Moving from London to New York- HELP PLEASE

[Newjobformoremoney]

Hi all,
In a bit of a whirlwind week it seems highly likely that we are relocating to New York for 6 months. Its all a bit overwhelming.
We have a dog that we'd take with us, has anyone done that and can recommend a service? Schooling? How do we manage that? We have a 5 year old and ideally I would cut my hours to PT (visa depending).
Apartment would be sorted by the company I think, but they have a few so does anyone recommend a good family friendly area?
What else should I be thinking about? What should I be thinking about? Any advice? Any good links?
They'd like us to move in January.... which feels very soon!
Any words of wisdom?

Just a short update to say we made it. Living in the upper west side (which is amazing thanks for the recommendations). Dog is here and was absolutely fine travelling. Got our daughter into a local school that is bilingual. Issue is no way I’ll want to leave in 6 months 😂.

Thanks for all the advice and help. It’s absolutely the right choice for our family and I’m so glad we made it!

Congratulations OP! Have an amazing time. I ❤️ NY

Amazing, so pleased that you went. Enjoy and make the most of it however long you stay.

Welcome! Did you get a furnished rental in the end? And what sort of school setting did you find for your DD?

You're extremely lucky to be here for the first winter without snow. It’s actually felt like spring some days this past couple
of weeks! 6 months will just fly by, especially with warm weather just round the corner. You should look into extending your stay asap 😂

Thanks for the update! I was a naysayer but delighted to hear you made it work. Well done!

Yes @Partyandbullshit we’ve got a furnished place. It’s a block from Central Park and it’s just delightful. Whoever recommended wholefoods and trader joes thank you! Both are great finds (though I think I might need to sell a kidney to afford wholefoods).

We’ve gone for a bilingual state school which is awesome as we’re still paying our Uk school fees and it’s delightful we don’t need to pay the additional 25k!

Yes. Gut feel, we’re going to stay! The weather has been amazing, I wore a dress a few days ago.

Considering my options for employment. Employer gave me my LTIP earlier but our share price has plummeted. Lots to consider.

thank you for the well wishes @NextPrimeMinister

So jealous! I used to live on the UWS and it’s my favourite place ever. I’m sure you’ll find your way round in no time but if you want any pointers, I’d be happy to help!

Well done for getting there, and with dog! I can't resist adding a few more tips.

Fairway and Citarella (Broadway and 74th and 75th, respectively) are fabulous for food shopping as is the 79th Street green market (79th and Columbus). I highly recommend Daily Provisions (Amsterdam & 78th) for egg sandwiches.

My kids whiled away many a rainy afternoon at the Children's Museum of Manhattan (83rd Street). The New Victory Theatre has a fantastic programme of productions for children, well worth checking out what's running. And Chelsea Piers has a huge variety of family activities, albeit pretty expensive. Riverside Park is quieter than Central Park, but also lovely--if you're a runner, it's a nice place to run.

Oh, and if you find yourself way downtown, I highly recommend the Doughnut Plant on Grand Street (although be warned that they sell out pretty early).

Pizza - John's of Bleeker for whole pies, Joe's and Prince Street Pizza for slices (sicilian style or square slices from Prince Street).

Enjoy your time there! I love London but will never stop missing New York.

Free kayaking off pier 26 I think?

Nice update! Sounds great . The UWS is lovely and quite family orientated. Park and museums so close. Quite jealous. ! Hope you and your family enjoy .

Super update!

So glad you found a public school. Hope you and DD will make some friends and have fun. Spring in NYC is glorious, something to look forward to.

Chicago is definitely colder and spring comes later.

Hello all,
I thought I would just update this thread as I hate it as when I invest in threads and they remain unresolved.
We are now doing the reserve, and getting ourselves ready to move back (via France). It's been an amazing six months, and I am so glad that we took the jump and made the move. We had to option to stay or go back to London, and ultimately we decided London suited us better at the moment.
We have managed to make a good group of friends, and will be sad to see them go but we're already talking about meeting up in the middle.
For anyone considering making a move, and taking a leap of faith, do it. You will regret the things that you don't do, rather than those you would. Happy to give a more in-depth review and what we learnt if anyone will find it helpful, but equally happy to keep these things to myself!

I'm so glad you enjoyed your time in NYC. Thanks for the update, and come back soon.

Thanks for the update. My question is, was the upheaval worth it for 6 months? (Sounds like a goady/mean question).

My mindset would likely talk me out of the trip, am curious how you feel?

It was totally worth it! I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’ve learnt loads about what we need as a family to be happy and we found 6 months be right for us.

as you said, it’s a mindset thing. If you know your priorities it’s easier to make informed decisions.

My partner and I have a healthy appetite for risk too which helps.

well done OP! I share your enthusiasm for adventure…I went out there for 12 months and ended up staying nearly 6 years. It’s a fabulous place to live and gave me such a different perspective of life and amazing experiences. I’d recommend living overseas for a while to anyone. I took my Dd5 and DD7 over in October last year for a couple of weeks and they loved it as much as I did…it was the first time I’d experienced NY with kids. I’m hoping it will give them a bit of a travel bug too when they are older and a desire to explore and live in different places. They learned more in 2 weeks there than they would have learned in 2 weeks in school at home.
Enjoy France!