Just got home from my first trip to NYC (I live in Ohio)...

[The Straight Story]

I have never been there (I am 40) and we drove from Columbus,Ohio to there on Wednesday.

I stayed at a hotel in Times Square, right on broadway. Pretty amazing.

One of the really cool things (outside of seeing a great friend I had not seen in years and other stuff) was something I saw when outside having a smoke.

There was a box office right there at the hotel and I was out there smoking I saw several plays and movies on the list. One of which was something about 'impeach bush'. My wife, AutumnMist here, said she wished we had the camera on hand for DU folks.

And I saw a lot of anti-bush and anti-iraq war stuff while I was there. Keep in mind, I live in Ohio and don't see much on this front, so it was refreshing.

---A few gripes (Followed by praise!):
1. I paid $350 a night for a hotel room which you could not smoke in, the shower/bath was a pain in the ass to work, room service charged $15 for a damned hot dog, internet was $17/day, and it cost about 60/day for the parking. All told the bill was about $1700 for three nights. And while the staff was generally awesome there were several items on top of those mentioned that seemed to irk me. Plus everyone wanted a tip for everything. There was an 18% gratiuty tacked on to each room service meal and yet people still expected you to give them more.

-- Why the hell is it so expensive on ALL fronts at these damned places? I can go along with the nightly rate based on location, but the rest seems insanely expensive (so we only had room service when wife was not feeling well enough to travel out, rest of the time was cheaper local fare and hot dog vendors).

2. How do lower income folks make it around those parts? Tolls, taxis, mass transit, parking, everything seems to be a cost everywhere you turn. My friend barely survives and only because of rent control - and we all know that was not a republican initative...

3. The drivers there are nuts. I fit right in as I have driven in LA and Chicago, so this was not a total shock to me, but it was insane.


----Praise
1. Diversity and Culture. I don't think anywhere in the US can boast so much of it.

2. Great food and awesome places to shop. My 5 yr old was in hog heaven at the giant toys-r-us store.

3. Great people - I met many friendly folks. NYC may have an image of brash folks, but most all my encounters were very positive (I had never ridden a subway before and got a lot of help finding my way around, etc). I have a ton of stories about cool people I met, was a wonderful experience.

4. Liberalism at it's finest in some ways. Berkeley may get all the press as 'the' liberal bastion, but to me NYC was at the forefront in a more practical way (difficult to explain).

5. My hotel room was adjacent to the booth theater and many more, so much culture in a condensed space - puts everywhere to shame.

----- Overall
A great experience and gave me a new love of a great city. I saw so little, yet felt I learned so much. I envy those able to live there in some ways, though at the same time I am comfy here with a decent house and large yard to sit and relax in.

It gave me new hope meeting so many liberal minded folks.

[JohnnyRingo]

1. I went there about ten years ago for New Years Eve

I took Amtrack from Youngstown.

It was like a scenic trip through the backyards of Pennsylvania.
The train had big comfortable seats with a lot of legroom and a lounge car.
though the trip took about 12 hours, it was easy to meet people and pass time chatting or reading.

After a transfer near Philli, I rode a high speed at 80+mph into the city.
When I got to NYC, I rented a locker for my bag, walked up the steps from Penn Station....into downtown Manhatten.
Cabs were, of course, everywhere.

I think it was about $150 round trip

I'd do it again

[rug]

26. Seriously, that's the best way to do it.

[murielm99]

2. I have only visited New York twice,

but I loved the place.

I agree about the expense. The hotel I stayed in was crappy in several ways, and overpriced. The service was generally lousy. My blankets had holes, the TV remote did not work, it was expensive, etc., etc. Mine was in Times Square, too. They really have to do better with the service.

I did not stay in the hotel much. And everywhere else was great. I loved the diversity. I loved the way the city never sleeps. I went everywhere I could cram into my three days there. I think it is a beautiful place.

I think the people used to be more brash. That may be one thing that September 11 really did change. I found them much more friendly than I did ten years ago. I would go back in a heartbeat.

[Hardrada]

3. I went there for a week some time after Guiliani claimed to

have gotten rid of the hookers. Ha! That was a joke.I saw some here and there but did not stare like a hick. I also was there and was up in the WTC (I forget which tower). Saw Candide on Broadway and visited all kinds of art museums and churches. My God, do I miss THAT New York and, yes, the people were friendly and helpful.

[texasleo]

4. I was there a couple weeks ago. saw Donnie Osmond

:woohoo:

Yea, but you're right about NYC.
There is no place like that on earth.

[wakeme2008]

5. I love Times Square.... :)

about 10 years ago I took my sister on a walking tour of Times Square....

42nd St... See Quarter Movies

43rd St... See the New York Times building

44th St... See the theater Phantom of the Opera was playing at......

There just isn't any place like it for a major city....

[Captain Hilts]

6. New Yorkers ARE friendly. That's always been my experience. nt

[izzie]

7. I took my son and we walked on top of the WTC,

There used to be planks on the top like paths that you could go out on and it was really scary. We also watched the sun set and the lights come on in the city from the top room of that sad building. I never got it our of my head is was so breath taking. Funny I also recall the elevators. So large and fast. I have never heard of any one who said you could walk on the top of that building but I did it. It was just part of a tour.

[TomClash]

8. Glad you had a good time

Sorry, hotel space is scarce right now in the City.

[maseman]

10. The key is to visit Times Square

Don't stay there. Times Square by far is the most expensive place in Manhatten. You can find affordable hotels in the city. Usually they are not chains and maybe won't be some nice as the Marriot Marquee. But you don't go there for a great room, but rather to play in the city.

You can get great meals that are very affordable. I suaully eat in the East VIllage of SoHo while there. My wife and I like a place called 7A (7Th and Avenue A). Great food, very affordable.

You paid $60 per night to park? You and your wife could fly there for a little more and not deal with a car. Take the subway and buses.

I love NYC. Try to avoid some of the tourist pitfalls next time and it will be cheaper for you.

[Jim Lane]

9. There are cheaper hotels

You pay more for the convenience of staying near Times Square. As you discovered, that includes paying higher ancillary charges as well as the room rates. Most visitors who aren't on expense accounts should pick a hotel in a lower-demand area and use our comprehensive mass transit system to get around.

I'm glad you liked visiting a liberal city. There are parts of NYC where the leftist view is that Bush should be impeached, indicted, and executed as a war criminal. The moderate view is to favor imprisonment for life. Anyone who could accept merely removing him from office and letting him live out his life in freedom is considered a right-winger. (I'm exaggerating -- but not by much.)

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Next time shop around for a better deal on a hotel

Last time I was up there, I stayed at a lovely boutique hotel called the Beekman. It's a little out of the way down by the UN, but it was only a couple of blocks walk to be in the middle of everything. For $225 a night we had a very nice suite with a living room and bedroom. I would recommend this hotel to anyone going to NYC.

[jazzjunkysue]

35. You can even do better than $225, especially during the week.

Plus, next time stay near any subway anywhere in town that's cheaper. They really nailed you because it was times square.

I live 30 min north of the city, and it's only expensive if you make it that way. I had lunch for 3 at Oscar's inside the Waldorf Astoria last week for $40, and the cooking was excellent.

Do some homework and you can save enough to come back for plays and music next time. Buy Frommers NYC guidebook. Always the best advice and great prices on everything.

Look for a hotel in the village or upper west side. It gives you a taste of the real NY. Even Harlem (113-125th streets) is getting very trendy and much safer at night. Gotta be some great new places popping up there, with all the development they're seeing.

Look up the old places like the algonquin. Quiet and cozy. Very ny.

Just come back. NY belongs to everyone.

[ClintonTyree]

12. Most people who work in Manhattan.........

don't live there. They commute from neighboring burroughs like Brooklyn, Harlem, The Bronx, Staten Island, New Jersey, Long Island etc.
Of all the times I visited NYC (and that's a LOT) I've never stayed anywhere near Times Square. An analogy would be going to Disney World and staying at the Contemporary Resort. Most people opt for cheaper, yet still nice, hotels off site at a fraction of the cost. NYC'S subway system is great and once you get over the initial wariness of using it you can save tons of money by not using Cabs to go everywhere. Room service? Big ripoff, ANYWHERE you go, that's not inherent to NYC.
I'm a frugal traveler when it comes to big cities. I can honestly do NYC on a little over $200 a day for 2 people and be very comfortable. I wouldn't be staying on Manhattan Island of course, but I'd be close to a subway terminal in Brooklyn or Queens and in The City in 20 minutes.
NYC is one of my favorite destinations. There's so much to offer. My suggestion would be to get a Fromer's (or some similar) Tour Book from your local Library and study it. They even tell you where the best public toilets are in the Big Apple and THAT can be a BIG plus in The City.

[unblock]

13. cost of living IS much more expensive

and the op didn't even mention the taxes. city taxes are what, 4.5% on top of rather high ny state taxes?

lower income people do get somewhat higher wages than for comparable jobs in bumbus (i grew up in upper arlington :hi:) to compensate. but they save money by not having cars (as you found out, that's a ridiculous proposition in manhattan -- very expensive and unnecessary) and by living in TINY apartments and/or not living IN manhattan.

personally, i work in midtown manhattan, but live in a house in central nj. LOOONG commute! but this way my family has space and grass and quiet. and i can work or sleep on the bus....

[Divernan]

14. "I'm In a New York State of Mind"

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind

I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind

I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind

[Divernan]

15. Love this song cause sometimes I just HAVE to get my NYC fix.

I'd visited the city (Manhattan) a couple of times on business (no time for fun), but then my newly graduated dtr. moved to Brooklyn, and after a couple of years there she made the big move to the Upper West Side (Riverside & 99th Street). So I've visited there a couple of times a year for the last 15 years. Have had some fabulous Christmas Eves at Rockefeller Center (the huge tree & ice skaters); and a terrific Thanksgiving watching the Macy's parade live followed by a turkey dinner at the Four Seasons; absolutely world class theatre, restaurants and opera (Pavarotti). Saw Sting play Mack the Knife in 3 Penny Opera; Diana Rigg in Medea; musicals like Chicago and Wicked with the original, Tony-winning casts; Brian Denehy in Death of a Salesman; Raul Julia in Two Gentlemen from Verona(1971); Antonio Banderas, Maggie Smith, Christopher Plummer on various stages. Then there's the fab museums!

For your next trip I suggest:

(1) The Gray Line Manhattan loop bus tour. You get a ticket for the day and can get on and off at each of their stops. They have double decker busses with a tour guide. Great way to get oriented and see China Town, Little Italy, Rockefeller Center, and all points in between.

(2) The Metropolitan Museum opens at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays and they have a great brunch in a high ceilinged area with a lovely view. Also go to the rooftop for a good view. They always have more exhibits than you can see in a day. Pick and choose. Let everyone see what they prefer and then meet for brunch.

(3) Another great Sunday brunch is in the lovely inner courtyard of Taven On The Green. Before or after you can stroll a bit in Central Park and watch the natives jog, stroll or ride their horses on the bridle trails right by the restaurant. Take an open carriage ride yourself. It's sort of kitsch and touristy, but everyone has a fantasy about it right?

(4) Take a quick taxi to the northern tip of Manhattan and see the fabulous Cloisters Museum (a branch of the Met); have a gourmet lunch in one of the beautiful medieval cloisters and then take a city bus through the heart of Harlem and back to midtown Manhattan.

And on a somber note, visit Ground Zero. I spent Christmas in New York a couple of months after 9/11 and made myself go there. There was still an awful acrid smell for a large area around Ground Zero. Now I know I was breathing in all kinds of awful stuff which the EPA/Christie Whitman/White House Environmental Council (James Connaughton) had lied about. It's all cleaned up now, but you should still see it.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Ten Things I Love about NYC (from a native New Yawkah)

1) Just Missing the Train: You're walking into the station and you hear the rumble of the train coming in. You pull your Metrocard from your wallet and slide it through the slot - you start to run down the stairs, but all the people getting out are pushing their way up. Shit. You get to the 8th stair from the bottom and you hear the rush of air (the air breaks letting loose?) so you push to get there - you're at the 2nd stair from the bottom when you hear the bell - ding dong - SHIT! You run to the edge of the platform just to see the door close in your face...but then, perhaps somebody at the edge of the platform has held the door, so there are the two seconds of pure and utter hope - then that bastard starts pulling out. You just missed your train. Nothin' like it.

1a) The Disappointed Faces of Those People that Just Missed the Train: You're sitting on a Brooklyn Bound R train. You're reading a book, but you look up at what you think is Canal (is this a N or an R?!?), cuz you're going to Court Street and - fuck - where the hell am I??? - but the doors are just now closing and you see a young woman running down the steps, and the doors close right in her face, but she still holds out hope that they'll reopen, but they don't, and you see her face, and it's miserable and disappointed and somehow so goddamn beautiful and you think, Well how's THAT action? And you love New York.

2) The Black Spot on the Ceiling at Grand Central Station: They cleaned up Grand Central, so that it now has fancy olive oil stores and a really fucking snazzy food mart where you can get just about any spice your sick and twisted practices require. They cleaned it up good. But, just to let you know what a fabulous job they did, they’ve left a black spot on the ceiling for comparison. The grime - the accumulated waste of sixty years - was said to be somewhere in the area of 90% cigarette residue.

3) Inherent and deep distrust of any woman named Molly.

4) An Asian chick in Washington Square Park playing something slow and sexy on a violin, while the hustlers hustle close by, below the radar and beneath the fast moving clouds.

5) The Conductor on the N Train Who Drags out His Announcements – He says: “This is a Coney Island Bound N Train; Lawrence Street is Next; Stand Clear of the Closing…………………Doors Please” At every stop, everyone on the train looks up, waiting to see how long it will take for “Doors Please”. Talk about inserting a singularity into a bureaucracy...

6) Meeting friends for an early breakfast – replete with many Bloody Marys - in the Village, the place is playing Mos Def's Black on Both Sides, something like "Pretty nigga heart skipped the metronome, rocked the Trump Tower to the Terrordome, poor house to pleasure domes, soprano, alto, tenor to baritone," and watching various college students and twenty-somethings, wearing the same clothes they went out in the previous night, making the ritual walk of shame back to their own apartments.

7) Brooklyn. Specifically: Eating a Jamaican beef patty in East Flatbush on a sunny Tuesday morning; the bodega owners on 4th Avenue who won’t let you take a picture of their retro signs; mentally aiming at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge while playing golf with hip hop kids at Dyker Beach; hanging out with the Jamaican kite-flyers in Prospect Park, while they smoke their hoolie rats and insult each other in a language thoroughly unfamiliar to you.

8) Graffiti. Big, fat chrome fill-ins that disturb complacent architecture and awe you with the sheer life that refuses to be ordered, and that can’t help but bubble up with shock and difference through any screen of sameness. When arriving or returning by land, you can always tell how close you are to NYC by the marked improvement of the graffiti. You see the writers on the Long Island railrod tracks in Queens, so comfortable with the sunken walls that they're out in the open on Monday evening, playing that Mos Def on a beat box, something like "Brooklyn take what you can't take back, I know a lotta cats hate that, all I can say black, there's a city full of walls you can post complaints at..."

9) Those Tourists that Mistakenly End Up in Brooklyn: They went on the Staten Island ferry to get a cheap view of the Statue of Liberty. They trudged down the stairs at the Whitehall – Southferry Subway stop, but they went down the wrong side, so now they’re on a train to Brooklyn. They have those haircuts and clothes that say “We’re not from around here” – maybe Dallas, maybe Minneapolis - and the husband is terribly misreading the easiest train map in the world to read. The wife – impossibly blonde – is busy holding the youngest kid back from acting a fool, somehow terrified that all the diligent workers who got on in the financial district are aiming to harm her family. You approach them and say “You don’t wanna go to Brooklyn, do you?” and they say – “No, we’re going the 53rd St.” So you tell them where to get off the train, and where to go, and they thank you and thank you while you give your sidelong glances to the others on the car.

10) Dive bars in Hell’s Kitchen and environs, nowhere near as tough as they were even ten years ago, and they were already gentrified then.

[Crowdance]

20. Lyrical portrait, AM.

bookmarked for a reminder of how to find the beauty in it all.

[smoogatz]

23. Hey--some beautiful stuff here.

Nice work.

[mtnsnake]

17. NYC is the best. I wish I could live there half the year. Nothing like it.

I hardly ever get down the the city anymore, so thanks a million for your post!

Recommended!

edited to add: Let's go Ranjahs!!

[DURHAM D]

18. When I travel to an American city I act like a foreign tourist -

Go to your local bookstore and read Let's go USA, Michelin Guide (if they still do one on US), etc. Make notes and buy one guide if it fits most of your needs. Will help you find cheap eats, cheaper accommodations, how to get around, and museum admission costs and hours of operation.

Ex. - I always fly into Newark airport and take the bus to the Port Authority - it runs every 15-20 minutes. This is the cheapest way to get to midtown. From there, taxi or public transportation. You can also park your car there.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

19. Unfortunately, you fell into the NYC tourist trap.

you stayed in the heart of Time Square, which is the biggest tourist trap in manhattan. There are cheaper hotels, restaurants and parking outside of the time square area. Of course, you still had a great time so it was probably somewhat worth it. :D

Most New Yorkers only take a taxi out of real necessity. the bus and subway are great, and if you have a monthly card ($75) it pays for itself in a few weeks. They also have weekly unlimited cards, so that could have helped you too.

There are cheap places to eat, you just have to look around. But I work in the area you stayed in, and nothing is really cheap there.

The only problem is the rent to apartment-size ratio. meh.

Next time let us know you'll be here! Would'a been great to meetup for a hello :hi:

[LibraLiz1973]

21. I LOVE NY!!

I would absolutely move there in a second- if I could make a decent enough living to afford to live there!!
On a teachers salary I have to say it is doubtful. LoL.

I go a few times a year (I live right in the burbs of Philadelphia so it is an easy trip)


For your next venture may I suggest:


1. The Affinia 50 Hotel
http://www.affinia.com/affinia50/
I love it. When we go we always get one of the rooms with a balcony. They aren't ridiculously overpriced.
Also- the beds!! Fabulousness.

2. Grays Papaya hot dogs. SO good!!! They also have phenomenal smoothies.


3.Buona Notte Ristorante in Little Italy.
http://buonanotteristorante.reachlocal.net/


4.Johns Pizza on Bleecker St. in the Village. SO delicious. My absolute all time favorite pizza.


5. You positively must take your 5 year old to FAO Schwarz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugq1y1MaVJM (the big piano)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiYxfx1COyA (a tourists view)

[smoogatz]

22. There's a huge hotel-room shortage in NYC, so everything's expensive

unless you want to stay in a real flea-bag (where you can consider yourself lucky if you don't get sucked to a dry husk by bedbugs). I used to get GREAT deals at a cool, older hotel near midtown through a friend who worked at the Japan-America Foundation ($129 bucks a night for a four-room suite!), but unfortunately (for me) she married and moved to Paris. Now I have to pay full fare like everyone else. That said, I tend to go for smaller, boutique hotels that are well located but somewhat off the beaten path. They're expensive, but everything's first rate. As for tipping--don't forget, the guy who delivers your room service hotdog has to support himself in that very expensive city (although for most New Yorkers, the dominant expense is housing--once you've been there awhile you figure out how to eat, shop and get around on the cheap). And you're right about New Yorkers--I don't know where the "rudeness" rap comes from. Every time I visit the City, I meet incredibly nice people, happy to help out a lost/clueless stranger from the midwest. In fact, last time I was there I was on my own, got directions from the concierge to a restaurant that turned out to be defunct, caught a cab just as he was going off duty, and ended up having dinner with my Indian cabbie at a great little hole-in-the-wall Indian café. I was the only anglo in the joint (apparently a LOT of Indian cabbies eat there), and they all treated me like a dignitary from a friendly (if slightly backward) alien planet. The food totally kicked ass, BTW--the portions were HUGE, and it cost about $9. So there you go--ask the cabbies where THEY eat.

[Tace]

37. I'm Looking At That Restaurant Right Now... Out My Window

I live in the "Curry Hill" section of Gramercy in a second floor loft with a big window that looks out at the very restaurant you describe. This area around 28 & Lex is also sometimes called "Little India" because of all the Indian restaurants. The reason I think it's the one you're talking about is that there's a cab depot right here, and all the cabbies eat at that restaurant. It is a great food value.

Haandi -- Pakistani, Bangladeshi & Indian Restaurant. Lex & 28.

[smoogatz]

39. That's it!

Lex and 28 sounds exactly right. Freakin' amazing. Yeah, it's not the best Indian food I've ever had, but it was hearty, tasty, plentiful and cheap. I was more than satisfied. Plus, it was really fun sitting there with all those cabbies, earnestly watching crazy Bollywood movies on the widescreen TV.

[Tace]

40. Small World, Eh?

: )

[smoogatz]

41. Yep. Incredible.

I hope you're enjoying a pleasant Sunday evening, Tace. Cheers!

[Dorian Gray]

52. I used to live on Madison and 29th...

Awww. Murray Hill, how I miss ye! Now I'm in Prospect Heights, in Brooklyn.

Love NYC and wouldn't be anywhere else! I am happy that the OP had a great trip!

[KurtNYC]

48. Sounds like you went to Manhattan's Little India near 28th/Lex

Joy of India, Curry in a Hurry and various others. Always cabs parked on the street between shifts.

Another great area for Indian is Jackson Heights Queens -- especially Jackson Heights Diner (they kept the prior restaurant's name). All you can eat buffets for ~$8/lunch

[earth mom]

24. My first and only trip to NYC was 20 years ago and I LOVED IT!

Went for a week and there was not enough time to see and do everything. My biggest regrets were not seeing a play and not going to any museums. But hey, I was in my 20s and my friend and I did what 20 somethings do-explore the city, shop and hit the bars. We had a blast! :D

Would love to go again one of these days since there is so much I didn't see or do the first time. But was wondering about the bedbug situation. Does anyone know how bad the problem is and can it be avoided by staying in more upscale hotels? TIA!

[bunkerbuster1]

25. Don't wait another 40 years to re-visit!

I'm surprised you were able to resist the urge, living as (relatively) close as you do in Columbus.

Others have advised you about accommodations; I'd recommend finding something in either the outer boroughs near a subway line, or possibly in NJ near a PATH or NJ Transit line.

It's been a few years since I've been back to that city, but I can tell you that entering the island of Manhattan is like getting a shot of adrenaline for me. Nothing else compares. It's the greatest city in what I like to believe is still the greatest country on earth.

[flyarm]

27. welcome to our world!!

although i live on the jersey side..but worked out of NY for a lifetime..we do everything in NY...eat drink and be merry ..and my son works on wall street ..so mama goes and does lunch with him..or dinner alot..

NY is a state of mind...entertainment , restaurants..some of the best in the world...shopping...

and NY is a culture onto itself!!

glad you got to experience it..come back soon!!

fly

p.s. ..never eat in the hotel or do room service!!

oh and next time here..go to little italy ..and canal street!!

[Gabi Hayes]

28. love that ferry ride from Hoboken, is it, to the Battery

especially on a nice day

very sad to see the Statue of Liberty, though, as you ride across.

she looks trapped

[mb7588a]

29. spend a few nights...

Spend a few nights in Dupont Circle in D.C. You'll experience another new and exciting side of liberalism.

[readmoreoften]

30. Here are some answers for ya:

1. Your hotel room was 350 a night because, as an apartment, it would go for about $2500-$3000 a month in that area (if it was a single room, not a suite.)

2) Room service is expensive everywhere, not just NYC. But it's worse here because everything is so much more expensive. Why is it more expensive? Because rent is expensive and because the city IS AN ISLAND. Shipping things to and from is a pain.

3) You're expected to tip because everyone has to pay $3000 a month for an apartment.

4) How do we live? Well, if we're rich we're rich-- we might have an apartment. Apartments in NYC average close to 1.2 million to purchase. If we're doing very well (say, make $50-60K a year or more) we live in a nice three bedroom apartment with three other people (usually strangers). If you're struggling you do a number of things (a) you don't live in NY-- you live in your house with your kids in Jersey and commute 1 1/2-2 hours (or 3 or 4) to work (b) or you live in Brooklyn/Bronx and commute 45 a day and you pay $700 a month for an apartment you split with 3 other adults. You don't have a car. (c) you live in Manhattan in an "illegal" loft which is zoned for business/industrial. 3 to 4 people pay $4000 a month for a loft with holes in the ceiling and you have no heat on the weekends.

For example, I had to move out of my old studio in Manhattan. It was a 250sf room with no kitchen (only a sink and a microwave) and hte rent went up to $1975.

5) There are reasonable places to eat in-- but none in Times Square. 95% of NYers spend no time whatsoever in Times Square. I live 20 blocks away and I only pass through it about every six months.

Sorry we missed you Straight Story!!!!

[lildreamer316]

31. It frees my mind to go there.

It's been 15 years, but it's so energizing and refreshing to be around it.....

[VeggieTart]

32. Glad you all had a good time

The nice thing about living in DC is we can go Greyhound for $46 round trip per person. Hell, neither my boyfriend nor I owns a car 'cause you don't need one in DC. I realize the bus/train is not an option for everyone, though. Next time, fly and endure the nightmare trip in from one of the airports.

Stay at a cheaper hotel away from Times Square. Why do you care about the remote? In NYC, we don't do much more in our hotel room than sleep.

Need Internet access? Find a FedEx Kinkos and use their computer. It's a hell of a lot cheaper.

There are, I'm sure, plenty of restaurants that will deliver to your hotel for a lot less than room service. Yeah, they're expensive, but the food is better than in most cities. I think food prices there are comparable to DC, so I'm not kvetching. I envy New Yorkers their fantastic selection of restaurants. I mean, we don't have vegetarian diners here in DC :(

Oh, and the person who talked about Dupont Circle in DC? It's becoming so corporatized and sanitized. My 'hood, Adams Morgan, is the most diverse in the city, and the 18th Street strip has more restaurants than you can shake a stick at (even if it's capped by a McDeathburgers).

[karlrschneider]

33. NYC is one of those places IMO where the old adage is reversed,

"It's a great place to live but I wouldn't want to visit there."

Not really true, I do like to spend a bit of time but I refuse to book hotel rooms in Manhattan...
I manage to go north a ways and get a motel - usually near Ossining (plus I have friends there.)

But nowadays all large cities are insanely expensive...try Tokyo or Montreal, they make NY seem
like a bargain. ;-)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

51. Actually, you can stay in a budget hotel in Tokyo for $65 a night

and that includes broadband Internet in the room, a private bath, and miso soup with rice balls in the morning. The room looks like a college dorm room, but it's clean and safe.

[mnhtnbb]

34. Three recommended hotels from a NYC native

(that's my handle, mnhtnbb= Manhattan Baby) that are much less expensive.
Don't order room service. Get your muffin/coffee from a deli in the a.m.
or bring your muffin back to hotel the night before. If you have a coffeemaker in your room, bring those little packets of special coffee you get at the supermarket with you (and small paper filters). You'll save yourself at least $100/day just booking the less expensive hotel and do-it yourself breakfast.

The Salisbury is a good midtown location across from Carnegie Hall, the other two are upper west side a block off Broadway with easy subway access. And yes, it's safe to ride the subways.

http://www.nycsalisbury.com/

http://www.milburnhotel.com/
http://www.hotelbelleclaire.com/index.html

[dflprincess]

36. I love NYC but what's kept me away the last 5 years

is the hotel cost (everytime I've been there it was with a friend who was going on business, so the hotel was mostly taken care of, except the extra charge for double occupancy that I paid).

I've never driven there and I don't think I'd want to, it's just easier and cheaper to get around in cabs and on the subway and I'm not so sure my Minneapolis driving skills would work well in Manhattan.

You can eat fairly cheap. There's plenty of little diners around town where you can get a decent meal for a reasonable price. And, as the above poster said, you can pick up stuff in a deli to keep in your hotel room. I can't recall tipping or feeling I was expected to tip anyone I wouldn't tip in any other city (including the hotel's doorman when he hailed a cab for me - even though I wanted to get my own. Don't ask me why, but I love hailing cabs in NYC.)

[edhopper]

38. As a New Yorker I want to say..

Use the friggin internet.
There are so many websites that offer travel discounts and travel advice that a $350 hotel is not the only option. Between priceline , hotels.com, frommers and foders you should have been able to get something for under $200, maybe closer to $100.
As for eating in Times Square; 8th Ave., a block away, is lined with inexpensive restaurants. Ethic restaurants in particular are very affordable.
Outside of housing (very expensive) New York is quite an affordable place to live.


A tourist walks up to a New Yorker and asks; "Can you tell me how to get to Central Park, or should I just go F**K myself."

[dflprincess]

44. I have never found New Yorkers to be rude but

to the point, in a hurry and maybe blunt. And, I suppose that could be interpreted as rudeness, especially when you're from a passive agressive area of the country.

[MamaBear]

42. Glad you enjoyed your stay.

Others have pretty well covered the ground about Times Square. Do they tell you that most of the lights in TS are LEDs now, and very energy efficient?

Definitely head uptown next time you come. The Cloisters isn't all that big; you can see it all easily in an afternoon. The M4 bus takes you right to the door (almost), and that bus winds up Madison Avenue and then straight up Broadway through Morningside, Harlem and Washington Heights up to Inwood. And The Cloisters has a world claass view of the Hudson. A cab there from midtown will cost you $25 or so, plus tip. That's a nice ride up the West Side Highway.

I'm glad you got treated well. You probably have enough sense not to bother people at rush hour when they're barrelling out of the city to make dinner and collect their kids.

As for hotel workers expecting a tip ... well... it's a nothing-ventured-nothing-gained sort of place.

Chilren love the Museum of Natural History on W 79th Street.

So glad you could come and visit, and please come back when you get a chance!

[Arugula Latte]

43. We went there this summer and found the people to be helpful.

We were trying to read the subway map on the sly in order to seem cooler than we were, but people would always see that and come up and offer help.

I also got mistaken for a New Yorker by a guy who wanted me to sign a petition. :woohoo: I worked hard at not looking like I was fresh in from the hinterlands ...

[SeveneightyWhoa]

45. Did you do the Michael Scott (from The Office) thing..?

Eating at your favorite New York pizza place -- Sbarro?

How about Red Lobster? ;)

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

46. NYC is one of the great cities of the world, it's right here in America,

and it's a blue, blue city to boot!

Everyone should pay at least a visit. I'm originally from that area but I know what you mean about even a short visit conveying a sense of the greatness of the city.

[Suziq]

47. I Hate NYC!

only because I have been working in the city for over 35 years and I am sick of it! I am posting from work right now! :evilgrin:

Seriously, I loved the short time I was able to afford to actually live in Manhattan. Now I live in New Jersey because I got twice the apartment for the money.

[KurtNYC]

49. Little Italy is almost gone

To me it is already gone. It died around 1994 or so. Chinatown surrounded it and is now digesting it. My favorite bakery there (Bella Luna) is now owned and run by Chinese. Years back I thought it was fun to sit on the sidewalk and eat a fun (but food-wise just okay) meal. Now I go only to buy cheese (fresh Mozzarella or ricotta).

Almost all the hotels in the city are full and are raising their rates. The best I can tell there was a backlog of people who wanted to come but have waited a bit since 9/2001 now they are all coming at once. I found a hotel in my neighborhood which is clean, well-located and has views of the river. My father and a friend stayed there 3 weeks ago -- $109/night (shhhhhhhhhh!) Do not tell the longtime owner what he COULD be charging.

A decent priced hotel in midtown/Time Square is the Portland Square (w47th) but you will need to book in advance. Which claims to have rooms from $119:
http://www.portlandsquarehotelnewyork.com/?gclid=CJT_g6ih_ocCFQ1vVAodCxiz1Q

[Dorian Gray]

53. Little Italy?

It stinks! No good food to be found there, sadly. The only "little italy" worth going to these days is Arthur Avenue in The Bronx. Or some great little places in Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst area of Brooklyn.

[KurtNYC]

55. Still love the ricotta but restaurant-wise you're right

I went googling for the name of the cheese shop (Murray's?) and found this which sums up the situation pretty well:

I still like to go to DiPalo’s Food Shop on Mott Street,” says Martin Scorsese, Little Italy’s most famous native (born and raised on Elizabeth Street between Houston and Prince). “Mr. DiPalo was good friends with my parents. Last time I was there, he told me some student who had just moved to the area came in and asked him, ‘What made you open an Italian cheese shop in a Chinese neighborhood?’ That sums up for me what happened to Little Italy. Even when I lived there, the restaurant row on Mulberry Street was always a little bit showy, more for tourists, and so we always shunned it. Now that’s all Little Italy is, a façade.

http://nymag.com/nymetro/urban/features/9904/index.html

[bobbieinok]

50. still remember my only visit at the end of summer in 1961

I was returning to OK from a summer at Middlebury Summer Language School and stayed in NYC and DC with families of college friends.

I was fortunate to have as a 'tour guide' the male cousin of a college friend. He loved the city and wanted me to love it too.

High-points--

--Greenwich Village and a soap box speaker at Washington Square (?)

--Staten Island Ferry ride

--walk through Wall Street on Sunday morning; no one was there

--seeing Midsummer's Night Dream in Central Park

--visiting the Cloisters museum

--visits to bookstores (one gigantic one that is no longer in business)

--walking somewhere and running into another friend from college (there was some sort of saying then 'eventually you'll see everyone you know in NYC')

--the Guggenheim

--the steps of the NYC library

--the museum with the dinosaurs

--trip to the top of the Empire State Building

--going into some churches

--riding busses and subways

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

54. New York Story....

I do not know N.Y. at all, but I had a peak experience the one time I visited - one memorable day/night last summer:

My young friend Y. and I stopped over on our way to California, to meet up with F., another friend from Lyon, who was staying there for a few weeks. We arrived at JFK Int'l late at night, and took the Skytrain and the subway into the city. Not wanting to go all the way into Manhattan to look for a hotel, we got off in Brooklyn Heights, expecting to be able to find hotels everywhere - the way it is in most French cities (Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, etc.) Not So! There was not a hotel to be found, and it was about midnight when, dog-tired, we hailed a cab and asked him to help us find inexpensive lodging. We drove all over the place, and he took us to three different places, each one charging BY THE HOUR. Y. took it on herself, finally, to go into one and negotiate a price, then we trudged our way up 4 flights of stairs, and sacked out. There was alot of commotion in the hotel and on the street below. We awoke in "Crack Central" - seeing the neighborhood in daylight was an education - block after block of seedy apartment houses and grocery stores with armed guards and locked doors.

Took a cab to meet F. near City Hall and spent the better part of the morning looking for an inexpensive hotel, finally finding one for $230/night, cleaned up, and went out on the town - starting on East Houston and 2nd Avenue. What a night! We ate at a great little place called Olive, and roamed the area looking for dance and jazz clubs, of which there were many. We stayed up late, meeting friendly folks and dancing, drinking and wandering from club to club, until I fell out and headed back to the room for some shuteye, while Y. and F. decided to take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.

They returned in late morning, having walked and ridden and had a great "White Night", but they were both angry with me for my poor planning and stodginess. I did not take the criticism well, and the anger intensified as the morning progressed. They wanted to walk to a travel agency about 20 blocks away, but I wanted a cab. They took off and I followed, but was outdistanced quickly, as they are half my age and in great shape. I got lost trying to keep up, and turned back to the hotel.

I was sitting on some steps near Howard Johnson's when they returned, both in a white-hot fury, acreaming curses at me in French and English. Y. knocked over my luggage and threw my satchel up the sidewalk, spilling the contents all over, and I began to fear for my life, as either of these women could kick my ass single-handedly. We were right in front of "Noah Schimmels Knish Factory", and Noah himself was soon on the steps, imploring us to cease and desist as a small crowd gathered. The girls dressed me down for several minutes thereafter, then told me to ***k off and headed south. I was in shock, gathering my belongings and crying out loud, tears treaming down my face, full of pain and shame.

A young woman took it upon herself to inquire if I was alright, and spent a long time comforting me, helping me cool down and come to some understanding - really as if she was a close friend. I was taken aback by her kindness and solicitude - I had always thought of New Yorkers as too busy to care.