I’ve been offered (and accepted) a job at an International Publishing company which will involve me uping sticks and leaving London behind in favour of New York to take control of their American websites.
Obviously this is all dependent on me getting permission to work on that side of the pond (although no problems are foreseen in this regard) but assuming all goes to plan I will, from the end of May/June be living and working in Manhattan.
Having never lived abroad before i don’t have any doubt that this will be a pretty big move - not so much the big city-living thing of course as i’ve been doing that for years, but more the alien culture and unfamiliarity of the place.
So what can i expect? What should i bring? And (most importantly of all) where should i go for a drink?
There are some decent places for an Englishman to sup in NYC - plus a few indecent ones. But, beware: a Yank “pint” is only 16 fluid ounces compared with 20 fl. oz in a British one.
My mate Jez and I had a whale of a time in January at JEREMY’S ALE HOUSE, 228 Front Street. Reasonable beers (served in plastic cups) and a stimulating clientele. Not the most elegant of boozers, but great if you like them rough.
Talking of spit & sawdust, McSorley’s Old Ale House, 15 East 7th Street (East Village). They serve 2 types of beer: light and dark. The bogs are rather interesting…
Bring a big wad of cash. Your rent will be, um, high. Think minimum 1500 for a small studio.
Oh, and Jeremy’s Ale House moved down the street recently. It’s not quite the same anymore.
As an aside, the neighborhood that Jeremy’s is in is a good place to get an apartment bargain. The financial district area is becoming more residential now, but you can still get a decent one bedroom for a bit over 2000.
Chelsea is very nice. I lived there for two years. Just as a warning, if you don’t know, it’s also very gay. The area is mostly populated by younger gay men who work out incessantly; the sterotype is the “Chelsea boy” who is gay and muscle magazine sized.
Yeah, my mate Pink Troy (his choice of nickname not mine!) said something similar - he demanded i take him along as a gay partner just to fit in.
I’m guessing its probably going to be easier (and cheaper) to buy pretty much everything out there, although i’ve been told to take a decent suit with me.
The idea that a Pint is going to contain less beer over there disturbs me greatly :eek:
Oh, something you’ll be missing in Manhattan is good grocery stores. But, never fear. In Chelsea you have Whole Foods on the corner of 24th St and 7th Ave. Though expect to pay a premium, and then a bit on top of that.
May I also recommend F&B (on 23rd between 7th and 8th) which is the American perspective on the European take on hotdogs. No, seriously.
I love NY and if I could afford to live there I would.
I have a friend who moved there recently, lives on the upper west side about 1 block off Central Park. Her small 2 bedroom apartment is a bargain at $2450/month. But what a location.
Chelsea is a great place to live. It’s very convienent subway wise and is nicely situated between the downtown (Soho, the Village) and the Times Square/Theatre district. So your trip home after a night out is short.
Yep. probably. But maybe not–I can go to a pub here and hear real Irish music by genooine Irish musicians(I’m near Chicago), so maybe in the whole of NY, there is a pub that has footie on.
Then again, we have soccer on all the time on TV here–you just have to be able to speak Spanish to understand the commentary!
I’ll slink away now, I’m not much help!
P.S.:
Welcome to America–I hope your stay is a good one. Want to keep us updated in a kind of Bill Bryson, “I’m a Stranger Here, Myself” kind of way? I think that’d be neat–our country thru the eyes of a Brit new to us…
No. There’s a pub in Largo, Florida, of all places, I can go and watch footie to my heart’s content. It’s called the Rose & Crown, and has some decent beers. If there’s a particularly popular match showing they might charge a cover, especially if they have to pay to receive it (think Euro 2004). So I’d be terribly surprised if you couldn’t find something going in Manhattan.
Try www.bigsoccer.com and find the forum appropriate for your club. (Warning: they don’t seem to be too kind to newbies there).
Nevada Smith’s has decent soccer (slang lesson #2) on its big-screen TV, and it’s in the neighborhood right below Chelsea, Greenwich Village, which is a great place too. It’s run by the Irish, though–you’ll have to get used to that. We Irish settled in NYC in great numbers and are still probably the largest white ethnic group here. Almost all the pubs are Irish.
Another hint: if your buddy (slang lesson #3) or any other male comes over to visit, you’ll get a rather different reaction to introducing him as “my mate” over here (slang lesson #4)! Especially in Chelsea. Although to be fair gay guys usually use partner or boyfriend for their SO’s anyway. But the word will raise eyebrows.
There’s a few Brit grocery stores around Manhattan, especially in the Village, although there really is no such thing as an English restaurant.
Lastly, we have Dopefests at which Dopers from all over are welcomed. NY is a great place, and you’ll be arriving at the best time of year! Not too hot, not too humid.
