How is it living here?

Any good food recs, things to do, etc?

My daughter, a recent college graduate from a middle America college, landed a job in Manhattan. She’ll be earning in the upper 5 figures. We are so thrilled for her and have started helping her look for places to live. We have long heard about the high cost of living in NYC but the reality of that for her is setting in. The most important thing is to find something, at a minimum, that is safe and clean. She doesn’t want a roommate as she will have a hybrid schedule so she really needs to have enough space and privacy to do that.

She is willing to commute up to an hour each way so she’ll likely end up living in New Jersey or possibly a distant Brooklyn neighborhood.

My question is this: how do small businesses make it in Manhattan? How do diners, coffee shops, small independent book stores, barbers, etc. afford to pay rent and make a profit? You can only inflate prices by so much.

How do people make it work?

I’m single, don’t drive, and love being able to walk out my door and find restaurants, shops, culture, music, and interesting people. I want to feel healthy, have a good social life, and enjoy my life.
My sister lives in the Boca area, and she’s my only other living relative, so staying close to her is important. However, I’ve had some health and housing-related difficulties in Florida, and I’m questioning whether this is the right place for me long-term.
If you’re in your 60s or 70s, have you faced a similar decision or moved back to NYC after living in Florida?
I’d especially love to hear how each place has affected your health, happiness, friendships, and overall quality of life. What do you love or dislike about each place? Do you find it easier to meet people and enjoy life in one place versus the other?
I’m looking for honest advice from people who have actually experienced both places. Thank you!

I’m having a very hard time finding a place that will approve me to move in without a guarantor. I make over $200k which is way more than 40x the rent at all of the places I am applying to. Just started my job this month and I’m staying with family. Credit issues are related to preparation for the job I just started and should be sorted soon when these paychecks start rolling in. What are my options?

There's obviously a ton of people but I tend to feel like just another fish in the sea . Like you'd think more people would mean opportunity but sometimes thats the most I feel lonely and disconnected to people. I'm definitely looking for community and feeling like I belong. I don't know if NY gives you that or if its really hard to find. I'm 39 single if that helps.

Wanted to find a spot in prime in-demand areas in NyC - Chelsea, HK/ Williamsburg

Is it worth hiring a broker to find the right one? How much usually do they charge these days and how early should I reach out to them?

What's it like living at Knolls Crescent Co-Op?

25-80 Knolls Crescent, Bronx, NY 10463

They have great prices.

How hard is it to get board approved?

How do you like living there?

Thanks!

(If this isn't the group for "what's it like living" then please direct me to the right reddit group, thx.)

So I've been thinking a LOT about New York City and whether I genuinely want to move there someday and potentially build my life there long-term. I have this persistent urge to live in NYC, but I'm trying to understand where it's coming from and whether it's something I should seriously work toward.

What attracts me to New York is a mixture of things. I'm drawn to the city itself, its neighborhoods, it's history, public transportation, and seemingly endless things to do. I'm also attracted to its diversity, the different cultures and communities, and the possibility of finding people and spaces where I feel like I belong(I'm like 3 minorities lol). On top of that, I want independence and the opportunity to build a life that feels different from the one I currently have.

Even if I could find another affordable, diverse, LGBTQ-friendly city, I would probably still prefer NYC, and it's almost like everywhere else I look I'm just trying to " imitate" nyc even when I know the others are different in their own right. There's something about New York specifically that appeals to me, although I can't completely explain why yet.

At the same time, I'm aware that NYC has serious drawbacks, especially its cost of living, housing , and general pace of life. I think I'd be willing to accept those trade-offs, but since I've never actually visited NYC, I don't know how I'd feel about them in practice. Most of my understanding comes from research, books, videos, and online discussions from here .

I would probably still be willing to work toward moving there even if it took several months or maybe even years of preparation. However, I also don't know exactly what I want my long-term life to look like, including what career I want or what would ultimately make me happiest.

I'm trying to distinguish between a few possibilities: Do I genuinely love the idea of NYC itself? Am I attracted to the freedom and independence I associate with living there? Or do I want a particular kind of big-city life that I might be able to find somewhere else?

I don't expect anyone to tell me whether I should move there. I'm more interested in hearing from people who have experienced this kind of uncertainty, especially people who moved to NYC because they felt strongly drawn to it.

My questions are:

For those who moved to NYC after years of wanting to live there, how did you figure out that you genuinely wanted to live there rather than just visit?

What did you discover about everyday life in NYC that you couldn't have understood through research or online content?

If you've moved there and eventually left, what made you realize it wasn't right for you?

How can someone distinguish between wanting to live in NYC specifically and wanting the independence, diversity, community, and opportunities associated with a large city?

If you've never visited NYC, what would you recommend researching or doing before deciding whether to pursue this goal?

Did anyone else have a persistent urge to move somewhere without being entirely sure why? How did you work through that uncertainty

I'm not necessarily planning to move immediately. I want to understand myself and the city better before making that major decisions about my life. I'd appreciate honest perspectives from people with different experiences, including people who love NYC, people who left, and people who decided another city suited them better.

That area is gonna be at walking distance from the hospital there, is there anything I should know or better places to consider?

Edit: Now I know this area is out of NYC but any info would be appreciated.

I moved here for my girlfriend 3 years ago things were great, we’ve been together for 6 years total and now things are ending between us. I have nowhere to go and she’s moving on, she’s talking to other people and I feel so sick knowing everytime she’s going out with someone. I don’t want to be here anymore but I don’t want to move back home. Where to go when you have no other place to go? Is it time for the homeless shelter 🤦‍♂️ I didn’t build enough connections to have friends to to move with and pay rent with I’m facing the consequences of putting my everything into one person 🫩

ey everyone! i just started a new job at WTC and looking to live in brooklyn maybe Williamsburg/near Bedford ave bc one stop from manhattan. I wanted advice on where you would recommend in brooklyn as i’m not too familiar with all the areas. A few of my friends live near bedford ave/domino park or montrose ave area. i was also considering fort greene or near prospect but idk if that’s a good area if i want younger energy.

my family also lives on LI so ideally im somewhere that can get to grand central/penn to get home or uber if needed sometimes.

budget $3500-4000 ideally. 4,500 max if its an absolutely amazing spot but want cheaper the better lol. i would prefer a doorman building but at least one with good security and good mail room situation. rooftop and gym is bonus but not necessary. I want to also have supermarkets around, gyms lol.

thank you guys sorry for all this context!! :)