New York is too hard to live in, is Portland an easier alternative.

[deadmoney]

Hey, thanks forall of the helpful and insightful replies. Sorry for the long delay in responding but things have gotten even more hectic in NYC and I sort of abandoned the notion of moving to a new city. My current work visa is about to expire and after talking with a few immigration lawyers I have learned that the only way I can stay in the country is if I apply for a tourist visa. So long story short I can stay for at least another 6 months but I will not be legally authorized to work. Any work I do will have to be kept off the books. Luckily for me I work in the service industry and I have made some friends over the past year so if I chose to stay I will probably be able to continue working in NY.

However now I am have sort of accepted that staying here legally in the future will be a very dificult task and one which would involve getting sponsored by a company etc and lots of legal fees. I have an opportuntiy to stay here for another 6 months before I move on to a new chapter in my life and since I have nothing going for me back home I think I should spend more time here and try to have some adventure. Nyc is just so difficult and I would love to experience somewhere new in the US. In the past year I have not been outside the city, not even upstate, its just been all Brooklyn and Manhattan and I feel sort of weird and starved to see new surroundings. I have been thinking about how possible it is for me to move to Portland and it seems just sooo difficult considering I dont even have a work visa any more and i would need to work illegally. A bar would be the most probable option. Bar backing most probable but this often leads to picking up some shifts bartending. Irish bars would be my best bet for obvious reasons. Most Irish bars in nyc have illegal Irish people working in them, its a real underground sort of scene, and one which I have always avoided but I guess somewhere like Portland would be very different thzn nyc or chicago and I imagine far less young Irish people walk in off the streets looking for a job than here.
The other big obstacle is money and I would have about $1,500 savings moving there. I could couch surf for a few days if i decided to go down and check out the job scene and then decide if I should come back. It all seems very far fetched and perhaps staying put in nyc and trying to make more money is the better option. Sure would be cool tho to see portland.

[Minervah]

Come to Portland for a visit by all means and scope out the bar situation here before you decide to move here. The thing is, $1500 would last you all of about one month living here. The cost of living is high and most service industry jobs are competitive. You would probably do great in Chicago and I can tell you that having lived there, there is a large Irish population with lots of Irish bars. Although it is a large city it is not as nearly as frantic as New York but because it is a large city, the job opportunities are better.

Anyway, $1,500 will get you a nice vacation in Portland with change left over especially if you have friends to stay with. You will get a good idea of what the city is like and whether or not it is for you. You can check out the bar scene and maybe even make some contacts. Networking is the name of the game in getting a job here. It really helps. But I agree that at this point staying in NYC as far as living and working goes and saving more money is the way to go for you right now. Portland isn't going anyplace and you have time. Good luck to you.

[Beenhere4ever]

Not really a musician, but in these days of downloading, how do record labels really work? Didn't U2 make an album/song for exclusive downloading? Seems to me that physical media are fading, but again, not a musician.