Anyone lived in Manhattan?
Discussion
I have the opportunity through work to do a secondment in New York. The office is based just off Manhattan in Queens. The accomodation would be in Manhattan, mid to low Manhattan, though not exactly sure where at this time.
I have visited Manhattan twice before, but only for a few days each time, and I loved it.
Has anyone here lived in Manhattan before? How was it? Does the initial excitement wear off quickly, or does the buzz remain? What were the main pros/cons/likes/dislikes etc from living there?
I have visited Manhattan twice before, but only for a few days each time, and I loved it.
Has anyone here lived in Manhattan before? How was it? Does the initial excitement wear off quickly, or does the buzz remain? What were the main pros/cons/likes/dislikes etc from living there?
I have never lived there but have lost count of how many times I have been. My sister has lived there for twenty years and I have a few friends that either live there or have done two to five year stints there. If you are young free single and like to party there is probably no better city in the world to spend a couple of years. If for example you want play golf at the weekends and like owning a car it's not so good....owning a car is expensive as you really need to rent a garage/parking lot and it's just not a nice place to drive...getting on and off Manhattan gets tedious very quickly. With cabs being relatively so cheap a car is an expensive and generally unnecessary luxury. If you have a kids it's not a great place unless you have a lot of money.
It really depends on the lifestyle you lead on how much you'll enjoy it....more so than it would in London for example. Given that you are working off Manhattan I would make sure your accommodation is near to a train station that will get you want to be easily. Most people there tend to live and work on the same side of Manhattan i.e. if your job is on the East Side they live somewhere on the East Side. The public transport works much better North/South and there are only a few major cross streets so traffic is much worse East/West than North/South.
Personally I would have loved to have done a two year stint there when I was younger..now I have a family and I don't go out three or four nights a week I wouldn't move there unless I was getting paid very well for it.
Oh yeah if you don't like extremes of temperature it might not be for you....it was 104 deg last weekend (and humid) and it can get properly cold in winter....we're talking your face going numb if you walk for more than two blocks. Those are extremes but you get the idea. The spring and autumn are generally great. One of my American friends always b
hed about the weather in London when he lived here but now he's gone back to NYC he doesn't quite so much.....
It really depends on the lifestyle you lead on how much you'll enjoy it....more so than it would in London for example. Given that you are working off Manhattan I would make sure your accommodation is near to a train station that will get you want to be easily. Most people there tend to live and work on the same side of Manhattan i.e. if your job is on the East Side they live somewhere on the East Side. The public transport works much better North/South and there are only a few major cross streets so traffic is much worse East/West than North/South.
Personally I would have loved to have done a two year stint there when I was younger..now I have a family and I don't go out three or four nights a week I wouldn't move there unless I was getting paid very well for it.
Oh yeah if you don't like extremes of temperature it might not be for you....it was 104 deg last weekend (and humid) and it can get properly cold in winter....we're talking your face going numb if you walk for more than two blocks. Those are extremes but you get the idea. The spring and autumn are generally great. One of my American friends always b
hed about the weather in London when he lived here but now he's gone back to NYC he doesn't quite so much.....Thanks for the information. I would only be going for 6 months max - I don't think my girlfriend would be happy with any longer (or me for that matter!). I'm still youngish (32) and think it would be a great opportunity before settling down - I know I would regret not going. Six months seems a good balance between fully immersing in the vibe and culture of the place whilst not being too long to strain our relationship.
I'm not exactly sure where the accomodation is - the first guy is going out very soon and HR sorted him a place out over there. He reckons is pretty close to a train station to get him into the office.
I'd miss my car I guess (only bought it two months ago, before this opportunity even came up) but I'd just store it at my parents place, and get my Dad to drive it a few times per week. I think your're right though, a car is almost pointless in Manhattan, without proper roads for quite some distance.
It seems a great opportunity - accomodation and living/travel expenses paid, whilst retaining current UK salary. I'm only renting at the moment, so don't have to worry about selling/renting a house out whilst away.
Lots to think of first, but I'm pretty excited !
I'm not exactly sure where the accomodation is - the first guy is going out very soon and HR sorted him a place out over there. He reckons is pretty close to a train station to get him into the office.
I'd miss my car I guess (only bought it two months ago, before this opportunity even came up) but I'd just store it at my parents place, and get my Dad to drive it a few times per week. I think your're right though, a car is almost pointless in Manhattan, without proper roads for quite some distance.
It seems a great opportunity - accomodation and living/travel expenses paid, whilst retaining current UK salary. I'm only renting at the moment, so don't have to worry about selling/renting a house out whilst away.
Lots to think of first, but I'm pretty excited !
I lived in Central Manhattan (midtown) for a year about 5 years ago.......(1st and 45th) about 4 blocks from Grand Central Station and not more than 10 mins to Times Square......
Let me start by saying it's an expensive place to live if you want proper central (well it was for me anyway) as I was paying high rents (well only London prices I guess) for a studio which had not been updated since the 70's though was pleasant enough.........thewre are some awesome places to rent but expect to pay for them (as with everywhere really)
The buzz is great to start with and not having a car (for the first time in my life) meant it was easy to go ut and socialise and not worry about drink driving or getting home..........that said I did miss not being able to go for a hoon but a car would not have been practical at all........
I had loads of visitors while I was ther and that kept things interesting although I never have to go up the Empire State again it won't be soon enough LOL
The pace of life is pretty fast although depending on where you are can be a little quieter at weekends even with the tourists around.
There are plenty of 'local' bars and restaurants etc which the tourists don't know about and that makes things cheaper.
One of the cons was shopping - there are not so many supermarkets in Manhattan but they are there - you just have to look, but don't expect Tesco Extra size or prices
I enjoyed my time there (I was 30) and loved hanging out at all times with friends and partying all hours etc and never worrying about getting home - despite what some people will say I found it a very safe city to wander around in a 3/4am, and was never concerned about the metro either.
The constant noise (think taxi horns all night every night) can get a bit droning after a while, but all in all a great place to live.....that said I was very happy to have done my time there and come home.......
Let me start by saying it's an expensive place to live if you want proper central (well it was for me anyway) as I was paying high rents (well only London prices I guess) for a studio which had not been updated since the 70's though was pleasant enough.........thewre are some awesome places to rent but expect to pay for them (as with everywhere really)
The buzz is great to start with and not having a car (for the first time in my life) meant it was easy to go ut and socialise and not worry about drink driving or getting home..........that said I did miss not being able to go for a hoon but a car would not have been practical at all........
I had loads of visitors while I was ther and that kept things interesting although I never have to go up the Empire State again it won't be soon enough LOL
The pace of life is pretty fast although depending on where you are can be a little quieter at weekends even with the tourists around.
There are plenty of 'local' bars and restaurants etc which the tourists don't know about and that makes things cheaper.
One of the cons was shopping - there are not so many supermarkets in Manhattan but they are there - you just have to look, but don't expect Tesco Extra size or prices
I enjoyed my time there (I was 30) and loved hanging out at all times with friends and partying all hours etc and never worrying about getting home - despite what some people will say I found it a very safe city to wander around in a 3/4am, and was never concerned about the metro either.
The constant noise (think taxi horns all night every night) can get a bit droning after a while, but all in all a great place to live.....that said I was very happy to have done my time there and come home.......
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