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Look, its very true that NYC living isn't for everybody. It just isn't. But the only way to know that for sure is to come and find out. If it's wrong for you you and you hate it you can always go back to Florida or Georgia or somewhere else. But you'll never know unless you're here. And you don't want to be 60 years living in a retirement home near Orlando wondering what might have been.
And it might be worth your while not to listen to many unhappy New Yorkers, whether back home or like some of those here on this forum. Unhappy people are unhappy with NYC because they haven't figured out a way to make living here work for them. That doesn't mean you won't--especially if you're clever and flexible in your thinking, resilient, come with modest initial expectations, know how to budget your money, and are willing to work hard and consistently to attain what you want.
The streets are not paved with gold, and there will ineveitably be some harsh learning experiences after you get here. I don't want to sugar coat it. Obviously some people give up and leave. But there are also so many opportunities--some planned, some entirely random from where you'd least expect them--that someone's life can change on a dime. One day you think your life is worthless and you're ready to get a bus ticket back home, the next you've met your future mate, landed a great job, or found out about that dream apartment. It might not happen to you. But the only thing you can be sure of is that if you don't come, it will NEVER happen to you.
Get your ducks in a row and come to the greatest city in the country. You sound like you were made for us.
That's the problem with this city. Too many immigrants are here and more come every day.
There's nothing wrong with immigrants, its what helped build this city and country. Nyc is only good for immigrants looking to start a new or transient urbanites aka traansplants aka out of toweners who come from boring homogeneous white hell hole of suburbia America. I guess suburban and rural America sucks for most Americans nothing to do but go to church and have sex. If I was from middle of no where America I would leave and move to nyc and wait on line for a cupcake like institutional food handouts . If not why don't we city slickers go to the middle of no where and shake things for up people like las Vegas for example.
From my experience with my friends that have moved to NYC before me, which I haven't moved there yet but planning to in the near future, I have gotten mixed reviews on the impression of NYC.
First off, I think one needs to live there at least a year to fully embrace NYC and its lifestyle, it is definitely something that requires massive adapting and massive changes to your own life with how you are use to living typically. Another factor is where you first live when you get there. The friends that I have that started in Uptown NYC (Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Riverdale, Bronx, and such) have all had very negative views of the city, with it being dirty, stinky, plain rude and overbearing, and overall harsh city to live in. Yet the ones that I have known that lived south of Midtown and into Brooklyn have all had much more positive feedback of the city during their first year transition and all seem to have a more big city, bright lights, or healthy urban Brooklyn city feel for the city. Even my girlfriend, who lived in a fairly ghetto part of Brooklyn when we lived there had a much better feel for the city and is eager to move back there with me.
Obviously this is just a general statement about the city, and I think it is purely a case by case interpretation, but that is what I have gathered from everything. There is only one way to really figure out if you would like living in NYC, which is to live there....or don't, there are over 8 million people there which almost all of them probably wouldn't care if you moved there or if you liked it or not because they all have too much else to worry about.
From my experience with my friends that have moved to NYC before me, which I haven't moved there yet but planning to in the near future, I have gotten mixed reviews on the impression of NYC.
First off, I think one needs to live there at least a year to fully embrace NYC and its lifestyle, it is definitely something that requires massive adapting and massive changes to your own life with how you are use to living typically. Another factor is where you first live when you get there. The friends that I have that started in Uptown NYC (Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, Riverdale, Bronx, and such) have all had very negative views of the city, with it being dirty, stinky, plain rude and overbearing, and overall harsh city to live in. Yet the ones that I have known that lived south of Midtown and into Brooklyn have all had much more positive feedback of the city during their first year transition and all seem to have a more big city, bright lights, or healthy urban Brooklyn city feel for the city. Even my girlfriend, who lived in a fairly ghetto part of Brooklyn when we lived there had a much better feel for the city and is eager to move back there with me.
Obviously this is just a general statement about the city, and I think it is purely a case by case interpretation, but that is what I have gathered from everything. There is only one way to really figure out if you would like living in NYC, which is to live there....or don't, there are over 8 million people there which almost all of them probably wouldn't care if you moved there or if you liked it or not because they all have too much else to worry about.
Nice observation urbanlife, I Rep you on that one. Its best for people coming from homogeneous backgrounds and lifestyle should try and stay amongst their own people instead of feeling miserable and living in a real nyc hood like harlemnewbie for example who felt harlem destroyed her spirit on living in nycn i know two chicks who used to live in the les and hated it because of noise and mice, but I told them hey its Ny deal with it. People do feel happy when they are around like minded individuals. The sad thing is some transplants are afraid and a little bit reluctant on not intermingle with locals. Don't get me wrong if I was to ever move to the south or midwest would I want to intermingle with local trigger happy rednecks and ghetto blacks who preach about Jesus and carry a gun in the back? Probably not, why because media. I would probably want to intermingle with outsiders like myself. Sadly for me my curiosity drives me to hang out with locals where ever I go in america or abroad. Thats why ots always good to befriend a local you out of townies. Transplants are nice but I find them to be naive and closed minded but its probably best for people like to be that way to some extent. There are some cool out of towers though that I have met in the past.
Last edited by Bronxguyanese; 01-31-2012 at 01:38 AM..
Look, its very true that NYC living isn't for everybody. It just isn't. But the only way to know that for sure is to come and find out. If it's wrong for you you and you hate it you can always go back to Florida or Georgia or somewhere else. But you'll never know unless you're here. And you don't want to be 60 years living in a retirement home near Orlando wondering what might have been.
And it might be worth your while not to listen to many unhappy New Yorkers, whether back home or like some of those here on this forum. Unhappy people are unhappy with NYC because they haven't figured out a way to make living here work for them. That doesn't mean you won't--especially if you're clever and flexible in your thinking, resilient, come with modest initial expectations, know how to budget your money, and are willing to work hard and consistently to attain what you want.
The streets are not paved with gold, and there will ineveitably be some harsh learning experiences after you get here. I don't want to sugar coat it. Obviously some people give up and leave. But there are also so many opportunities--some planned, some entirely random from where you'd least expect them--that someone's life can change on a dime. One day you think your life is worthless and you're ready to get a bus ticket back home, the next you've met your future mate, landed a great job, or found out about that dream apartment. It might not happen to you. But the only thing you can be sure of is that if you don't come, it will NEVER happen to you.
Get your ducks in a row and come to the greatest city in the country. You sound like you were made for us.
Yea I hate how some ppl have a terrible time in NYC and act like because the don't like it here or can't make it the whole city sucks. Fact is NYC is a hard place to live and get used to if you from out of town, and you can't come here expecting everything to be like Sex and the City. This is the biggest city in America and one of the biggest metros in the world there's something here for most ppl if they really look and not expect it it jump outta nowhere and find them.
An analogy I'll use is I ran into someone who I knew from High School we weren't really friends but we talked a little. When I seen the guy I started talking about how much I loved High School and how fun it was but he was like hell no bro HS sucked for me I hated it. I made the most outta HS me and my friends had mad fun he wasn't to social so he didn't make the most of his experience. Just like the city I love NYC I have so much fun living here I try to really experience the city and make the most of it so to me this place is amazing. For a lot of ppl though they just got to work and come home maybe go out once in a while so their like this isn't what I expected this place is too hard the ppl are too cold I hate it here.
Yea I hate how some ppl have a terrible time in NYC and act like because the don't like it here or can't make it the whole city sucks. Fact is NYC is a hard place to live and get used to if you from out of town, and you can't come here expecting everything to be like Sex and the City. This is the biggest city in America and one of the biggest metros in the world there's something here for most ppl if they really look and not expect it it jump outta nowhere and find them.
An analogy I'll use is I ran into someone who I knew from High School we weren't really friends but we talked a little. When I seen the guy I started talking about how much I loved High School and how fun it was but he was like hell no bro HS sucked for me I hated it. I made the most outta HS me and my friends had mad fun he wasn't to social so he didn't make the most of his experience. Just like the city I love NYC I have so much fun living here I try to really experience the city and make the most of it so to me this place is amazing. For a lot of ppl though they just got to work and come home maybe go out once in a while so their like this isn't what I expected this place is too hard the ppl are too cold I hate it here.
Not in theory but in fact nyc gets old pretty quickly from a few transient urbanites I know.
^ They've probably never left Manhattan. New York is too large and diverse of a city.
To the OP:
It makes me sad when people limit their views of what living in NYC is like based on the few choice neighborhoods they see on TV.
Even most New Yorkers need to open their eyes and realize what a huge and diverse metro area we live in.
There are quaint suburban towns, beach communities, gated communities, ski towns, etc., all within the metro area. The majority of the 19 million people living here live in typical housing situations you see throughout the rest of the country.
Too many people confine their view of what NYC is like based on a few choice neighborhoods in Manhattan and BK, when those areas truly are only the city center.
We don't base our judgement on what living in LA, Atlanta, or Houston is like by imagining what it's like to live within their comparably tiny downtown business districts? We usually imagine some mcmansion or beachhouse which are often a good distance away from their city centers.
Even most New Yorkers need to open their eyes and realize what a huge and diverse metro area we live in.
There are quaint suburban towns, beach communities, gated communities, ski towns, etc., all within the metro area. The majority of the 19 million people living here live in typical housing situations you see throughout the rest of the country.
Ski towns?? What do you mean by ski towns cause I know there ain't no mountains in Manhattan.
In the beginning it was necessary. But not anymore. There should be a quota as to how many are allowed in this country. If you go to countries overseas, and you are an American, you can't move there. The government won't allow it. Some countries demand you pay them money before they let you move there. America, or should I be more direct and say NYC, is too liberal. By the year 2015, NYC will be made up of primarily foreigners. At least that is based on the latest census.
I can't believe you are filling this forum with lies.
You said:
"Unhappy people are unhappy with NYC because they haven't figured out a way to make living here work for them."
That is a bold-faced lie. Those who are unhappy here did work hard and figured out how to make a living here, but the stress of the city, the pressure, and many other factors force people to leave. Why do you think that 10,000 people leave this city every year.
"Get your ducks in a row and come to the greatest city in the country. You sound like you were made for us."
"Greatest city in the country?" Give me a break. The only city I consider the best city is LA. You must kiss a lot of butt to make such claims. Wake up and smell the coffee. There are a ton of cities that make NYC look like a ghetto. San Francisco is the friendliest and cleanest city in the country. LA is the best for entertainment and meeting nice people. So stop getting paid to say how great NYC is and start telling the truth about it.
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