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?

This thread just keeps on giving
Now NYC is 'too urban'.
I agree with a PP that there must be some perpetually disappointed travellers around.
And I can't get my head around not liking somewhere because it's not London - nowhere but London can be London so embrace the differences and explore a bit. You need an open mind for that though.

@UniBallEye
I think the big issue here is people travelling with closed minds. In fact not really appreciating anything beyond London or Manchester. So they won’t really like anywhere much except perhaps places like Dubai? It’s a bit of grime and something to see that’s completely different that can make a city worth visiting.

@UniBallEye

This thread just keeps on giving Now NYC is 'too urban'. I agree with a PP that there must be some perpetually disappointed travellers around. And I can't get my head around not liking somewhere because it's not London - nowhere but London can be London so embrace the differences and explore a bit. You need an open mind for that though.

I was thinking if everything in London is what a person wants to experience, why not just go to London? Especially during a pandemic!

Going in the winter during a pandemic is a bit like visiting a friend after they went though several massive life disasters (divorce, illness, loss of a loved one) and complaining they weren’t themselves and you didn’t have any fun. It’s not an amusement park feature where you put in your ticket and are promised a fun ride; it’s a living, breathing, dynamic city. It’s subject to change and is impacted by the economy, politics, shifting culture, a drug crisis, and poor leadership. It’s still a beautiful, culturally rich place. But if you don’t like it, no need to ever go again.

Also a bit confused at what people expected from Macy’s? It’s a chain, they have them all over. It’s a shop where you can buy clothing, handbags, shoes etc. It isn’t a tourist attraction, it’s where people go to buy things. They have them in little towns in Michigan and big cities like New York, they’re not to please tourists they’re to sell stuff.

It would be like walking into any chain/department store here and whining ‘this is a shop. This is just a shop.’

I have never been to New York so can't offer any personal perspectives but there's been an interesting comparison on this thread between pre and post pandemic experiences.

The New York economy is incredibly reliant on tourism and of course it was particularly affected when the travel restrictions for non US citizens were in place.

I have also seen several news reports about the number of people in New York made homeless because of the pandemic. Of course, street homelessness has increased in London over the last few years but the government here did prevent evictions at the height of the pandemic and the policy of enabling homeless people to be rehoused temporarily in hotels that would otherwise have been unused was widely praised.

London has obviously been affected by the decline in tourism too but there has been a rise in people visiting from other parts of the UK which has at least reduced the impact on tourism and hospitality.

In London we forget how much money has been invested in public transport. In the 1980s and 1990s, the tube was compared very unfavourably with the New York subway. Now the situation is reversed with very little revenue being used to upgrade the subway system.

Hope your last few days are better GreetingsFromVenus. At least you will be glad when you get home! That first night back in your own bed and your own home brewed coffee the next morning are the best part of any holiday in my view!

@TizerorFizz I know...it's baffling!
I have travelled extensively throughout my adult life and have been to a lot of big cities. I can honestly say I have never once come home saying I HATED every single aspect of it and that my home city was far superior. It's so incredibly weird to me!

I travel BECAUSE it's going to be different!! I research and plan and read blogs and reviews and it's all a bit part of the experience of travel to me.

I think perhaps some people might be used to going to places that are predominantly centered around tourism so you arrive and it's all right there in the resort or whatever, there's no working at it to make sure you get the best out of the trip. And then if they travel to a large, working city it's a bit of a shock that you have to navigate to find the stuff you want to see or do.

In all our years of travelling I've only had 2 experiences of coming away feeling like I had not seen or experienced the best of the place - both times when dc were at the toddler / v young child age. And in both instances I knew that it was our own fault, through circumstances that we didn't enjoy it as much as we'd hoped. In one city I got very ill and required a night call out from a doctor and I felt under the weather for the rest of the trip plus we misjudged the accommodation and we were too far from the old centre.

We returned to that city 8 years later and had an absolutely wonderful time, as I knew we would and I am so glad we went back.

The other city was Toronto, we were there for 3 weeks but the dc were at a bit of a hard age and we felt a bit like we missed out a huge chunk of the experience by not being able to go out much at night as they needed to be in bed etc. It was what it was, we made the most of it but if the opportunity arose to go back I know we'd now have a very different experience.

I also don't love visiting cities in the middle of summer as they get too hot and feel over crowded so we tend to always aim for Autumn / Spring though I am very partial to a pre-Christmas city trip and have been to many cities in the lead up to Christmas - NYC, Prague, Budapest, London, Dublin, Belfast, Berlin and we found much to enjoy in all of them.

Open minds and good planning are the essentials for successful travelling

@cluecu

I visited New York nearly 20 years ago so I appreciate it's a very different era to now. However, I think with New York and other major cities, one of the reasons I love them is because of the cultural and historical elements. Yes Central Park isn't going to magically put on a tree show for you but it's a park which has featured in so many iconic films and TV shows, is referenced so much, has cultural points of interest within it and is the site of John Lennon's murder.

Equally, the statue of liberty might not be as big as it looks in your mind but it's The Statue of Liberty. Not a copy but the statue of liberty, that's significant to the history of New York and the US and again featured in so many iconic cultural moments.

So whether it's not as pretty as you thought it might be, there's no denying the significance of the areas/street signs/buildings. If that's not what interests you then maybe that's what's missing?

The first time I saw most tourist attractions in New York was when I was a teenager - so easily impressed.

Statue of Liberty - fine - hadn't realised it was stuck on an island - what was amazing was we walked all the way up into the crown and other viewing points which I don't think you can do now. Ellis Island I had no idea about but my friend (New Yorker) said that somewhere there there might be a brick with her family name on it - both her grandparents emigrated to USA from Ukraine and Belarus (not called that then) a long time ago so it was important to her and her family.

Empire State Building was a strange one for me - I had no idea that these skyscrapers (which I kept on looking up at!) were actually used as office blocks! Her friend who was with us in ESB told us she'd been to charm school here. I had no idea about Central Park being so famous but had seen it in films and TV shows. One of the most exciting things for me was the yellow taxis (we took them everywhere rather than the subway), the Bronx/Harlem with lots of graffiti and strange areas - for some reason though we went there my friend wasn't that keen on this!

I had no idea about the significance of the World Trade Center when I visited there - we went for lunch at Windows on the World. Certain names like Rockefeller and Vanderbilt, Tiffanys etc sort of made sense to me but Greenwich Village, Tribeca and Little Italy were all places I'd heard about from relatives/friends of friends. We didn't see a baseball game our first time but did when we went there in the future and basketball games a nope too. I did see Mats Wilander play in a match at Flushing Meadows as this was near where my friend lived (Forest Hills), her mom encouraged her to let me see a match at the US Open which was on when I visited.

For me I also found it interesting that New York is set out on a grid system - so if you understand that, it's easy to get around. I mostly found it fun looking at their street signs and traffic signs, eating in a diner and so on. If you walk a lot in New York it is pretty - I used to love walking through various districts, watching men playing chess in the squares, grabbing a sandwich and drink at a diner for lunch, stopping off in Central Park to have a look at the carousel and Sheep Meadow, stopping off again to maybe MOMA or to do a bit of clothes shopping, there is or was Pearl River Department Store in Greenwich Village (?), we had a similar one I think in Neal Street and Chinatown in London, but I recall seeing really cute and inexpensive bit which I brought back home to decorate my bedroom with.

@Kanaloa

Also a bit confused at what people expected from Macy’s? It’s a chain, they have them all over. It’s a shop where you can buy clothing, handbags, shoes etc. It isn’t a tourist attraction, it’s where people go to buy things. They have them in little towns in Michigan and big cities like New York, they’re not to please tourists they’re to sell stuff.

It would be like walking into any chain/department store here and whining ‘this is a shop. This is just a shop.’

They expect Miracle on 34th St and it to suddenly be 1947 again.

I love NYC (and I’m not particularly a city lover). I have however been often (due to works and friends there) and would say I much prefer it now that I just enjoy the city, theatre, cafes, parks rather than rushing around being a tourist. It is very expensive yes, but if you get out of the main touristic areas you’ll find much more reasonable priced (and far better) places. Spring is a lovely time to be in Central Park with the cherry blossoms in bloom and the nice weather beginning to come in. January definitely isn’t the best time.

I lived in London for over 20 years, so visited Harrods many times, not as a tourist at all. I personally think the food hall is amazing. And yes, I found New York relentlessly urban in a way London isn't. Or Prague isn't. Or Paris. Or Amsterdam. Or Wahington DC for example

Anyhow, I didn't post to have an argument! I posted what my personal impressions of New York were. They can only be personal to me can't they? Unlike others I'm not trying to tell people what to think, or telling people off for thinking the wrong thing about New York.

@Kanaloa why for you have to say I am constantly disappointed because I didn't like New York? Odd comment.

I said it was relentlessly urban. As in it is urban everywhere. All cities are urban, but many have beautiful architecture to break it up.

This is a discussion about a city and yet some people can't resist being nasty to other people who join in the discussion simply because they can. I totally despair at human nature I really do.

@Movinghouseatlast
I assume you are just talking about Manhattan? It’s where most people end up. For obvious reasons. Surely the whole point of NY is that’s it’s not any of the more genteel cities you mention! Sky scrapers and it’s architecture make it different for a start. That’s the whole point of travel. To see something different.

I disagree about Harrods. Everyone knows the type of shoppers it attracts! The food hall is different and beautiful but the rest of it is designed for tourism. Liberty on the other hand…….still retains class!

[quote Movinghouseatlast]@Kanaloa why for you have to say I am constantly disappointed because I didn't like New York? Odd comment.

I said it was relentlessly urban. As in it is urban everywhere. All cities are urban, but many have beautiful architecture to break it up.

This is a discussion about a city and yet some people can't resist being nasty to other people who join in the discussion simply because they can. I totally despair at human nature I really do.[/quote]
I wasn’t being nasty at all. I was saying if you have the attitude of ‘why bother with Central Park when there are parks in London’ and criticise a famously busy and huge city as ‘too urban’ then of course you’ll be disappointed. If you didn’t want an urban environment then the very basic amount of research would confirm the city that never sleeps is probably not your ideal destination.

Same as I wouldn’t go camping on a mountain in remote Wyoming then moan that it was ‘really quite remote, it was just a mountain. Why bother when we have mountains here?’

And I’m not sure what you mean about it being ‘urban everywhere.’ Again, it’s a city. There’s lots of beautiful things to see if you’re looking for some interesting buildings, the lovely trinity church where many well known people have been, the fantastic museums and the public library, the many fascinating sky scrapers.

If you mean the architecture wasn’t sufficiently European - well it won’t be. If you want to see London go to London. But don’t go to New York and criticise it for being New York when really the fault is on you if you didn’t realise a famously urban city would be urban.

I didn't say it was too urban. I said relentlessly urban.

And there you go again, telling me off for not liking something! I just didn't like it and I gave my reasons why. I loved Washington by the way, I thought it was amazing.

[quote AllThePogs]@ChampagneLassie why would you fly across the world to do the same things you enjoy doing at home?[/quote]
I wouldn't. But as @GreetingsFromVenus is currently there and not enjoying it that was my suggestion to her. i.e. if she likes going to the cinema and eating fast-food - do that. or if she like exercise go to a cool class or gym. No need to think I should go up the Empire State building or on Staten island ferry.

I wasn’t telling you off for not liking something. I was simply saying that it’s an odd criticism to make that New York City is ‘relentlessly urban’ and I wouldn’t think it would be a huge surprise.

I also thought an attitude like ‘well it’s nothing compared to Harrods’ was an odd criticism of American chain stores. Same with ‘well what’s the point of Central Park, we’ve got parks in the UK.’

When you go anywhere with attitudes like that I just find it weird and almost like you’re setting yourself up for a bad time. Otherwise what’s the point of anything?

Why go to a restaurant in Greece, we have food in England? Why bother seeing a gallery in Paris, it won’t measure up to the national gallery in London! What’s the point of shopping in Rome, you can buy stuff here!

That’s all I was saying. Perhaps we look for different things from travelling. I just think if you see everything as a comparison to London and look to complain, you’ll find plenty to complain about.

I like cycling and fine-dining - so when I last visited NY I booked a hotel with bikes to borrow and explored the city on bike and I spent ages researching restaurants and booked in advance. I'd hate to traipse around without a plan or do tourist traps. Didn't touch the metro (my DP has a phobia) we either cycled or got taxis which is what we do in London too.

I think there's definitely a species of tourist that likes to compare things (usually unfavourably) to how things are back home. You see this even within the US, when tourists from say Iowa come to the East Coast cities and complain that the food and shopping and whatever isn't as good as back home.

I agree, i was really underwhelmed when i went for New Year a few years ago.

@SeeMyLanyardAndWeepBitch

Shops. Nothing as beautiful as Harrods.

Not only not as beatiful as Harrods, but Macy's was a profound disappointment. I was expecting Selfridges or John Lewis at the very least. It felt more like Debenhams.

But...Macy's is American Debenhams! It's not fancy at all. In fact, it's a bit shit. I wouldn't go to Debenhams and then moan you couldn't buy Chanel.

If you want fancy you want Bloomingdales (our John Lewis) or ever better Saks and Bergdorf's, even Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus (RIP). Neiman Marcus had a bar in the shoe department 😂. Pre-2020 I would have sent you to Barney's or Bendel's .

My sister lived for several years in Duchess County, upstate New York.

When she used to pick me up from the airport we'd drive back north through the city suburbs to join the main highway north. I don't know the name of those neighbourhoods but I remember the first time driving through and thinking 'what a dump'.

Streets of run down wooden clapperboard type houses, messy, overgrown grass verges on the pavement, telegraph poles and wires everywhere, overflowing bins - just scruffy looking. There are much nicer areas of course, but for me, first time there, driving through those neighbourhoods, I was so disappointed.

@nettie434

I have never been to New York so can't offer any personal perspectives but there's been an interesting comparison on this thread between pre and post pandemic experiences.

The New York economy is incredibly reliant on tourism and of course it was particularly affected when the travel restrictions for non US citizens were in place.

I have also seen several news reports about the number of people in New York made homeless because of the pandemic. Of course, street homelessness has increased in London over the last few years but the government here did prevent evictions at the height of the pandemic and the policy of enabling homeless people to be rehoused temporarily in hotels that would otherwise have been unused was widely praised.

London has obviously been affected by the decline in tourism too but there has been a rise in people visiting from other parts of the UK which has at least reduced the impact on tourism and hospitality.

In London we forget how much money has been invested in public transport. In the 1980s and 1990s, the tube was compared very unfavourably with the New York subway. Now the situation is reversed with very little revenue being used to upgrade the subway system.

Hope your last few days are better GreetingsFromVenus. At least you will be glad when you get home! That first night back in your own bed and your own home brewed coffee the next morning are the best part of any holiday in my view!

We have an eviction moratorium too. It actually ends this Saturday, but housing court is so backed up now that it's effectively extended for much longer: www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-york-elections-government/ny-eviction-moratorium-hochul-good-cause-bill-20220112-dkxadqc4wvb4zj5vhz7cf2x4py-story.html

Even before Covid it was really, really hard to evict people in NYC. One of my neighbours in my old building didn't pay rent for A YEAR and the landlord still couldn't evict them. We have really good tenant protections.

@dreamingbohemian

I think there's definitely a species of tourist that likes to compare things (usually unfavourably) to how things are back home. You see this even within the US, when tourists from say Iowa come to the East Coast cities and complain that the food and shopping and whatever isn't as good as back home.

Reminds me of the signs in dive bars all over Florida with variations of “we don’t care where you come from and how much better it is there.”