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.

@MissConductUS Amazing. Thanks! Any really good farm to table? I feel like it's got to be great in an agricultural area.

@allfurcoatnoknickers prepare yourself then. Once your beautiful baby arrives you will not be the only new parent! With my dd I found that my cat slept next to her cot, was next to us in the sofa. Did everything she could to be as near as she could be to the baby. Once dd was older and grabbing things she was so lovely, she used to sheath her claws and let her pull her (by the tail) for a cuddle.

Enjoy being a mummy and I hope girldog adapts after the arrival! Sounds like boydog is smitten already

$3700 a month? That's double my total wage!!

OP can I ask what you think of my list of things to do when we visit:

Yankees game
9/11 museum
Empire State
Biking in Central Park
Staten Island ferry / Statue of Liberty / Ellis island
Woodbury commons

TIA 😊

The most famous farm to table restaraunt around here is Stone Barns:

www.bluehillfarm.com/dine/stone-barns

It's right on the farm. Quite posh, need to book 2 months ahead of time, but it's in Westchester, so lower HV and not much of a trip.

I'll try to find some others for you, but this one is tops.

Hudson Valley - Rhinebeck is nice
not as nice as Ithaca, but still lovely

NYC - check out the views from Cloisters
and I like the East River walk up towards the UN

OP I wasn't thinking of childfriendly as sterile at all

more that London has lost that sense of sophistication, and if New York has also lost that, it's really sad and I wouldn't bother going again.

I know the underbelly goes on no matter what but I wasn't thinking of that at all

interesting to hear it feels overcrowded. I last worked there years and years ago and friends have told me it is now overcrowded, I suppose everywhere is. But I'm glad you're enjoying life there, that's great.

Hudson Valley - Rhinebeck is nice not as nice as Ithaca, but still lovely

I like Ithaca too - We looked at Ithaca College for DS, but it's in the Finger Lakes region, not the Hudson Valley.

MissConduct
Some of my family lived in Ithaca - swimming in lake Cayuga was part of my childhood.
As was Bear Mountain state park

@BlackPrism I know even with the higher salaries to balance out the higher cost of living, it's ridiculous. We could just about do it, but it would be really hard.

That's why we're praying for a place at the $2,500 a month one.

@MozzchopsThirty looks pretty fab. Let me do a full run down when I get to my laptop

@Grace212 I don't think it's lost it's sense of sophistication, but I first visited in 2009, so don't have 80s/90s/00s NY to compare it to.

Mind you, I'm 8 months pregnant, so I'm not seeing the sophisticated side anyway right now, more the side with somewhere to sit and not too many stairs

@MissConductUS I'm DESPERATE to go to Blue Stone Barns. Might have to wait until the baby is a bit older though...

@MissConductUS @TalkinPaece I adore Ithaca. DH went to college close by, so we try and fit in a trip to the Finger lakes whenever we can.

I'm ashamed to say I went to the Cloisters for the first time to see the Fashion and the Catholic Imagination show. My mind was blown. It's so stunningly beautiful up there.

Wow. So after your responses, I had a quick google and there's nothing on my old street for less than $7million

So then I went on google maps and had a mooch and it's not changed that much really.

To think a poor student working as a barmaid could afford to leave there back in the day!

MissConductUS I'm DESPERATE to go to Blue Stone Barns. Might have to wait until the baby is a bit older though...

If the full meal at Stone Barns is too much (they discourage children due to the length of the meal) the cafe there is lovely and they have baked goods, salads, etc. from the same kitchen. There's no reservation required and you can just pop in after some hiking and no problem bringing the baby. The grounds are lovely for walking.

@MozzchopsThirty Some thoughts:
Yankees game - YES so much fun. I find Mets stadium a bit easier to get to, but you can't go wrong with a Baseball game

9/11 museum - Haven't been. Too sad for me, but I hear it's excellent

Empire State - Do top of the Rock instead. The view is MUCH better
Biking in Central Park - Fun! Go for it

Staten Island ferry / Statue of Liberty / Ellis island - Great Idea. You'll get excellent views. Ellis Island has been on my to-do list for forever. LOADS of stairs and heavy security at the Statue of Liberty though.

Woodbury commons - Don't bother. It takes up a whole day, and it's not that cheap. Only worth it if you're after $5k Burberry marked down to $2K. Check out Century 21 downtown instead - you can do it at the same tome as the 9/11 museum. Or any of the branches of Nordstrom Rack around the city.

@CoastalWave Not sure if you looked on Streeteasy but if not feast your eyes on this

hello allfurcoatnoknickers, I'm really keen to go to NYC, I've never been so I have a few questions for you!

What is the hotel you'd most want to stay in? (5 star?)
Which airline do you think is best from UK to NYC?
Is it as hard to get a cab as it looks in movies?
If I can't face the subway, is walking / cabs doable?

Thank you!

And also, we were on homeswap sites for a while and kept offering swaps to New Yorkers, none of whom were ever interested, any ideas why? I was mostly looking to swap a 2/3 bed in NYC for a 6 bed 6 bath house in the UK countryside so I couldn't understand it at all, I really tried!

9/11 museum - Haven't been. Too sad for me, but I hear it's excellent

We finally went a few years ago with the kids, when they were 14 and 16. I had the same concern. It's honestly not sad at all. It's more reverential, like visiting a great cathedral. It's done in excellent taste - they have a separate section for personal items that were recovered and the more graphic images that you can choose to tour or avoid. We all a really enjoyed it and it didn't bother the kids a bit.

It's a good 3 hours to see it properly. If you go, buy your tickets on line ahead of time. It's a much shorter queue to get in.

I agree with you about Woodbury Commons. It's not worth the trip and parking is a nightmare.

Ithanks so much for that!
I've got the option of one world observatory, Empire State and top of the rock
Would you just do one???

Ok so Woodbury commons not worth it no? The outlets in Florida are great with Ralph Lauren stuff for the kids at silly cheap prices so it's not like that????
Was looking forward to picking up some bargains for them and the boyfriend

Is it a waste doing the Staten Island ferry as well as a boat trip to Ellis & Liberty??

@waterandlemonjuice

What is the hotel you'd most want to stay in? (5 star?)
Quirky: The Bowery Hotel or The Roxy
Traditional: Park Hyatt on 57th or maybe the Mandarin Oriental

Which airline do you think is best from UK to NYC?
Any of the UK based ones. I personally always fly Virgin, but I like BA too. Not a massive fan of Delta/American, although I'll do Delta if it's a code share with Virgin. I've never flown United, but DH has and hated it.

Is it as hard to get a cab as it looks in movies?
Only during rush hour or when it's raining, the rest of the time it's pretty easy. There's also Uber and Lyft.

If I can't face the subway, is walking / cabs doable?
Yes! Much more expensive, and you'd have to plan your day carefully, be definitely doable.

I'm not sure about the home swaps, but I don't think it's really part of the culture? Also, there are a lot of very strict rules about renting out your apartment for short lets, and I can see people getting worried about their neighbors thinking that they're illegally subletting, even if they're not.

@MozzchopsThirty Hmm. I'd do Top of the Rock for sure, and maybe One World too? I hear the views are really different, so it might be worth it. I've never been up One World because it's $$$.

Woodbury def not worth it. Horrible to get to and like I said, not especially cheap unless you're doing super high-end. Definitely do Century 21 though! You can get some real bargains there and it's a NY institution. If you're only here a short time, it's not worth losing a day in the city.

I'd do the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island first and see how you feel about the views. You can always hop on the Staten island Ferry to get some pics afterwards if you don't think the first trip was quite right.

Thank you very much, these are really helpful. Good luck with your baby!

Oh I wished I could have lived in NYC for a few years.
How much would you say one needs to earn to live comfortably there?