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There's usually a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of living in Manhattan vs doing so in Staten island, Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. For those moving in to NYC and trying to decide, this is for you. Gratis from a former poster.
Listed below is my take on the pros and cons of Manhattan vs other boroughs:
Pros of Manhattan:
1. Easy commute to work in Manhattan
2. Absolutely no necessity to own car - save money.
3. Access via subway, bus, foot to hundreds of museums, parks, movie theaters, Broadway, off-Broadway plays.
4. Variety of dining options - upscale, medium scale, low scale, mediocre.
5. For the superficial who are often disappointed that Manhattan is not the TV, tabloid sensation they envisioned, they still get to look down on the bridge and tunnel crowd at office festivities, sipping their cocktails and saying to a co-worker, "Sorry I can't come to your birthday party in Astoria as I don't drive."
Cons of Manhattan:
1. Much more congested, crowded than other boroughs.
2. Much more expensive to rent or buy a home.
3. Housing options not as varied as other boroughs, the latter including co-ops, condos, rental apartment buildings, townhouses, AND single-family detached and attached houses with yards, even if small.
4. Harder to own a car. A plus but sometimes a con. A con when you're at that stage in life where you'd like to drive out regularly to visit family, friends, loved ones all over the tristate area; when you have kids that you'd prefer to drop off to school, playdates, doctors, babsitters via car than by struggling with strollers in crowded subways.
5. Dog poop more plentiful on Manhattan sidewalks as that's the only bathroom available and the scoop up after your dog rules are constanly violated by incondsiderate yuppies and bigwigs.
6. In Manhattan, you get to look down on the less fortunate souls "out there." In the other boroughs they laugh all the way to the bank with the extra savings accumulating for later years.
Bottom Line:
Like everything in life where you live has pluses and minuses. Know them beforehand, evaluate your finances, goals, personal demographics, stage in life. Live within your means. If you can afford Manhattan, more power to you. If you feel that the cons outweigh the pros at this stage in your life, hang your hat where you can reach it. The other boroughs have a vibrancy of their own and their own levels of excitement.
Remember too that you still have access to Manhattan's cultural, recreational, job opportunities - albeit with a liitle longer commute - if you can't or won't live there because you prefer another borough. And not everyone with big bucks prefers Manhattan. Many wealthy individuals also live in the other boroughs.
And being stigmatized with money in your pocket is probably better for many than to be a Village Gal with not a penny in the bank. After all, there are no more penniless artists there to commiserate with.
You know what would be nice? If this incessant lionization of Manhattan would stop, and it would become one of five boroughs making up New York City. Of course, you shouldn't be surprised that a Brooklynite would say such a thing. Or that heaven only knows how many readers of this forum are now going to jump in to insist that Manhattan is somehow "better" than anyplace else.
You know what would be nice? If this incessant lionization of Manhattan would stop, and it would become one of five boroughs making up New York City. Of course, you shouldn't be surprised that a Brooklynite would say such a thing. Or that heaven only knows how many readers of this forum are now going to jump in to insist that Manhattan is somehow "better" than anyplace else.
The problem is New York City is centralized by Manhattan so it kinda has to be put up on a higher pedestal. If we were completely decentralized like Los Angeles, then, yeah, Manhattan would be "just one of the five".
Well, you never heard me argue about how New York City is laid out. I know the history; New York used to be contained on Manhattan Island, and there weren't even any such things as "boroughs" until 1898. That much I acknowledge. (By the way, did you know that when New York annexed The Bronx, it was known as, simply, "the Annex?" It got no respect at all until it became a borough in 1914).
You know what would be nice? If this incessant lionization of Manhattan would stop, and it would become one of five boroughs making up New York City. Of course, you shouldn't be surprised that a Brooklynite would say such a thing. Or that heaven only knows how many readers of this forum are now going to jump in to insist that Manhattan is somehow "better" than anyplace else.
This kind of thinking started mostly after the 90's from people that are not NYers. For long time natives like myself NYC is 5 boros. No boro is better than the other. It is just where you like to live the most.
Well, you never heard me argue about how New York City is laid out. I know the history; New York used to be contained on Manhattan Island, and there weren't even any such things as "boroughs" until 1898. That much I acknowledge. (By the way, did you know that when New York annexed The Bronx, it was known as, simply, "the Annex?" It got no respect at all until it became a borough in 1914).
Well, to be fair, the Bronx is basically "North Manhattan" - seeing as how the numbered streets don't reset and the address numbers for Broadway, Park and 3rd Avenues don't reset either.
LOL! I agree with this post. I don't have anything against Manhattan really, but I think it's silly how some people would sell their souls to live there....for what? I'm not from here, but I now call myself a Queens girl. Because I love Queens and know that I would much rather buy a house here than have a condo in Manhattan...personal preference I suppose. I also LOVE Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
1. Much more congested, crowded than other boroughs.
My neighborhood isn't really crowded.
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2. Much more expensive to rent or buy a home.
That's where having a good job/trust-fund comes in.
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3. Housing options not as varied as other boroughs, the latter including co-ops, condos, rental apartment buildings, townhouses, AND single-family detached and attached houses with yards, even if small.
Housing options is varied enough in Manhattan.
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4. Harder to own a car. A plus but sometimes a con. A con when you're at that stage in life where you'd like to drive out regularly to visit family, friends, loved ones all over the tristate area; when you have kids that you'd prefer to drop off to school, playdates, doctors, babsitters via car than by struggling with strollers in crowded subways.
Um, no owning a car is very very simple if you can afford to rent/buy in a building with on-site/under-ground parking and especially with valet services. Owning a car = freedom and mobility.
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5. Dog poop more plentiful on Manhattan sidewalks as that's the only bathroom available and the scoop up after your dog rules are constanly violated by incondsiderate yuppies and bigwigs.
Dirt/Trash is more plentiful in outer-borough sidewalks as the rules of cleaning up your space are constantly violated by the more prevalent uncouth rif-raf population in the outer boroughs.
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6. In Manhattan, you get to look down on the less fortunate souls "out there." In the other boroughs they laugh all the way to the bank with the extra savings accumulating for later years.
That's a plus. Everyone is jealous of me because I live in Manhattan, especially back in CA and when I'm in Europe. I like looking down at the tourist gawking and snapping photos of my neighborhood/Manhattan as they walk by or stick their little necks out of the sides of those sightseeing tour buses. I have a designer address and a lot of people wish they could be or live like me but too bad they can't.
^This is the type of thing that people not from NYC read or heard that can cause them think that Manhattan is all that, and no other boro is any good to live in.
I'm just out of town and everyone here is obsessed with the fact that I live in Manhattan.
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Originally Posted by DAS
^This is the type of thing that people not from NYC read or heard that can cause them think that Manhattan is all that, and no other boro is any good to live in.
Most of them already think that anyway.
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