Why would anyone want to live Manhattan?

To each their own Stick_man - a lot of people want to be there. That's why prices are as high as they are (well, part of the reason anyway). And I say this as someone who lives in and loves Brooklyn.

It might seem bad by day, but by evening all the rabble returns to apartments in Great Neck that don't have much street parking and charge $200 for off-street parking, or else they go back to Brooklyn. So by nighttime Manhattan is totally fabulous again.

Oh yeah ... and some of them just ride their loud motorcycles back to trailer parks in rural Michigan.

I can't think of another city/suburb/village/town in the U.S. where I'd rather live. To each his own.

And where do you live Stick_man ?

Alan,

1. Manhattan is not fabulous by night. In fact 1/2 of it is pretty much unsafe. Or at least used to be.

2. Great Neck doesn't have rabble in it. It's one of the wealthiest areas in the NY area. It also has a new Harley dealership where I actually saw one individual -- a middle aged man -- ride up with a tennis racquet strapped to his bike. There are a lot of different people who ride motorcycles alan.

I'm still waiting to hear some of the reasons except "just because". That sounds like herd mentality to me. I lived in the East village because I wanted to be closer to work and I wanted a change from Bayside Queens. (not to mention it sucks there). It took just as long to get to work, and in the time the Village actually got to be more gentrified and more annoying with yuppies everywhere. Bklyn is cool. You still have Yups but it's still somewhat affordable and ypu get a lot of the same flavor that you get in manhattan; except more space. UES as as much flavor as Long Island. UWS is good but I feel like it would be better if I were older and by then I doubt I would care to do anything after work anyway. Harlem is whatever. Mid town just sucks straight up. LES is now filled with meatheads. I guess that leaves Tribecca and BP city. Which aside from a few outdoor concerts i don't know much about except that it's super expensive. Chelsea I wouldn't caught dead in. And Grammercy where I work is nice, with noce brown stones. But I don't think I can justify paying all that money for housing to be around middle aged rich people. (I'm in my 30s). Nor ever for that matter. Not to mentin is there a whole lot to do in there anyway. Besides i work there . . .

So basically, in translation: "I'm poor and hate Manhattan because I can't afford it."

Are we done now?

. . . not to mention living in too small a space

I like
"Great Neck doesn't have rabble in it. ... It also has a new Harley dealership"

stick_man, unsafe? where? if anything, manhattan's become a bit dull, comparatively.

there are times when i hate manhattan, almost violently. but then it passes. by the time we retire i think i'll be ready to move on, but even then, after over 40 years it will be bittersweet.

stick_man, you're living in the now way too much. 30 isn't that far from 40, really. although since you said you wouldn't be caught dead in Chelsea, i think you ought to stay out of manhattan.

Alan I think you're confusing working class with rabble. Besides that's like .001% of what comes to mind when I think of Great Neck.

Why would anyone want to live in Greak Neck (where I'm assuming you live)? Ew.

Doesn't Great Neck have people who complain about $200/month parking? If that isn't rabble, I really don't what is.

Great Neck is upscale around its shoreline (Kings Point, etc.), and otherwise not so much. Or "garden apartments" as they're known.

don't know what is.

It's the CENTER OF THE WORLD....vibrant in every way!

about ready I guess you are corrrect . . . Manhattan has become less crime ridden, actually for awhile now. I was just kidding about Chelsea it is nice and but you know . . . I wouldn't want to live there. Stay out of Manhattan? Well I could just stay out of Chelsea

Stick, do you have a nasty Brayside accent?

Why would anyone want to live in GN? I do live there but I'm not crazy about it. But here are a few reasons I can think of:

1. I can get to work in about that same time it takes to get to around by Subway give or take 15-20 minutes and not have to deal with the subway.

2. You can actually send your kid to a public school.
3. The people that live there actually take a shower in the morning

damn... my posts are getting pulled left and right...

You know a car dealer friend once said, when I lost a deal on a porsche (997GT3)... you're not on your A game, if you don't lose a few deals....

4. For 1.1 million I get a mansion not an L shaped studio the size of a shoebox in soho

Just like in Indiana.

Babe, 997GT3's are so last spring. How about we get you out of that and into a real car - a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano at least?

5. I don't have a dictator style gov't that looks to control everything in the city (and now he's trying to control outside the city)

Stick - you must be thrilled to be out of here. I am very happy for you. Please don't make Great Neck the next Chicago though because I really can't deal with a slew of those posts again.

If the all encompassing "just because" doesn't work for you, how about all the cultural elements (theatre, ballet, opera, museums, galleries), fine dining, Ferrari dealership, hot people, shopping, diversity, etc? The different parts of the City offer so much diversity that you can see or not see whatever type of people you want. Sure it's expensive and accommodations can be tight but it's awesome if you can afford it!

Btw, is the Harley Davidson Cafe still open? You might be able to glimpse a few tennis racquets in there.

How about a much simpler answer? The jobs. Proximity to work is probably high on nearly everyone's list.

What do I know about the Harley cafe? I actually have a bike . . .

no thxs.. at that price point I'd be in a Carrera GT, like all 12 cylinder F cars of late... 550, 575, 599.. etc.... they'll be trading at 50% in 4 years....

Besides it sounds like I can enjoy all of this things you mentioned after work and on weekends

sorry..i know this is about gn and stick but wonderbitch, your obsession with the trappings of wealth makes it so clear you aint got none..and believe you me, i'm very poor

stick...my son goes to one of the best public schools in the country (the great neck school system is not remotely in this league, cept maybe in foooball) and he walks about 100 yards to the front door...but then he IS missing out on the wonderful worldly culture that oozes in Great Neck

Ummm ... trust me, Great Neck kids don't excel at football.

GN is also somewhat segregated racially & socially, no?

Btw, you don't need to drive in Manhattan so you can save on a car!

nyc10023 -- no. It's diverse. It has Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Frummies.

I liked having a car in Mahattan. I can actually leave without the hassle of dealing with slower than lead in your behind MTA system.

Where does your kid go to school Ubottom Forrest Hills Queens? I think I said Manhattan no?

Probably not the place that teaches kids about "Forrest Hills", "Tribecca", and "Grammercy"

"GN is also somewhat segregated racially & socially, no?"

Like manhattan isn't

Less inbreeding here.

Also how many can afford it? I bet most cannot and i personally don't know of one who could.

Although how are we measuring? Are we stil going by the 30% housing rule? I hear about people coming and going because they "weren't saving any money"

Funny thing is I really don't like GN and was thinking of moving. I pay 1200 for a nice apt but I swear I just crunched numbers today and i can afford more. I doubt I'd cough up 200 extra for parking because im a cheap sob

Alan what is your problem? Ever since I said my comment about motorcycles interrupting your yuppie wine tasting you've had a hard on for me ever since. Are you in fact a Yuppie wine taster?

lighten sticky...Alan is one of the more erudite posters here...

If 3-buck Chuck is yuppie, yup.

i prefer to quaff wine while dancing on grapes in Tuscany myself, but a wine bar will suffice. a harley rider engaging in reverse snobbism, for shame.

I also like Budweiser brand. Plus, of course Lillet (blanc) and soda over ice with an orange slice.

PS, thanks W67!

"Babe, 997GT3's are so last spring. How about we get you out of that and into a real car - a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano at least?"

This comment might very well answer my question. Keeping up with the Jonses when your really living a champagne lifestyle on beer money (and charging your Visa for the difference). So wonder do you actually own any expensive European high performance cars or do you just have a picture on your wall and pretend to be rich.

the latter. and don't worry, wonderinfant doesn't reside in manhattan, except during those magical moments when he's transported there watching gossip girl.

Budweiser sucks. I'll drink it if i'm running low on funds and I don't feel like going to the atm. Although they make a good Belgian wheat beer now (Shock Top). I guess it's because if their merge with some European brew house.

Well, listening to Gossip Girl at least. The teevee in his trailer is broke.

FYI, Budweiser is the King of Beers.

Stick - You sound more competitive than all of us put together.

some would say Queen of Beers!

alan, i think the satellite dish was repossessed cause papa didn't pay the bills. sadly, the trans am is up on blocks in the front yard cause mama got laid off from wal-mart and they can't afford a new transmission.

OK I do apologize. Bud is the King of Beers. Perhaps I might consider manhattan again. The first time around might have been bad timing. I was trying to pay down a $10k credit card bill while having just moved there (and almost succeeded). I still hated my small cramped place. And every place my gf looked at looked like reminded me of the same small crampedness -- for a lot of money -- downtown. not to mention too much NYU.

you do realize that great neck and manhattan are not the only two options? manhattan's not going anywhere, it will be here in a few years if you are then able to afford more space. it's here now if you can tolerate less space and/or greater expense. or you just might find a good deal if you look, prices are generally lower now than a couple of years ago. good luck.

Aboutready is right and there are a lot of die hard Brooklyn fans on this site. It's more reasonable, less gentrified in at least some parts and close enough to Manhattan if you work or play here.

w67thstreet, the Carrera GT is such a terrible car for a city. My friend who parks at my garage (Central Parking on N. Moore Street if you plebeians want to gawk at all the myriad of fabulous exotic vehicles parked there) has one, and I've driven it and it is beyond hard to drive.

Ugh, I only drive on automatic mode on F-1/E-Gear. The Carrera GT doesn't have such a thing. I don't have time to shift gears while I'm primping my beauty in the mirror and on my phone.

UBottom, breathe slowly and try to contain your jealousy

i'm fairly certain you meant pimping your beauty, wonderinfant, perhaps on your way to the herpes sample sale.

Stick_Man of course I own high performance vehicles. What do you think I am - poor?

Matchbox or Hot Wheels?

We've even got a JC Penney in Manhattan now. Why would you ever want to leave:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/fashion/13CRITIC.html?ref=fashion

Best line in the article:

To this end, it has the most obese mannequins I have ever seen. They probably need special insulin-based epoxy injections just to make their limbs stay on. It’s like a headless wax museum devoted entirely to the cast of “Roseanne.”

Stick_Man said" I was just kidding about Chelsea it is nice and but you know . . . I wouldn't want to live there. Stay out of Manhattan? Well I could just stay out of Chelsea"

Hmmmm - and why is that Stick_Man.... afraid some of the boys will use theor stick on your backside? You come across as an ill informed bigot. Please, do stay of out Manhattan!

CTM: Thanks for pointing that out. I just scanned over the drivel. I didn't realize stick_man was intellectually unattractive. I take back my prior bon mots about JC Penney.

Stick: May your bigoted tight-ass-one-trick-pony thread die in a stranglehold of the transmogrified hands of a goat drowned in the blood of satan's fart reaching out from the pool of liquified souls in hell to claim their next customer. (I'm channeling the 1982 video game Joust here.)

SNs, brilliant. That was what my comment regarding Chelsea meant to imply earlier, but he retracted. Combine the comment with the Harley and you may get an ugly picture.

I would have let it die, but the JC Penney mannequin story is too fab to pass up. We should steal a mannequin from Penney's and one from Ann Taylor ((or any other purveyor of tiny women's clothing) with its concave pelvic area and jutting hip bones) and dress them up side by side in Herald Square.

Dirty Ann Taylor secret - its clothes do not fit its skinny mannequins, they have to be pinned back.

I work with people who are blind and visually impaired. You probably have not thought about how much the infrastructure and services of NYC allow people to live independent lives. In most of the United States a non-driver would not be able to get to work or shop for food without depending on someone else's schedule – or unreliable bus or taxi service – for a ride. Maybe you haven't considered how dangerous communities without sidewalks (and reliable snow removal) are for people who are vision or mobility impaired. Mostly one-way streets with lights on every corner (in Manhattan), no right on red and drivers' expectation that there will be pedestrians make street crossing safer than in many suburbs.

NYC also has a large community of active people with disabilities. In addition to the support of others who share your experiences, this educates and sensitizes non-disabled people to your equipment, needs etc. NYC and NY State offer decent rehabilitation services, job training and supportive work programs. To be sure, life in NYC presents challenges for people with disabilities, but it also provides the ability to become a part of society and be recognized for your talents and contributions. In many places, disabled people are basically stuck in their houses, without nearly instant delivery of food, prescriptions, movies, etc. Sure, in those places the concert hall is accessible and the movie theatre provides headphones (for scene descriptions which supplement dialog), but how do you get home at 11 p.m. if you can't drive? You are constantly dependent on other people.

It's a shame there is so little affordable housing in Manhattan for people with disabilities because there are few places in the world that offer its advantages. Unemployment rates among the disabled are shockingly high, but even the employed probably cannot afford Manhattan. (As an aside, it is so disappointing to read the constant demeaning comments about "projects," "rabble," etc. posted on these boards. Many poor people work very hard and still have trouble making it in NYC. I see this with my students and their families, who are decent people living with a difficult situation.)

Perhaps as we age, we will appreciate how much longer we remain independent than our suburban friends. In the meantime, if you don't feel privileged to live in Manhattan or NYC, find someplace that makes you happy.

i noted the chelsea snipe---but this guy is such a complete fool on so many fronts that i wasnt going to bother to comment

it is the low point of his continual idiocy--bet he gets a whole lotta chix out in gn!!!

nyc10023, i know, but did you realize that J. Crew's have to be pinned back also? maybe they are all getting their mannequins from the same place, and Penney's got a discount on a lot overproduced for Lane Bryant or some such.

The mannequins were probably made for H&M clothes, which are in turn made for stick figures. Or maybe Swedes.

Ubottom is on ignore

Nice name Ubottom.

my bed and condoms are closer to the bar than your parked car.

Yeah but you have to deal with all of the high brow NY women or NY trasnplanted women who think they're sophistos when in fact they were living on a farm last year; or who go to NYU and listen to some egg head and think they have a clue and are high-minded and all that. ie you're not getting laid that easy.

BTW I don't like walking down the street and looking at any 2 people making out in the street let alone in Chelsea

stay in great neck. or, better, move to chicago.

no challenge = no fun; besides, most of the women here drop the attitude after 2 minutes of talk. why would other people making out bother you? In all the other countries I've lived in, the general population doesn't really care what others do. We Americans to get offended more easily by what others do.

I really hated getting in the car to go; to the bank, work out, buy bread, get coffee, etc etc. And the funny thing is, I was born and raised in NYC and absolutely hated living here. It took living in another country to realize how awesome Manhattan is.

diamond I'm not in college any longer.

i love living in manhattan
i just hate that for $4K my 2-br rental is not big enough for family of 4 and i can't find what i want for less than $2M to buy or $8K to rent ...and that's not even looking in the public school zones i want!
im a sr. executive in media, yet dont make wall st. or lawyer dough, so cant afford to live and school my kids on this damn island

About Ready, are you from Chicago and gay? Since I was born here why don't you leave and go drink some "pop" (it's called soda)

they mention chicago because you sound a lot like a famous poster names rufus. do a search

born "here"---where?

tripel, if it's any consolation even lawyers have had a hell of a time (other than at the top of the top firms, of course) managing the same.

stick_man, i'm from the pacific northwest and straight, and i've lived mostly in Manhattan since 1985. and who gives a shit where you were born, or even where you are now? it's much more relevant where you should be today. many a child popped out of the maternal loins at Beth Isreal or Mt. Sinai only to later realize this wasn't the island for them.

AR: absolutely, they all buy these skinny mannequins, but none of the clothes actually fit. So you are deceived twice.

dont move just yet tripel---things are already more affordable, and will likely become even more so---8G/month rent should even now provide pretty nice quarters for a fam of 4 in a neighborhood with decent public schools--

btw, what the f does it matter whether or not i'm gay? straight people don't like chelsea? i bought in Chelsea, and we had a small child at the time. you're the type i hope she stays far, far away from.

that it dont mean shit whether you are gay or straight here in ny is one of the great things about this city--i am a straight caucasion--not that it matters!!!

born "here"---where?. Figure it out. What do you need the hospital name

The price gap between taxis and DWI lawyers is worth it alone. :)

not to mention those unflattering mug shots.

ah yes, the king of mugshots

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee275/rocketcabs/the-holy-grail-of-mugshots.jpg

born "here"---where?
..... in Brayside, Queens, obviously.

Why is the bigot aka Stick_man still allowed to post?

censorship is ugly?

> I cannot think of one area in all the city that would be worth paying all that money for housing and > dealing with the rabble on the streets and the subway (both rabble and slowness)

Its so crowded, no one goes there anymore.

> 1. Manhattan is not fabulous by night. In fact 1/2 of it is pretty much unsafe. Or at least used to be

Ah, got it now... bridge and tunnel boy hasn't been here since his grandma took him in for the Rockettes in '83

Remember, this is the same stickman who was desperately trying to move to the city, but couldn't afford it.

Its called... uh, well, sour grapes.

I grew up right next to Great Neck. I will never move back. I bought and live in NYC and will not move anywhere else in US ever.

In nyc I can walk outside my house and walk to fantastic restaurants instead of driving to Chilis on a saturday night to wait an hour to clog my arteries. I can walk to work, walk for groceries walk to central park pretty much walk everywhere I need to which is the way God intended us to conduct our daily affairs. I save money on a car insurance gas etc. This is also great for your physical and mental health. Sitting in rush hour traffic coming home from work is a very dehumanizing experience. Living in NYC you completely avoid traffic and rush hour. The subway is by far the most efficent form of transportation there is especially if you live near an express train. I dont know why you would think it is inefficent and the MTA is so awful. Try using a subway in any other city liek Philly. Our transportation hub is a model for the whole world.

If I had to rely on the sliver snail (LIRR) Id be bitter about the MTA too. There is nothing worse than coming home alone on a saturday night dealing with a bunch of drunk FLIDS on a LIRR train at 3AM. Whereas I can go out at night and spend 10$ for a cab home versus taking a packed LIRR or spending $50 on a cab.

It is only one of the top 5 cities in all of the world.

mrmet, Great Neck is a beautiful town, with one of the better 'downtowns' in the metro area. you can most definitely live in a house there from which you can walk to the train, restaurants, stores and the movie theater. it may not be your cup of tea, nor is it mine, but for someone who wants a house but not need a totally car-dependent life, it is a great town. not to mention it has very good schools. its not the exurbs.

if you are young and your work and social life both revolve around manhattan, i don't know why you wouldn't want to live in manhattan.

"you can most definitely live in a house there from which you can walk to the train, restaurants, stores and the movie theater. "

Sounds like, uh, kansas. Lots of places have movie theaters and medicore restaurants....

"flids"
????????

I mean what is the meaning of "FLIDS" ?????? ... I hate when SE lowercases acronyms that I type correctly.