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.

@CoastalWave TriBeCa is SO POSH. I could never, ever afford to live there. I doubt you could buy a studio for under $1m.

I never even really go down there because everything in the area is so pricy.

WOW! I should dig out my old photos! I lived on White Street and used to work in a bar literally down the road called the R bar! There was a strip club on the other corner, which we thought was just so seedy! This was back in 95. Our rent (if I remember correctly) was $700 a month. It was a second floor apartment and when you went through the door on the ground floor it was a dump. I remember feeling outraged we were paying so much. I do remember thinking though, i wonder if this will become a 'trendy' area as it was quite SATC even back then (before SATC obviously, but when that came out it really reminded me of living there)

I love this thread. Living vicariously through you OP!

New Yorker here too, born and raised, living in the Hudson Valley, but worked in Manhattan for many years.

Great thread, glad you're thriving in NYC!

Do you know where you're going to have the baby?

@CoastalWave It shot straight through trendy and is now the place where lawyers and iBankers move when they have kids.

When some of DH's friends found out we were expecting, their first response was "oh you must move to tribeca, the schools are simply fantastic". Bit our of our price range, but thanks for the advice.

@peachgreen Thank you! I'm glad people find it interesting.

I'm having a very exciting evening of cobbling together dinner out of whatever's in the fridge and watching Netflix with my dogs though DH is on a business trip. So I don't even have him for company.

@MissConductUS I'd love to get to know the Hudson Valley better. Any recs on where to start? We go upstate to the Finger Lakes a fair bit, but always just drive straight through.

Having the baby at NY-Presbyterian Columbia. Which is a bit of a schlep, but it's where I get the best insurance coverage.

My downstairs neighbor is due in a week and is at the much closer NYU .

Not pregnancy related but do you see a lot of celeb sightings? We took a short trip before the birth of DD and there appeared to be some sort of celeb in every restaurant we went to, no one we knew though!

They'll take very good care of you at NYP, it's an excellent hospital.

There is a lot to see and do in the Hudson Valley (I'm not far from Beacon, by the way). It really depends on your interests. Teatown Reservation in Westchester if you want a bit of nature, the Rockefeller estate is in the same general area, so you could do both in a day trip.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykuit

A bit further up you'll find the Storm King Art Center, West Point, Mohonk Mountain House is a lovely place to stay or have brunch at (a bit pricey though).

And Rye Playland when the baby is a bit older - it's a fabulous, historic amusement park.

If you let me know a bit more about your interests I can make more specific recommendations.

So many films are shot in New York. Do you often see them being made and do you see celebs out and about going about their day?

Also I notice New Yorkers love their dogs. Where do you go where the dogs can be off their leads and really race around chewing sticks etc?

And lastly what do most people do for work who live in Manhattan? Are they all bankers, lawyers etc to be able to afford the sky high rents? Do the shop and restaurant staff travel in from afar?

@Willowkoko I actually live upstairs from a B-list celeb. Ran into him in the lobby this morning. It's his pied-a-terre though, so he and is also famous girlfriend aren't around that much.

I do see celebs around a fair bit, especially in the West Village, and I see Sarah Jessica Parker on the subway all the time.

@Grandadwasthatyou I don't see a ton of films being made, but I do see TONS of TV shows. Law and Order, Elementary, the Blacklist, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and God Friended Me seem to be the most common at the moment. Luke Cage and Mozart in the Jungle filmed all the time in my old neighbourhood.

How do you relax in the city that never sleeps?

Do you miss having outdoor space being in an upstairs apartment?

Ooh and what dogs do you have?

@Grandadwasthatyou ARGH.Pressed post too soon. The filming can actually be a total PITA, if they're shooting on your block, you'll have to battle your way through production assistants to get back to you apartment.

We DO love our dogs. So, so very much. Almost every neighbourhood has a specially designated and designed dog park, where dogs can go off leash at any time. You can also take your dogs to Central park and prospect park between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. and let them run off leash there. We take ours up to Central Park on the subway as often as we can.

@Grandadwasthatyou I reckon a lot of people living in Manhattan are white collar professionals, but there are still some blue collar neighbourhoods around - like East Harlem, Washington Heights and Two Bridges. There are also middle class enclaves like Hudson and Hamilton Heights and Inwood, my friends who live there are desperately hoping that no one cottons on to where they live, so the prices don't go up. As well as rent controlled apartments, income restricted apartments and projects. A lot of the service and blue collar workers will live further out in Brooklyn/Queens/Bronx/Staten Island. But those neighborhoods aren't bad, just further away.

@MissConductUS Thank you! How about some suggestions for beautiful little towns and not too challenging hiking. I hear that the Hudson Valley also has a spectacular food scene...

@Zofloramummy Lots of little ways! I avoid the very stressful parts of town like Midtown whenever I can, when not massively pregnant I do a lot of yoga, I love to take long walks with my dogs - I head west and south where the streets are quieter, or go to the waterfront. My apartment is also my sanctuary. I have it decorated so that it's very calm and cozy, although I'm aware that that'll change when the baby arrives.

I do miss having outdoor space - my last apartment building had two roof decks, and I do miss that. I'd love to have a balcony. However, I loathe gardening, so I don't miss having a garden.

The dogs are Jack Russells - one wirehaired boy and one short haired girl. They're both rescues from kill shelters we actually plucked GirlDog from the euthanasia list. She survived by hours, maybe minutes. They're just the sweetest most spoiled little creatures. DH and I both have the opportunity to work from home a fair amount, but we have a dog walker for them, or use a daycare when we have to be out all day. They're a huge expenditure, but we wouldn't be without them.

Bear Mountain State Park for hiking. Try Tarrytown, Peekskill and Garrison for interesting towns. If you make it to Peekskill Taco Dive Bar is a fun place to have a meal and it's right by the train station and the river.

Any particular type of food that you fancy?

Omg so glad you saved girldog! Do they know their life is about to change? I’m a cat lady and when I was pregnant my cat camped out on my stomach and then guarded my dd when she arrived!

Can I ask what jobs do you and your DH do?

I live in a traditional U.K. Victorian terrace, so no garden. We have a yard big enough for a table and chairs, swing ball and a washing line. But there is a park across the road, a country park a 5 min walk away and town is 10 mins in the opposite direction.
You said you were selling up soon, will you look for something with an outdoor space or is location and bedrooms the main priority?

Also - have you watched white collar? If so how much would Peter and Elizabeth’s house have cost? (Completely factious question)

You mention that you're going to have to sell, is that because you'll look for somewhere else with the baby? Where are you planning to look?

@Zofloramummy BoyDog knows and is OBSESSED. He is clamped to me as much as possible, and keeps putting his paws on my bump and staring at me sagely. GirlDog DGAF.

I'm keeping this very vague, but DH has a backoffice job in a massive brokerage firm, and I'm a Director at a non-profit.

@Zofloramummy @elkiedee Yep, we're selling because, although we live in a sizeable 1 bed/ 1.5 bath duplex, it's really not big enough for a toddler, and I don't want to share a room with my baby much past 6 months, or I would like the option of not sharing a room after 6 months.

@Zofloramummy @elkiedee Outdoor space is on the wishlist, but location and bedrooms have to take precedence. We'd love to stay in our current neighbourhood, but it'll take a miracle to be able to afford it. We're currently looking at the Upper West Side, Battery Park City and the Financial District. We might go over to the East Side if we find a real bargain, but the commute would be crappy for both of us.

@Zofloramummy Never watched White Collar. Sorry!