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.

@BadTigerKitty I've never been on the tram! I used to walk over the 59th Street bridge all the time though, and I think the views are similar. I'll have to give it a try some time.

It is a great city to live in, but it can be really hard some days, and quite brutal in a lot of ways. The stereotype about New Yorkers being neurotic and in therapy is around for a reason! I have a close friend who was transferred over from his London Office, and he found it really difficult for the first year or so. Although, he's doing great now.

@PARunnerGirl It's a bit of an post-industrial building site, but I lived there for three years and loved it so, so much! I'm always recommending Gantry Park to visitors. Best free views of Manhattan IMHO. Let me see if I can dig out a photo.

Slightly morbid, but when my dog died back in August, we scattered her ashes there, because it was her favorite place to go for walks.

I have very basic questions from an ignoramous!

Is a brownstone just a building made of brown stone?!! A terrace? Several floors?

Do you have to be pretty rich to live in a building with a doorman?

Do most people have gardens or not?

Loving this thread! Planning a short honeymoon to New York for Christmas - appreciate it will be crowded beyond belief but want DH to see the Christmas season western style! (Currently live in Japan where Christmas is a bit mehh)

Are there any hotels in particular you’d recommend? If not - loving this thread for all the cafe and cute spot recommendations!

A brownstone is a Victorian/Edwardian terrace. I live in one that's been split up into flats, although if you're loaded, or willing to live somewhere stabby, you can buy a whole one.

I used to live in a doorman building and I am solidly middle class. You won't be living in one if you're struggling, but a couple on 50k a year each could do a 1 bed or a studio in plenty of doorman buildings around the city. Maybe not in an expensive area, but it's doable.

Gardens are not super common unless you're in a more suburban part of the city like Forest Hills, Staten Island or Riverdale. There are a lot of roof decks (both private and communal) around though, and plenty of people have balconies and terraces. Two of the downstairs apartments in my building split the garden. In my old building with the doorman, we had two communal roof decks and some of the penthouses had terraces.

Oops! That last post was for @brownjumper

@tanitani The fact that you know it'll be packed puts you waaaaay ahead of the curve. Actually, the main shopping drag of 5th ave around Rockefeller Plaza will be a total horror show, but the rest of the city will be ok. Get up early to beat the crowds and you'll be fine.

Happy to recommend a hotel! Do you have a budget? Don't want to be suggesting my local (but very good!) Sheraton Four Points when you're aiming for something more like the Plaza. Or Vice-Versa.

I used to work in event planning and do room blocks, so my hotel knowledge is pretty good for someone who lives here! And I do love playing tour guide.

Ahhh what luck! Im thinking in pounds for one week we’d like to stick to between £900-£1500, depending what’s doable.
Doesn’t have to be AMAZING but a little bit special would be nice.
Planning for one week! Any seasonal Christmas events you love?

I’ve been to New York once, it was amazing and I’m really looking forward to it. First time for DH.

One other tip on the Weather Underground site - if you click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen it lets you select C or F and then displays all of the temperatures in that scale. I know the F numbers won't make much sense to people outside of the US.

I hope you didn't mind my answering the question on the best weather forecasting site allfur, I'm not trying to hijack your thread, I'm just a New Yorker.

@tanitani That budget is tight for Christmas, but I LOVE a challenge . Here are my suggestions for places which are reasonable, but not a cookie cutter Holiday Inn:

The Yotel Tiny rooms, but so cleverly designed. Great location, nice restaurant, very close to the new Hudson Yards development and the northern end of the Highline.

The Hudson This one is properly marmite. Teeny tiny rooms BUT the location can't be beat, and it has two fantastic bars, both of which are very popular with locals for after work drinks. I'm a massive fan of the Morgans Group generally, and this is their cheapest NYC property

Any of the NYC Pod Hotels My best friend always stays here when she visits. The 39th street one is probably the quietest and the Times Square one is brand new and has a very trendy Tiki Bar inside. The rooms are small, but not actually pods.

Captain's Cabin at the Jane Hotel I love the Jane. Gorgeous communal spaces and a beautiful restaurant. Very quirky decor and a great location. The Captains Cabins are the only rooms without shared bathrooms - don't bother with any of the other room classes.

Innside by Melia I've never been here or worked with them, but I live nearby and hear they offer great bang for your buck. Might be a bit out of your budget, but worth a look?

@MissConductUS If you're advising on the weather, hijack away! I can NEVER get it right this time of year. you should see the ridiculous outfit I have on today to try and cover all weather eventualities. I could definitely disabuse anyone of the notion that New Yorkers are stylish.

@tanitani RE: seasonal events I love. THE CHRISTMAS MARKETS!! I am obsessed. Union Square and Bryant Park are my favorites. Also ice skating at the Standard Hotel or at the Bryant Park market. I'd advise against any of the rinks in Central Park, they're overpriced and owned by the Trump corp.

I was in the throws of terrible, crippling morning sickness this Christmas, but Pier 17 at the Seaport did an Ice Rink and Winter Wonderland which I wish I'd gone to. I bet they'll do something similar this year.

I also love to check out all the holiday windows in the shops, but I try to go very early in the morning or at night, it's a zoo in the day.

Lastly, DH is Jewish (as are many New Yorkers) and the quintessential NYC experience for those who do not celebrate Christmas is to go and get Chinese Food and then see a movie. We did that this year due to me being too ill to really go anywhere or do anything more, and it was GREAT. Book your Chinese restaurant in advance though, the best ones fill up quickly.

I can NEVER get it right this time of year. you should see the ridiculous outfit I have on today to try and cover all weather eventualities.

Days like today are tricky. Chilly, foggy with rain coming through later. It's clearly a Squall day:

Women's 3 in 1 Long Squall Coat

I swear by Lands End for functional, attractive outerwear. And there's always a discount code on retailmenot.com or if you sign up for their emails. We all have LE coats and jackets. DH returned his LE winter Squall Parka last fall as the zipper broke and they gave him a $40 gift card for it. It was at least 25 years old and his lovely new one is even nicer.

Love this thread! We got back last week and had a ball. Regarding the weather - layer up!!! We got soaked to the skin and sunburnt in 24 hours.

Brilliant thread topic!

I've always wanted to visit NYC- we really should have done it before children!

Some good friends of ours in London moved over there a couple of years ago- they were living in south Manhattan?Battery Park but last year moved out to (relative?) suburbia of Brooklyn.

So we did make it over in time when they were in Manhattan! They have a young DC1 which prompted the move- now expecting twins yikes!

We DIDN'T make it over to Manhattan before they moved!

Reading this thread with great interest

@MissConductUS I'll investigate Lands End as soon as I'm not pregnant. I like that coat you linked to!

I've got this on today, but in grey: us.topshop.com/en/tsus/product/hooded-rain-mac-7000280?Ntt=raincoat

So glamorous, so stylish, very Carrie Bradshaw/Blair Waldorf .

Also, who upthread asked me if I wear colour? Pale pink jacket, leopard scarf and green shoes today!

@TurquoiseDress I'm glad you like it!

Battery Park City is a lovely area in downtown Manhattan. very popular with families. DH and I are eyeing it up at the moment, but it's slightly out of our price range because the maintenance fees on the flats are so high.

There are some beautiful suburban bits of Brooklyn. I harbor dreams of a beautiful house in the Prospect Park South Historic District. Like this.

You can do NY with kids! It's much more child friendly than most people realize, you just have to plan carefully, so as not to wear out little legs. I acknowledge it's not going to be a getting in to trouble in LES Dive Bar sort of trip though...

@Freddiemercurysjeans Ahhh springtime in New York, torrential rain, blistering sun and bone chilling cold.

So glad that you enjoyed your trip! It makes me really happy to hear when people come to NY and have a brilliant time. What was your favorite thing? Least favorite?

allfur that rain Mac from topshop looks fabulous. The Squall coat from LE might be a bit more of a fall and winter item. I think you're all set for outerwear. I was out walking at lunch time when it started to pour and just wound up with wet shoes.

Springtime weather in NYC is not generally a treat. It could be worse. Boston, where DS is in uni, is colder and rainier. They get more snow in the winter as well.

@allfurcoatnoknickers we loved it all!9/11 was probably the thing that will stay with me. Top of the Rock was really cool - we went up at about 7pm just before sunset so got the day and night views. Brooklyn Bridge was fun (where we got burned) and we also did a nighttime river cruise which was amazing. The kids enjoyed Ellen's although it is a total tourist trap.

The whole trip was so fun, extremely tiring - we walked 54 miles in total but i could've wandered the streets for another week easily its just such an exciting place to be.

We got married there last year..just the 2 of us...so are going back for our anniversary next werk. Planning a day in Brooklyn and one in Greenwich Village.
Can't wait

Ah, very mixed feelings reading this thread, having left nyc at the end of 2015 after five amazing years. I was so depressed for about a year after heading back to the UK, and have pushed all the amazing memories to the back of my mind. I can almost smell the city reading all the recommendations. BUT we're heading back to see friends for the first time since we left this July and, although we'll have kids in tow so we won't be visiting all our old haunts and our friends have also all had kids and moved to QUEENS... I now can't wait!!

Have you considered getting a Nanny once you go back to work? We found it worth it for the flexibility and real care our lovely one showed our DD.

Is Hunter College any good? Is Manhattan diverse? Are there a lot of part time jobs? My son is spending a year at Hunter College from August and I am rather anxious. Thank you.

@MissConductUS Autumn is better IMHO. My BIL and his wife live in Boston and we keep accidentally visiting in the winter - really need to break that habit!

@Freddiemercurysjeans YayTop of the Rock! I am insistent that that is the best view of the city. If you're up the Empire State Building, you can't see it. That's the third time someone's recommended the 9/11 museum. I guess I'll have to go - maybe when I'm on maternity leave.

I have mixed feelings about Ellen's Stardust Diner - I know why people go, but I get very aggravated when people on the travel threads recommend it like it's an actual diner/some real local's experience. Er, no. It's a tourist trap, embrace it for what is it!

@Lungelady Happy Anniversary! I love Greenwich Village. Wish I could afford to live there...

@Marmighty If you can't tell already from this thread, I LOVE Queens. I hope you have an amazing trip! If it weren't such a horrible commute for both DH and me (neither of us work in Midtown), we'd def move to Forest Hills or Astoria for more space. I don't know how I'd feel about moving back to the UK - I think I'd struggle TBH, I already struggle a bit when I go back to visit my parents. Plus as I've mentioned before on this thread, the current immigration laws make it pretty much impossible for us.

A nanny is definitely an option. We thought we'd try daycare, and if it doesn't work for us, switch to a nanny. It's harder to get a daycare place at short notice than it is to hire a nanny at short notice. I am on the Manhattan Have a Nanny/Need a Nanny FB page and it is...really quite something. I like to send DH the really outrageous postings.