New York is incredibly expensive. Paying $4,000 for a 650 square foot apartment in Chelsea, which is a neighborhood in Manhattan, is typical in much of Manhattan, unless you rent in a four story walkup. There are lower rents in Harlem, but that is starting to change.
It’s loud. Noise is everywhere. The traffic, beeping horns, the subway trains, sirens, loud people. It takes a while to adapt. Work. It’s a hard working city. Many people put in very long hours, whether to make those large corporate and law firm salaries or working three jobs just to get by. It makes the city incredibly busy and focused. Diversity. Well over 100 languages are spoken here, and the dress, habits and food are from almost every world culture.
It’s a walking city. Crowded and not a great system compared to European systems, but it goes everywhere.You entertain out in the city. People do not have friends “over” very often, because apartments are so small. You meet in restaurants, bars, parks, etc. Oh, and the parks. Union Square. Washington Square, little Stuyvesant Park, Madison Square, the list is long and they are wonderful places to stop and rest and be entertained. And of course, Central Park. What’s not to like? You can spend a whole Sunday afternoon there walking and eating and going to the zoo and being entertained for free.
The weather is changeable, and there is snow in winter and humidity in the summer. But Spring and Fall are delightful. There are flowera everywhere and the breeze off the Hudson River is sweet. Water. Rivers, beaches, long strolls along the seaport. Seagulls. NYC is surrounded by water. Food. It’s the best. From food trucks to fine dining, you can find about everything here.
Culture. Incredible museums (MOMA, Natural History, the Met, Whitney… ), you could never see it all. Wonderful small galleries. Opera, symphony, dance. And of course Broadway. Theater is just extraordinary. And the libraries: some are architectural gems as well as storehouses of knowledge.
