Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nyc and brooklyn

What unique events are taking place in NYC on NYE in Brooklyn/Queens?

melodykramer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:59:02 -0800

I'm going to be in NYC for New Year's Eve with a few friends and we would like to go to a local celebration/event in Queens or Brooklyn instead of Manhattan. Are there any that you recommend? We're most definitely avoiding the crowds in Midtown Manhattan but thought there must be some unique celebrations elsewhere in the city. Flushing? Brighton Beach? Where's the best spot to ring in the New Year?

We are all mid-20's, most live in NYC/Philly/Boston, and are extremely savvy with regards to navigation -- and we have access to a car. We don't really care if we see fireworks but would rather do something free/close to free than pay.

Reference of Frames?

Viola — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:16:23 -0800

I need an affordable framing place in NYC/Brooklyn! I have about 10 prints I'd like framed for my wall, and many prints have somewhat unusual sizes that make it hard to find frames at various dollar stores and such. Ideally I'd like to drop off my prints at a store, discuss briefly which prints need matting and which just need regular frames, and pick them up the next week. I work just upstairs from a tony framing store in DUMBO, but if you've got a more affordable recommendation in Murray Hill or whatever, please send them my way!

Get me outta here!

The Straightener — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:16:40 -0800

Escape from New York! (By car during the New York Marathon.) What time of day would be optimal to leave Williamsburg, Brooklyn by car tomorrow to get to the Jersey Turnpike without committing suicide after hours stranded in gridlocked traffic?

What to follow on Twitter

greta simone — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:04:22 -0800

NYCtwitterfilter: Recommendations for NYC/Brooklyn related things to follow on Twitter. I finally joined twitter only after it took me some time (and many AskMeFi threads) to realize that I don’t need to use it for ‘social networking’ but can use it to keep up with fun finds in and around the city. I’m still a little slow on the uptake though, and need help with finding things to follow. What I’m interested in following:

-Food trucks
-Sales (for already affordable clothing/home/music/online stores, not Barney’s etc, because even things on sale there are too expensive)
-Free/cheap events (movies, festivals, shows, readings, etc)
-Music (shows, bands, clubs, etc)
-Other free/cheap/fun stuff (drink specials, food promotions [ie Free ice cream cones, etc], flea markets, farmers markets)
-Any other recommendations you might have.

I’m mostly just interested in being able to sign in at 4:00 on a Friday to look and see what I can get into for the weekend.

I just moved to the area, will be living in Brooklyn shortly, mid-twenties female with average indie leanings of music, movies, books, style. I should emphasize that I have very little expendable income (social worker), so I’m interested in things that are cheap.

Thanks!

Where should I purchase business cards for a small company?

davidriley — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:58:51 -0800

Where should I purchase business cards for a small company? Hi. I have a small company and need to have some business cards printed. We have the design; we just need someone to print it. We need cards for three people, with a minimum of 500/250/250. The design is 4/0, full color with a blank back.

We are based in Brooklyn and I like to work locally for printing, but that's not a requirement. We would like to work with a company that can help us with other printing needs in the future (brochures, letterhead, stickers, etc).

What we definitely want is a printer that is inexpensive (like, less than .25/card) and offers good quality paper stock. We want a heavy, strong card stock with a good feel to it. Matte. A place that offers spot gloss printing would be good, too.

I'd love to get letterpressed cards (two color), but I think it's a little too pricy for us, unfortunately.

So, do you know a printer that would be a good fit? Have you had a good/bad experience with a printing company? Any advice and recommendations are very much appreciated.

Help my pooch become a therapy dog!

coffeeflavored — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:18:03 -0800

How can I get my medium-sized dog to my place of work once a week if I live in Brooklyn and have no car? Can I sneak him onto the M train without being caught? On Monday I'll be starting a job as a bereavement counseling intern at a senior center in Boro Park in Brooklyn, NY. The center recently experienced the retirement of its therapy dog and is looking for a new one. My own dog, a Border Collie mix, is friendly, fairly gentle, and unusually even-tempered. With a little more training, I think he would be a perfect therapy dog. My supervisor told me that she'd like it if I could bring him to work on occasion since the presence of a friendly dog can encourage our clients to open up a bit more than usual and goes a long way in cheering seniors dealing with loss.

The problem is that I live in Williamsburg and can only get to work by taking the M train down to 62nd St. I'm unfamiliar with the M train around that area, but I've got a hunch that riders can get away with more illegal activity the emptier the train is (and the M train is EMPTY by that point) and the further the train travels from Manhattan into less-populated neighborhoods. Is this true? Does anyone here have experience with sneaking their dog onto the subway on a regular basis?

Otherwise, can anyone think of another way I could get my dog to Boro Park once a week to work as a therapy dog? I don't think he'll qualify as a service dog and he's too big for a crate or my lap, so the subway is probably out unless someone can confirm it would be A-OK. I can't afford a taxi, car service, or car rental. My friends have suggested that maybe I can bring him on a mysterious "Chinese bus" that can take me to Boro Park and on which all sorts of illegal happenings are allowed, but that sounds like crazy-person talk to me. Others mentioned cheap "Hasid taxis." This sounds even crazier. Please tell me anything you know about them if they do exist, though.

How can I learn NYC's street repair status?

mhz — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:08:30 -0800

How can I learn NYC's street repair status? Is it possible to learn the scheduled start/stop of road repairs in New York City? They're always fixing roads, and every once in a while another stretch is 'scratched' up (whatever it is that they do,) and is a pain to drive on and downright scary to bike on.

Is there a place to find out when these projects are scheduled for? When they're at least supposed to end? All I could find with Google was bridge and tunnel status, nothing about regular street.

Should anyone have specific current information, right now I'm concerned mainly with Bedford Avenue from approximately Willoughby to Flushing, as well as the few blocks of Flatbush Avenue that are currently scratched.

Thanks!

Find me a no-strings safe deposit box in NYC!

thejoshu — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:12:35 -0800

Sought: a safe deposit box in Brooklyn or Manhattan. Difficulties: I don't want it to cost me $80/year (as my bank, Chase, does), and I don't want to have to sign up for a checking account / other relationship with the bank (though I may be flexible about this if the bank offers absotively-free checking). Now, to make it more annoying, I only want a box at an attractive bank. Also, the easier it is for me to give a key to a deputy/agent, the happier I will be. You see, the box will ultimately contain a gift with no monetary value. I want the recipient to be able to access the box, but I am OK with having to arrange this with the bank and the recipient post facto. This is why I want an attractive branch: the box is an element of the gift. (I envision transitioning ownership of the box/contents somewhere down the line.)

Examples of attractive local branches include the former Williamsburg Savings Bank, which is now an HSBC that I was told doesn't offer boxes, and the former Dime Savings Bank in Downtown Brooklyn, which is now a Chase location featuring $80/year boxes.

Help us find a sofa bed in NYC

hibbersk — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:42:52 -0800

We're in the process of relocating to New York and need help finding a great sofa bed for all of our impending visitors! Mr Hibbersk is currently there organizing our apartment in Brooklyn and we had planned to buy this sofa bed from Ikea - however it is out of stock across the entire country and they don't know when it will be available (something about factory relocations and shortages). We don't really like any of the alternatives available at Ikea, and department stores such as Macy's seem a bit over-budget. Googling mainly finds dubious-looking clearance or discount places. Can anyone recommend a furniture store in NYC where we can get a sofa bed for around $800? Preferably modern/Scandinavian design, and not a futon. We may only be there for a couple of years so don't want to spend too much, and the bed bug horror stories have put us off buying 2nd hand/craigslist.

Egypt Was Good Enough for King Tut

NolanRyanHatesMatches — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:51:34 -0800

MovingFarAwayFilter: GF is dead-set on moving from Brooklyn to Cairo, Egypt, for at least a year. I'm pretty resistant to the idea since I love NYC and, if forced to move outside the US, there are hundreds of cities I'd rather move to. I desperately need some 1st/2nd person accounts of living in Cairo / Egypt to help make this decision. General background: we both work for magazines in NYC, are in our late-20s, social, pretty culturally-oriented (go to concerts/readings/etc. as often as possible, go to parties -- of friends, at warehouses, etc. -- regularly on the weekends), and generally live the lives that you might expect from young, social Brooklynites.

Her background: works in literature/poetry, certified Third Culture Kid, moved around as part of a US State Dept. family every two years, has lived in various Middle Eastern countries (including Cairo in high school for two years), speaks and reads Arabic at a decent level, is desperate to move away from the US, seeks "adventure" but scoffs at the idea of living anywhere in Central America, South America, and Europe. Seems to be basically zeroed-in on Cairo, Alexandria, or another Middle Eastern country. I've floated the idea of staying somewhere / various places for three-four months at a time, but she would rather spend one or two years in one place. At present time, she also seems to value moving away more than job prospects, so she's not necessarily looking for an editing/writing job.

I grew up knowing that I'd move to NYC and have loved living here, love our extended group of friends, love pretty much everything the city offers. My job is here (although could be done, with some effort, outside of the city), my friends are here, and so is my heart. I really, really don't want to move (but love to travel, just not relocate). But, I love my GF (long-term) more than any of it, and she wants to head out, no question.

Were I forced to move, I'd probably pick either a metropolitan city in Central America, South Amerca, or Europe: Mexico City, Quito, Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, Lima, Belmopan, Barcelona, London, Dublin, Rome, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, etc.); or, a sleepier town, bucolic town in C/S America or Europe, of which I know hundreds, and there are probably thousands that I don't know about that I would love.

Basically, what are the chances that I would enjoy living in Cairo? How heavy is the cultural bend towards Arab/Muslin trends? Will there be clubs to go to at night? Might I enjoy the music scene there? Is there a healthy cultural conversation w/r/t Western literature? Would I be somewhat shocked by what the law disallows? Is there a chance that I'll feel as if I'm in a European metropolis? Will I have a tough time continuing my online work from Cairo? Can I get by with English, or will I have to spend serious time learning Arabic? I get the feeling that I might like Cairo over other big Middle Eastern cities, but I can't shake the supposition that I'd other big cities that I know and love over Cairo.

I'd love to hear any 1st/2nd person experiences about living in Cairo, or any suggestions of websites/blogs that chronicle what day-to-day life is like in Cairo. I'd like to be open-minded about the prospect of living there, but I can't seem to find any information sources that will help me make the decision, and I think I have a deep-seated wariness of being a Westernized guy living in Egypt / Middle East. Any help at all would be much appreciated

I forgot about the ticket because of all my drinking...

apetpsychic — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:53:50 -0800

So I probably have a warrant out for my arrest on a very old (3 years ) ticket for possible public consumption, in New York City. I want to take care of this, but what repercussions can I expect? Do I go to the courthouse and turn myself in? Will my fine be exorbitantly higher than the ticket? Additionally, I need to renew my license in Brooklyn before my upcoming birthday. Would I be able to do this if I do in fact have a bench warrant? This is my first "I screwed up" question, so please take it easy on me! Thanks!

I love Brooklyn in the summertime

Viola — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:07:17 -0800

I have a question similar to these two timely threads about what to do in NYC, but with a Brooklyn twist. My family is coming mainly to see yours truly, and we've decided to kick it mainly in my hood, Brooklyn. What should we do? My lovely family is visiting me from Thursday morning until Sunday afternoon, and we'll be located in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. Mom and step-dad honeymooned in Manhattan a bajillion years ago and haven't been back since, while my 16 year-old sister has never visited. Here's the deal: they operate at a Southern pace. They don't like rude people or crowds or loud noises and they really don't like walking more than a few blocks. They've expressed a profound lack of interest in museums and Times Square--I usually see them once a year, so the trip is mainly to hang out as a family. As a die-hard Brooklyner who stays out of Manhattan unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn't mind taking advantage of the more laid-back borough and just walk around some pretty neighborhoods.

I got the parents tickets to see Billy Elliot on Saturday while I take my sister to see Animal Collective at Prospect Park, and we're all going to the Brooklyn Flea market as well. For restaurants, we'll probably go to Grimaldi's, Lucali, and the Vinegar Hill House for brunch. That's all I have planned before my mind draws a blank.

Where else should I take an out-of-town family for a Brooklyn-filled weekend? Bonus points for really low-key itineraries like, "take them to X neighborhood, walk around the brownstones/park/gardens, visit neat stores on Y street, eat at fabulous Z restaurant."

As for money, I saved them a boatload by hooking them up with a free loft for the vacation, but that doesn't mean we'll be dining at the Brooklyn equivalent to Per Se.

Help: How to move piano from Brooklyn to Providence?

betsbillabong — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:14:08 -0800

I am moving from Brooklyn, NY to Providence, RI next month. I have a full-size upright piano which needs to be moved. The problem is, my dream apartment in Providence is on the second floor and so the piano will either need 4-5 movers or a crane (as per a quote) because of the winding stairs. Piano movers have given me crazy expensive quotes (around $2000) which I cannot afford. I do have a quote for about $500 from local movers to unload the piano into the apartment from a truck, probably less if they can bring it up the stairs (that's with a crane). Which of the following options would you choose, or do you have another solution entirely? Any piano mover recommendations for NYC-Providence accepted! (a) Hire a U-Haul and some piano movers to move my piano into the U-Haul on the NYC end, then load it up with the rest of my gear, drive to Providence, and have the local piano movers move it into the apartment on the other end?

(b) Same as (a) but try to find a few friends to move it? This makes me nervous, though there are very few stairs involved... just one stair to get into the building, one stair into the apartment, one stair into my bedroom where the piano is. Also, I'm worried about loading it in correctly.

(c) Get a regular mover to do the entire move? If I could do this under $1500, I'd probably opt for that.

(d) Use an interstate piano mover, who will be much cheaper? The only problem with this is that I don't think they'll come to the apartment to check out what is doable, and I cannot end up in a situation where I have the apartment and the piano can't be moved inside.

(e) Give up, and find another apartment. This one is sweet, though: working fireplace in the double parlor LR/DR, tons of light with big bay windows, backyard, screen porch, amazing rent, good neighborhood. It wasn't easy to find.

Thanks for your thoughts. The piano is 64" long, 28" deep, and 59" tall. It weighs a ton, almost literally (ok, maybe not, i think it weighs about 1000 lbs).

BB

Perfecting a Brooklyn/Manhattan bike route

mhz — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:24:00 -0800

BrooklynBikeRouteFilter: Please help me map the best route to/from Brooklyn/Manhattan by bike. I'm trying to start riding to/from work every day. My route starts at Eastern Parkway and Rogers in Brooklyn, and ends at Broadway and Astor Place in Manhattan.

Ridethecity is giving me directions which I'm not entirely comfortable with [I've never ridden on, and so want to avoid, the Williamsburg Bridge,] so I'm looking for a better route. It seems to prefer the Williamsburg Bridge over the Manhattan Bridge because of the routes in Manhattan, but NYC Bike Maps seems to have a more updated version which includes Lafayette and Chrystie Streets with bike lanes.

So once in Manhattan it seems like Chrystie>Grand>Lafayette>Astor would work.

But what about in Brooklyn? I used to ride Flatbush Avenue… I'm not crazy about that. Neither Ridethecity nor NYC Bike Maps show Washington Avenue as having a bike lane, but I'm fairly certain it does. If so, then the most direct route would seem to be Eastern Pkwy>Washington>Bergen, but then what? (I can also get onto Bergen from Bedford if I'm wrong about Washington Ave.) From Bergen Street, what's the best route to the Manhattan bridge?

As for the way back…

Ridethecity tells me to go down to Grand>Chrystie>Canal to the bridge. Is Broadway better of worse than Mercer to get down to Grand? Is there a a better route altogether?

And once I'm back in Brooklyn, what's the best route to get back to Eastern Parkway? Is it Jay>Myrtle>Washington/Bergen?

Thanks!

Good stuff in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn?

D.Billy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:37:26 -0800

Moving to Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, a couple of blocks northeast of Grand Army Plaza. We're already excited about being near the Brooklyn Museum, the Library, and Prospect Park... but we're looking for neighborhood tips on the little things: good cheap food and drink, best grocery, best coffee, least shady laundromat, what to check out, what to avoid, et cetera. Help us out!

Music Videos Featuring Walking or Driving Across the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridges?

milquetoast — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:30:24 -0800

What music videos feature people standing on, driving across, or (preferably) walking across either the Brooklyn Bridge or the Manhattan Bridge? It's not enough to feature a shot of the bridge from afar; a person or a camera must be physically traveling across it. Any genre, any era. Like: 99 Problems [Jay-Z], BK Anthem [Foxy Brown], Punishment [Biohazard]. Thanks!

Why did they bother pulping in the first place?

mhz — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:54:07 -0800

How can I get an awesome engraved diploma? Where can I go locally (Brooklyn, NY) for an engraved diploma?

I'm talking about the images that show up here. I get the feeling that this is the kind of thing that would be cheaper to do locally than over the internet, and I'm looking for recommendations, etc, on a place to do it.

I want to be able to walk into a place with a file with all of the text and artwork I want; I want to choose a plaque, and have it laser cut. Ideally, this won't cost me too much. Turnaround time isn't that big a deal. If it's necessary (or better) to get the parts and work separately, I'm all for it.

So if you've had this done (or you do it!), please tell me where to start – what type of wood is best? Is this practical at all? What type of computer file do I need? Anything else I've missed?

Thanks!

NYC Sex Therapist

Anonymous — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:39:23 -0800

Looking for suggestions for sex therapists in NYC. My wife (early 30's) and I (mid-30's) have been in a monogamous heterosexual relationship for 7 years, and we married a year ago. About 4 years ago, she had some psych issues for which she was prescribed Prozac. Around the same time we began having some serious problems with my uncertainty about the institution of marriage. Both of those issues resolved (her pysch thing in about one year, and my marriage hangups in two), but around the time both issues surfaced her previously strong sex drive diminished significantly, and it has never returned.

Between the age, the side-effects of Prozac (she's been off for 3 years), the side-effects of the pill (she's been off it for 6 months, with no effects so far), the lingering resentments of feeling rejected by someone you love (even after a happy engagement and year of happy marriage), and who knows what else, we need to see someone to help us do what we can to address the issue positively and proactively.

[The cause to us seems beyond the obvious, because everything otherwise is great: We both listen to one another, we make each other laugh, we're both in shape, we're both employed, we like our jobs, we have a good circle of mutual friends, we share household chores, we offer each other unsolicited compliments, & etc.]

We saw a very helpful couples therapist a couple of years ago, and he was great with our commitment issues, but at a loss for the sexual ones. He recommended someone at Cornell, who my wife had already seen, and who turned out to be a total quack that told her she had better start taking pheromones to make me more attracted to her before I leave her (my attraction for her has never been a problem). More recently she asked her OB/Gyn for insight/advice/recs, and she told my wife, "That's just what happens."

So, I am looking for any recs for good sex therapists in NYC. Any insightful anecdotes about similar problems also welcome.

Thanks, hive.

Help my girlfriend find a doctor in NYC who will take her chronic pain seriously.

nebulawindphone — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:59:49 -0800

Help my girlfriend find a doctor in NYC who will take her chronic pain seriously. C has had chronic joint pain her whole life. When she was a kid, her family doctor basically refused to pay attention to it. He found no obvious cause, told her to quit whining, and that was that.

She's now in her late 20s, otherwise healthy, and interested in trying to get some help for the pain — but she's worried that she's going to get the same sort of runaround again. AFAICT, it's a valid fear. The internet is full of horror stories about people with symptoms like hers who spent years getting ignored, branded as malingerers or drug-seeking junkies, or just told to suck it up, and I can't blame her for not wanting to go through all that if she can help it.

It would be really awesome if someone could recommend a doctor in or around New York City who's knowledgeable about chronic pain and inclined to take it seriously. (She lives in Greenpoint and works in midtown Manhattan, but an inconvenient doc with a clue is better than nothing.) Barring that, advice on finding such a doctor would be pretty awesome too.

How does rifle cartridge brass end up on the sidewalk in Brooklyn?

jeb — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:49:52 -0800

How does rifle cartridge brass end up on the sidewalk in Brooklyn? I was walking up Bedford Ave yesterday and I saw all these spent shell casings on the ground, like this. They all had these little metal clips on them, as you can kind of see in that crappy phonecam pic. What are those clips? I guess the first thing you'd think if you see shell casings on the ground is "someone was shooting at someone" but...these casings were stamped "LC-77" on the bottom, which google reports means they are probably .308 Winchester/NATO 7.62x51 built for the military. I don't think street criminals are in the habit of attacking each other with weapons chambered for .308. I mean, walking around with an M25 sniper rifle has a way of drawing attention to oneself on a crowded thoroughfare. Also, that wouldn't explain the little metal clips.

So...is there some sort of seismographic survey equipment that uses these cartridges to generate an impulse? Is there some sort of super-concrete-penetrating-nailgun that uses these? Was their a street vendor on Bedford selling spent cartridges to make into pens? Did some migratory springtime crustpunk's bullet-belt fall apart while he was waiting for the bus?

I'd like some smart advice for storage (and moving) in NYC!

ezekieldas — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:08:33 -0800

I'd like some smart advice for storage (and moving) in NYC! I'm leaving NYC (Park Slope, Brooklyn specifically) at the end of this month. Nearly all of my belongings will go into storage for at least the next 5 months, possibly until the end of the year (volunteer work in MA, 3 hours away). I may need to access this storage once every couple of months. Later this year, I may return to this neighborhood, I may move to California, to Texas, or wherever the wind blows.

I'm asking HM because I've had some bad experiences in the past. I've had my property hijacked (just like stories on movingscam.com) and I can do without a rerun. I also need a reality check on my current plan thus far.

There's a UHaul storage less than a mile away. I can store there for about $120/mo. I could make a longer haul out to Jersey and store for $80/mo. (approx). It's making sense for me to pay a little more for less work, the possibility of moving back here, and that I may need to occasionally access items in storage.

I also like the idea of pod storage but pods.com doesn't service this area (too congested). Are there others like this?

What about climate control, rodents, packing items for this longer term situation? I realize this question could digress to many ways --what's most important for me is your advice on the smartest, least expensive way of handling this as well as words of caution!

Please help me filter out the good from my list of NYC doctors covered by my insurance.

scazza — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:04:27 -0800

Please help me filter out the good from my list of NYC doctors covered by my insurance. This is my last resort after days over months of searching trying to connect the dots and find doctors. Maybe you guys can help. I have searched on yelp, zocdoc, and all kinds of lists of good doctors (nymag) on google for ways to filter the list of doctors my insurance covers and have come up empty. I can't believe after days and hours online I've come up empty.

1. I am looking for a really awesome family practice doctor who can do it all OR a coop-type office that has multiple doctors (gyn, internal medicine, ortho or DO, etc.) I could see on my visit that takes my obscure crappy insurance First Health/Coventry Health Care.

2. Or techniques to filter out the good from the bad in an insurance's list of doctors.

I live in Brooklyn 11220, am often in 11215 and don't mind going to Midtown or below. I'd prefer a female or very nice male. I would really appreciate anyone who has wisdom about this or is willing to help. I'm at my wits end. Thank you.

Brooklyn to Newark Int'l on Public Transit, In a Hurry!

Alterscape — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:46:41 -0800

I need to get to Newark Int'l Airport from Brooklyn for a 4:55pm flight out on Sunday night. I'm planning to take the subway to NY Penn Station, then NJTransit to the EWR AirTrain station. I've got the relevant schedules, but how much time do I need to allow for walking and buying various tickets along the way? Specifically:

(1) I'm transiting from the 34th and Penn subway stop to the NJTransit line in Penn Station. I'll have to buy a ticket. If I estimate 20 minutes, am I overestimating or underestimating?

(2) I need to get from the EWR rail station to the terminal via AirTrain. Again, if I estimate 20 minutes, am I overestimating or underestimating?

Handy(wo)man recommendations in Brooklyn?

Dr. Wu — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:38:31 -0800

Can anyone recommend a reliable, affordable handy(wo)man in Brooklyn / NYC? We have a chiffarobe/wardrobe thingy that we'd like to convert into an "entertainment center," which means the following things need to be done:

- side walls reinforced (they're thin);
- 3-4 shelves added;
- new panel cut into the front of the wardrobe;
- holes cut in shelves and back wall for the cords.

Nothing gigantic for someone with a little woodworking know-how and a reciprocating saw, but outside of my do-it-yerself abilities. (And outside the limits of my modest toolkit.)

I've found plenty of listings for handy(wo)men (at craigslist, e.g.), but it's very difficult to tell how reliable any of them are. I would love to know about a handy(wo)man whom you trust, who has good woodworking skills, and whose prices are reasonable.

We've gotten estimates from a few people, but the figures vary widely, and (the key point) we have no way of knowing whether any of these folks is reliable. Anyone you'd recommend?

Dear Abby, I'm looking for a good witch doctor. Yours, anxious in NYC.

grumblebee — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:02:00 -0800

I need a good psychiatrist / neurologist in NYC. Oxford Health Plan. All my life, I've suffered from anxiety. It's low grade. I don't have panic attacks. I function as I'm supposed to and perform well at my job. I come from a family of Woody-Allen-esque Jews, so I figured that anxiety was simply my birthright. Most of my relatives are worry warts.

At 43, I've had an epiphany: I don't have to -- or at least I shouldn't have to -- live that way for the rest of my life. It's not fun or romantic or funny. I'm tired of walking around with a slightly queasy stomach all the time. I'm tired of constant what-if thoughts and sleepless nights. I want to be able to truly relax.

I've done the talking cure before, and I think it can be effective for some things, but that's not the route I'd like to go now. (Though if an MD suggests it as part of a treatment regime, I'm open to it.) I've also tried meditation. So far I've failed with that, but I'll keep trying. I'd love to try biofeedback some time, but that's another story.

What I've never tried is meds. I suspect that my life would be better if I was on some sort of anxiety medication. I want to explore this option (and other options) with an expert. Who should I see?