New York City: The Temporary Residents' Guide
People profess their love, write songs and continuously talk about "the energy" of this city. I would bet a small fortune that no other city is the subject of more songs, more art, more...well...anything. Most people in NYC are tourists or lifers. However, there is a distinct group of people, like myself, that are what I will call “semi-locals” – people who view the city through a temporary lens. Limited focus and limited time. Here to try it out, live it for a few years in school, for an assignment, or for a job. Just enough time to truly experience the city, almost call it home, but then move on.
I moved here with my beautiful, talented girlfriend in the summer of 2010 and for all intents and purposes, the clock started ticking. That June, Stephanie was scheduled for 2 years in her program at NYU and unless something drastic happened, we would be California-bound in July 2012. Before I could even blink, all of the sudden, BAM. July 2012. Two years went by with lightning speed...with the exception of the first 3 months. I was miserable when we first landed in NYC. Then, something clicked. Something happened and I realized: This place is fantastic.
Central Park - View of Upper West Side
Now, it is July 2012 and I am flying somewhere across the middle of the country; California-bound on a one-way ticket via JetBlue. I want to reflect upon how I got from miserable to happy while in New York. With my last Subway ride on the E train as a NYC resident a couple of hours behind me, this seems like the perfect time. I want to provide my advice on navigating The Big Apple for the other "semi-locals" out there. If you are planning on going for a long weekend, or a week, this will likely be overwhelming. However, if you have 6 months, or a couple of years at your disposal, take this as an ongoing to-do list and tips to survival.
Adjusting.
First, set your expectations when finding a place to live. Unless you are ready to drop a pretty penny on rent, go ahead and forget about amenities. If you are lucky, you will get an amenity. One. Single. Amenity. Maybe an elevator? Maybe outdoor space? Maybe a dishwasher. Unless you get roommates. Then maybe you will get two or three. I have a friend who has two amenities: dishwasher and a small balcony. He pays $2700/month for a 1 bedroom. Our amenity, you ask? We had skylights in our living room and bathroom.Next, finding a place to live. I was lucky in that my girlfriend did the brunt of this work and we found a place through a friend of a friend. I cannot emphasize the words “brunt” and “work” enough. Apartment hunting in NYC is very strange. First of all, they have invented 84 different ways to describe tiny apartments to make them sound livable. Junior 1 Bedroom. Alcove Studio. Railroad Studio. Blah Blah. Anything that sounds funny is likely very small. Next, many buildings/apartments have “brokers” that will show you an apartment. You are thinking: How nice of this person to help me find a place in NYC! Wrong. They are trying to make money. If you like the apartment they show you, get ready to pay 10-15% of the value of a year-long lease. Yes, that is thousands of dollars. Yes, it is stupid. Yes, you want to punch them when you find out (Although, its not really their fault. Explanation here). Despite that, I am convinced they have sales contests. Picture a group of brokers having a contest: “Whoever can actually get a sucker to rent 126 E 3rd Street #B gets a microwave.” My only recco to lessen the pain – find someone with a friend that is moving and take their place. Not an impossible feat if you ask around enough. Also, another option is to find “no-fee” apartments. However, the quality varies wildly based on the rental market. If the rental market is in your favor, you may do ok with one of these apartments. If not, then these “no-fee” apartments are likely hot, sweaty garbage. Speaking of hot, sweaty garbage…
The Weather. Be ready for some of the sweatiest summer weather you have experienced. No central A/C was built into pre-war buildings. Disappointing, right? One specific night really stands out in my mind from my first month in Manhattan. Stephanie and I went out for a nice dinner one evening and decided to walk instead of take a cab. Ya know, to take in our new city. I didn't change after work, so wore a dress shirt (with no undershirt because it was uber-sweaty) and pants. By the time we were halfway home from Greenwich Village to Chelsea, I had sweat through more than 50% of my shirt. It was sticking to me. Lesson learned. The undershirt is necessary.
Additionally, these small apartments serve as little heat boxes during the day. Plus, when you are going to work, Subway stations are uncomfortably hot and sweaty. My first summer was one big, hot, sweaty mess. Try mentally preparing for it. Also, bring extra shirts to work and invest in some good airy tees or dresses. Those of you from the Southeast or South may be prepared, but the masses of people and concrete magnify the issue. And while the city is tremendously clean for its population-to-size ratio, there is a lot of trash...and it frequently smells in the summer.
Once you get through Summer, you will have an amazing Fall. Best time for weather in the city. Sadly, that will give way to the winter months. These weren't as problematic for me because we only experienced 2 winters. Plus, we were treated to the warmest winter in recent memory in 2011/12. But one quick tip: you will be walking so invest in a warm coat and some boots. Something waterproof for your feet will help a ton. Or, just give up, set that money aside for cabs, and practice tip toeing around.
Next, it will be loud at night. Depending on your neighborhood, anywhere from "Consistently Noisy" to "I live next to the ER and want to shoot myself noisy." Get a fan. Play music. Get ear-buds. Something. You will get used to it, but may hate it for the first 3 months (like me).
- Get ready for crowds and people everywhere. If you are a person that likes privacy and personal space, it will be a rough transition for you. Depending on your commute, or where you live, you will be elbow to elbow with people frequently. Try to avoid living by places like Times Square, Grand Central Station, Union Square, and the touristy parts of the Financial District Downtown. If you live on the Upper East Side or Williamsburg in Brooklyn, you may even have to skip a train or two before you can wedge your way aboard the 4/5/6 or L trains.
Be ready to walk and don't fear stairs. While some hate all of the stairs, those that can look past them can actually find better deals on apartments. We had a fourth floor walk up apartment. Not ideal when carrying a bike or heavy groceries. Yet, the rent was reasonable and it got us those aforementioned skylights. As for the walking, that is one of the things I love most about NYC. In fact, on my last night there, I took a random route from my apartment to Magnolia Bakery in the West Village to enjoy that NYC “energy" one last time.
Finally, know that New York makes you work a little harder for things. My dad said it best: "if a car revs at 1,000 rpm while idle, a person in New York revs at about 1,500." While this city is built on conveniences like public transit, stores open when you need them and amazing delivery, something about NYC is very inconvenient. I said to Stephanie at one point that this place gives you nothing. It makes you work for everything. Sounds terrible. I know. Like I said, I struggled living here at first. I left a pretty easy quality of life in LA for a drastically different lifestyle in NYC. A lifestyle I came to truly enjoy. Any move presents change and hopefully you can learn to take the first few punches from NY. Then, you will either learn to love it or appreciate your time in the city. Here are some recommendations and pointers on how to do NYC right.
Pointers.
1) Don't be borough-biased. Manhattanites are the obvious culprits here, but it is a general rule. Brooklyn has some fantastic neighborhoods, restaurants and parks. While I admittedly didn't explore Queens, I have heard the same. These areas also offer some breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline. Throw on your Lewis and Clark Hat and explore.2) Learn to love and use public transportation. It's a little overwhelming at first, but it is unbelievably useful and convenient. This leads to...
3) Get out of the city. One of the things that helped me get over a bunch of the issues above was how easy it can be to get out of the city. Regional Trains, Buses, or even a zip car can provide really cool activities that aren't too far away. I went upstate, out to Long Island, into Jersey, down to Washington DC, down to Philadelphia, up to Vermont and more. For example, a 2-hour bus ride to downtown Philly is around $13 on Mega Bus or Bolt Bus. More on getaways later.
4) Walk. Walk a lot. Then walk some more. Walking around NYC's parks and neighborhoods is one of the best activities you can do in the city.
Dusk in SoHo
While I understand that everyone has their places in NYC, I feel like my list is pretty unbiased except for the natural "west side" tilt due to calling West 16th street my home for the last two years. Before we get to bars and restaurants, I will give you some activities and things to do first.
My Favorites.
Parks: If you are staying for a few days, you have to do Central Park. That is a no brainer. But, if you are staying for a week, venture to the Brooklyn Waterfront near DUMBO (by the Brooklyn Bridge). That is my second favorite park in the area. I recommend renting a bike (or buying one if you can find space for it) and riding over the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges to spend some time in this underrated park. Bonus points if you learn what DUMBO stands for.
Two Bridges. One Park.
Touristy Activities (slightly) Off The Beaten Path:
1) Tall building adventure - forget the Empire State building. The lines are long and the tickets are expensive. I heard as much as $50 just to go to the top. Go to The Top of The Rock at Rockefeller center. It's around $20 (less if you search around and buy tickets ahead of time). You get full views of Central Park and get to see the aforementioned other skyscraper. Plus, Rock Center is a more interesting area than 34th street around the Empire State building.
2) Best Way to see Manhattan: boat cruise. You can take one of the random charter boats out of South Street Seaport. Or, you can even take the Staten Island Ferry (free) which serves $3 beer and delivers eye-popping views of Lower Manhattan and you still see the Statue of Liberty. I personally haven't done the Staten Island Ferry, but heard that it is great. I have done a charter tour for a 90-minute sunset cruise around Manhattan and past the Statue of Liberty – it was fantastic.
Boat Cruise - Looking at Lower Manhattan
3) Walking is the theme. Walk the High Line Park on NYC's West Side. The converted elevated railroad tracks were recently expanded, too. It starts in the Meatpacking district around 11th Street and the infamous Standard Hotel (ask around why it’s notorious, or just look at the windows and guess). You can then walk all the way up to the Park’s current endpoint at 32nd street. Very urban, very cool. The cat is out of the bag on this activity, but unless its realllllllly crowded, it is completely worth it.
High Line Park: NYC West Side
My good friend Steve and his brother, dad and some others invested a day into the US Open in August 2011 and I will not forget it. We were courtside for a men's singles match that featured unranked players Ernests Gulbis and Gilles Muller...and I couldn't have been more engaged. Watching pro tennis from that vantage point is awesome. Plus, Steve's brother Mike and I had a friendly "beer wager" on the winner...which certainly helped up the random bouts of cheering. We caught pieces of 5 matches, including: Andy Murray's early round match in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Juan Martin del Potro's victory at Louis Armstrong Stadium, a women's doubles match and ended the night at newly renovated Court 17. We took in our last match about 5 rows back and saw Alex Bogomolov Jr (US qualifier) defeat Brazilian Dutra Da Silva. I used my long wing spam to score a souvenir, which the staff originally made me throw back. Boo! Then, Alex (we are boys now, obviously) actually hit a ball back up to me after the next point. Bonus!
Luckily Caught a Ball on Court 17
Day Trip to Long Beach (Summer): you can take a train out of Penn Station and be 5 blocks from the beach within an hour. I did this twice and it was fun. The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) offers a summer beach package with round trip train fare and beach access for around $20. Note - it does cost money to access the beach. Yes, I know. For a guy moving from LA, I found this to be beyond weird. It is a $12 day fee. Hence I recommend the LIRR package to save a few bucks.
Day Trip to go Apple Picking (Fall): you can get a Zip Car and drive to Maskers Apple Orchard about 45 minutes from Manhattan. Now, if you are a single twenty-something, you can skip this. If you have a family, it's VERY kid-friendly. If you are a young couple, it can be a ton of fun as well. Who doesn't like picking an apple off of a tree, taking a bite, and then saying..."meh" and then throwing the rest on the ground? Yay!
View from the Orchards at Maskers
Long weekends:
Summer - Definitely go to Long Island or the NJ shore. My experience in this category is limited, but one of my biggest regrets from my time in New York was never going to Montauk (the furthest east point on Long Island). My friends raved about their recent trip and left me with a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out) - which I certainly did.
Winter - Vermont for snow sports. I had a great long weekend "brah" trip to Stowe and Killington. The conditions were so poor that we couldn’t even get on the slopes in Killington (it looked cool). Our second day was at Stowe, which was pretty solid for all the bad mouthing of East Coast skiing. If you don’t mind a touch of extra driving, stay in Burlington. It has a good nightlife scene and is a cute town right on a gorgeous lake. Keep in mind I am saying this after a 3-man bro trip, but we found a way to appreciate the scenery.
Stowe Resort, VT
Section For the Athletes.
Running: Everyone knows about jogging in Central Park. It does rule. However, it's not easily accessible to Lower Manhattanites. However, the Hudson River Parkway certainly is. Miles of updated riverfront are at your disposal. It gets a little lame from about 40th Street to 60th street (~1 mile), but overall it is amazing. These days, you can run from the East Village along the East River, all the way around Lower Manhattan and up the West Side until around 170th Street. If you can do that run, NEWSFLASH you are in good shape.Biking: Not many options here, but wanted to at least shed some light on biking over the GWB (George Washington Bridge) and into New Jersey. The Palisades Park in New Jersey is not only really beautiful, but also a great workout for bikers. When you get over the bridge, turn left. Then it's down the huge hill and a sharp left into the park. Don't worry, you will get to bike up that same hill later.
Basketball: I play hoops, so wanted to share that NYC has a ton of outdoor courts and a ton of people that play. If you are hardcore, try your luck at the famed West 4th street courts ("The Cage"). If you are like me and played high school ball and intramurals in college, but don't feel like getting dunked on, go for either the Hudson River Parkway Courts near Canal Street or the Sty Town Courts near 16th and 1st Ave (better for Saturdays and Sundays and these days you may need to know someone in the apartments there). Additionally, there are a plethora of leagues available to play in. I played in corporate leagues, Zog Sports leagues, and NY Urban Professional leagues. My favorite was the two corporate leagues as they generally featured better facilities.
Races/Events: If you get a chance, sign up (and train for) either the New York City Marathon or New York City Triathlon. Both events are hard to get into, but if you raise money for charity, you can get in. I did the latter with Team in Training and it was one of the most rewarding events I have completed. Plus, bonus for newbies, it's a great way to meet motivated people. If this sounds terrible and hard, you should definitely go watch one of them. Especially "The Marathon" which thousands go out to watch. In fact, many observers take it as an opportunity to party while thousands of runners beat up their bodies.
Barry's Bootcamp: Located in Chelsea, this bootcamp-only gym features a signature workout that I enjoyed and Stephanie swore to. She even cancelled her gym membership to strictly do Barry's in combination with running/biking. I generally haven't been a fan of the bootcamp fad, but this is a great workout. Two bonus tidbits with Barry's:
a) Tons of good-looking people there if you are looking to bolster your social scene
b) They do have locations in California, London, Norway and even Nashville, TN
Bonus Special Combo Super Neato Section:
Athletic Weekend or Day trip - If you are an active couple, I recommend doing a bike trip up to a B&B in Westchester County. You can bike through Manhattan via the Hudson River Parkway. Then, it gets a little hairy (aka biking through Harlem streets) until you get to Van Cortland Park and the Sawmill Parkway Bike Path. Once you do, you can go for miles. Stephanie and I did about 30-35 miles to Chapaqua and stayed at The Kittle Inn. Great little place with a delicious restaurant. A little on the pricey side at the restaurant but fantastic food and a great weekend adventure. Rooms were very reasonable and very nice. *note - you could take the train or rent a car to get to this area, but that would be cheating.
Speed Round - Other Favorites.
Bagel - Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Company (Chelsea, 8th Ave)Slice of Za - Bleecker Street Pizza (west village)
Pizzeria - Lombardi's (NOTE: I never tried Grimaldi's or DiFara's)
Beer Bar - Blind Tiger Alehouse (west village); runner up - Spitzer's (Lower East Side)
Bar – Radegast Hall & Biergarten (Williamsburg); German-style beer hall with both a full menu and a sausage grill in the back of the side room
Favorite Happy Hour - Friday evenings at Brooklyn Brewery. No tours. Nothing fancy. Just a room with some picnic tables and tapped beer. 6 tokens for $20.
Music Venue (indoors) - Bowery Ballroom (east village)
Music Venue (outdoors) - Prospect Park Summerstage (Brooklyn)
Bon Iver, Prospect Park Summerstage 2011
Coffee Place - Joe the Art of Coffee (west village location)
Best Breakfast - The Grey Dog (any location, my fave was obviously on our street)
Best Baked Goods - The Grey Dog (gluten free available)
Restaurant (overall) - Emporio (Italian, has gluten free options); fantastic food, cool ambiance, not overly expensive
Best dessert - Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Great Bar for a Late Night Group Event - 2nd on 2nd Karaoke (east village). Get a Room.
Least Boring Museum - Natural History Museum
Best Fancy Dinner - Eleven Madison Park (best dining experience of my life, Thanks to Wayne Hardwick!)
Best Dive Bar - Dive 75 (upper West side); they have free candy and board games!
Great place to have a BDAY @ Dive75
Outdoor Bar (downtown) - Standard Bier Garden. Can be crowded and pretentious, but a cool spot nonetheless.
Outdoor bar (uptown) - tie Boat Basin (younger) or Pier i (family friendly, solid spot for a post bike-ride beer if you do the bike over the GWB mentioned previously)
Unique Bar - Fraunces Tavern (Financial District): George Washington drank here. Nothing else needs to be said.
Favorite Deli - All of them. One of the finer things of NYC is the abundance of great delis!
Midtown Lunch Spot - "the Italian Deli" on 45th btwn 5th and 6th. I don't even know the real name. This place has great sandwiches. The guy has the change ready before you even know how much it costs.
Best ethnic food (takeout or delivery) – Taim; West Village location. Amazing falafel and smoothies. Nod to Alyson Yaffe for introducing me to this place via Food Truck.
Best ethnic food (sit down) –
Tie: Graffiti: Indian/American fusion. Tapas-Style (East Village). Thanks to Jeff Tomczek for this little gem. *Note - this place is tiny. It literally has 10 tables. You have to slide behind the cooks to get to the restroom. Ohhh New York!
Tie: Kuma Inn: Asain-style Small Plates. (Lower East Side). BYOB. Solid prices and fantastic flavors. Small, Second floor restaurant that you would never know existed even if you lived in the neighborhood.
Kuma Inn Ambiance
Burger (fancy) - The Spotted Pig (west village). Cool west village staple.
Burger (divey) - The Corner Bistro (west village). Super dive. Only like 6 things on the menu. Beers are $2 for 10 oz. of McSorley ale
(Fun Fact - McSorley's is the oldest bar in NYC)
Best Sushi (someone else is paying) - Blue Ribbon Sushi west village
Best Sushi (affordable) - Edo Sushi (union square); my first and only visit was today; my last in NY.
Fast(er) Foods - I generally love the Delis. But one other great spot is Chickpea. Shawafel Salad with a bunch of toppings and a side of pita is around $8. Done.
That’s it. That's my hot list. Sizzling, I know. My flight is almost over, my tray table is up, and I am feeling closure. Ready to take on the next chapter in Northern California. As with all guides and lists, some things were left on the sidelines. That is to be expected. At the end of this, hopefully it can help to acclimate you (or your friends or strangers) for the initial challenges of NYC. Once you overcome some of its downsides and open your mind to the unique lifestyle, this city really provides a plethora of adventure.
Now, if you know of an article like this for San Francisco, send it my way ASAP.
View from Lafayette Park near my new Apartment - SF, CA
