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I currently live in San Diego and have made a few brief trips to New York before. I am considering moving there before too long. I was hoping to get advice from people who currently live in NY or who have lived there. I don't want advice from people who have not lived there. I want an inside perspective from people who really know the city. What are some things I should know about NY before moving there both good and bad? Any advice from locals would be much appreciated.
There are so many things I could tell you... Let me start by saying that I'm originally from the burbs of Los Angeles - and I now feel much more at home here in NYC than in So Cali. I've lived here for almost 12 years now - although we just moved out to the burbs here a couple weeks ago. So, living in New York is totally different than living in Cali. For starters - you don't need a car unless you are living outside of NYC - and I don't mean Manhattan, I mean anywhere in the city (including Brooklyn, Queens, etc). Public transportation is the way to go. Having a car is just a pain in the butt - as it is almost impossible to find a parking spot - or you can wind up paying 300 or 400 or more per month for a garage.
People move much faster here. It's just a faster pace of life. I love it but not everyone west coaster does.
Everything is expensive. Seriously, some days I will leave the apartment with $80 in cash - spend it all somehow and not even know how I did it! Restaurants are more expensive - although you can still get a cheap meal out if you know where to go. But basically, everything is more expensive here than most other places.
If you live in most neighborhoods in Manhattan or many places in Brooklyn or Astoria (I'm only naming these places because of my personal experience) - almost anything is at your fingertips. Where we just moved from on the Upper East Side, there were tons of restaurants, grocery stores, shops, banks, post offices, drug stores, basically anything we needed - all within about a 10 block radius.
In my opinion, NYC is the best city to live in - hands down. It has the best food, music, entertainment, just everything! Best of luck to you if you decide to move!
Dewdrop, thanks for the info. Can you talk about the major differences between los angeles and nyc, and what you miss about LA and don't miss about it? I'm currently living in LA and planning to move to NYC in the next couple of months.
The good: It is a fun city. If you live in the suburbs, it is a real treat to go into the city for a night... whether it be a Yankee game or a show. If you like comedy shows, New York City has a lot of comedy clubs.
The bad: you will get tired of it if you are not the truly urban type of person, it is expensive (but depending on where you will be living, you could drop the car), you may be in for a miserable couple of months come winter if you are not a fan of cold weather, if you are in love with nature then you will have to get used to concrete (no more palm trees and mountain backdrops), crime is rising this year considerably so I would be careful and get crime information on the neighborhoods you are looking into. While it may not be 1990 anymore, you still have to be pretty tough to put up with a lot of it. Small cramped spaces, cockroaches, sirens, cussing, rats... get used to those.
Last edited by RussianIvanov; 04-21-2010 at 10:32 PM..
First of all NYC is in it's own category. LA simply doesnt compare. NY is so much bigger, urban and frenetic. It is the city that all other cities strive to be. Past posts are correct, it is MUCH MUCH faster. You will notice that you feel like you're in overdrive for the first 60 days you're here. I equate it to joining the varsity squad, or the major leagues. Suddenly EVERYONE is a star and you gotta be in tip top shape just to compete. I lived in LA for awhile, and it was totally different. Much more of a regular place, even for all the Hollywood imagery. What a place New York is. Really the best city in the world. You've really gotta love city life though. It will wear on you, force you to take breaks, and spit you out if you can't hang on. We only live once though, so if you're up for the ride of your life, come to New York City and experience it all for your self.
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