usa :: new york :: general

[aho]

Many a New York thread to post this in, but really, how serious is the bed bug problem up there? Going to visit in October and paranoid me while looking for hotels to stay at found that a huge percentage of hotels I was considering have had bed bug incidences....Please clear my paranoia and tell me it's not that bad!

[polishmike]

Haha it's pretty bad. I don't know anyone who has them but I hear horror stories every day. You can see them fuckers so maybe check out the hotel carefully. Otherwise just hope for the best.

[DaBestSpoona]

Def stay away from abercrombie and hollister they have a shitload of bedbugs and only spent 3 days cleanup instead of the normal 3 weeks.

[skistar]

didn't want to make a new thread so I'm bumping this old one... anything new you guys can add??

I'm coming to NYC the 7th-10th of September. I've already done the "touristy" stuff around the city so I'm hoping to do more shopping/chillin/eating/ect this time around. Would prefer to spend as little as possible on my accommodations since I only plan on using it for a few hours sleep each night. Anything south of Central Park would work but I'd prefer to get as close to SoHo as possible. Would appreciate any info or extra rooms for rent

[herpsky]

Def stay away from abercrombie and hollister they have a shitload of bedbugs and only spent 3 days cleanup instead of the normal 3 weeks.

I live about 5.5 hours away from the city.

I'd rather drive than fly.

I'm thinking of staying around White Plains or whatever and taking the train to the city i.e. I don't wanna park my car in the city.

Are there any train stations that has cheap (or free) and safe parking?

Paying 100 bucks for overnight parking is fucking ridiculous in NYC.

[Kobra]

This is the best thing ever: http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21218

[homme.homme]

^ that place looks awesome.

deciding if my next holiday should be ny or tokyo and that place just gave ny another point.

[Kobra]

^ that place looks awesome.

Well it is, and the hosts so helpful and relaxed. Good value for munniz.

[knucks]

So basically, a friend of mine and I are planning to move to NYC around New Years / January time.

Lots of concerns, though.

Neither one of us, at this point, have a job lined up in the city. Unless something happens in the next few months, we're moving there just to live off savings.

I'm in IT, he's a graphic designer, FWIW.

We dislike our current jobs and hate being in Michigan.

Very serious question here: Is this a terrible idea? Where should we look for housing? Currently we're used to paying $1000-$1300/month. If it's a hole in the wall but rent is low, it doesn't really matter and we'll make do. It would still be better than being in this fucking state.

And on a more serious note: what is the job market like? I've been applying to many IT jobs (so far just help desk / technical support / desktop support) and have not heard a word - My thought is that the employer sees my Michigan address and tosses it at the thought of no possible (legitimate) way to interview a person.

[MyAcademy]

Well, I'd say based on your fields you'd be able to find SOMETHING. If not full time, then at least freelance.

Do you know anyone living in NY? Obviously, it'd be way easier to find something through a friend.

If not, then just go to some industry bullshit and mention that you're looking for work. That would work better for your friend and less for you, but c'est la vie. Though thats based on the fact that I don't hear about a lot of IT industry get togethers.

As for living, if you're willing to live in a spot that isn't super duper happening you could totally pull off $1300. And I'm talking $650 + $650, not $1300 + $1300.

I can say that Ridgewood, Queens off the L/M will have places in your price range, as I lived over there with some roomates for 3 years. You'll get a decent amount of space, and you'll be close to the asshole parade that is Williamsburg. Its relatively safe - plenty of families, but its definitely a bit rough around the edges. Used to skate some spots in the neighborhood super late at night and never ran into problems, but I could see the wee hours being an issue for some.

If you're willing to share a bed or sleep on a couch, you can live in just about any neighborhood you'd like, but fuck that shit.

Edit: If you're the bike riding/car owning/bus loving type, you could have a look at Red Hook and Maspeth too. They're kind of cut off in terms of public transport, but rents are cheaper and you get a fair amount of space.

[TruMoo]

and you'll be close to the asshole parade that is Williamsburg.

lulz

10char

[knucks]

yeah - we're both all about that bike riding hipster bullshit

minus being hipster

[knucks]

bump123111

[mydenvermax]

2 things i can think of that might help:

- friend of a friend found a studio 2 blocks from the L for $700/month this past week. don't know what neighborhood exactly, but not too far away from the action. With what people usually say about rent in nyc, this was surprising to me, but i also heard that this place is kind of a dump. Plus, it's 2 friends splitting the rent. tenement status. Still, it's good to know that if you're really looking for a deal, it's out there as long as you're willing to accept a lower quality of life.

- moving there without a job might be a hassle. depending on who you're leasing from, you might have to provide proof of a paycheck as a guarantee that you'll have the cashflow to make rent. i don't know if that practice is legal, but for rooms off of craigslist (and similar sites) it is not unheard of.

[MyAcademy]

...- moving there without a job might be a hassle. depending on who you're leasing from, you might have to provide proof of a paycheck as a guarantee that you'll have the cashflow to make rent. i don't know if that practice is legal, but for rooms off of craigslist (and similar sites) it is not unheard of.

QFT. This has happened at every place I've gotten in the city. Thankfully I've had a paycheck to show every time, but if thats not the case for you, I would make sure your credit is in really good order and/or you have a co-signer with good credit.

[FADEtoDARKNESS]

lulz

10char

Roof parties at Scotts in Williamsburg 24/7

[ROYALEFATALE]

http://twitter.com/TTSTechnology if you're looking for a job, my friend works there and they're always filling positions in the fields you mentioned

[knucks]

QFT. This has happened at every place I've gotten in the city. Thankfully I've had a paycheck to show every time, but if thats not the case for you, I would make sure your credit is in really good order and/or you have a co-signer with good credit.

My credit is amazing, so if they check that, I'm fine.

[Vinneus]

Paging LandoCal, Paging LANDOCAL!

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of 'IT?' do you do?

Heavy database programming? Genetic algorithm experience? Network optimization? Sysadmin?

Why are you moving to NYC for tech, instead of San Diego, San Francisco, or Boston? I know for certain if you have good credentials you could easily land a job with quite a number of companies in the San Diego area doing bio/chemistry research. Especially combinatorial chemistry, physicist/programmers are heavily in need.

[knucks]

Just out of curiosity, what kind of 'IT?' do you do?

Heavy database programming? Genetic algorithm experience? Network optimization? Sysadmin?

Why are you moving to NYC for tech, instead of San Diego, San Francisco, or Boston? I know for certain if you have good credentials you could easily land a job with quite a number of companies in the San Diego area doing bio/chemistry research. Especially combinatorial chemistry, physicist/programmers are heavily in need.

Shitty IT that no one wants to do and they can find anyone for, unfortunately.

Service desk / help desk / desktop support. Unfortunately I have not found a company that is in a position to teach me more skills / give me hands-on experience so I'm sort of SOL

[youkinorn2]

learn on your own? you're never SOL when you have the internet.

(not hating, help desk IT stuff is definitely necessary...just no reason to accept that as a career if you want to learn to do something else)

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

learn on your own? you're never SOL when you have the internet.

(not hating, help desk IT stuff is definitely necessary...just no reason to accept that as a career if you want to learn to do something else)

This true. Pick a language (I like Ruby) and start hacking away at projecteuler.net. If you reach problem #100 I'll give you $20 bucks, no joke. Hell, if you reach #50.

[knucks]

This true. Pick a language (I like Ruby) and start hacking away at projecteuler.net. If you reach problem #100 I'll give you $20 bucks, no joke. Hell, if you reach #50.

Will definitely take a look.

[DaBestSpoona]

Low level IT guys are still in demand, use a head hunter like silver search or staffmark to find a job in IT in NYC. You could prob find a temp job like helping out with a Windows 7 deployment or something.

[DaBestSpoona]

Shitty IT that no one wants to do and they can find anyone for, unfortunately.

Service desk / help desk / desktop support. Unfortunately I have not found a company that is in a position to teach me more skills / give me hands-on experience so I'm sort of SOL

Half my IT career was based on my superior boolean/google searching abilities. But if you have the opportunity, get the fuck out of it.

[knucks]

Thank you - I've contacted SilverSearch..

[po_boy_fuuma_hatesbargerz]

Low level IT guys are still in demand, use a head hunter like silver search or staffmark to find a job in IT in NYC. You could prob find a temp job like helping out with a Windows 7 deployment or something.

Turnover is bullshit. Get higher up, maybe start doing admin/db work, more job security. Low-level IT is cool if you're 17 and 4/20 everyday, not if you're 24 and looking for a career.

[DaBestSpoona]

Turnover is bullshit. Get higher up, maybe start doing admin/db work, more job security. Low-level IT is cool if you're 17 and 4/20 everyday, not if you're 24 and looking for a career.

Its not that easy especially in large companies. I've worked at both large and small. Some companies especially financial get so large, you might get stuck in a group that only unlocks and resets passwords for users all day long and you're pretty much stuck there. I've seen people stuck at these low level helpdesk roles cus they're like 50 and they cant leave because they give up a high salary(wall street bonuses) for what they do and dont have the experience to go elsewhere.

[knucks]

Its not that easy especially in large companies. I've worked at both large and small. Some companies especially financial get so large, you might get stuck in a group that only unlocks and resets passwords for users all day long and you're pretty much stuck there. I've seen people stuck at these low level helpdesk roles cus they're like 50 and they cant leave because they give up a high salary(wall street bonuses) for what they do and dont have the experience to go elsewhere.

This is exactly what I do not want.

I want to get into DB/Oracle shit.

I've applied to probably 20+places (+cover letters) now. So far have not heard back from anyone but it has only been this week.