
Top 3 Benefits:
1. Great arts
2. Easy commute
3. Lots of jobs for me (I work in theater)
Here's my take on all the areas I've lived in in NYC:
Glen Oaks, Queens (where I grew up)
Reasonable prices
Great schools
Safe, shopping nearby, parking
Cons
Long commute to Manhattan
More suburban which I don't favor
More "need" for a car (and I don't drive)
Upper East Side, Manhattan (1979-91)
Pros:
Great location--near Central Park, Gracie Park (and the riverside promenade).
Generally safe.
Tons of amenities--the kind of area people would love to live in in NYC.
Cons:
Long walk to subway.
Prices are now completely unaffordable to most.
Small space (fifth floor walkup), not well maintained
Lower East Side of Manhattan, 1972-1975, 1991-2007 (though I spent a lot of time from 98 on visiting my boyfriend in the Bronx)
Pros:
Used to be sketchy, now it's a "hot area"
Within walking distance to most of downtown: Chinatown, Little Italy, East and West Village
Lots more amenities now--bars, clubs, great restaurants
Cons
Now very expensive
Some still think it's a "dump"
Quality of life issues--noisy clubs, congestion, etc. from gentrification
Northwest Bronx
Pros:
Large, spacious, safe coop
Diversity and many decent folks
Cheaper living
Cons:
Higher crime rates
Longer commute to Manhattan (about 40 mins to midtown)
Not many middle class businesses/cultural amenities in immediate area (but that's ok by me)
Northern Bed Stuy/Tompkins Houses
Pros:
1) Tight knit community: everyone knew each other
2) 3 BR spacious apt I grew up in
3) commute to Manhattan in 15 minutes
Cons:
1) The PJ's, of course! Sumner and Marcy are next to it
2) Crack epedimic hit hard during 80s.
3) NYCHA management is horrendous
The Junction (Flatbush and Nostrand)
Pros:
1) Mom's building is best coop I've ever been in!
2) Flatbush/Nostrand a major thouroughfare, with a Target Mall coming
3) Commute on an express train
4) Brooklyn College
Cons:
1) Dollar Vans like mad on Flatbush Av
2) Issues if you're in "two fare zone" (mom's isn't!)
3) Flatbush/Nostrand a bit dicey at night, although much better than it was
Park Slope
Pros:
1) Best Nabe in NYC, shops, restaurants, gentro heaven!
2) Commute w/in 20 minutes to Manhattan
Cons:
1) Development and business trend GREED! Condos everywhere; some bizzes and developers have no biz in Park Slope!
2) lived in a cramped studio. Most of Slope's units are small as well, and expensive.
Parkchester:
Pros:
1) spacious apts, still affordable; block is quiet
2) shopping area, including Macys, plus 6 supermarkets and 5 banks!
3) 6 express (the importance of being at an express stop!)
Cons:
1) Parking, Parking, Parking!
2) 45 minutes to work (if you want to call 45 minutes long!)
3) Affordability gates closing fast!
I was referring to jobs in Manhattan that I can get to quickly from here because of the short commute. Not in the Bronx. Though I've heard the museum does some nice things here.
Hi - new to this forum. I've been reading through old threads to get caught up and finally decided to post because I find this topic interesting.
Where I live: At the moment, temporarily staying with family in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn. (To give a little background: Born and raised in Bensonhurst. Lived in Murray Hill for about a year. Have also spent a significant amount of time outside NY: 7 years in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC and about 6 months in LA.)
Benefits:
- You're never bored here as there's so much to do from museums to theater to restaurants, etc.
- You're not dependent on a car. You can walk to many places or take the subway just about anywhere for $2
- Lots of media jobs (I'm in the Internet industry)
Headaches:
- This city is filthy. I'm tired of people who throw food wrappers, soda cans, bottles, papers, and whatever else on the sidewalk, subway floor, etc. Can they seriously not wait until they find a trash can??
- Lack of quality, affordable housing. In between jobs at the moment, but typically make a decent enough salary, and will most likely end up in a nice area of Brooklyn or Queens. Even so, while apartments in the outer boroughs might be "spacious" relative to Manhattan, I think I've grown accustomed to the space and amenities available in apartments outside the NY area, and so everything here now seems sub-par in comparison.
- Ridiculous cost of living. Not just housing, but everything from food prices to taxes to utilities to car insurance. Sure you can get by without a car, cutting out a huge expense, but you can't avoid paying tax and buying food. My main issue with the cost of living is that although salaries might be higher here (though I've learned that's not true across the board), compared to other areas, the difference in cost of living is disproportional to the difference in salary.
I know many others will disagree, but in my opinion, NYC is not worth it. I've left NYC twice and have come back, primarily for family reasons. But if that wasn't a factor, I wouldn't stay. There are things I genuinely like about NY, but I feel like I have to give up too much in terms of quality of life in order to live here. Sure, I like museums and going to the theater, but the reality is, I do those things maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I love restaurants, but typically eat out no more than once or twice a week because it's too expensive. For the most part, I cook. I think NYC is a great place for young people starting out after college, but now that I'm in my 30s and have lived here most of my life, the novelty has sort of worn off for me. I know that I will move again and hope that next time it's for good. I will always enjoy coming back to visit a few times a year, but quite honestly, I think that's enough for me. It's more important for me to live in a place where the cost of living is a bit lower and the quality of life higher.
Pros:
- Great Bars
- Neighborhood is really safe for the Bronx
- Cheap rent for a decent neighborhood
- Great tight knit Irish community
Cons:
- the Great Bars lead to a lot of drunks stumbling around the neighborhood , making noise, puking, and in some cases fighting, on the weekends
- the Albanians in the area have a penchant for violence (although I think this is a problem with all Albanians and not just the ones in Woodlawn)
- Lack of variety of food beyond Irish food, Pizza, and Chinese takeout
- Nobody outside of Yonkers knows where my neighborhood is. Whenever I explain to people where i live they always respond with, "where is that again?" or "Woodlawn, huh?"
Does the good outweigh the bad? Definitely! Woodlawn is a great place to live. I can definitely see myself living here for quite a while so long as the neighborhood doesn't change.
Pros:
- Nice sense of community among the residents.
- Lots of trees.
- Growing White and Latino populations, making for great diversity.
- Since 2005, rather than head in the wrong direction, or continue to decline, as had been the case at the time for almost a decade, the neighborhood turned around and became a great one.
Cons:
- Literally nothing to do. A pizzeria, Chinese Restaurant, and a Synagogue, among a bodega, C-Town, and drug store.
- Not many people my age. They're all kids, 25-30 somethings, or old people.
Personally, I hate NYC. Myself, I'm planning on moving in a few years. I get bored with the neighborhood so I drive to Astoria, Queens, to hang out with friends many times a week. But don't take my word for it. You'll probably love the neighborhood. I've detested the city for years now. Pros outnumber cons, but I don't like the neighborhood.
- Close to EVERYTHING....trains, buses, libraries, parks, stores, schools. You name it, and Uni Heights got it.
- Some sections have houses. These have an almost rural feel.
- No projects in the immediate area.
Cons:
- Drugs, poverty and gangs galore.
- Alot of 5-6 story buildings. Generally all look like big brown cardboard boxes.
- Majority minority population (97%)
- Party hotspot. Area includes the Xbar, which attracts alot of violence.
I dont know if the Pros outweigh the Cons.....but this is the only place I've ever known.
Pros:
1. Inexpensive but still safe
2. Friendly neighbors, sense of community
3. Easy parking (at least the area immediately surrounding my apt) - No alternate parking rules
4. Marine Park
Cons
1. Long commute to Manhattan
2. No interesting dining or culture in the neighborhood
3. The sewer treatment plant on Knapp St. (depending on wind direction)
For now, the pros outweigh the cons. We like having 2 bedrooms, outdoor space and parking, which would be unaffordable in neighborhoods closer to the city.
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