Living In The Bronx

[heydaralon]

Do you still live in Jersey?

Yes. I have no plans to leave, it's a great "retire in place" location. I can hit world class fishing in the morning, walk to an immense variety of ethnic food for lunch and see a Broadway show in the evening.

How accurate to real life is the show the Sopranos? I'm not talking about the mafia stuff, I mean, is that show's depiction of Italians, Jews, people from Jersey etc. accurate?

[brewster]

How accurate to real life is the show the Sopranos? I'm not talking about the mafia stuff, I mean, is that show's depiction of Italians, Jews, people from Jersey etc. Accurate?

Depends of course on whether they're native or not. I had a slice this afternoon in an old school joint still run by Italians (getting rare), and you'd think they were from central casting.

[MilSpecs]

This may be a question that Milspecs can answer, but aside from Manhattan, which is the best place to live in NYC? I've heard Staten Island is one of the least prestigious, but thats where I'd want to live if I had to pick. Low population density is a win imo.

Staten Island is too hard to commute from and I personally don't like the vibe but it's close to the suburban experience. If I was raising kids and had to live in NYC (but didn't have the money for a nice place in the other boroughs) I'd look in Staten Island. Many of my relatives live there and have a typical suburban lifestyle.

Brooklyn would be a strong choice, but it's very expensive to live in a nice neighborhood. I'm from Sunset Park under the el (I'm specifying the neighborhood because a lot of people don't know 3rd avenue under the gowanus is actually considered part of Sunset Park). It's an industrial area that was always considered a 'bad neighborhood,' but has been rapidly gentrifying in recent years. It has easy access to the subway and will probably appreciate in value.

The Bronx would be my first choice for a borough (Inwood, one of my old stomping grounds, is often considered as part of the Bronx although it's actually Manhattan). I'm more familiar with the west side so I'll stick with that. Riverdale is very expensive so probably out of reach. Van Cortland park to marble hill is extremely commutable, but the A train starts in Inwood so a transfer is usually necessary. I've lived in riverdale on the Yonkers border and over the line in Yonkers. The neighborhoods are night and day.

You can actually live in Westchester and more easily commute into NYC than many parts of NYC itself. Very expensive but very nice. I'm leaving NJ out of the equation altogether, although I have opinions.

[brewster]

I'm leaving NJ out of the equation altogether

You and every immigrant from Podunk who didn't move to "NYC" to actually live in Jersey, no matter how much more it costs them. I can't tell you how many kids I rent to who are amazed at how much further their dollar goes here. I currently have a 500ft 1br for rent for $1600, find that in a good part of Brooklyn with a 10 minute walk to the train!

[Fife]

Seems legit, yankees.

Keep spending your $1,600 / month on *that.*

We'll keep actually making cars and shit down here.

[Speaker to Animals]

The mortgage payment on my spacious condo is about $750 per month. It's a bit high because I wanted to pay this fucker off sooner. I can see Mount Pisgah from here. Enjoy the crime and diversity walls in NYC!

[MilSpecs]

How accurate to real life is the show the Sopranos? I'm not talking about the mafia stuff, I mean, is that show's depiction of Italians, Jews, people from Jersey etc. Accurate?

Depends of course on whether they're native or not. I had a slice this afternoon in an old school joint still run by Italians (getting rare), and you'd think they were from central casting.

Having spent 20 years in hunterdon county, I can definitively state that the stereotype is often inaccurate. You can tell I'm from new york once I open my mouth, but I look and act more Greenwich than Snookie. Staten island is actually more stereotypical than New Jersey, at least as far as Italian americans are concerned. Most of the people who would fit the stereotype are gone in NJ and their kids are typical affluent suburbanites. If you want to live with lots of colorful characters and have that experience, go to Staten Island, Bay Ridge, Hoboken, or Yonkers. Riverdale is mostly a Jewish neighborhood. The Bronx has fun traditional Irish neighborhoods and used to have great bars, which I was not welcome in without an escort to vouch for me

[MilSpecs]

I'm leaving NJ out of the equation altogether

You and every immigrant from Podunk who didn't move to "NYC" to actually live in Jersey, no matter how much more it costs them. I can't tell you how many kids I rent to who are amazed at how much further their dollar goes here. I currently have a 500ft 1br for rent for $1600, find that in a good part of Brooklyn with a 10 minute walk to the train!

I left it out of the equation because he said NYC and I'd have to write another long post about NJ. There is, of course, nowhere else to live except for Hunterdon. Although if I fell into a pile of money I'd have a place in Morristown as well. Take that, Chatham and Madison.

[Fife]

Ugh.

Show me a yankee who can't wait to GTFO of that shithole country.

Show me one.

[brewster]

I left it out of the equation because he said NYC and I'd have to write another long post about NJ. There is, of course, nowhere else to live except for Hunterdon. Although if I fell into a pile of money I'd have a place in Morristown as well. Take that, Chatham and Madison.

Hunterdon is lovely horse country, but a bear if you're commuting! These discussions have to be holistic, not "but my mortgage in the middle of nowhere is $700". People who work need to be near their jobs. And some people choose not to spend 3-4 hrs (or more) of their day commuting, which is where city living comes in. My wife walks to work, I work at home but can jump on the train to see my clients in NYC. Some people don't value walkable neighborhoods, but many do. What's the "walkscore" of your neighborhoods? Https://www.walkscore.com/

Fife, most of the people I know love living here and would not trade it for a McMansion in some southern exurb.