So just dont drive a car boys. Use the outstanding public transport system. Of course new York is crowded and dirty. Full of huddled masses yearning to be free. This is what makes it so fun!!!!!!
+ its people are not anywhere near as rude as everyone seems to think. Frankly i was a little disappointed on this socre. When i went there as a poor ans somewhat naive young backpacker from a provincial city, i was almost looking forward to some big city attitude. All i got was nice 50 year old jewish ladies with thick brooklyn accents telling me i should be careful because it is a dangerous city. i began to wonder if Judge Judy would Mug me.
Also though obscenely expensive, the beauty is you can have fun just walking around or people watching. You can do stuff on the cheap it just takes some effort. Find out when the free evenings and days at museums are.
Really Niles dont listen to Ant on this. New york is worth having to reside in a flat roughtly the side of a shower cubicle, paying 20 bucks for a coffee and being shoved on the peak hour subway because it makes you feel alive. Go there for a bit while you are still young.
Come to think of it, I would not trade my NYC experiences for anything. I think I just got too old for the rat race. Once you have kids and become family focused, NYC is just crowded, polluted, and expensive.
Still, part of me thinks my kid is lucky he is growing up there. He has seen the Macy's Day Parade in person, been at Times Square for New Year's, visited all the best museums, been to the top of both the World Trade Center and Empire State Building, seen broadway shows, and had countless other experiences. Because of this urban background, he is at home anywhere and has 'attitude' that only big city kids have.
Charlotte, NC is pretty much a boring, hick town by comparison. But I like it here. My four bedroom house is cheaper than my one bedroom hovel in NJ (could not afford to live right in NYC), my commute is one-third the time and way less stressful. My neighbors are friendly. It's relaxing. I like that right now.