What's Life Like in New York City?

[tampa24]

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to start a thread designated specifically to discussing New York City and the experiences of those who live there or who have visited there. I'm bringing some posts over from another thread that originally had a totally name and subject. It's a discussion I'd love to continue.

I honestly had no idea of the geography of all of NYC's boroughs. I still don't. haha According to this map though, you may be a resident of New York City...but face it Mikey...

You live on an island dude. The island is ingeniously called Long Island.

If you ever get in a car from your home and drive 200 miles due east, west, north or south without crossing a bridge, going under a tunnel or taking a ferry...let me know how that works out for you. Oh wait! I already know. LOL

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I think this last map might be more to Mikey's liking though.

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[tampa24]

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Thanks for the geography lesson guys. I guess I am a Long Islander.

Aww. Cmon Mikey. You know for a fact that we love you. I hope you don't mind that some of the kidding is at your expense.

If all of that above is true about you, then you have millions of New Yorkers in your company. You live in New York City and you also happen to be a Long Islander who lives on western Long Island. I think we all get that what Brooklynites mean when they refer to "Long Island", is that it's everything else on the island that's east of the New York City. You have to admit though that it is kinda cute when New Yorkers in Brooklyn and Queens refer to Long Island like it's some far off place.

It kind of reminds me of how people who live in a certain southern city down here refer to where they live. If you ask some of them what state they live in, or what state they're from...they will purposely say, "Atlanta." haha They hear the question properly. They know what state they live in. But some of them just aren't comfortable saying they live in Georgia. Or that they're Georgians. lol Because as cosmopolitan city dwellers they don't feel that that answer truly reflects the rich and unique cultural heritage and history of where they actually live.

 

[tampa24]

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Those kind of local designations abound in many cities and sections of the country.

Mikey will attest to the fact that even though Brooklyn and Queens are part of New York City, many of those boroughs' inhabitants will use the term "the city' when referring to the borough of Manhattan such as in "I'm taking the train to the city to go shopping".

In Baltimore where I was born and raised during my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, there was a significant Catholic population and many parishes. So when you would ask someone you met where they were from, you would not say what neighborhood are you from but what parish are you from. I would reply, for instance "Little Flower" -my parish. The interesting thing about this, however, is that this was such a cultural folkway, that many non-Catholics would ask and answer the same way.

 

[tampa24]

Quote Originally Posted by joninliverton

Very interesting geography lesson. Where is Harlem then ?

Look at the map that Tampa provided Jon. In the strip of land called Manhattan, Harlem is up in the northern part of Manhattan. That is one of Peter's regrets that we never got to go through Harlem, as he was looking for the young Latino's in Spanish Harlem. But we did make it to the Bronx for a tour of Yankee Stadium, so he got to check out a few young Latino boys!

 

[tampa24]

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Very true Stowe. Although Brooklyn is the largest borough of NYC, when I go to Manhattan I always say, "I am going to the city", even though I am already in New York City.

By the way, one of the key battles of the American Revolutionary War, (sorry for bringing that one up Jon, lol) but it took place right here in what is called Brooklyn Heights, but it was as still is referred to by many as "The Battle of Long Island".

And we have a beautiful museum and library in my neighborhood called The Brooklyn Historical Society, which was called The Long Island Historical Society when I first moved to the neighborhood.

There is no question Brooklyn is "on" Long Island geographically, but politically I am in New York City in Kings County and Long Island is comprised of Nassau and Suffolk County.

 

[tampa24]

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I really have been fascinated by the geography lesson here. For instance even though world geography is actually a strong point of mine, some U.S. geography I'm pretty weak on. For example I've heard of The Hamptons all my life. I've heard repeatedly throughout my life of Fire Island and how important it has been in the context of gay culture and history here in the U.S. But I freely admit I had only the vaguest idea of where those places were. Northeastern coastline certainly. But where exactly? I admit I didn't have a clue. haha Until now.

I knew that New York City had all these different "boroughs" (I really didn't know how many) and that Staten Island and Manhattan were separate islands within the boundaries of New York City. But I didn't realize how strangely the city is laid out on a map, by being on so many very separate land masses. Staten Island (and even Manhattan to some degree) looks like it could just as easily have been a part of New Jersey. Long Island looks like it could just as easily have been its own state. To the naked eye, the only borough that looks like it would be part of a New York "city" would be the northernmost one...The Bronx. As typical cities go, the borders of NYC are a very unusual combination of geographical and historical circumstances.

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What started out as just a quick post to tease my friend Mikey (and poke the bear, lol) turned into my learning some valuable and interesting information about the city in which he lives.

 

[tampa24]

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It was pretty interesting getting around that HUGE city!!! With the exception of Staten Island everywhere else felt like one big place and not divided up. I did a little research prior to my visit and also found out each Burrough has it's own County, now thats crazy!!!

You didn't tell me that you researched the city prior to your visit. I thought you learned it all so quickly because of my excellent teaching skills.

And considering that Brooklyn has a population of 2.592 million, so don't you think we are entitled to be our own county which is Kings County, not Queens County as I'm sure you were thinking Peterh! lol

 

[tampa24]

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Mikey - It is interesting that you indicate that many people refer to the Battle of Brooklyn Heights as The Battle of Long Island. In various histories I've read it has always been referred to the B of BH. In fact, back in the dark ages when I was a Freshmen and sophomore in college (and no we didn't write with quill pens then) we were required to take ROTC. One course we had was Military History and it was also referred to as the B of BH. Maybe it is the Long Islanders who call it by the other name - lol !!!

 

[tampa24]

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I found a pretty good map of Manhattan that includes Harlem (and East Harlem) as Peter was asking about. I've heard of Hell's Kitchen all my life and never really knew where it was in NYC either.

One thing that's helpful with smaller maps like these is to enlarge them by pressing the Cntrl key while at the same time scrolling the center of your mouse pad to make them bigger.

Isn't the Upper East Side supposed to be the most exclusive area where the richest people live? Or is it the Upper West Side?

If you look in the upper center, you'll see the location of the famous Central Park.

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[tampa24]

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This map shows the bottom southern half of Manhattan along with the Financial District. The World Trade Center is/was in the bottom left of the Financial District.



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Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty is over to the left. It's actually a little farther south of Manhattan than the map indicates.

 

[tampa24]

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I'm surprised at you Tampa. Don't you know your Jefferson's TV trivia?

Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

The upper East Side has always been known as the ritzy part of the city, but in the 70's and 80's the Upper West Side became pretty exclusive too. I've said it before, but if not for the rent stabilization laws, I would not be living in New York City at all.

And if you want some detailed pics of the various spots around the city, check out the "formite thread" from October of last year. You will see up close pics of Central Park, midtown and all around the town, and there are a couple of "hot dudes" featured on those pics too, well at least one handsome fellow admired by even the NYC Police Department. lol

 

[tampa24]

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Which two bridges are these Mikey?

I assume they go from the southeastern tip of Manhattan to Brooklyn. Right? So one of them has to be the famous Brooklyn Bridge?

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[tampa24]

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The bridge on the lower part of the screen in both images is The Brooklyn Bridge that starts in my neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, the one that Peter and I walked over to go to the World Trade Center. The bridge above that is The Manhattan Bridge. They both connect the boroughs as does a third bridge just north of The Manhattan Bridge and that is Williamsburg Bridge, so three bridges cross that small span of land, and The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel covers pretty much the same ground but under the East River.

 

[tampa24]

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[tampa24]

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Hey Mikey or any other New Yorkers here,

Do any of the subways go in tunnels under the rivers or other bodies of water? Or are those all only actual passenger trains that do that?

When is it better to take a ferry instead of a tunnel?

If you want to go to and from the farthest points of the city, how would you best do that? For instance what are your best transportation options (without a car of course) for going from southern Brooklyn to the northern Bronx? Would you do it via Manhattan or across northern Queens?

If you wanted to go from the Bronx to Staten Island, what would be the best way to do that?

What about from southern Staten Island to eastern Queens?

How much do train rides, subways and ferries cost per passenger nowadays?

Thanks for any info you can provide. Hopefully many of us will get an education in here! haha

 

[tampa24]

Hey Mikey or any other New Yorkers here,

Do any of the subways go in tunnels under the rivers or other bodies of water? Or are those all only actual passenger trains that do that? Most subways use tunnels. There is an overground track on the Manhattan Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, but most are in tunnels.

When is it better to take a ferry instead of a tunnel? Our current mayor is pushing for more ferries, but right now other than the Staten Island Ferry, most folks take trains and buses.

If you want to go to and from the farthest points of the city, how would you best do that? For instance what are your best transportation options (without a car of course) for going from southern Brooklyn to the northern Bronx? Would you do it via Manhattan or across northern Queens? The subway. For $2.50 you can travel from the most southern point in Queens to the most northern part of The Bronx.

If you wanted to go from the Bronx to Staten Island, what would be the best way to do that? Take the subway to South Ferry in Southern Manhattan and hop the Staten Island Ferry.

What about from southern Staten Island to eastern Queens? A bus on Staten Island to the ferry to Manhattan and a subway to a connecting subway to Queens.

How much do train rides, subways and ferries cost per passenger nowadays? Subway and bus are $2.50 per ride, but with discounts when you buy longer passes. The rates are going up to I think 2.75 for the basic fare in a few months, but I still think it's a bargain. I don't take the ferry but I imagine it's a similar rate, but I don't honestly know.

Thanks for any info you can provide. Hopefully many of us will get an education in here! haha

Thanks for asking. I'm proud of my city and I love talking about it, and showing tourists around here too. Especially if they are really cool like Peterh!

 

[tampa24]

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You know, mikey, when I was reading about the fares, my thoughts went back to the early 70's when I was working in NYC. When I started working in Oct. 1970 the subway fare was 30 cents. Then it went up to 35 cents on January 1, 1972 and was at that level when I left in July 1974. Remember buying tokens - somewhere in my messy box I think I still have a token or two from those days.

And I agree totally agree with you about the fare at $2.50 or $2.75 is still a bargain. Consider the longest non-transfer ride on the system from 207th St. in Manhattan to Far Rockaway, Queens (A train) more than 31 miles for that single fare. Or the longest single transfer ride on the system from 241st St. in The Bronx on the 2 train, transferring to the A train to Far Rockaway more than 38 miles for that single fare. Then there are the multiple transfer rides you can do all over for a single fare. Talk about getting your money's worth!

 

[tampa24]

.From Brooklyn to the Bronx, are you better off doing it via Manhattan or across northern Queens?

That one is easy for me Tampa. I live in Brooklyn Heights, right on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, and when I go to Yankee Stadium (in The Bronx), I take the 4 Train a five minute walk from my door, and it is a direct express right up through Manhattan to Yankee Stadium at 161st Street. From my door to the Stadium is about a 50 minute trip.

 

[tampa24]

How much does it cost to take the ferry one-way to Staten Island?

My brother lives in Staten Island and when I go there I take the Verazzano Bridge from Bay Ridge Brooklyn, so I haven't been on the ferry for many, many years, it used to be $.05 when I was a kid, from researching it, it now appears to be free. This is from Wikipedia:

"The ferry is free of charge, though riders must disembark at each terminal and reenter through the terminal building for a round trip to comply with Coast Guard regulations regarding vessel capacity and the placeholding optical turnstiles at both terminals.[2] For most of the 20th century, the ferry was famed as the biggest bargain in New York City. It charged the same one-nickel fare as the New York City Subway but the ferry fare remained a nickel when the subway fare increased to 10 cents in 1948. In 1970 then-Mayor John V. Lindsay proposed that the fare be raised to 25 cents, pointing out that the cost for each ride was 50 cents, or ten times what the fare brought in. On August 4, 1975, the nickel fare ended and the charge became 25 cents for a round trip, the quarter being collected in one direction only. The round trip increased to 50 cents in 1990, but the fare was eliminated altogether in 1997.[1]"

 

[tampa24]

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Mikey, you might not remember this, but Mike Quill, head of the TWU (Transport Workers Union) derisively called him Mayor "Lindsley"!

I remember it extremely well, Stowe. Mike Quill hated Lindsay and as he took office on January 1 1966 at midnight, Quill called for a subway strike. We discovered that "Lindsley" was a gay type slur from Ireland.

Even as a 16 year old, I campaigned for Lindsay and I must admit I had a teen age crush on him!!!