Floridian Looking to fly North

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I am currently a nursing student down here in Miami Fl , thinking about moving up to Manhattan when I graduate. I heard starting salaries are pretty decent up there. Of course cost of living is alot more, but then again so is having a car with these gas prices ;)

Can you give me a good idea of life in New York ? I am a single 23 Male moving up there alone, can't convince my friends, they are moving all over the place as well. Are poeple up there completely rude ? I would imagine people here in FL are the worst around. Nobody speaks english and the ones who do , you sort of wish they didn't. Women down here are also equally aweful. Pretty much full of themselves and out for money in general. There are the few decent ones, and funny , seems like they came down from New York where women are actually , OMG independent !

Well if you could give me some information that would be very appreciated. Thanks and maybe Ill see you all in a year or two !!!

RobbieAllie,

You've already got that winning New York spirit! Suzanne is right about checking out the jobs first...some hospitals here do have housing for professional staff...and, anyway, you'll want to avoid that "commute". You'll do great. Enjoy the rest of your schooling and good luck all the way!

Deborah

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Thanks to you all for your help and support. I am really looking forward to moving up to the city. I have done alot of research on it, and once I graduate and save up some money I will be moving there. Can anyone tell me what the difference between neighborhoods is in manhattan. Like is Murray Hill a good area? Sojo ? etc.

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I love Soho and anything around the village area. Great little retaurants, and shopping. :)

Upper east side around the 70s and York to 2nd avenue is nice also.

Remember, get job first..............they many provide sometype of housing for you..................

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...Can anyone tell me what the difference between neighborhoods is in manhattan. Like is Murray Hill a good area? Sojo ? etc.

RobbieAllee,

It is good you have some time...go to Barnes & Noble or other big bookstore with a good travel section. You will find books that will help you understand the different neighborhoods in Manhattan. Although everything is constantly changing (The Gap, Starbucks, and Banana Republic are now almost everywhere now) but, at least, you can get a sense of where the neighborhood is coming from...each one still retains some of its original character. You can probably do an online search to find out more...when you have your own "roadmap" take your vacation in NY and walk around the different areas you think you would like. Some are so dramatically different from another I'm sure you will be able to cross some neighborhoods off your list just by walking through them. Anything you know the name of (and isn't Harlem) I can pretty much guarantee is a good neighborhood. At first, it sounds like you intend to work alot so I would recommend paying more attention to areas near a hospital where you might like to work...and keep in mind that even Harlem is starting to open up and to be a real choice for housing.

While you are here, see if you can get an interview at some of the hospitals so you can get a sense of how different they are...some are unionized and others aren't...some pay tuition some don't...some have housing some don't. Unfortunately, reading their ads don't help a whole lot as they all tend to sound the same. Maybe you can get some preliminary hiring information over the phone or by emailing them. New graduates are desirable because you will cost them less...

When it comes to actually looking at places to rent, I recommend not even bothering until you are actually ready...the market will have changed and so much just depends on timing. Especially, do not waste your time going to apt rental agencies as you will have to go through a long application process before they will even talk to you and, once they see that you don't have a job, they will not show you anything...the fees are very, very high and they require something like 75 x the annual rental in back-up security (like a wealthy co-signer). It is still unbelievable to me but it's true... There are other ways to go and, increasingly, I see "For rent" signs going up in what was just a few years ago a relatively closed area. You can incorporate a casual meal in a local eatery to try to engage people in a chat about their neighborhood. New Yorkers are usually fond of talking about their neighborhoods and generally think that theirs is the best.

Did you ask about food prices? When I travel it seems to me that all "touristy" places have the same prices as NY...We were recently in Orlando and the grocery tab was about the same. As far as eating out...if you are on a budget there are pizza places, hot dogs and delis all over. Look for them in your "desirable" neighborhood if you are going to be needing them at first. One of the things that makes NY very expensive is eating out at nice restaurants, shopping at the gourmet food shops, taking taxis, bridge & tunnel tolls, parking, co-op maintenance fees, and condo property taxes. If you can stay away from those, you'll be fine and you'll enjoy every bit of it.

Deborah

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Thank you I will take your suggestions and put them to some good use.

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i am currently a nursing student down here in miami fl , thinking about moving up to manhattan when i graduate. i heard starting salaries are pretty decent up there. of course cost of living is alot more, but then again so is having a car with these gas prices ;)

can you give me a good idea of life in new york ? i am a single 23 male moving up there alone, can't convince my friends, they are moving all over the place as well. are poeple up there completely rude ? i would imagine people here in fl are the worst around. nobody speaks english and the ones who do , you sort of wish they didn't. women down here are also equally aweful. pretty much full of themselves and out for money in general. there are the few decent ones, and funny , seems like they came down from new york where women are actually , omg independent !

well if you could give me some information that would be very appreciated. thanks and maybe ill see you all in a year or two !!!

hi floridian!

i moved to new york from mississippi 4 years ago and i was worried about rude people too. i have found people here to be very nice and always willing to help you.

when you move here, i would suggest that you move to new jersey and work in manhattan. apartments are cheaper in jersey and it only takes a 15 minute bus ride to get you into manhattan.

the starting salaries are pretty good. it depends on where you work. you make more if you work in cosmetic dermatology or plastic surgery. in new york, its all about how you look. it does not matter how bad the economy is, people will still spend money to look good so you will always have a job! :chuckle

anyway, good luck to you. email me when you get here and maybe i can show you around.

good luck!

robin

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I want to work in emergency medicine, or critical care. I really don't want to do the Jersey thing. For me its all about living in New York city. I want to live there, not just work there. I want to walk down the block and hit 20 stores, and restraunts and enjoy the manhattan lifestyle.....even if it costs more to do so. Eventually i'll make enough to live very comfortably i am hoping.

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I agree 100% with you. If you are going to work there, why commute across the river? :)

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I live in New York and work in NJ. There are areas right over the Hudson River, like Jersey City and Hoboken that you can live. Those areas cost as much as Manhattan and the New Jersey car insurance is one of the highest in the COUNTRY. It is higher than NY and you will definitely need a car there. The upside is you will only have to pay $3 round trip if you take the PATH train into New York. If you decide to live further down in the state of NJ plan on tacking on another $200 to take NJ transit into the city.

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No I definilty want to live in NY. I want to work and go to school there. I am thinking strongly about going to Columbia University and getting my Nurse Practitioner Degree. I will probably work for a year first so that my credits are cheaper than an out of state resident and get myself comfortable there. I don't want to put too much on my plate at once. I will be going up there solo so I hope to meet some great people and enjoy myself alittle before starting back up into the grind of classes .

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No I definilty want to live in NY. I want to work and go to school there. I am thinking strongly about going to Columbia University and getting my Nurse Practitioner Degree. I will probably work for a year first so that my credits are cheaper than an out of state resident and get myself comfortable there. I don't want to put too much on my plate at once. I will be going up there solo so I hope to meet some great people and enjoy myself alittle before starting back up into the grind of classes .

I wish you the best!!!

I don't think you get a break at Columbia if you are a NY resident. As you know, its not a state school.

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I don't think you get a break at Columbia if you are a NY resident. As you know, its not a state school.

RobbieAllie,

LovePeaceJoy is right. Columbia University is an Ivy League School...big name, big bucks...but, remember, play your cards right and tuition will be paid by your employer. Be prepared for a waiting list for NP programs. You'll do fine, eventually... and when you do, you will have learned the real meaning of the words in the song "If you can make it here you'll make it anywhere"...just double or triple your projected timeline and stick with it.

Deborah

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