Make sure you put Fleet Week on your calendar!! May 23-30.

http://www.fleetweeknewyork.com/

Tall ships from around the world will also be visiting - http://www.fleetweeknewyork.com/ships.html

They predict beer/liquor sales will be substantially down throughout the city that week...

 

Have a buddy that lived in NYC for about 6 years after college. He loved it. He moved back here to Houston about a year ago to try and find a better job. Bought a Toyota camry when he got down here. Lived here for 6 months and could not stand to be away from NYC. He sold his car and moved back. Guess he just got use to that lifestyle and couldn't take the ol' wide open spaces down here again. He said unless you absolutely need a vehicle there is no reason to have one in the city.

 

^^Unless i was living in Long island or brooklyn or even queens, Ive been told I have no use for my truck in the city. HA i couldnt imagine parking my truck in manhattan.

 

I'm in Massachusetts, so I can't help you as far as being in NYC. I like to visit. It's fun to hang out. Eat, drink, walk around and drink more. It's dirty, it smells. People are less friendly than they are here in MA. We go, meet up with my wifes friend and hang out in the places the locals go. Then, at the end of the day we hop on a train and head north to New Haven where we get in the car and are home less than three hours from when we left.

It seems like a neat city. The only thing is, it seems that everyone I meet that lives in the city is on one depression med or another. Must be living is such close proximity to so many other people.

I bet you'll have a great time. It'll be good life experience.

 

Unless you have a job that pays well into six figures, you couldn't afford to park it. You will have no use for a vehicle of any kind, let alone a truck, in Manhattan.

Upper West Side, about a block from Zabar's. I had a friend who lived in that area, on 79th and Amsterdam. Zabar's rocks. Be sure to check out Sarahbeth's Kitchen for breakfast (on Amsterdam between 80th and 81st). Carmine's for some good Italian food. Food, food, food . . . so many great places to eat.

You will experience culture shock, no doubt, even if you're from the Los Angeles part of Southern California. You will probably even experience depression in the beginning. Fear not, it will pass. There is nothing like the city. Everyone will tell you to psych yourself up for the crowdedness, the pace . . . they are all correct in offering this advice. I would offer that advice too, but no amount of psyching yourself up is going to prepare you for just how crowded and hectic it is. Some people love it, some don't.

It will seem loud at first. Really loud. Eventually you will learn to tune that out.

Learn the subways because it's how you're going to be getting around for the most part . . . subways and walking. Use taxis only if you have to.

The people are like people in any other megalopolis. They will seem rude, and some will be. Mostly they are occupied. The pace of life is faster. It will most likely appear to you to be cold and disconnected. Once you settle in you will see that it's not entirely that way.

While all of Manhattan is collectively thought of as a city by those who don't live there, it is comprised of neighborhoods, each distinct with it's own culture and identity. You'll be on the upper west side. Other neighborhoods on the west side in that area are Manhattan Valley and Morningside Heights.
On the other side of Central Park is the upper east side, Carnegie Hill . . . you may be familiar with downtown neighborhood names like Tribeca, Chelsea, West Village, Greenwich Village, etc. With time you will learn the neighborhoods and what is special about each of them.

Some of the best advice I can give is USE COMMON SENSE. Here is some other advice. Learn and adapt. When your new neighbors and friends are teaching you how life is in NYC, don't say "That's not how we do it in XXX (insert name of Southern Californian city you currently live in here)". They won't care. New Yorkers are New Yorkers. You won't be in Southern California any more. It doesn't matter how they did things back there. You're in New York now. (Hint: People in New York (in fact most of America) have no love nor respect for the Left Coast, so don't be into bragging about "SoCal" . . . because they don't care.

Be prepared for sticker shock. On everything.

Be prepared for anything really, but also approach it as if you were a kid getting a new toy. Be playful in how you approach it. Learn it thoroughly and you'll find it's a pretty unique and amazing place (if you let it be).

You're in for a wild ride. Just keep in mind to not let it consume you and you'll do fine.

 

Oh yeah . . . almost forgot. When you're in the subway, standing on the platform, and you see something about the size of a cat crawling around . . . leave it alone. It's not a cat. It's a rat.

Also, get used to roaches.

----------------

OK, that's some bad stuff . . . here's some more cool stuff

When you're down in the lower west side of Manhattan, check out the High Line. This is a great time of year to walk it. Very cool.

Also oh yeah . . . do you like PIZZA? Well, you're about to find out what good pizza is really like.

Sadly, right down the street from Zabar's is/was one of the best bagel places ever, H&H. I heard they closed that store a few months ago but there is still an H&H down south a ways on 46th and 12th. Awesome bagels.

PLUS . . . PASTRAMI. REAL Pastrami. Real Delis. Awesome.

And . . . YANKEE GAMES AT YANKEE STADIUM. Oh yeah.

And the NY Giants.

Not sure about paying to leave the city (Lincoln and Holland tunnels). Getting into the city thru the tunnels cost 12.50 or so. Using the Verrazano Narrows bridge is 12.50 each way, so they charge you to leave the city as well as charge you to enter it.

Did I mention it was crowded? It's crowded.

Good luck. Have fun.

 

I've only visited the city a couple of times so all I can say is what an excellent opportunity for a young person. I would have loved to have lived there for awhile when I was young. Dont think I would have liked it long term but man it is an exciting place. You'll never regret doing that move.

 

no thank you! ill take my wide open Carolina fields and fresh air any day of the week

 

We went to new york once, probaly had about 25 people point to my license plate and say you from Texas?

 

New Yorkers want you Texans about as much as you Texans want New Yorkers. Might as well be 2 different planets.

 

If you're a smoker be careful where you light up. It's banned almost everywhere, $50 summons on train platforms/subways etc.

Best advice I can give is go with your gut instinct. Enjoy it, be safe. There are people in the Big Apple waiting to take advantage of you. They will if you let them.

 

Don't believe all the FUD from those who visit..... New York has a place for everyone...

Two bits of advice:

1. If you see this guy driving, hop in the cab fast....



Most of the time however you'll see this guy below driving (or his brother/cousin/lost long cousin/etc)




2. The best thing you can do is always act like you know EXACTLY what you are doing/where you are going (even if you don't have the slightest clue). When in absolute doubt, just punt and start talking gibberish to yourself while walking down the street looking at the sidewalk.... no one will bother you...




PS - if you want to fit in, you don't go clubbing before 1:00 AM, midnight at the earliest....

 

Damn thanks everyone, 'specially Kobiashi. Im nervous as hell, hoping its the right decision. We will see! Worst thing happens and I dont fit in and I dont like the busy'ness of the city life, I move back home. Not a big deal. I never thought I would be moving to NY at 22 yrs old, but with the recent cards ive been dealt with in my life, Im kind of forced to make a big change. I think the hardest thing is going to be meeting people. Ive never really been one to strike up a random conversation and put myself out there, but I may have to. Ill be either joining an MMA gym/studio or Crossfit, so I may be able to meet people there that share the same interests as me (MMA, music, MMA, and music). And hopefully ill meet people at my job. But do know this...I WILL be back here with a ford. Ill never own a different truck. F150, Lightning, F250...ill be back in one 1 day.

 

For some reason those old PACE Picante commercials popped into my head.

http://youtu.be/ooPBXfnIpYI?t=29s

 

Mig pm if you want. I live in Queens (very close to LI) and work in Manhattan and I ride a sportbike so I'm all over these streets durind the summer. I use to work on the UES (Upper East Side). I tend to think that no one knows NYC like me b/c there are two types of ppl here. Ppl that only know how to get around by public transportation and ppl who only know how to get around in a vehice but I know both, lol. Parking in that area is not the best but can be done but its a pain in the azz. You have alternate side parking along with non drivers scratching your bumper. If I didnt live in queens in a house with a garage I wouldn't own a vehichle b/c I'm **** like that about my truck