Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with nyc

It's up to you, New York!

electriccynic — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:04:45 -0800

I've been tasked with taking 8 members of my family, needing five bedrooms from the UK to New York in June 2009. Any advice on group booking deals and the like, for flights and/or hotels? Am I looking too early for good deals?

Looking for experiences with Zipcar or similar services in NYC.

GilloD — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:26:31 -0800

Renting a Zipcar in NYC: Good idea, bad idea? Looking for experiences, anecdotes and suggestions. More inside. My wife and I just moved into a new apartment with a couple of folks from Europe. As a result, they're bed-less. What's more, in a few weeks we'll have to move our own Queen sized mattress as well as a couch and some other large-sized furniture items.

This usually wouldn't be an issue except we're car-less and in New York. Now, I'm not against trying to get a mattress home on the subway, but 3 mattresses and a couch? No way.

We're considering Zipcar because it's relatively inexpensive, they carry large vehicles and we don't have to manically schedule everything into one trip ala UHaul. A lot of our furniture is becoming available at different times, so being able to do a trip this week and then two months from now would be a huge benefit.

I snooped around a bit and got a lot of different opinions. Some people adored Zipcar, others made it sound like a DIY Chinatown Bus. More, a lot of the opinions seemed to come from 3 or more years ago.

What I'm looking for are recent experiences with Zipcar or alternate suggestions for getting large pieces of furniture to-and-fro in NYC on mutliple dates without breaking the bank.

Summer Fun, work style

octomato — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:23:44 -0800

Where to go on a summer company outing in NYC or its surrounding areas? We are a group of about 20, ranging from early 20's to late 50's. We've done the baseball game thing and Dave & Busters. Have any good ideas? I pitch Gladiator games at the Chelsea Piers.... That didn't fly.

Thanks!

What's the deal with getting a creative writing MFA from an American school, as a Canadian?

skwt — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:08:53 -0800

What's the deal with getting a creative writing MFA from an American school, as a Canadian? Specifically:

money - am I eligible for funding (grants and/or loans) from American schools? Will the Canadian government lend me money (OSAP? (I'm in Ontario)) to study in the US? Can I do both?

visas - hard to get? Expensive? Long waits?

working - can I work while I'm there on a student visa?

living expenses - I want to go to Brooklyn College, but I'll probably also apply to all the other NYC MFA programs (NYU, New School, Columbia, am I missing any?), and schools in Irvine CA, Iowa, and maybe Austin. Would it be a realistic thing to support myself with whatever kind of low-skill job I might be able to find (in Brooklyn or elsewhere), and still have time to do school/write?

staying/moving to the US when I'm done - is this a hard thing to do?

Any answers are welcome and appreciated, but it would be great to hear from Canadians who have done or are doing this.

BONUS QUESTION: With respect to trying to get a teaching job in Canada afterwards, I've heard someone say Canadian schools don't care about a degree from an American school so much because they don't know which ones are prestigious, with the possible exception of Iowa. Whereas getting a creative writing MA from UofT, or the MFA from Concordia (for example), even though they might have less impressive faculty by international standards, will be more helpful in getting a Canadian teaching job afterwards. Anyone know about this? (Aside, I guess, from the obviously-better Canadian networking opportunities)

Thanks

Just a trim, dammit!

Hwaet — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:16:57 -0800

Where can I get a cheap (women's) haircut in Midtown, NYC? I'm at 52nd and Madison. The faster, the cheaper, the better. My office is surrounded by glossy high-end boutique salons that will force me to pony up between $75-200 for a haircut. Google Maps is dredging up every salon south of Central Park with a Frenchy name. I just need a trim. Today, if possible. Does anyone know of a small, possibly not even listed, salon that will just spray my split ends, snip them off, and still leave me with time to grab a salad on my lunch break?

Could we have bed bugs?

spacefire — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:07:16 -0800

Could we have bed bugs? My wife has a bug bite on her that looks like a bed bug bite. It's two bumps in a red area with splotches of red (possibly from scratching).
It's turning purple.
So, could we have bed bugs? She didn't find any on our mattress, hasn't been bitten since she found this one a couple of days ago, and I wasn't bitten at all...
What else could cause this characteristic type of bite?

Let me mention that we live in Hoboken which is just across the river from NYC which is well known for bed-bugs.

Get me to Chapel Hill from NYC!

greta simone — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:33:52 -0800

How to get to Chapel Hill from NYC? Hey y'all. So I'm riding up to NYC from Chapel Hill, NC around the first of August, with a friend who is moving there. I was hoping to hang around for a few days and see friends, but I'm struggling with the best way to get back. I have always flown round-trip when visiting NY, when airline prices were more reasonable. Presently, I have very little money, so I'm trying to come up with the most economical way to take a one-way trip back to CH from NYC. I have looked at one way flights and Amtrak. While those options aren't super-expensive, I am looking for alternative ideas that I might not have considered.
A few things:
Please do not suggest taking a bus. I have my reasons for not wanting to take a bus.
As long as I can get to the general Chapel Hill area (Greensboro to Raleigh), I could have someone pick me up at the end.

Mostly, I'm just looking for secrets that others may have discovered when making this trek. Is there a website to find a good rideshare? I have looked at craigslist already, but haven't found much, and I'm not sure I would trust anyone from craigslist. Is there a place to find discounted Amtrak deals? Do you or any of your friends want to drive me?

I'm just trying to save a couple of bucks.
Thanks!

Electronic Components in NYC?

frieze — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:46:44 -0800

ElectronicsHobbyistFilter: Where can I browse around for and buy small electronic components (microswitches, capacitors, etc.) in New York City? Radio Shack no longer appears to carry this kind of stuff (in New York anyway) Sure I could go with digi-key or Mouser or whoever if all I need is this or that component, but with the prohibitive shipping costs (relative to the product costs) as well as the delay in waiting for shipping this is less useful. I'd really like to just find a time machine to the radio shacks of yore, full of esoteric little subassemblies and packs of mixed switches an knobs. Anyone know a place in Manhattan that stocks this kind of stuff?

A deposit on an apartment we didn't move into has gone missing. Am I screwed?

GilloD — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:09:07 -0800

NYC real estate Q: We put a deposit on an apartment that became uninhabitable before we signed any forms or agreements. We decided to see if it was fixable, but in the meantime we found a new place to live. Now the owner doesn't want to give our deposit back. Are we screwed? A full, gripping narrative inside. So my wife and I have been apartment hunting for about two weeks. Last Wednesday, the 9th, we found a beautiful apartment for a good price. They sold it as a new construction, no problems except for a spot of water damage on the one ceiling. I take a picture, we agree it'll be in the lease. We toured the place, made sure everything worked and then put down a deposit (500$) on the space around 3 that afternoon. We returned around 6 to do a final tour and fill out some paperwork. While we were there, it began to rain. And then the bed rooms and downstairs flooded. I don't mean a trickle, we're talking full on flood, pouring from the recessed lighting, from the walls, inside the closets. The place was no longer fit for living in, the downstairs bedroom areas were ruined.

We called the broker who said he'd call the owner, find out how severe the problem was and get back to us Thursday morning. In the meantime I very stupidly let him hold on to the deposit. Thursday morning comes and goes and no word from Broker. I call him in the afternoon, around 12, and he says he has nothing to tell me yet, but keep looking at apartments. My deposit, he says, is safe with him. I inquire about getting it back, he says it won't a problem, he won't pass it to the owner.

Thursday passes, Friday passes and Friday evening he calls to say, "No word yet, but hold in there, I'll call you on Sunday, give you an update and you can decide whether or not to proceed". Sunday comes and goes, no call, but it was my sister's birthday so I wasn't 100% on point.

I call him Monday morning and leave a voicemail. Monday afternoon we find a beautiful apartment with a wonderful owner in a bigger space for less money. Great! I call Broker and he doesn't answer, so I leave a voicemail. I call again in the evening, but don't leave a voicemail.

Tuesday, I call Broker and he acts like his voicemail is broken and he never got my message. In the meantime he says he gave the Owner the deposit. He hems and haws a bit, goes ice cold on me and says he'll call back, that he has to talk to his boss. That evening his boss calls my wife, leaves a voicemail, but doesn't answer our return call. I call Broker, leave a voicemail.

Today I call Broker in the early afternoon he says that the Owner sent in a crew, he's not sure if he can get the deposit back. I tell him I never consented to giving the deposit over and reminded him that he said he'd check in on Sunday. He says he'll have to call his boss and see what can be done.

He calls this afternoon and wants me to talk to his boss. Before I do this, I want to see where we are legally speaking. Yes, we handed the deposit to him, but with the assurance that the deposit would not go to the owner without our consent. We DID NOT sign ANYTHING. No application, no lease, no contract, no agreement. Dumbdumbdumb, I know. But what's the status of a deposit in this case?

Almost certainly a crew we have to be sent in to clean up regardless. The space would surely have been illegal to rent in the shape it was in. Are they just looking to make this hard or am I well and truly screwed? Help rescue my money!

how to deal with a deadbeat roommate and angry landlord?

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:27:14 -0800

[nyc] my roommate is a few thousand bucks behind on rent, our lease is up at the end of august, and my other roommate and i are both very worried he's not going to give our landlord everything he's owed before then. are there any ways for the two of us who are square with the landlord financially to avoid getting massively screwed by this (in the legal system + credit records) other than us ponying up his share? and yes, i know you are not my lawyer! thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice you guys can offer.

Underage show attendance in NYC

phrontist — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:27:38 -0800

Is there any chance of a 19 year old male getting in to a club in NYC next Friday? I'd really like to see the Kode9 show next Friday, when I'll be in town for HOPE. I've already purchased tickets, and though there was no warning on the website, it looks like it's 21+.

I don't drink, and coming from seeing shows in DC/Europe it's kind of infuriating that the mere presence of alcohol makes it impossible for me to see this show.

I've encountered two legal situations in the US where this is a problem. The first are areas that rule any establishment deriving Y% of their income from alcohol as a bar, and banning anyone underage from entering a "bar". The second is where liquor licenses are so difficult to keep establishments aren't content with the common solution of marking underage individuals hands (as is the case at almost every venue in DC).

Which category does NYC fall under, and if the latter, is there any conceivable way I could convince these people to let me in? Will they check every ID? Is it worth risking my $10, not refunding the tickets, and just trying to walk in (I'm rarely carded except where it's compulsory).

I work for a college radio station and requesting press credentials has worked in the past, but it's in Kentucky and I doubt a request would carry much weight that far away.

Avoiding eviction after minor dog incident?

Hollow — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:33:38 -0800

ApartmentFilter: My friend's dog got our of her NYC apartment today, and a neighbor overreacted. Now the neighbor is trying to get her evicted from the building (her lease goes all the way til February). Should she be worried? Can she fight back? My friend has two formerly abused dogs that she adopted to save them from being put down. Today one of them managed to work all three of her locks and get out into the hall. A neighbor's kid was out in the hall, and the dog bounded up to the kid happily, playfully, excitedly, as dogs are wont to do. The neighbor kid freaked, and the neighbor came out. By the time my friend got out there, her dog had peed the neighbor's floor, which my friend knows that he only does after being hit. The argument got heated, and the neighbor called the police. When the cops arrived they were very nice and did not press any charges, telling my friend to just be more careful. Nonetheless, the angry neighbor is pressuring the building manager to cancel my friend's 12 month lease and kick her out.

My friend's building allows dogs, and her dogs would never hurt a fly. Still, her neighbor is claiming the dog attacked the kid, and between the dog getting loose and peeing the floor, she is worried that management might find cause for canceling her lease.

Any advice for her?

Good Guide to Harlem?

ocherdraco — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:53:51 -0800

NYC filter: Is there a good guide to Harlem for neighborhood residents? I'm moving to Harlem from Astoria, and while I know a fair amount of Harlem's history, I don't know much about the neighborhood now. The Not for Tourists guide seems pretty skimpy here (just like it was in Astoria), and I'm looking for a more thorough guide to local shops, services, culture, etc. Community messageboards would be helpful, too.

stroller panic..

gaspode — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:56:10 -0800

Completely overwhelmed with choices of stroller and looking for recommendations. Specific requirements inside. Your opinions on strollers, please (this thread is kind of old and we have different requirements). We're looking to buy a stroller and it needs to be done reasonably soon as I'm 32 weeks pregnant. I've looked through a few sites but it's hard to find a decent algorithm that throws up good recommendations and of course, personal recs tend to be really valuable.

* It will be used A LOT because we live in Manhattan and walk pretty much everywhere (no car), so it has to be reasonably sturdy
* suitable for newborns (ie. has to recline). Although we will be trying to rely a lot on a sling or bjorn in the early days - IF she takes to them which is not a given
* would prefer one that has a decent age range - ie. not one that the kid grows out of in 2 months
* not too heavy
* Money not so much of an object but we are not the type to demand trendy brands

That's it. The key point being one that will stand up to a lot of use, and is not a behemoth on the streets of NYC. Any anecdotes and recommendations gratefully received. Thanks!

consignment for squares

bingo — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:48:47 -0800

Are there any consignment shops in NYC for non-hipsters? (I'm actually looking to sell, more than to buy.) I have, just as an example, a couple of very nice sport jackets...one is canali, the other is j crew. They are in great shape and when they were purchased they were probably worth about $800 and $300, respectively. But they are probably not going to be taken in by the type of consignment shops I'm finding online, which are all about the weird exotic stuff that's so old and out of style that it can be worn with irony and just the right custom ensemble, etc.

A while ago, I tried to sell some of my nice shirts at Beacon's Closet. They were turned down, with the comment "These look like the kind of things you might wear to the office." Well, that's true, if you are the kind of person who wears $80 shirts to the office. But if you aren't, and aspire to be, they might be quite a bargain.

I know I could put them up for sale on amazon or craig's list, but I really don't want to bother with all that. Am I missing something?

NYC - THIS WKD!!???!?!

ss448 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:12:50 -0800

NYC - This WKD! Help me find all the cheap eats/drinks/clothes/music this wkd in the city!! Hi, going to nyc for the wkd. I love finding out about new events in the city. CHEAP being the keyword. Help me find some hipster scenes on a low budget. I love concerts, the arts, bargain shopping and eating well.

The only thing I have on my agenda for this wkd so far is going to the Jewish Museum to see the Pollack/ De Kooning / American Artist exhibit, I think from the 1940s to the 1970s. I want to keep it low key this wkd, and don't really want to take another trip to the MOMA and the last time I was in NY, i was there for the Whitney Biennial. So the Jewish Museum is sorta just a quick stop, but I would love to check out more local modern artist and stuff more native to NY.

I visit ny pretty often and on another one of my trips I found this flea marketesque thing, with amazing clothing, it's every Saturday held at some school's gymnasium. I cannot recall the name of the event, but I know they do it all the time during the summer. Help me find things of that nature too.

MUSIC - I was looking up concerts, but all the free concerts I want to go to are on different dates, any cool concerts I can check out. Classic rock and indie rock are sorta my thing, so anything in the genre is good.

The Theater - so last time I was in NY everyone insisted I check out Ave Q, I missed it. When it came to Miami last month (or something like that) I attended. It was alright, but I want to see something funnier! Musical, Comedy Show, Play anything.....any suggestions??

Lastly the cheap eats/drinks --- this is not that big of a deal, but if you know something amazing, then i def want to hear about it. free boozing is totally my thing. Im not sure which museum has those friday mixers but I def want to check it out. I also had a friend go to this one japanese place that seems really fun, the atmosphere sounds excellent, apparently everyone in the restaurant is going crazy doing sake bombs, and everyone is drinking in red solo cups. the place is real classy as you can tell...lol and it totally sounds fun!!

I am open to anything and I love the feedback the people on metafilter pass out so i thought I would just bite the bullet and ask.

Wedding anniversary in Brooklyn?

Lactoso — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:28:45 -0800

We're celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary this week and need some help on planning sights/activities in and around the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm planning on a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge around sunset and then dinner and/or drinks at the South St. Seaport (I know, touristy, but we used to go there a lot when we were first dating), so I would like to be able to do some interesting stuff in Brooklyn beforehand, preferably near the bridge on the Brooklyn side.

Ideally I'd like to *perhaps* visit the Brooklyn Museum (I know, not near the BB), wander around some scenic neighborhood with shops and eateries, find a nice Italian restaurant to have dinner at, walk to and then across the BB and then to the seaport.

Any suggestions?

How do Upper West Side grocery stores comare with one another?

HotPatatta — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:41:02 -0800

Fairway, D'Ag, Westside Market, Garden of Eden. What's the diff? Tell me all about Upper West Side grocery stores. I'm moving to the UWS soon and during my last visit I was shocked--and thrilled!--with my grocery shopping options. So how do those stores compare with one another? I'm mostly looking for price comparisons and differences in inventory.

I'll be living on 107th and Broadway, so are there any other grocery stores around me that I haven't yet discovered?

Where can I buy dryer components in New York City?

idledebonair — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:56:18 -0800

Where can I buy dryer components in New York City? I need new solenoids for my Whirlpool Dryer, where can I buy them in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens, today?

Distance running along specific route in Central park

omnigut — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:57:30 -0800

NYJoggingFilter: Distance in Central Park; from 90th St, round the north of the park (over the hill), south along the road on the West side, but cutting back across along the Bridle path which takes me East then North along to 90th St again. Anyone? I've seen the other routes, but can't for the life of me get an accurate measure. Also, but don't go to any trouble finding out if you don't already know, anybody know the equivalent distance if it was on the flat (without those hills on the north of the park)?

Thanks!

Kink workshop in NYC?

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:56:03 -0800

Any bdsm workshops in New York over the summer? I will be in New York City from about mid-July to mid-August. I'm interested in attending any workshops, demonstrations or seminar discussions about bdsm techniques (rope, cp, electro, etc) or protocol.

I'm aware that the TES Festival is happening as we speak- a shame that I'm missing it, and double shame that because that's happening now, there doesn't seem to be any courses/workshops scheduled for the rest of the summer.

If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. Please email kewrius[at]gmail if you'd like to contact me directly.

Summer Sat in NYC...

hboogz — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:49:23 -0800

Where to go tonight in NYC? Group of Mid-Late twenties party people looking for a good party ?

I'm running dry of ideas..

Idea's I've thought of already:

Plumm
Mansion
Suzie Wong
One
205

help me out mefi's -- any of you mefi's with a connection, hook a fellow mefi up!!

Looking for a mixed crowd that spins a mix but mostly hip-hop

NYC Esat Village sidewalk paint

pithy comment — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:40:20 -0800

On a random walk through the East Village in NYC last night, we came across a line of paint on the sidewalk. It went from Tompkins park down Ave B. to 4th St, over to 1st Ave, up to 10th or 11th street and then we lost it. This was not a line painted with a bush or a machine. It was random and wiggly - kind of like someone punched a hole in a paint can and let it drip as they walked around the neighborhood. The line is peach colored. Then we found that it continues at Astor Place and Stuyvesant Street. What does this line mean?? Why was it painted? Where does it go?

Looking for a no-cover place to dance in NYC.

®@ — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:26:05 -0800

Looking for a good place to dance (with no cover) in NYC. My friend is coming down for the weekend and wants to go dancing in the city. Most clubs I've run across charge a cover, and I have no desire to blow $10-$20 on a random club that may or may not suck.

Anyone know good places with cover-free dancing in Manhattan?

Best routes back to my roots

emelenjr — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:39:12 -0800

New Yorkers, help a former New Yorker out! How impractical would it be to take a taxi from LaGuardia Airport in New York out to Locust Valley, NY, versus renting a car for the weekend (not this weekend—no holiday rush implied.) I'll be staying with family and there will be cars aplenty at the house where we'll be, but no one is going to be able to pick me up at the airport on the night I'll arrive. I'm guessing it will be cheaper to take the LIRR out instead of a taxi, but that would also require getting picked up at the station, not to mention getting from LaGuardia to the LIRR first.