To absolutely HATE New York

[GreetingsFromVenus]

Dreamed of going there for many years. Thought it would be amazing. Everyone seems to think it is.

Here now and I hate it. Extortionate prices, rude ignorant locals, so many aggressive beggars. mentally ill people shouting in the street. loads of homeless people. The subway stations are disgusting and feel very menacing compared to London.

I find it really depressing actually and feel that the way Hollywood has portrayed New York is all smoke and mirrors. It is nothing special at all IMO. In fact it has a LOT of social issues and it made me feel quite sick to be spending $100 just for a mid range meal for 2 (no dessert) while there were people asking for food outside.

Central Park - pffttt!

Cannot wait to get home next week and will never complain about London prices again!

Anyone else felt the same?

London is also expensive with a high number of homeless people, though.

London has a homelessness problem, much worse if course in recent years thanks to the Conservatives being in power. But the numbers aren’t comparable. New York has something like ten times the number of people sleeping rough.

NYC is amazing but tricky if you’re a tourist and don’t know it well, I think. I lived there for a few years and it took me a couple of months to get under its skin. I’m familiar with other big US cities, and I like them, but nothing beats New York.

I went back recently for a short trip and although much has changed, it still has the same energy; I miss it! I personally wouldn’t bother with much of the explicitly touristy stuff, though I understand the urge to tick things off the list. The west village, soho, noho, the east village, that’s where I’d be hanging out. January definitely not the best time to be there though, like lots of places.

Also the people I met when I worked there were so warm and kind; colleagues going out of their way to help me in my career for example. I reject the idea that New Yorkers are essentially rude, wasn’t my experience at all.

Just read your other comment OP about loving Florida, I have spent half of my life in Florida (Tampa) as half of my family are there and it's a second home for me, I adore it and would move tomorrow however I think you seem to have linked Florida and New York City up together because they're both America. They are worlds apart. I personally love both.

I've been a few times, and love it, which surprised me because I'm not usually a city person.

It's one of the few cities I've visited where someone stopped to help, unprompted.

One visit was in early February- bitterly cold (XH wasn't prepared for it!) but that brought amazing sights- fountains frozen solid, the river just a sheet of ice. We took the train to (I think) Cold Spring and had a lovely meal in an otherwise empty restaurant .

I can believe that the pandemic has hit hard, but I still can't wait to go back- there's so much left to do.

NYC is the essence of America, the true melting pot. Give it a few years to get back on its feet after covid and like others have said, leave midtown try some other boroughs.

I agree it’s the essence of America, but unfortunately it’s in the sense of a declining Empire. NYC compares badly to most other cities in almost every metric apart from the massive financial industry.

Just seen that you love Florida. I won't comment defending NY then, we have wildly different tastes.

I haven't been there for a long time now, so can't comment on how it is right now. I have had experiences in the past though where I go somewhere and it all feels awful. You've had a few shocks from threatening behaviour, the blood, and some particularly high prices. The best thing would be to pause and "start again". Can you cancel the hotel to book somewhere in a different part of New York, then go and do totally different activities? Even if you can't change the hotel, take another look at your plan to pick different areas than you've been to and work out what you'd like to do there, take taxis then walk, stop in at normal food establishments instead of spending a fortune in wherever was $100 etc, take the staten island ferry, drift around interesting Brooklyn neighbourhoods, go to the sculpture park or walk by the harbour.

I’ve always found TSA really nice. They even give out junior officer stickers to kids at security.

But I agree on New York, been several times, with insiders as we used to have family there and nope still not for me. And I’m not scared of big city grit, I’ve lived in London most of my life except for the 3 years I spent in Chicago - which IMO are both far superior cities.

Everything you say is true (from my experience) - however, for some reason I still really enjoyed NYC, and I really wasn't expecting to, I thought it would pale in comparison to the hype! But I've only been there in summer, I don't think I'd ever go in winter.

It has its charms. FREEZING in winter.

I went 20 years ago and loved it! Felt safe on the subway then and it was cleaner than London. We did find it expensive though!!!

Sounds like things have gone downhill. I loved Central Park and still hanker after the food in the very basic Chinese restaurant / Cafe we discovered in China Town

No you're wrong lol 😆
New York is wonderful. But your issues with it are understandable when you phrase it like that. For me, I can see past it all. I love the gritty feel of NYC in winter

Ah, I loved it, albeit 20+ years ago. I had a magical time there. Yes, it's very different from the films to actually be there and it felt very 'real' and a bit gritty but I found it a friendly place and I don't remember it being expensive then. Also I really loved central park.

I LOVE New York and will 100% visit again - I’ve only been when it’s warm (and pre-pandemic) though 😄

Gosh New York is one of my favourite places, the vibrancy, the energy, the people..........I could go on and on.
I'm sorry you didn't like it OP, I can imagine it hasn't fared well during the pandemic, and I look forward to returning there when life calms down. My favourite time to visit is late November, early December. I don't know if the museums etc are now open or the theatres? I could spend months in the Met, what a truly wonderful collection.
What you will see there is life, warts and all!

Really want to sit in a diner with a coffee and an egg-white omelette now.

A lot of cities in the US are strangely behind times in feel. Someone unthread mentioned declining empires…

I think the main difficulty you’re having is staying in Midtown when people are working from home, restaurants are closing and visitor numbers lower. Highlights the social problems below the surface. I’ve visited Chicago and St Louis quite a bit and their Midtown areas are pretty scary of an evening when the workers go home (pre pandemic though). And Washington can be grim too.
The nice places in all these cities are the neighbourhoods where people live, which are really vibrant. Go to Brooklyn OP.
As an aside I once made the mistake of getting public transport in Miami. Genuinely terrific lying. Looked like bombs have gone off in some of the e poorer suburbs. US society is screwed up.

I went in December 2019 and absolutely loved it. For some strange reason I did not encounter what you have, I guess the pandemic has a lot to answer for. I stayed in a lovely hotel and had a great time visiting many attractions, world trade building centre observatory (was amazing), central park (again lovely), rockefeller centre, went to a show etc. The xmas lights were amazing and did a far bit of shopping etc in Macy's (pretty tacky I thought) and some of the other amazing shops (Bergdorf's, Tiffanys), we also went to ground zero which was very emotional and moving.

Yes, it was expensive to eat out but we did a few meals in an irish pub and appledores to cut the cost a bit. I have to admit I did not see that many people begging for money or any real aspect of crime. I was either lucky or things have changed for the worst. But is is a big city and i guess you do expect a massive diverse culture and the pandemic has only highlighted how bad things can get for some.

I loved it when I went but it was nearly 25 years ago.

I lived in NY a long time ago. I went back three years ago with the dcs. I was very disappointed. It was so, so touristy. When I lived there the Staten Island ferry was empty; now it was absolutely heaving. Same with museums which I had enjoyed in the past and now had mile-long queues. I was disgusted by the behaviour of young tourists abusing other visitors as they tried to get Instagram shots without other people in the background. Because of the dreaded internet, “secret” out of the way places were now under siege from seething masses.

The subway has always been a bit dodgy and the homeless are more visible, but from every report I’ve heard lately it all seems much worse. I sadly think the US is in decline. When the number of “undesirables” reaches a certain number it is death to a city as their presence overwhelms the ordinary residents.

YANBU. Went 13 years ago, in August! Quite enjoyable I suppose but somewhat underwhelming and very expensive. Much much prefer London, it has more character and history. I wouldn't bother to go back I don't think. Boston however is amazing!

I went to New York 10 years ago. I did enjoy it but don't think I would have felt safe to be honest if I wasn't with DH (he's a big bloke). It's the only city I've been to which I can say I wouldn't feel comfortable walking alone in.

Even then DH got his credit card cloned out there and we didn't realise until we got back.

I would say it's an interesting city but yeah crime and violence are commonplace which ruins it.

I absolutely LOVE NYC - didn't find New Yorkers rude at all! As a previous pp said, it's definitely a city for people who love cities.

Florida? Nah.

@GreetingsFromVenus

Just to add I’ve been to Florida (pre Covid) a few times and loved it. Great, reasonably priced food and the people were lovely.

There is a totally different vibe here.

Been a spate of stabbings on the subway too. When we got off at the Natural History Museum this morning, there was LOTS of blood all over the floor. Not cordoned off just right there as you walk across it. Completely shook adult DD up.

We came in Jan for DD’s and my birthdays. Well prepared and wrapped up but unprepared to be harassed literally on our way into the hotel by beggars. Have had it at least 3/4 times a day since. One this morning started violently hitting a shuttered shop front with a walking stick when we refused to give him money. Made us jump 10 feet in the air. It literally feels like a 3rd world country.

I’ve visited a number of “3rd world” countries and no one has aggressively begged me for money.

Yabu for using the phrase 3rd world. It is widely known as a derogatory phrase tbh.

Sorry to hear OP. I didn’t like New York to start off with either but I went back and now love it. I have been five times and going again next month