Ladies and gentle folk, I have been doing the "commuting thing" for the last month. It has been interesting and eye-opening and it is my opinion that New York is not a city that lends itself to people like me.
For those of you not living and/or working in New York City, consider this a helpful guide.
There is one inescapable fact of being in this city. It is crowded. If you can't deal with crowds you probably should not even visit. I have found a few parts that are not as crowded, but they are only calm certain times in the week. I also cannot share because I don't want people disturbing me.
At first the hustle and bustle of Manhattan will appear charming and exciting. You will be awed by the sheer mass of people moving about everyday. THEN you will begin to get slightly annoyed at the way the crowds impede your ability to get to places quickly. Finally, you will get angry and that is when you become one of those "typical" New Yorkers striding down the street without making eye contact and always in a hurry to go somewhere.
If the crowds don't get to you, the environment will. There is an aroma in the MTA subway system that does not leave your nostrils until you are at least a block removed from the closest subway station. The underground subway stations feel like they maintain a temperature about 100 degrees warmer than outside, regardless of the season.
Of course there are the Remember those crowds of people? Many of them are disgusting and will leave all sorts of "things" on subway seats, street corners, stairwells, etc. It is as if people were not raised to toss things into the trash.
There are also beggars aplenty. With the recession, it seems you cannot board a subway train without someone asking you for money. I have seen all sorts of people with all kinds of stories and it is saddening and also irritating at the same time.
Mind you all of this is only on weekdays.
On weekends there is a different menace that plagues New York City. Subway construction. Friends, a subway trip that takes 15 minutes on a weekday could take up to an hour on a weekend depending on the level of construction. On weekends, many train lines take seemingly arbitrary routes to their final destinations. The other day I got on what I thought was the "E" train only to find out that it was the "E" train running as the "F" train. Even the trains in New York City have multiple identities. Due to this "slight" change I had to climb almost 45 stairs, carrying my luggage, huffing, puffing, and of course perspiring in the humidity of the subway, and then I had to walk 3 blocks to make my transfer to the train I needed. On a weekday I would have gotten off at one "E" train station, crossed to the other side, and caught the train I needed. That is the sort of mess you can find yourself in when taking the subway on weekends.
Its not like you have an option. Cabs are a waste of money most of the time. Unless of course you don't have a problem spending the money.
The construction does not stop on the subway. No one may have mentioned this but scaffolding actually grows naturally from the concrete in New York City. Just yesterday, I went out to lunch at about 1pm and there was no scaffolding near my building. By the time I strolled outside to go home a few hours later, the entire side of our building was covered in scaffolding. Then there was the enjoyable sound of jackhammers drilling into the asphalt, which is just what you need after a long tiring day at the office. The construction can go 6 days a week and yet they never seem to be done in a reasonable amount of time. I have always wondered if construction workers drag out these projects just because they can.
In New York City when it comes to your living arrangements you have the following options depending on how much your salary is:
- Live on your own in a questionable neighborhood for cheap rent. This means large chunks of Brooklyn, the Bronx, and the East Harlem area of Manhattan.
- Live with 1 roommate in an "okay" neighborhood with almost affordable rent. This is basically all other parts of Manhattan, except the expensive places that will be mentioned in the next bullet point. Also portions of Brooklyn and Queens.
- Live with 3 or more roommates in a nice neighborhood and pay through your nose for rent. This means Battery Park/Financial District, Midtown, the Upper East Side (street numbers between 60th street and 80th street), Upper West Side (street numbers between 60th street up to maybe 100th street), a very tiny portion of Brooklyn.
- Just don't live in the city. Prepare yourself for a long commute, depending on where you live.
If you do decide to live in the city, be aware that there is a city personal income tax. Yes, you have to pay extra tax (on top of state and federal taxes) for the privilege of enjoying all the things I just mentioned.
If the city tax eats into your take home income, know that you may have to go outside of the city to do your grocery shopping. I advise you to steer clear of any grocery stores on the island of Manhattan below 80th street. A carton of orange juice can cost $5 in one of the nicer neighborhoods.
Is it any wonder salaries are so high here? They have to be. You need money to overcome all these problems I listed. Well, except the rats. Those you cannot escape.
The city does have its upsides. There are restaurants, plays, outdoor events, parties, music, art, etc to enjoy.
But the realization I have come to regarding New York City, unlike many young people who feel they should move here to "make it", is that I should only move here after I have "made it". If I move here when I have money, things will be more bearable.
I enjoy my comforts. I do not want a roommate unless I am related to the person or sleeping with them. I cannot justify paying $5 for orange juice when I know it is $3 elsewhere. I don't have a problem with crowds but the constant grime of the subway irritates me. The noise is fine in short amounts but if I lived in the city I don't know that I could cope with it 24/7. To me the pros do not outweigh the cons. I am not going into a career that truly requires a move to New York for success (see fashion, modelling, acting, and other artsy stuff).
Last year The Onion website had this fake headline.
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| Click the image to read the Onion article |
I wouldn't say it is a horrible place to live but I like suburbia.
