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 Hunter College any good? Is Manhattan diverse? Are there a lot of part time jobs?

Yes, yes and yes.

It's also in a lovely neighborhood.

is Manhattan diverse
Yes

I'm a WASP now live in the UK with 400 years of NYC heritage FFS parts of it are named after my family

NYC is wonderful and I relish every moment I get to spend there

@feistymumma I second everything @MissConductUS says. Hunter is great - extremely well regarded in NYC, known for having brainy students. Manhattan is extremely diverse, lots of part time jobs - especially restaurants, bar tending, retail etc.

Hunter is on the Upper East Side near Central Park - gorgeous area and super safe if you're anxious about safety in particular. Anything else worrying you?

@TalkinPaece I'm entertaining myself trying to guess which family

I'm guessing either Stuyvesant, Van Cortlandt or Van Rensselaer. If you go back 400 years the city was still New Amsterdam and the settlers were mostly Dutch.

My family started in Kent then some got in a boat and did rather well for themselves the NYC named bits are a tad later (late 1700's)

Haha, I'd forgotten, the nyc parenting Facebook groups are something else! Amazing insight into other people's lives and preoccupations, I was completely addicted!

Did you learn to navigate the subway easily?

When I went, my best friend and I were woefully terrible. We wanted to go to the SoL, so got on the subway all confident. We're chatting away about what we'd see and a gentleman across from us chuckled and told us we were heading for the bronx, in totally the wrong direction.

we were heading for the bronx, in totally the wrong direction.

I've done that too.

@MaddieElla I learned to navigate it pretty easily, but I messed up a lot and still get it wrong sometimes.

I've definitely gone south when I meant to go north, have been caught out by mindlessly boarding express trains when I needed the local and used to regularly screw up and go to the wrong 23rd street station.

Even DH, who grew up here, messes it up sometimes! It doesn't help that the subway is a bit of a mess right now, especially at the weekend, so you get trains running on the wrong lines and confusing everyone.

@Marmighty I am shamefully addicted. The one for my neighbourhood is fairly sane, but the group for the posher neighbourhood next door is completely batshit - lots of hamptons houses for rent for $6k per month, and people wondering how you can POSSIBLY fit 2 kids into a 2 bedroom loft 🙄

Another NY living Brit here. @allfurcoatnokickers for a pretty quick day out (50 mins drive from NYC) Check our Harriman State Park in Rockland County. Go in the morning, take a drive up 7 Lakes Drive and hike in any of the many beautiful trails. Then head to Sloatsburg and the Valley Rock Inn and Mountain club. Great food, a decent farm store and a GREAT coffee shop.

Great thread, thanks!

I'm going to NYC at the end of August. Overwhelmed by searching for hotels, but think I've decided on The Warwick - is that any good??

I'm trying to dine on a budget. There are things I def want to try - burger in the meatpacking district (any recommendations?), those rainbow bagels, hotdog from a street vendor (will I die?!). I also wanted to try the worlds biggest pizza slice, but I think it's too far away.
To keep food costs down, I was planning to stock up on drinks and snacks, and maybe the odd breakfast/lunch from a supermarket or mini mart - do those places exist in central NYC? Can I buy the equivalent of a Boots meal deal in NYC?!

@AlbertWinestein Thank you! That sounds great, never heard of it before, but I'll add it to the list. Great coffee shop is always a must. How long have you been in NY for?

@JaneyJimplin Warwick is nice! V. smart and in a decent, if very busy part of Midtown. RE Eating on a budget:

Burger in the Meatpacking: Bubby's or the Standard Grill. Dinner only - they are both a zoo at brunch. Ask me how I know .

Street vendors are a legit place to get food. Those carts get inspected every morning! You won't die, and a coffee and a bagel from a street cart is a legitimate cheap breakfast, as is a bacon, egg and cheese from a local bodega. Ask one of the hotel staff where to get one in the area, they'll know :)

Stocking up on drinks and snacks is a great idea. I recommend a trip to Trader Joes to stock up at the beginning of your trip, I think the one in Chelsea might be the nearest? Stock up on Kind Bars, Lara Bars, all the amaaaazing TJ's snacks. You won't regret it. The NY tap water is fab, so you can just take a refillable water bottle.

I don't think Meal Deals really exist, but I suggest popping into the Columbus Circle Whole Foods to pick up pre-made salads and wraps for lunch. They're pretty reasonably priced. There are also delis and bodegas everywhere where you can pick up a sandwich or raid the salad bar. Also, if you're feeling dirty, everyone I know has a slice of dollar pizza for lunch occasionally.

Can't remember where the rainbow bagels are from (we had them in the office once and they were decent) but the best bagel shops in NY are arguably Brooklyn Bagel (in Manhattan and Queens too! DH's fave), Murray's Bagel (my fave), Absolute bagels and Russ and Daughters.

That is all so helpful

Thank you OP and MissConduct and anyone else I have missed for your feedback. My DS is really excited about going to Hunter College.

@JaneyJimplin No problem. Happy to help!
@feistymumma Glad to have been able to put your mind at ease. Your DS is going to have a great time.

Essabagel - 2nd and 22nd is good

And do not forget the Union Square food market - SCRUMMY fresh cheeses from upstate

Hi, I will be visiting NY in September for a few days & then travelling on to Boston. I'm looking at Amtrak currently rather than a bus. Is Penn Station easy to navigate, I'll be on my own & panicking about getting on the wrong train?

@shrinkinvi I take Amtrak on a regular basis and often change trains in Penn Station. It's an older station, but much smaller than Grand Central, so not so hard to manage. You'll come into the main waiting area and see the display boards that show the track assignments. Tracks often won't be announced until 15-20 minutes before departure, so you'll have to keep an eye on the boards. If you don't see the gate for your track number, ask. There are plenty of railroad employees about. There is also a special sitting area for Amtrak ticket holders. If you wait there, the employee checking tickets for entry can tell you where your track is.

Get there early and you'll be fine. The train is a far superior option than a bus. Buy your ticket online and download the Amtrak smartphone app. It will allow you to show your ticket for scanning.

Thanks MissConductUS, that's really helpful

You're welcome!

It turns out that Amtrak has an app just for getting around in Penn Station:

www.amtrak.com/findyourway

The station is very busy, with a lot of people running about. I'd book a train that leaves after 9:00 AM and before 4:00 to miss the worst of the rush hour. Most people are there for the commuter trains.

Thanks, was thinking early afternoon, the prices reflect that as well!

@shrinkinvi What @MissConductUS said. leave plenty of time and you won't get lost. Penn station is a bit grotty, but it's easy to navigate and you'll have no problems finding your train.

Early afternoon is a great time to travel, it can be a bit of a zoo at rush hour.

What drives me batty about Penn Station (and yes, it is a bit grotty) is that the gate numbers are not always prominently marked above the doors and they are not all visible from any one place as they are in Grand Central Terminal. The last time I had to ask for help finding a gate I was told it was around the corner from the Dunkin Donuts counter. I couldn't see it until I was past the doughnut shop.