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?

@dreamingbohemian

Hmmm in the context of an argument I would take Limeys as an insult

I would agree, in that bringing anyone's nationality into an argument makes it an ad hominem attack, just as "Yank" would be if used in London in the context of an argument.

As a native American English speaker, the term limey is not inherently insulting or derogatory.

You can’t find better coffee than Nescafé 😂 where are you going

My first trip to NYC was in the midst of a big freeze in Feb 2004. I enjoyed it but still thought it was a bit “meh”, especially cos I was fucking freezing most of the time.

Fast forward a decade and before Covid I was there on the fairly regular for work/pleasure. It’s one of my favorite cities now, I love wandering around anonymously and how walkable it is.

DH and I took DS1 when he was about 14 months in early May 2013 and it was one of the best vacations we’ve ever had. Stayed in an apartment in the West Village and walked everywhere. Tulips out all over the place and perfect weather.

That being said, I heard it’s been hit hard since Covid which probably means it’s lost a lot of what made it so good. I was last there in August 2019 with the kids and we had a blast but suspect the pandemic has washed out much of the vibe that made it feel great.

If it makes you feel better, I was in LA in 2001 and I absolutely loathed it. Some places you just don’t get a good feeling from.

@TheGoldenWolfFleece

I haven't been to New York as i suspect i would hate it as i find London to be exactly as you describe, dirty, overpriced, don't feel safe on the tube, there's always the feeling something could kick off. There's a huge homelessness and crime problem. I bloody hate London.

Not really much point commenting on the thread then is there 🙄

Having been in December and April, I will say it's so much nicer in the spring

I don't get why people 'hate every minute' of their holidays.

Surely you just make the most of it.

I agree. Surely people travel overseas to experience something different to home, but so many seem to moan because it is different. As for the friendliness of people, I find that very much depends on your own attitude towards them. As for Nescafé Gold being the height of good coffee I don't like to be harsh, but here people like the OP are described as "whinging Poms", and a lot of that comes down to this concentrating on the bad without even bothering to see the good.

Oh I loved it, absolutely loved it

I've been many times and found it to be the most lovely, welcoming city. Have done Christmas (magical), Summer (bit hot) and October (our favourite time) and it's been fabulous every time we've been. The first time we went my son was seven, hugely impressed at seeing everything he had seen in his favourite films and many many New yorkers took the time to speak to him about his experience. Someone even put a copy of Huckleberry Finn into his hands in a coffee shop. Central Park is wonderful but possibly not at the beginning of January at the tail end of this pandemic. Surely you knew that before you booked? In your position I would have a mooch around Brooklyn, visit museums, hit the shops etc - OP, you don't sound very open minded.

I have to agree with you. Have been twice in the last 10 years. Yes, it’s cool and buzzy but when I went there 2/3 years ago I wasn’t impressed at all. I stayed in a 5-star hotel (work) by Central Park and it was ok. Coffee was crap everywhere…It was dirty, unsafe…I was so glad to be back home in London. I know I sound lame but it felt that everyone had 10 jobs to keep themselves afloat. And pushing their pets in buggies. I remember going out for an event dinner - massive bank and at one point looking up and realising that the all waiting staff were Latino or black and the bankers were white…

OP, if you ever return, let me know and you can stop by. I'll brew you a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain you'll never forget.

It depends what you enjoy really. If you really love the diversity and craziness of cities it's one of the best.

I love NYC, although last time we went was January 2020 right before the world shut down. It's definitely expensive but there's so much to do. The village and TriBeCa/Soho are my favourite areas. Lots of interesting shops, independent restaurants and history around there, especially if you're a music or film lover.

I also really love going to 30 Rock and Radio City Music Hall. The Natural History Museum and MoMA are amazing! Sorry you're not enjoying it...☹️

@dreamingbohemian

You're doing it all wrong.

Signed,
A Rude Ignorant Local

I Agree!! And I’m a Londoner, not a New Yorker!

I’ve been a few times. Great people. Cannot wait to go again. So rude OP to suggest New Yorkers are rude and ignorant.

What so many people seem unable to grasp us it’s a massive city and like any big city life it fast paced, loud, vibrant etc. It will also have, sadly for those people, a higher number of homeless people, those with mental illlness, poverty. Again, like any big city. you like what you like, I guess. Surely you researched NYC before going?

Apart from my home town, it’s my favourite place.

Did you get on the Staten Island Ferry? Beautiful just to stand and look around you? Or the Ground Zero Memorial? Or Greenwich Village? Soho?

Ok, the Nescafé Gold comment from the OP makes me think she must be trolling us.

OP: when you go on holiday, it is your responsibility to make the most of it, plan and research interesting things to do.

This reminds me of a wise saying my mum often says: ‘when you travel, you take yourself with you’.

If you’re a boring grump at home and you’re not interested in very much, I’m afraid New York won’t be your cup of Nescafé Gold.

(This hits hard because I would LOVE to be in NYC right now and it makes me sad that someone is there not appreciating it!)

I do sincerely hope your trip improves though. Do follow some of the many helpful suggestions given by other posters.

I'm a huge NYC fan - first went in the early 90s & stayed with friends of friends in Brooklyn (very gritty then) which was great fun & we really benefitted from local knowledge. Went again with DH in 1997 after the clean up & enjoyed it. More recently, took DS aged 13 on my own in April 2018 & that was good fun too, although more touristy. Of course the subway is run down & I gather that the pandemic has devastated the city, especially noticeable in midtown, but there is so much that is amazing & unique about New York...

@Tealightsandd

Give it 5-10 years and London will have caught up. That's unless there's government action to deal with the socioeconomic causes. Which they can if they want to.

London is the UK's epicentre of the public health housing and homelessness emergency. It's also suffering a knife crime epidemic.

There's two options here. Our government learns from NYC and takes actions to stop it getting as bad in London. Or it doesn't. Hopefully it will select the former.

It's Capitalism in crisis. New York and London being two of its financial capitals. Los Angeles is probably even worse.

It's January. Absolutely the worst month to visit. Everywhere looks shit in January.

Check out of your hotel and get the train to DC or Boston for a couple of days.

@chaosmaker

YABU expecting somewhere to be like it is in TV and films, didn't you know that unless it's a true life/documentary then it's going to be made up and fictionalised. Even true life and documentary style work contains fiction........

Plenty of TV and films depict New York as dirty, grime and crime ridden - films like Taxi Driver, Serpico and French Connection back in the 70s. I've just watched the Netflix series about the Times Square Killer, Times Square used to be a real den of iniquity and a bit of a cesspit.

It wasn’t always like this. I hear from friends who live there that it’s a very different city these days - after the pandemic and due to how it’s being run by it’s officials in general.

Democrats can't run cities. New York had a terrible reputation in the 70s and 80s. Then Guiliani did a good job as mayor.

@MrsTerryPratchett

American immigration in particular and their airports in general are vile. No idea why. It seems so weird.

I loved NYC but that was 20 years ago.

The only time I have been to America (and New York) was to catch a connecting flight to another country, so never stepped outside the airport. Never been to America as the passport control and the attitude of staff was horrendous and put me off America. Pretty sure that wasn't the desired outcome of the staff.

@GreetingsFromVenus I live in Manhattan! DM me if you want some advice on cheap eats and entertaining stuff to do in the warm. My general advice is get the fuck out of Midtown and away from Times Square. I live here and I think they're revolting and overpriced - I only go to Midtown to see my dentist and don't set foot in Times Square unless I'm going to a show.

Also, absolutely cackling at this thread. It's very entertaining.

I visited NY to meet up with my best friend who lives in NZ ..hadn't seen her for 14 years .
I was really not looking forward to NY ..definitely not on my bucket list but excited to see my friend

Can honestly say I absolutely loved the craziness, the colours and the whole vibe 😍 Even better we had a fabulous time together...would go back to NY in a heartbeat.

We lived about 40 miles away from NYC for 10 years and used to go to China Town every few weeks for dim sum with the kids and sometimes bring our friends. The prices were pretty decent. We paid for dim sum for 4 adults and 3 kids. Our friends took us for dessert afterwards in Little Italy and their dessert cost more than the meal!
I wasn't much of a fan. Big cities just don't do it for me.

It was kind of cool to see famous landmarks once but once was enough.
I was glad to get back to our quiet wee town.
The locals have a bad reputation but we rarely encountered genuine rudeness. Americans phrase things differently and don't always say please and thank you but they are honestly not being intentionally rude.
Example is, we were obviously tourists on the underground and were a bit lost. A couple of locals came up and offered help and gave us directions.

Though do agree there are a lot of people who need support and are clearly not getting it. It's very sad but it's the same to varying degrees in all big cities.

I arrived at JFK on Christmas Eve 1979 in a blizzard and my DH was three hours late meeting me thanks to the snow. I had no money and one suitcase but three months later I had a job, and an apartment , and it was the beginning of five awesome years of personal and professional growth. Ed Koch was the Mayor who led from the front. He went to every parade for every ethnic or religious minority, because NYC was for all. I rode the subway at all hours of day and night, and learned to spot the maniacs, but also how to turn away aggression with soft words. It's nicest in April/May and October/November for weather. August is swampville and January is Siberian chilly. I lived there for five years during the initial AIDS crisis, worked in publishing and had a sideline in music, booking a band. In those days, the HighLine was still the abandoned 11th Avenue EL, and not the Piet Oudolph masterpiece it is now. Brooklyn (apart from Park Slope) was mostly very rough... a friend had a brownstone in Fort Greene which was terrifying. Then Williamsburg was totally orthodox Jewish. But I am still looking forward to a return visit.

I arrived at JFK on Christmas Eve 1979 in a blizzard and my DH was three hours late meeting me thanks to the snow. I had no money and one suitcase but three months later I had a job, and an apartment , and it was the beginning of five awesome years of personal and professional growth. Ed Koch was the Mayor who led from the front. He went to every parade for every ethnic or religious minority, because NYC was for all. I rode the subway at all hours of day and night, and learned to spot the maniacs, but also how to turn away aggression with soft words. It's nicest in April/May and October/November for weather. August is swampville and January is Siberian chilly. I lived there for five years during the initial AIDS crisis, worked in publishing and had a sideline in music, booking a band. In those days, the HighLine was still the abandoned 11th Avenue EL, and not the Piet Oudolph masterpiece it is now. Brooklyn (apart from Park Slope) was mostly very rough... a friend had a brownstone in Fort Greene which was terrifying. Then Williamsburg was totally orthodox Jewish. But I am still looking forward to a return visit.

Sorry, double post. But NY is not 42nd St and Times Square, unless you really like squalid.