Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with newyork and ny

Think global, bank local?

Mender — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:45:32 -0800

Do you use a credit union based in Brooklyn or Manhattan? If so, which one, and have you had a good experience there? I keep a savings account with a major national bank, and have been considering switching it to a local credit union. Looking for recommendations for credit unions in Brooklyn or Manhattan (I would also consider Queens). Tell me about your experience and why you would or would not suggest a particular organization.

Bonus question: is there a reason I should not put a large chunk of my savings in a credit union? I am not a financial risk taker, so if there are risks I might not be considering, please let me know! Anything I should know about credit unions in general?

What to do in Ithaca

cheerwine — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:19:32 -0800

We're going camping in Ithaca, NY this weekend. What should we make sure to do while we're there? My girlfriend and I are going car camping in Ithaca, NY this weekend. She's never been camping, so we're trying to balance the hiking/cooking on a fire aspects of it with an equal amount of hanging out in the city/winery tours. We're not too familiar with the area. I've e-mailed a bunch of wineries blindly to get details on touring them, am looking into local farms and found a few places that look like fun downtown, but we're open to suggestions. Any specific wineries that you would recommend? Hiking trails? Cool thrift stores? Other fun things to do?

We are both vegetarians in our early 20s. We like thrift stores, book stores, quirky sort-of tourist things, etc. I'm more outdoorsy than her, but we can both hold our own on a hike. We wouldn't mind driving a little while for something particularly awesome, but I'd prefer stay as close to Ithaca as I can.

Is there a way to speed up the construction of the house next to mine?

hellbient — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:30:34 -0800

Is there a way to speed up the construction of the house next to mine? The city-owned house next to mine (attached) has been under construction for over a year. The contracting company is apparently notorious for these long affairs, and judging from the other houses in the neighborhood that have their signage, there's no end in site. And the property is getting worse - every week there's more trash in front and on the side of it, windows are getting broken and the plywood covering some of the windows is slowly coming undone. I'm calling the company (and 311) as much as possible to complain about rats, open doors, racoons, etc. to try to set a precedent, but I'm not sure it's going anywhere. The house goes for weeks/months without ever being worked on. I need it finished before a crackhead sets it on fire (which would take my house with it), and so I can get some new awesome neighbors. Plans/schemes to get the ball rolling? I'm in Brooklyn.

I need health insurance (me and everyone else...)

greta simone — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:10:37 -0800

Ohshitfilter: Temporary health insurance options in NJ? I just moved from NC to NJ five weeks ago, after finishing a Masters program. My student health insurance ends on August 14, and since I have not been successful in finding employment (as I had hoped) I need to come up with a plan.

I have heard of COBRA, but I also heard that the State of New York does not accept COBRA. This is a problem for me, because my residence in NJ is temporary and I plan on moving to Manhattan or Brooklyn in the next few months. Secondly, I can not prove residency in NJ as I am not on the lease and have no bills in my name (staying with a friend). Am I screwed? I cannot seem to find the information online that I need.

I need the the cheapest health insurance I can get that will also cover prescriptions in some form (I have allergy and asthma and BC meds I must take).

What are my options? Please point me in the right direction or to a place where I can at least get more information.

Help!
Thanks.

nom nom nom

you're a kitty! — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:51:22 -0800

Is there a good online form which will allow me to contact my NY state senators and encourage them to vote in favor of the gay marriage bill that's coming up? I found the NOM site and I guess I could try replacing their "marriage is about men and women!" form letter with one that basically says the opposite, but I'm not sure it would actually get through. I don't want to suggest that homophobes are necessarily also going to be sneaky bastards, but they are funding the site, and I doubt there are any kinds of laws about what sort of content they are obligated to pass on. I'm also worried that all the emails from the NOM site will go into a big "count these as anti-gay-marriage emails" bin, utterly defeating my purpose.

I guess I could shoot off an email directly, too, though I wonder if such things actually get read? I'd rather go into the "count these as pro-gay-marriage emails" bin, if possible. So, if anyone knows of a marriage equality site that's running a similar thing, please let me know.

Parents coming to visit in NY. Where should I take them?

falameufilho — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:23:07 -0800

Parents coming to visit in NY. Where should I take them? My parents are coming to visit me in New York for a week in late March. They are in their 60's, have been all over the world and like to try new things. I want to take them to see some great stuff around the city, but there's one problem - they don't speak a word of English. They have been many times to NY in the past so all the obvious touristy stuff has been done already.

An example of what I'm looking for: last time they were here I took them to the ballet (Kirov) and to a couple of lowbrow shows (Fuerzabruta and Blue Man Group). They loved it all.

So, what can I do with them that they'll like and will be able to enjoy even with the language barrier? I know you know the answer, hive mind.

P.S.: I'd like to avoid Broadway musicals if possible. They would probably like it, but I fucking hate musicals. Thanks!

How does Power of Attorney Work in New York?

Caz721 — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:00:46 -0800

Since I am a lawyer (though of course, not your lawyer, and not his lawyer), a family member asked if I could help him with some issues regarding a durable power of attorney (NY State). Unfortunately, I'm not a trusts & estates lawyer, so I need some direction as to what I should look at and consider in order to let him know whether he should consult a lawyer with that expertise. I know you're not my lawyer, and I'm not seeking your legal advice. My cousin's husband, Jay, asked me for advice regarding his situation. Jay's mother recently passed away. Previous to her death, Jay's mother had a durable power of attorney for Jay's cousin, Max, who is developmentally disabled and legally incompetent (I don't know much about the exact details of Max's situation). Max is in some sort of living facility, and Jay's mother took care of administrative needs for Max.

Previous to Jay's mother's death, she arranged for the durable power of attorney to pass to Jay after she died (she was sick for over a year before her death). I haven't seen the paperwork yet so I don't exactly know how this was done, but please assume for the question that Jay now holds a durable power of attorney regarding Max.

A check from the proceeds of another family member's estate recently were sent to Jay's mother's address (after her death). Jay's step-father forwarded the check to Jay. I am unclear as to whether the check is made out to Jay's mother, for the benefit of Max, or simply to Max. Jay expects some other checks in the next few months as well, and wants to know how he should deal with opening the bank account and how he is limited in dealing with the money (apparently there is some investments for the Max's benefit that have recently lost 80% of their value due to the loss in their funds, and he wants to know if he has the right to move them to less risky investments, for example).

Jay is hesitant to contact a lawyer because there really is very little money here (currently under $5000 I believe), and he can't afford to pay very much at all out of his own pocket for a lawyer. He asked me what I thought, as a way of deciding whether he needs a lawyer. My instinct is to convince him to see a lawyer with expertise, but I'd like to be able to understand the situation so that I can point him to some resources or go along with him to consult with the lawyer and know what sorts of questions I should ask.

Thanks for any resources or advice you might have

Find that waffle!

redhotchips — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:02:20 -0800

NYCfilter: where in the world was this photo of a delectable waffle taken?

Good food, good company - help me get both!

pinksoftsoap — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:49:22 -0800

HALP! I am trying to plan a birthday party for two friends but am finding a lot of hurdles. Any suggestions that can accommodate ~20 or more adults in Manhattan (preferably), Brooklyn, or Queens for cheap? The party is for two awesome guys who love good, hearty food. Some suggestions pitched so far:

- Dinosaur BBQ - no reservations available until January :(

- Daisy May's BBQ - reservations available but only for a minimum of $35 a head off of their special menu :( I can risk just having everyone show up without a reservation but with these numbers, that might not work out well.

I'm hoping for a place that's $20 or under per person that's not a bar or club-like lounge. Also, I strongly dislike Dallas BBQ. My group has also done Dave & Buster's to death, so no to that as well.

Thank you in advance!

Where can I find a Freudian lollipop?

Four-Eyed Girl — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:59:06 -0800

Where can I find Sigmund Freud lollipops before Friday? I live in Westchester County in NY, and I'd prefer to stick to Westchester, Rockland, Fairfield, or any other counties within a reasonable driving distance. I'd prefer not to go into Manhattan for these, if possible.

Leaving New York, Never Easy... Car hire?

tomble — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:59:42 -0800

I'm currently in Astoria, NY, and planning to drive to DC tomorrow in a hired car. The question is - where should I hire a car to get a good rate? Is it worth it to travel to New Jersey as was suggested to me, or should I just go to La Guardia airport? Anything I should know about car hire? I'm from Australia, so the main thing is to remember to drive on the right side of the road.

Can you recommend a great eye doctor in New York City

AnyGuelmann — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:00:56 -0800

I'm looking to hear from people who have both astigmatism and myopia and have successfully transitioned to contact lenses. Also, if your eye doc is in Manhattan, can I have his/her number? I have astigmatism (under 1.00) and myopia (under 1.50) and I'd like to start wearing contacts. I'm sort of fed up with frames and I'd like to have another option, and especially avoid getting prescription lenses for all my sun glasses.

From what I've read, contacts for myopia and astigmatism combined can be somewhat tricky. There's supposed to be more issues to be considered as far as type and fitting. I'm all right with that, as long as it works. Did it work for you? Are you a happy, crisp-visioned contact person?

That said, I'm also looking for a great ophthalmologist in NY, preferably Manhattan.

Any suggestions for driving from NYC to LA?

taumeson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:39:28 -0800

I'm driving from NYC to LA this weekend. Going to Ironman it with a friend of mine to Flagstaff, sleep, hang around the grand canyon for a bit, and then drive to LA. Anybody have any words of wisdom? Some friends mention that by the time you get to New Mexico, you basically have to stop at every gas station because they're so far apart. I'm looking for stuff like that, or shortcuts, etc.

Surfing lessons in NY: Far Rockaway or Long Beach?

Malad — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:18:34 -0800

For a 15- or 20-person group of people with no experience in surfing: lessons (in New York) at Long Beach or Far Rockaway Beach? Also, which is more fun to be at and has more stuff to see around it? Finally, any recommendations for surf lesson companies?

Help me find the Cantor that sells 600 thread count bed sheets in front of a synagogue near Macy's.

AnyGuelmann — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:20:45 -0800

(NYC filter) Help me find the Cantor that sells 600 thread count bed sheets in front of a synagogue near Macy's. Two weeks ago after I left Macy's I came upon an old guy selling 600 thread count egyptian cotton linnens off a table on the street, in front of an old building. Fourty bucks a king size set! I didn't buy them then but got his card, and turns out he's a Cantor and that place was a synagogue.

I obviously lost his card, and today I walked up and down the whole area looking for him, but couldn't find a synagogue to save my soul. As I remember it, it should not be more than 2 blocks from Macy's. Have you ever seen this guy? Where is this synagogue? Is a bargain-sheet-selling Cantor too bizare to be real? Did I halucinate?

The job is in White Plains, should we live there or commute?

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:12:27 -0800

Moving to NY. The job is in White Plains, but should we live there or commute? (This is anonymous so i can talk about our income)

We are going to move to NY from Brazil probably early next year. My boyfriend's company is in White Plains (yes, we read this) but we are trying to find out more about other towns in the area. We both know and love NYC, but have never been to the surrounding counties.
We need your help trying to figure out if we'd be happier commuting from another town or staying right next to work in early-bird White Plains.

We are in our 30s. No children yet, maybe in three to five years. We don't want to party wild, but like to have our fun. We tend to like the hip stuff, music, art, restaurants, architecture and design, technology and trendy stuff. Basicaly, what we like to do and see is in Manhattan. I just don't think we can afford to live there.

That said, we want to live where:
- It's easy and safe to go to Manhattan and back, day or night, alone or not.
- It's safe to live and walk around, period.
- We don't have to drive for 30 minutes everytime we want to go to a good restaurant or bar.

Other info:
- We plan on having only one car. Is it easy to commute from Rye or Scarsdale to White Plains? Do you necessarily need a car for that?
- Suburbia is all right, we actually like it, as long is it does not crush us to death with after-eight boredom.
- We are Brazilian, but we hate dancing on the streets and hugging people we just met and have been quite fed up with our fellow countrymen lately, so the Brazilian (or latino) scene would actually be a minus :-)
- Our household income will be around 100,000. So we're not exactly wealthy, but we don't want to live in poor places either. Wikipedia has some information on each city's median income, but it's too politically correct to say exactly what we'd like to hear: what are the run down places we don't want to live in? Is Scarsdale way too upscale? Is White Plains all right? How about Rye? Anywhere else we should consider?

Also, please let us know if you know a good real estate agent.

What are good, secluded ponds for skating near NYC?

one_bean — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:01:51 -0800

Good pond skating in the New York City region? I'm willing to travel up to 100 miles (though that's the absolute limit). The more secluded the better, and no man-made rinks.

NYS Hospital Regulation

voidcontext — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:18:04 -0800

There's a commission in New York State that's going to force closure of a bunch of hospitals across the state, including a few in my area (Buffalo). They are also going to force a few private organizations to merge. What gives them the ability to dictate this sort of thing? Is it the threat of withholding funding? I've read many news articles on the closure recommendations, but have missed out on a good ultimate explanation. I have read the authorizing resolution (pdf), but it seems bizarre to me that NY can in effect take away a business just by arbitrarily revoking the facility's license or whatever. And forcing mergers seem to out of the bounds of any government action I've ever heard of. Does the state have to compensate these organizations for taking away their businesses?

I am not opposed to these hospitals closing, but I am desperately curious about the actions and authority of my state government. It's been bugging me all week.

Help Me Help The Yankee!

damnjezebel — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 20:47:40 -0800

Help me help a friend find good Southern-style barbecue in New York. I made the mistake of gushing about eating some really great barbecue and now I've made my little Yankee friend jealous of all the awesome barbecue places down here in the South. He lives in the Yonkers NY area and has only found two varieties: cheap and horrible or too expensive to enjoy guilt-free.

So, Hive Mind, I ask you: where can a Yankee find Southern-style barbecue in the New York area? To quote him, "I want the places where you see the smoke from the smoke pit out back raising up in the air."

Proselytizing in New York City

Meatbomb — Thu, 04 May 2006 05:09:16 -0800

New York mefites, please give me some info about proselytizing / busking / begging in New York City. Over the summer I'll be in New York, and part of my mission will involve spreading the Good News about Liberal Democracy, if that is feasible. Sorry, a lot of questions here...

What are the laws regarding handing out leaflets on the streets? Do you need a permit? If so, is that regularly checked / enforced?

Can you get away with sort of borderline street performance / begging, with or without a permit? If I bring a soap box and stand in the middle of Times Square, will I get hassled by the Man? Forcibly removed? Can I have a hat out for donations? Is this sort of thing commonplace in New York?

Can you suggest prime locations to do this? Places to avoid? (in Manhattan)

If there is anything else you think I should know about this, please do advise.

Thanks so much in advance for any help you can offer.

rochesta represent!

barnone — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 12:32:15 -0800

Rochester, NY: I am making a welcome kit for a good friend moving there soon. What are the best comic book stores, indie film associations, great theatres, fun markets, cheap eats, coffee joints, weird local nights, etc.? He's a film buff, into alterna and mainstream comics, avid local indie/rock/noise scene supporter, filmmaker, professor, and awesome all around. He's sad about leaving our little enclave and I'd like to give him a jumpstart on the local scene there, maybe including a local guidebook or gift certificate for something cool -- so if you know about anything along these lines, I'd love to hear about it!

Dirt cheap NY

Meatbomb — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 09:58:58 -0800

Dirt cheap accommodation in New York city? I will likely be working in NY for a month in June, and I would very much like to find skid row type accommodation. It's partly money, and partly experiential... ideally I would like to stay in a men's daily rate type hotel / flophouse, something just above shelter level, in a shitty part of town.

Problem is, obviously these sorts of places don't have websites for reservations with a credit card. I am hoping some of you good NY mefites can help me with some info... Prices? Availability? Location?

And, just pre-emptively, please don't tell me how this is dangerous and they'll be junkies and thieves and oh my, because I already know that, and am cool with it. It's one month, I am travelling without any expensive gear, etc.

What do the various New Yorkers think of NJ?

MiguelCardoso — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 02:12:01 -0800

What does New Jersey mean to a New Yorker - and does it mean different things according to what borough you live in? [More inside.] On a recent episode of The Sopranos, during a meeting of "Mafia" bosses, one guy justifies his reneging on a debt to Tony Soprano, when reminded he's a "made man" and a boss, by saying "Hey, he's from New Jersey...!"

For the benefit of foreigners (to whom New Jersey is a little bit Sinatra and a little bit Springsteen), just what is the status of New Jersey to New Yorkers? Is it considered provincial or suburban or somehow beyond the pale?

I sort of get the "bridge and tunnel" snobbery but I wonder if this snobbery - if it exists beyond the world of fictional organized crime - is even deeper and more distant with regards to what is nominally a different state. What are the stereotypes in play here?

For instance, would someone from Brooklyn look down on someone from New Jersey, you know, if they were prejudiced and unenlightened in general? Thank you for any answers - they will greatly enhance understanding of The Sopranos, Sinatra's Hoboken monologues and much besides! :)

Partitioning a large studio apartment

condour75 — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 15:23:23 -0800

I'm moving into NYC for the first time. It's a studio, but a relatively large one, and I'd like to partition it. I've looked mainly at shoji screens, but I'd rather not take up the extra space with the accordion footprint. I don't want to spend a huge amount of money, or do anything that requires a permit. What are some creative options?; for_name=condour75 and follow up question: any other advice for a NYC newbie?

Where can I find a good (eggless) apple pie in NYC?

riffola — Thu, 11 Dec 2003 09:18:08 -0800

They say there's nothing more American than apple pie, but I've yet to have a decent apple pie in NYC. Could you please help me find a good (eggless) apple pie in NYC?