In Sugar Hill you’re not far from the Columbia University neighborhood, where there should be open mics–it’s been 28 years since I lived there, but there used to be several venues.
As for the Statue of Liberty, if you’re in decent shape and can climb stairs, schedule a visit to the Crown. I went up on a clear winter’s day and it has an unforgettable view, apart from the cool factor of being inside the statue.
Well, the obvious one is Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but when Thomas L. Hamer enlisted him at West Point, he was unfamiliar with his name, and so, he was enlisted as U. S. Grant. His nickname was ‘Sam’, as the initials also stood for Uncle Sam, according to Wiki), but the trick is that his wife Julia Boggs Grant, née Dent, is also buried there.
Seeing as New York pedestrians consider traffic lights vague, noncommittal recommendations, exceeding the speed limit - on the rare occasions when traffic allows it - is probably not that good an idea anyway.
I drove down in August of '19, but the car went straight to a parking garage. Sadly, my car died in 2023, and I haven’t replaced it. I’m hoping I can rent when I need one…
You’re much better off renting a car. When I saw the post about GPS my first thought was “Don’t bring a car if you plan to live in Manhattan”.
And in the many times I’ve driven through and around NYC in recent years, my phone/GPS has never alerted me to speed cameras. The only speed cameras I know of in NYC are in highway construction zones–my son got a ticket in the mail for doing 60 in a construction zone near the Throgs Neck Bridge.
I moved to Manhattan for a new job shortly after 9/11 when I was 28 years old. I also had friends and family there and my GF (now wife) was finishing her MBA at NYU so it wasn’t like I was moving to this big strange city where I didn’t know anyone.
I would say the best advice I can give is just try and see as much of New York as you can. And I don’t just mean touristy shit or bars and restaurants (although you should try to see that stuff as well). What I like about New York is the little day to day shit you only really discover by living there that you can’t experience living other places. And as you meet people and make friends, you get to experience the various little places they enjoy.
I suppose the one caveat is that I probably can’t make any specific recommendations for what to see or do beyond what you could otherwise get out of Yelp or TripAdvisor or whatever. Even though I live just over the river on the NJ side of the Hudson River and work in probably New York’s most iconic building, I can’t say I experience much of a New Yorker lifestyle these days (aside from taking the kids to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx from time to time). Most of our friends have moved out of the city, if not out of state and we spend most of our weekends in a “country house” near the NJ/PA border.
In my visits I’ve found New Yorkers to be friendly and helpful. In bustling Manhattan they’re quickly walking from Point A to Point B, but when I’ve needed to ask for directions or information, as long as they’re not in a major rush they’ll usually stop and be very helpful.
I’ll be visiting there again in a couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to it.
When? I lived on 120th and Amsterdam for 6 years, 1990-1996.
Oh wow, which building?
My advise, too. Much easier to get around NYC if you don’t need to worry about where to park. Plenty of trains, buses, cabs, and rideshare available, and many trips are walkable. And i found it easy to rent a car if i wanted to get away for a weekend, or for a day trip.
This was my favorite destination. My preferences may be different from yours, but this is a large and beautiful park, especially during apple blossom season.
There are different types of trains in NYC and regionally going into NYC but mainly there is the Subway. You will find yourself using it all the time so your first decision is what payment type you will need https://new.mta.info/fares
To orient yourself on the subway there are phone apps, but the maps and signage in the stations work very well too.
Waze alerts me to speed and red light cameras in NYC - but most of my NYC driving is in the other four boroughs which probably have more speed cameras than Manhattan.
But I definitely agree - don’t bring a car if you are living in Manhattan. My son would not give up his car when he moved to Manhattan a couple of years ago so he keeps it parked near my house in Queens.
417 120th, from 1991-1996. We may have seen each other!
I drove by a few years ago and saw that 415 120th has been torn down and replaced by a big shiny new building. Google Street view shows that 415 used to be Mathilde Schecter Hall, and google says it was a dorm for Jewish Theological Seminary students. However, 417 looks unchanged. According to the super, it was one of the few buildings not owned by Columbia/Barnard or other area schools.
I think we were in 423, on the north east corner of the intersection, across from Hartley chemist, which still seems to be there, per Google maps. Our building was owned by Columbia. My husband was an assistant professor at the time.
I’d forgotten all about Hartley Chemist until looking at Google street view. You must have been in the building with Apple Tree Market around the corner on Amsterdam, and the dry cleaners in the corner? I see that the dry cleaner is gone, taken over by Apple Tree.
OP, you’ll find that like Montreal, NYC is very walkable, and accessible for public transit, with many small corner stores, bus lines and subway stations. The NYC subway is much noisier than the Metro, though.
As for the NY Botanical Garden, it’s a favorite place of mine; I used to live 15 minutes away and have walked there with snow falling and even climbed over the wall at night with friends, back in the 80s when the walls were lower. I’m amazed at how expensive it’s gotten, having been used to free entry. I’m a big fan of Central Park as well and have heard some great jazz and folk performers there.
Yup. I could actually get to the apple tree market through the basement. Handy when the city shut down due to snow. I was on the top floor, and had a great view.
I don’t remember having to pay to get into the Brooklyn botanical garden. Although it must cost a lot to maintain.
I was on the top floor, and had a great view.