Customer Reviews

Relocating to New York City and Surrounding Areas : Everything You Need to Know Before You Move and After You Get There!

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There is a difference between giving advise and listing considerations. I was looking for specific advise; all I got was a bunch of considerations I need to take into account. I am in the process of buying apartment in Manhattan; how do I find a dependable lawyer? Which regions of Manhattan have good schools assigned to them (specific streets/avenues, please)? Which public schools are good? How much time should I reserve for finding the apartment and closing the deal? "Ask your real estate agent" - that's the best answer the author gives. After explaining you normally don't use an agent. And so forth. And in places where people are REALLY better off referred to other sources (e.g. restaurant review), instead of suggesting Zagat's, author provides a her review of restaurants - hardly justifiable since in her 2 page review of Upper East Side she forgets to mention how limited subway system there is. The latter would perhaps be of more consequence to the readers than her suggestions on where to find best hot dogs. So in short, I put this books on the shelf and keep looking for something more informative. But whatever your questions are, I believe 5 minute conversation with a New Yorker would give you tons of real advise you wouldn't find in the book. It's a disappointment.

This book might be pretty useful if you don't know anyone in NYC. But it bugs me that the chapters on the actual move process are labeled "By MonsterMoving.com", NOT by the author, and need more tailoring to be NYC-appropriate. Sentences like "If your new state collects income tax, you'll want to figure that into your salary calculations" are not very helpful.

What I *wanted* was recommendations about whether I should start out in a furnished sublet and take time to really look for a good apartment. I WANT concrete tips like "It can be cheaper to have your moving company store stuff in your origin location than to store it in New York", "A 1.5 cubic foot box of items usually weighs 10.5 pounds but the same box full of books can weigh 50 pounds." I NEED to know, What are the pros and cons of making an advance apartment-hunting trip? How many weeks should I spend looking? What are the best times of year or weeks of the month to get apartments, sublets, etc.? How do I fill out a change of address form if I haven't found an apartment yet? How do I get estimates from my moving company if I don't know where I'm moving to yet? Will they hit me with extra prices if it turns out I rent a 5th floor walkup instead of a 1st floor apartment and, if so, what kind of price markup can I expect?

The book answers none of my questions.

Note that the only move-specific site mentioned in the book (and it is mentioned repeatedly) was MonsterMoving.com. I could've used pointers to other handy sites like www.movingscam.com.

On the bright side, the neighborhood guide is well-organized and there is a list of local telephone numbers (more than 3 years out of date though). But I can't shake the feeling that I could have gotten a lot of this information online.

That should be the title of this book. Although it claims to have everything you should know when relocating to NYC it focus more on advice on moving that are common sense (most part). It may be helpful for first time movers. Neverthless, It doesn't give much information to help you choose the neighborhood. If that's what you're looking for, buy Zany's New York City Apartment Sales and Rental Guide instead.

In the process of relocating my family to NYC I looked at four different books that claimed to be moving guides, newcomers guides, whatever, and found them severely lacking. This was the one volume that time after time seemed to answer all my questions even some rather esoteric ones. The best thing about the book is the neighborhoods section which includes not only subjective descriptions but also a lot of hard data from census and other statistical compilations plus key points of interest. Many of the mistaken beliefs I had about neighborhoods in NYC were dispelled by this book but swallowed hook line and sinker by the other books. The overall attitude and approach in the voice of a real New Yorker were invaluable. Not just a question of data but also of strategy and the whole way to look at New York were very revealing to the outsider. Also very up to date. Quite a bit of personality for a reference book as well. Unusually good to read.

Moving to New York City from Switzerland and not knowing anybody was the hardest thing I've ever done. Thank God I found this book before I made all the mistakes I was going to make! This book gives a true "insider" perspective on New York and helped me make several critical decsions -- I think I made the right decisions about where to live, how to look for work, and how to meet new people, and I think I might not have made those decisions were it not for the help of this very informed author. I actually have purchased four copies and given them as gifts. I think some people who have already moved but have not perhaps completely mastered the city could use this book to good effect.

This guide was written by the friend you wish you had who moved to New York and never stopped exploring it (and so she knows more about it than most people who were born there). It makes sense of the school system and the housing craziness. It helps (really) in finding a job and a good margarita and free things to do and a helicopter. Reading this book is like getting a note from your dentist saying she had it all wrong about the root canal: everything's fine, and now you can go to the party.

A nice surprise, in addition to all the listings: The author writes with good humor and candor, sharing a wealth of information that would not be readily available to the newcomer. It's like having an in-the-know New Yorker to take you under her wing, which makes the move far less terrifying. The book contains lots of tips from native New Yorkers, and the sections on neighborhoods and apartment rental/purchasing are quite thorough. This is the definitely the best (and most current) of the New York guides.

For young people, there are listings for temporary cheap housing and temporary employment agencies. Essays on how to organize and plan your move which really only applies to families moving an entire house. There are tips on hunting for an apartment and on finding sublets. But the neighborhood descriptions are lacking. I better bet would be Zany's NYC Apt Sales & Rental Guide for great neightborhood descriptions-a must have. Forget the "Getting To Know Your Town" section, you're better off with a tourist guide with color pictures.

For all the aspiring actors, writers, and other penniless dreamers trying to make it to NYC, you would probably be better off with a good guidebook ("Let's Go New York" is the best I've found) and some solid internet research. "Relocating" is great for someone who has a job lined up in New York already; not so great for someone wondering how they can find an affordable room while they get on their feet.

This book has the potential to be a very useful guide to NYC. However, the book's value to non-white, non-elite readers is questionable due to the almost complete lack of information about Harlem, one the NYC's largest and most historically significant neighborhoods. In two sentences, Shapiro totally dismisses it, stating that once you get north of Harlem, "you come back to relative safety and tranquillity."

There is no excuse for this blatant bias. Harlem has a fascinating history and is a very livable neighborhood, even for single white professional women. It is also home to important historical landmarks such as the Apollo Theatre and the Schomberg Center for Research. However, the only Harlem "landmark" that Shapiro mentions is Patsy's pizza, but not without the warning, "It's a touch-and-go neighborhood, so plan your travel during daytime or with a group." This makes it sound as if visiting Harlem is akin to going on a jungle safari.

The latest "Harlem Renaissance" has been going on since the mid 90s, and gentrification is now in full swing. In terms of quality of life, Harlem offers everything: affordable housing, proximity to several parks, Museum Mile, and midtown offices, as well as an array of restaurants, diners, churches, supermarkets, dry cleaners, jazz clubs and more. In terms of safety, I have never once felt threatened here and have been welcomed into this tight-knit community with true friendliness since the day I arrived.

There are other minor problems with this book, but it is this dismissal of Harlem which is the most major oversight. For this reason, I would not recommend this book as it is. For future editions, I strongly recommend that Shapiro explore Harlem-alone-and see what's she's been missing.