Obviously I live right across the river, but I’m not close enough to gauge NYers’ reactions to their present climate. From the smoking ban to the massive city lay-offs to the MTA fare hikes to the closing of local firehouses, it just seems like the news out of NYC hasn’t been good lately. Mayor Bloomberg doesn’t seem to be very popular either. If I lived in NY now I think I would be looking to move.
To the NYC Dopers: Do you feel that your standard of living is decreasing? Is Mayor Bloomberg doing a good job? Do you like living in NYC as much as you did, say, five years ago?
Good heavens, Monstro, you’re in Newark, not Saigon! Don’t you ever get into the city? I’m about the same distance as you, and I’m there every goddam day. As for me, I’m as virulent a nonsmoker as you’ll find, and I think the “no smoking in bars” ruling is completely over the top. The subway hikes were bound to happen sooner or later, but the firehouse closing are inexcuseable.
Mostly, I am feeling like, well, this article in today’s Times on how New Yorkers are just going to have to readjust to life as in post-IRA London: no outdoor wastebaskets or mailboxes; frequent bomb-threat closings; and occasional suicide bombings. Londoners and Israelis live with it; we’ll learn to, too.
Hehehe, yes I get out there at least a couple of times a month (I’m a homebody with no life, so that’s pretty good for me!). But living in a place is totally different than doing some weekend shopping there every so often. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me that feels like NYC is kinda sucking lately, especially since I don’t live there and I’m on the poor-side (so my opinion doesn’t really count :)).
Bloomberg, in my opinion, was dealt a crappy hand but is doing a fine job considering.
I equate the smoking ban to the pooper-scooper law (the best damn thing to come out of the Koch administration). When the PS law was passed there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. But these days it is generally considered one of the smartest moves the city ever made on behalf of the quality of life of its residents.
As for the closed firehouses – give me break! The city installed most of them one-hundred years ago. Good God, things have changed in terms of population centers and communications and traffic patterns. Can you imagine if all city services were administered based on century-old statistics? I love NYC, but so many New Yorkers are just morons. And don’t get me started on the firemen themselves (and cops too), the uber-darlings of said morons.
monstro, you’re in Newark? You have to come to a Fest or at least a dinner. You’d make all the other NY Dopers happy 'cause then I’d stop whining about me and my family always being the “token dopers”.
Seriously, you’d be worshipped. Shutting me up is close to impossible.
Oh, and NY could never suck. I think the one thing that everyone is up in arms about is the fare hike. And I also think me and stu are just about the only people in NY who think our CEO is doing as good a job as can be expected considering what he had to work with.
The MTA fare hike, by the way, is the doing of a bunch of cow-humping farmers from upstate, not the city.
And I agree that Bloomberg is doing an OK job. I will have him to thank next year when my rent goes up another thousand dollars. I’m sure glad he’s only raising taxes on those rich building owners. :rolleyes:
Biggirl, I would love to do a fest. I said I was going to go to the last one but then forgot all about it because I’m a big ole lame-o.
Well, the ones on the news today were morons. I’m not sure that the firefighters are being laid off. Aren’t they just moving to different ladder companies? I don’t get why so many people are so upset.
I look at it this way - you can’t expect a city that full of pissed-off, overworked people to run very smoothly. The fare hike bothers me, but I guess that’s the way it goes. All in all, the advantages of living in New York far outweigh the disatvantages.