Thinking of moving to Brooklyn, NY

[Woosta]

With a friend, that is. I've been to NY around 50 times in my life, he hasn't been there but once but is insistent on living there.

Anyone live there before? pros/cons?

I'm really not a fan of New York from the times I've been there

- streets are dirty as shit
- traffic 24/7, cant stand taxis
- insane blizzards/winters
- it's expensive
- can't stand graffiti
- cant really have a car, PITA to drive

I currently live in Rockville, MD metro area btw.

 

[summit]

do you have a job lined up there? if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

 

[Woosta]

I'd probably stay with my current job/employer; we have offices around the world and one in NY.

 

[KingGheedora]

Sounds like you will hate it. All the things you said about it are true and there aren't taht many redeeming factors unless you're into the monied life; clubs, finance, "models & bottles", etc.

 

[zinfamous]

why do you want to live somewhere that is made great by all the things that you seem to hate?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

canarsie, crown heights and bed-stuy is where you want to be in Brooklyn.

 

[zerocool84]

why do you want to live somewhere that is made great by all the things that you seem to hate?

Brooklyn would be great for him. He'd be able to practice his MMA skills every day there on his way home.

 

[nanette1985]

Put the idea of a car out of your mind. NYC is one of the rare places where you can do perfectly well without a car.

What do you like to do? NYC offers a lot of opportunities. I also love that NYC is a 24-hour place, though it's not as great at that as it used to be. You're surrounded by art, architecture, success, creativity, and all that stuff. It can be stimulating. You can meet all sorts of people and have all sorts of experiences. You can spend a fortune, and/or you can also do a shitload of free stuff.

There's a big difference between visiting NYC and living there.

You can always move out if you don't like it.

 

[summit]

yankees and shake shack are good enough for me to move to nyc.

 

[BoomerD]

I can't imagine a scenario where I'd WANT to move to NYC.

 

[Platypus]

- streets are dirty as shit
- it's expensive
- can't stand graffiti

For those reasons alone you will hate Brooklyn and pretty much NYC in general. It's a fun place to visit but there's no way I could live there.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Put the idea of a car out of your mind. NYC is one of the rare places where you can do perfectly well without a car.

What do you like to do? NYC offers a lot of opportunities. I also love that NYC is a 24-hour place, though it's not as great at that as it used to be. You're surrounded by art, architecture, success, creativity, and all that stuff. It can be stimulating. You can meet all sorts of people and have all sorts of experiences. You can spend a fortune, and/or you can also do a shitload of free stuff.

There's a big difference between visiting NYC and living there.

You can always move out if you don't like it.

I've lived in socal my entire life. Decided to branch out (that and the best and only position I found after grad school was Columbia) so my wife and I moved to manhattan. We loved the city before we moved here. Since the day we moved in, we've hated it. It's dirty. People are fucking RETARDED. If you love the sound of falling asleep to horns blaring, or waking up to it, by all means, move to new york.

If the thought of kicking rats out of cans when you take out your trash appeals to you, NYC is the place to be. Do you have en eclectic taste in music? Good! Cause you're going to hear your neighbors blast their shitty tunes to all hours of the night. Like paying 3 times the cost of groceries that the rest of the world pays? Welcome to the big apple. People live like rats, because rats can afford the rent, which makes the supply that much lower. It is a miserable fucking shithole of depression and seething rage, interspersed with fuckheads who think it's the best city in the world.

On our drive out here, we read this article:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/84-million-new-yorkers-suddenly-realize-new-york-c,18003/

We laughed cause it was hilarious. Now we cry because it's true.

 

[zerocool84]

I've lived in socal my entire life. Decided to branch out (that and the best and only position I found after grad school was Columbia) so my wife and I moved to manhattan. We loved the city before we moved here. Since the day we moved in, we've hated it. It's dirty. People are fucking RETARDED. If you love the sound of falling asleep to horns blaring, or waking up to it, by all means, move to new york.

If the thought of kicking rats out of cans when you take out your trash appeals to you, NYC is the place to be. Do you have en eclectic taste in music? Good! Cause you're going to hear your neighbors blast their shitty tunes to all hours of the night. Like paying 3 times the cost of groceries that the rest of the world pays? Welcome to the big apple. People live like rats, because rats can afford the rent, which makes the supply that much lower. It is a miserable fucking shithole of depression and seething rage, interspersed with fuckheads who think it's the best city in the world.

On our drive out here, we read this article:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/84-million-new-yorkers-suddenly-realize-new-york-c,18003/

We laughed cause it was hilarious. Now we cry because it's true.

Where is SoCal did you live before?

 

[Lifted]

Most of the people who come here, and hate it, come because they have to be here for some reason. They are comfortable with their suburban way of life, and can't appreciate all that is available in NYC as they try to maintain their suburban lifestyle, which just doesn't work here. If your idea of getting out of the house consists of jumping in your car to do some shopping, you really have no reason to be in NYC, and you will likely hate it.

The people who want to be here because they are looking for interesting people, art, cultures, styles, music, restaurants, jobs, etc, love it.

 

[erikistired]

new york is full of new yorkers. that alone is a great reason never to go there.

 

[DaWhim]

- streets are dirty as shit
- traffic 24/7, cant stand taxis
- insane blizzards/winters
- it's expensive
- can't stand graffiti
- cant really have a car, PITA to drive

I am living in brooklyn.

-i don't find the streets are dirty.
-who cares about traffic as long as the subway is running and you can bike.
-it is not that bad. snowshoeing in the city was actually FUN!
-expensive is relative. i lived in london for a year and london is definitely more expensive than nyc.
-what's wrong with graffiti? i couldn't even see a single graffiti in singapore, very order. guess what's missing? creativity. it is such a boring city.
-get rid of your car. im glad that i don't have to own a car here.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

- streets are dirty as shit
- traffic 24/7, cant stand taxis
- insane blizzards/winters
- it's expensive
- can't stand graffiti
- cant really have a car, PITA to drive

the snow is probably a bit less than the rest of the northeast. the 2 positive things i can think of are:
places are open 24 hours a day
hot women (the ones that left your town, usa and didn't go to california or florida)

 

[pcgeek11]

I'm really not a fan of New York from the times I've been there

- streets are dirty as shit
- traffic 24/7, cant stand taxis
- insane blizzards/winters
- it's expensive
- can't stand graffiti
- cant really have a car, PITA to drive

I currently live in Rockville, MD metro area btw.

From the above ...

Why in the hell are you even considering it? They couldn't pay me to live there even with all expenses paid.

 

[ed21x]

eh, you can live in Jersey and commute. on the other side of the Hudson you'll find peace and quiet, a very clean environment, and a short ride on the NJT to get into Penn Station. For me, personally, I figured if i was gonna live in New York, I'd live in Manhattan and get the full experience. Look hard enough, and you'll be able to find places on the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Financial District, o Hell's Kitchen for somewhat affordable rent.

 

[badb0y]

New York is awesome. I was raised in the city so all the things you mentioned as negatives are actually what makes NYC normal for me. Whenever I go to a less populated area such as Upstate NY, NJ, or Pennsylvania I feel so out of place and weird.

 

[nanette1985]

new york is full of new yorkers. that alone is a great reason never to go there.

The most annoying "new yorkers" are the ones who moved there from somewhere else.

 

[bruceb]

Winters are usually not too bad, but cold. Brooklyn is very crowded and some streets are in terrible shape. There are a few very nice areas of Brooklyn and some that are very undesirable (high crime and lousy houses / apts) Cost of living will be higher for your utilities, rent, mortage, property tax, car insurance. And consider, if you want to use a car to go anywhere in say NYS / NJ / Connecticut you are going to be paying Tolls (very costly) to get in and out of NYC proper. On the plus side, you have the ethnic diversity and lots of things to do in Manhattan itself.

 

[aceO07]

Of the 50 times you've been to NYC, did you have any positives? 50 is a high number for someone who doesn't like NYC.

It's not that expensive. It depends on how you choose to spend your money.

Just like any major city, it's costly to live in the center of things. Manhattan and various areas of Brooklyn and Queens can be expensive, but there are cheaper places in Brooklyn/Queens too.

Eating out daily can be expensive, but if you look there are tasty options for lunch and dinner for less than $10 total. Though it's not as healthy, but it's possible.

 

[oddyager]

Do people get their information from television shows and movies? New York City is no different than any other giant metropolis. Obviously its going to be more expensive living at the center of everything but you can find cheaper housing/rent moving away from Manhattan and towards the outer boroughs. For people who have never been here or don't know the city is made up of 5 boroughs. If you want a quieter, more suburban environment try Staten Island or parts of Brooklyn like Windsor Terrace/Park Slope. Staten Island is probably cheaper on your wallet. I will say without a car it's going to be hard if you live in Staten Island. Having no car is no issue at all in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx or Queens however.

 

[PsiStar]

I have a female friend that lives in spa-ha aka Spanish Harlem and not the Spanish Harlem of a couple of decades ago. Not crazy upscale expensive but nice & secure building. Her blackberry is her friend & guide to everything.

NYC is halfway on the NE corridor. Very easy to get to DC or to Boston & everything in between. Power ports on the trains ... some trains are fast & some are slower. And, yes, forget owning a car. Just a liability. If you feel you must drive, there is some kind of incredibly cheap rental as well as any luxury or exotic if you feel like it. I am in Connecticut, do drive distance, but never drive to any of the airports in the area. So easy to fly out from one & back into another not to mention the drop off at the door & pick up at the door ... and I doze off on the ride.

As far as Brooklyn, I have had several young female friends that lived in Brooklyn. BlahBlahYouToo says it ... canarsie, crown heights and bed-stuy is where you want to be in Brooklyn. Another friend of mine runs an incredibly upscale custom wall paper manufacturing business in Brooklyn. Moved there from Maine, if can imagine? Totally renovated a 5 story building with large street side windows that passers-by can watch. Typical of the creativity found concentrated in NYC. Friggin' wall paper! But I am just jealous that I couldn't do that.:\

The crap drivers? They are from NJ. New Yorkers don't bother.

So that is my take on it. I lived in the middle of no where most of my life. Lived in NJ & commuted to NYC for a while:thumbsdown: & now live on the edge.