New York City?

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melon

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Alright, y'all...I'm thinking of looking for work in NYC, since my M.A. is in TV/film, and I think that LA (my other natural choice in the U.S.) might intimidate me right now. :huh:

So what I'd like to know is what all you NYC Interferencers think of the place, and if you have any advice for a potential New Yorker like myself. :sexywink:

Any advice would be appreciated!

Melon
 
nice to see you



L A is spread all over.

It seems there might be more options.


NYC is great,

I have only spent 8 days there.

That was in 1988.

I am sure others will chime in.
 
Hmm...maybe I should expand this topic then:

What do LAers think of their city? And be honest. Frankly, everyone I know in LA, thus far, hates it...but I'm sure that there has to be some redeeming qualities? :wink:

Melon
 
After giving it more thought NYC is probably better.
I am not surprised your friends that have relocated to LA do not like it.

I have always lived in the greater L A area.
I am used to driving. I like the warmer climate.

NYC's mass transportation and density make life easier.

good luck
 
NYC is great! I love it! I haven't had a car in years and I don't have to worry about gas prices. I live in a great section of Brooklyn so work is 20 minutes door-to-door. I've been reading alot more on the subway than I did when I had a car. I'm a ten minute walk from two movie theaters and two book stores. I'm a five minute walk to French, Italian, sushi, bar food and Thai. I live across the street from a bar.

Life here is a bit claustrophobic at times -- you never have your own personal space here -- and rent is high but I always remind myself that an apt. and a car in any other city would cost about the same. I don't have the car. And the place is a bit dirty.

But I love this city! There is always something to do here. And I love the diversity. You're always on the subway with someone who is a different race or religion or sexual orientation. It makes life interesting and I've come to understand and respect people much more now.

LA is warm and nice but so fake. NYC is real. If you ever want to stop by, I'd be more than happy to give you a tour.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
and we have no earthquakes :up:

So, far... (We're on an active fault and for years they've been saying the BIG one is coming.) Great! :huh:

But NYC is the best!! You'll really like it!

:dance:
 
NY

I lived in NYC for 15 years and loved it. I eventually burned out on the usual stuff--traffic, noise, lack of personal space, inability to ever find a place to live that was truly quiet, but I still think NYC's one of the greatest experiences one can have at your age (some would say any age, but for me it was best in my 20's). If you've liked Boston and identify with being an urban, creative, intellectual, Northeasterner, I think you should definitely give NYC a try. The gay culture is great, music, art...I mean, it's got every thing except affordable housing :huh: but somehow everyone manages to get by. I have a number of friends who have done quite well in the NYC film industry as well. Plus NYC is of course one of the greatest places on the planet to see U2. Good luck! :up:
 
Entertainment is a huge business in LA. Have you looked at the oppurtunities from trade mags(Hollywood Reporter & Variety). I do think N.Y.C. would be great from a no hassle car stand point. I love to visit NYC whenever I get the chance(once a year). I have always had a fascination w/the city. Now that I have two kids, a dog and cat and a husband, I don't think we would all fit.
 
Rent. :huh: But rent in Boston was terrible; I think I calculated that, with the price of my apartment, I could have had an apartment in Manhattan. Of course, thankfully, I never had a shortage of roommates...lol.

Anyhow, since we're on the topic of apartments in NYC, what are the neighborhoods I should look at--and what are the neighborhoods that I should avoid?

I'm applying to all the TV/film jobs I can find out there in NYC, so I'll probably be there sooner, rather than later!

Melon
 
NYC is kind of manic, more late into the night, not quite as much as Europe, but moreso than you average North American city. Great shopping and great food and always something going on. Having been there, I think I could live there, but for short periods of time, like 1-3 years, tops, just because I was born in the Mediterranean and then I lived in Canada, and I'm used to the vastness of space. New York doesn't have the brilliant sunshine of the Mediterranean, the open azure sea, the smell of salt in the air or the cleanliness, nor does it have the forests of Canada and the clear lakes and that feeling where you can drive 15 minutes out of Toronto and manage to feel like you're the only person left in the world. So I'd love to spend some time there (and if I go to law school, I would probably pursue articling there), but it's also a place that would make me feel very claustrophobic as time went on.

LA has really good roads compared to us in the Northeast, because they have no winter and no snow and none of those terrible cracks and salt erosion. Much better climate than NYC, but that hideous urban sprawl makes my skin crawl. Plus, I hear the smog is disgusting.
 
Well, I do want to say that I just came back from a month in Toronto. I love it there, and I'd absolutely love to live there. It's just that I'd have to become a permanent resident, and that takes a few months and some $$$ if you want to use a lawyer. I'm still unsure where I want to be "long term," but NYC seems like a good place to try in the interim.

Melon
 
It depends on where you end up working and what personality you have. Chelsea is a gay neighborhood, Lower East Side and Williamsburg in Brooklyn are very artist oriented. Upper West Side is becoming more popular. I live in Clinton Hill in Brooklyn which is a great middle class neighborhood -- families and restaurants and cute shops. Don't limit yourself to Manhattan -- in fact, you can find a cheaper place in Brooklyn than Manhattan and there so great neighborhoods here. My fiance and I both work in Lower Manhattan so it's great for us to live in Brooklyn -- we're closer to work than people who work there and live on the Upper East Side.
 
Thanks for the tips. I asked similar questions of someone before I moved to Boston, and I ended up spending 2 years in Somerville, where I had a lot of living space and relatively cheap rent, compared to all of my friends.

I guess I'd be curious to know what is considered a relatively affordable place to live that is also "cool"? I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Melon
 
melon said:


I guess I'd be curious to know what is considered a relatively affordable place to live that is also "cool"? I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Melon

Brooklyn is probably the most affordable cool place in the area to live. I'm a little out of touch now with the ever-changing neighborhoods but when I left 7 years ago Williamsburg was still up-and-coming so I bet by now it's one of the cooler, cheaper, arty parts of Brooklyn.

I would not recommend Chelsea. It is not only gay, it's intensely gay--my gay friends can't bear it and it's also crazy expensive there. Nice place to visit, though. :sexywink:

If you really want to stay in the city, the East Village probably still has affordable options but you can expect much less space for your money.
 
anitram said:
and that feeling where you can drive 15 minutes out of Toronto and manage to feel like you're the only person left in the world.

Dear god! Where on earth are you driving?? I LIVE outside of Toronto....and have never felt that....
 
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