I live in New York City - Ask Me Anything!

[allfurcoatnoknickers]

I see NYC advice threads popping up on the travel boards a lot - anyone got any questions for a current Manhattan and former Queens resident?

I'm also married to a born and raised New Yorker, and we're imminently about to have a baby, in case anyone's wondering what it's like to be pregnant in the US.

Is Ellis Island fully reopened?
What about the redevelopment of South Street Seaport?

A friend of a friend put on loads of weight living in NYC because eating out was cheaper than cooking, do you find that?

Thank you for starting this thread!

I have questions :

Is the bar at the Top of the Rock nice? Planning on going for drinks on my next trip.

Any good restaurant recommendations near midtown manhatten? Our hotel is in that area.

Also, where do locals (that's you!) go for outdoor food markets? Something authentic? I don't want to go to Chelsea Market again.

Ooh. I would love to live in NYC, in my head it's exactly like it is in Friends!

I haven't read the thread yet (I will later) so sorry if this has been asked but is gentrification a thing there like it is in London, with areas like Hackney becoming super trendy and expensive?

What do people think of your accent? Does it get noticed or is NY so multicultural cultural that anything goes?

@MozzchopsThirty Joe's on Carmine in the West Village is widely thought to be the best pizza. My favourites are Artichoke Basille (controversial - it's a bit love/hate) and Ovest on 27th.

Burgers: PJ Clarke's on 3rd Ave. It's an old school institution. Also Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien is really good and a bit hidden away. I know Shake Shack is everywhere now, but the original in Madison Square Park is always worth a visit.

Nowhere I'd really avoid, but I suggest doing Times Square very, very early in the morning, when it's quiet, then getting the hell out of there for the rest of the day. If you're children are little they might get overwhelmed or knocked about because it's so busy.

And get out of Midtown! Lots of the touristy stuff is there, but it's also the blandest part of the City. Also, do Top of the Rock over the Empire State Building.

Do the maths carefully with the explorer pass - I know there are a few passes out there which aren't good value/offer places which are free anyway.

@Sarcelle They're brusque, but so kind. Everyone is busy, so no one is chatty, but they'll always help you out if you're in a jam. And they LOVE to give directions and help lost tourists.

I think they're better groomed and put together, but the Brits have a much better sense of personal style.

@Grace212 Nah. Bits of it are definitely very gentrified and child friendly, but New York still bubbles away under the surface. See my earlier post on recent antics on my block. And I didn't even mention the hookers in the bagel shop in that one .

It is very crowded though, can't argue with that.

@FlyingMonkeys I always thought I would, but I'm so settled here, I can't see it happening now. Also, I'd never be able to live the lifestyle I have here in London.

I miss real pubs, good cider and M&S. Also the British sense of humour and the history. Also being a short hop from mainland Europe, although I'll take being a short flight to the Caribbean as compensation.

@Jackiebrambles Schools are a real mixed bag. My local one is terrible, but the one in the zone next door is brilliant. Not everyone goes private. NY actually has a grammar system from middle school onward and a Gifted and Talented stream from age 6.

I'm hoping the sprog is smart enough to get into one of the selective schools. We're not planning on going private - but we are planning on moving to a good school district.

@petitdonkey ooh i LOVE being a travel agent. Ask away!

I think they'd like Vandal. It's on the Bowery, but it's not that far from Soho. Very Scene-y and instagrammable. And they do sushi! It's not about the food though, it's about the people watching.

A bit further East, but I also really Beauty and Essex - it's hidden behind an old Pawn Shop.

If you want to go uptown a little, then Tao on 9th Avenue is great. It's very "see and be seen", and a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.

@TalkinPaece No idea about Ellis Island, but the Seaport is back in business and better than ever. Check out Pier 17. Great bars and always something interesting going on.

DH and I spend a lot of time down there in the summer.

@weebarra I put on 20lbs when I first moved here. But after a while, the novelty wears off, and you lose tons of weight because you walk everywhere. I was the thinnest I'd ever been in my adult life before I got pregnant.

How often do you leave the city and where do you go on hols/for breaks

@managedmis Bar SixtyFive? I haven't been because it's too expensive for me. But I've heard good things!

Midtown East or West? Midtown East - make sure you go to PJ Clarke's on 3rd. Other than that, the food scene isn't great.

Midtown West is Hell's Kitchen, so you're spoiled for choice. I absolutely adore Bea on 43rd and Los Tacos No 1, also on 43rd. Check Out Grub Street for more suggestions. Just stay away from the tourist traps in Times Square and you'll be fine. If you don't have kids with you, Reunion Bar on 44th does an amazing Happy Hour and decent enough food. I had my last drink in there before I found out I was pregnant...

Food market - go to the Union Square Greenmarket at the weekend! DH was just there this Saturday and came home loaded down with stuff.

Also, check out the Smorgasburgs: www.smorgasburg.com/ and the Brooklyn Flea: brooklynflea.com/

Not sure if the Flea still does food, but it's always worth a visit.

@managedmis Also, back when I lived in the area, I was a regular at the LIC flea - it's a short hop from Midtown.

@evilharpy Definitely happening. Where I live used to be rough as fuck until the Highline opened in 2009, then it gentrified at a terrifying rate.

Likewise, lots of Brooklyn has gentrified extremely fast. Hyper gentrification is a real problem

Check out Vanishing New York for more on the topic.

Were staying near Hell's Kitchen
Are there lots of good places to eat?

I want to steer mine away from subway and macdonalds

Do you find it noisy? Thinking of the honking car horns! Do you recognise the different NY accents now?

The first time I went to the Highline I loved it. But a year later I went back and it felt like walking through a building site, and lots of the views gone due to (over) development. I guess thats inevitable in a densely populated bug city (same in Ldn) but has there been any local uproar about it being spoiled as an open air space.

Lucky you!! It’s such a great city I lived in Manhattan in 1982 for two year with my then boyfriend we live in Stuyvesant town which was lovely!! I had not been back until three years ago what a change in that part of the city!! Union square was quite rough and the east village was not like it is now it’s all so much more posh then I remembered!! I had two great years. Just a lifetime ago !! But like most big city’s great when you are young !! And great to visit at any age.

@Orchidflower1 It does get picked up occasionally, but people are generally really nice, or wonder how I ended up in NY.

It's commented on A LOT more when I leave NYC though.

Thanks for the reply Op and fab user name!

@Stevienickssleeves DH and I both get loads of holiday and we travel all the time. Recent trips have included Park City in Utah, Grand Cayman, a trip back to the UK (we went to Brighton and the South Downs, as well as my home town), San Francisco and Napa, Las Vegas, Charlotte NC and Fire Island off Long Island. That's all in the past year!

I'd be heading off to Arizona and Vegas in the next month, tagging on on DH's work trips if I weren't too pregnant to fly. I also had to cancel plans to go to Lake Tahoe and Tulum due to being knocked up .

We'll definitely spend some time at the beach at Fire island this summer, my best friends just bought a beach house and I can't wait to visit.

@MozzchopsThirty Hells Kitchen might be the perfect place to stay. It's very vibrant and cool, with excellent transport links and great food. There are so many good restaurants, you'll be spoiled for choice. Take a look at Grub Street for restaurant suggestions. I also mentioned a couple up-thread.

Try Amy's Bread for great sandwiches, Piccolo cafe and Num pang (don't think there's one in Hell's Kitchem but there are a few around). Stay out of MacDonalds, the ones around there tend to be a bit dodgy.

@Sarcelle You get used to it! My street is pretty quiet, and my bedroom faces over gardens, so it's pretty serene. I do go out of my way to avoid some of the more overcrowded and frantic areas though.

Lots of recent hand wringing over the High line. Interesting article here: nypost.com/2017/02/13/high-line-creator-admits-the-park-is-a-problem-for-residents/

Also Vanishing New York has a few ranty posts on the subject.