#1

#3Are New Yorkers stressed out and frustrated?

I would think that more New Yorkers are stressed out about the fact that for every homeless person there are 3 unoccupied apartment units in nyc.

Are to worry about a BQQ when you don’t have a roof.

#5Are New Yorkers stressed out and frustrated?

Do you live in Manhattan?  And if you do, the South, Central or North Manhattan?  That might help in understanding your situation.  How can people who live ten stories up in a huge apartment bldgs. have a court yard to BBQ?  And without a court yard, how can they see Cardinals?  You situation sounds that it is not typical of people living in gigantic Manhattan apartment buildings. Thinking about it further, for me to believe that there are cardinals in midtown Manhattan, I would have to see a photo.  I lived in Chicago for 30 years and never saw a cardinal.  Upon moving to the another state and living in a rural area, we have plenty of cardinals.  I since learned that cardinals are very sensitive to noise, and flee from it because they rely heavily upon sound chirping for communication.  No question, traffic drives cardinals away.  That is a fact.  Is there a different family or species of cardinal that tolerates noise?  Doubt it. 

#7Are New Yorkers stressed out and frustrated?

Yes, this post is mostly about Manhattan.  That is where the population density is I think the highest in the nation.  And to see cardinals in midtown Manhattan will never occur.  Even a park has to be away from excessive noise to accommodate cardinals.  And clearly, Manhattanites who live in huge apartment buildings will not have convenient access to court yards for barbecuing.  The other boroughs are different.  I would think that Staten Island offers living like much of America.  And Brooklyn does have streets with houses and yards.  I have seen those.  I was just curious how residents living in the most dense areas of Manhattan cope with life. If I ever visited Manhattan, my interest would be in Little Italy and Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, and the restaurants there.  Would love to visit in the Summer.

#9Are New Yorkers stressed out and frustrated?

War on cars. Crime spiking Squeegee Men back.Gee Whiz why would people be stressed out?

Bernie quoted JFK sickened him.. Imagine that 

 

#11Are New Yorkers stressed out and frustrated?

Granted I don’t live in NYC, but I visit often (actually cooling my heels in the sky club currently in Atlanta on my layover on way to NYC). I have to say I’ve rarely had a negative encounter with a New Yorker. Granted, I mainly interact with other tourists or people in the service industry who have an incentive to be nice, but I can probably count on one hand how many rude New Yorkers I’ve encountered (two of them were within a minute of each other as they were both theater staff when I saw Tina last month). I get a little defensive when people start trashing New Yorkers (I have a similar reaction when people want to peg all Parisians as rude). I live in Oklahoma and there plenty of reasons to be stressed and frustrated here: state that perpetually votes red which pairs with lots of close-minded attitudes. I’ve encountered many more rude Oklahomans in my lifetime. Of course, I live here so that’s bound to happen. But they have all the things New Yorkers supposedly miss. Oklahomans will openly criticize you to your face with a smile on their faces. And there track record towards marginalized communities ain’t great. That’s not to say that everyone is like that. But I’d say we have more than our fair share of a$$hXs.

#13Are New Yorkers stressed out and frustrated?

To color the hour:  I am trying to understand your response.  You say you do feel stressed, and you feel pressure.  What exactly is the source of the pressure?  Is it money worries, living in Manhattan?  Is it the hustle and bustle of Manhattan?  Is it the pressure of living in a society that places money and economic success at such a high premium that few can obtain, and those who do not are regarded as failures?  These things are not always clear to those who live in other parts of the country and live essentially and easy going life style.  I once worked at a company that had no honor or integrity at all and screwed every one of its employees.  That's pressure.  I left and never looked back.

Without ever living in Manhattan or N.Y., I will take one guess that is perhaps the key reason for all the stress.  COST OF LIVING.  My guess is that living in Manhattan is 4 to5 times more expensive than anywhere else in the country.  Take my home:  3 and1/2 baths, 3 bedrooms, full finished basement - carpeted, bathroom and sink included and workshop on 1/2 acre of land, with a forest in the back, 2 car garage, huge lawns front and back, built in 2002, all for $260,000.  Taxes? $2500/year.   Compare that to what you get for the same money in Manhattan.  Clue me in.

#15Are New Yorkers stressed out and frustrated?

ghostlight2 said: "Not at all true in my case. I love living in New York. I don't need a car, because I have my feet (New York is a great town for walking), a bike, the subway, cabs, and car services. Sure, sometimes the subways are crowded, but in over 20 years, I have never been "trampled", and often see people giving up their seats to the elderly and disabled. Instead of having to maintain and insurea car, gas it up and expose myself to the stress of traffic (and yes, park it), for $2.75 I can go almost anywhere in NYC and read a book on my way.

I have plants in window boxes, in a common courtyard- where we bbq -and I grow a lot of my own food in a nearby community garden, one of my many hobbies.There's a bird feeder and bird bath in the tiny courtyard, and I have seen many birds there, including cardinals, though I have only seen woodpeckers in street trees and in NYC's many parks (which have ample space for kids to play). There is a large birding community in NYC.

I don't need to go to a huge supermarket and buy plenty of food, because smaller markets, bodegas and delis are everywhere, and within walking distance. I get a weekly farmer's market bag from the community garden, full of veggies, fruits and greens.

My living area is small, yes, but it's big enough, and I was able to find a place for a reasonable price.

The ocean is a subway ride away.

All of this, plus world class museums, music, art, restaurants, and, of course, theater.

Why should I be stressed out and frustrated? :)"

 

 

I think there must be many who would love to live your life.  What's not to like?   I have thought of moving to the East Coast, but I am just too firmly planted on the West Coast.  But, I do look forward to my occasional visits.  Enjoy what you have (including those beautiful cardinals).

#17Are residents of Manhattan stressed out and frustrated?

"Unless New York cardinals are different than cardinals throughout the country, cardinals will not feed at all in an area with loud noise.  Cardinals communicate by their distinct chirping sounds.  Noise interferes with their communication.  They flee noise, feeders or no feeders.  We have witnessed that first hand where I live.  And I studied it on the internet.  Studies have shown that cardinals will flee noise.  Cardinals are also very timid birds.  When challenged by blackbirds, the cardinal will always flee.  They are colorful, but timid."

Either they are different, or they learned to adapt. For 2 years, I had a nesting pair outside my window, in Brooklyn, 30 feet from a busy avenue, 4 blocks from a fire house, so noise was a constant
They did have a constant source of food (not just a bird feeder) but also the place where they nested, an old vine in an unused backyard, was absolutely undisturbed. It was unlikely that even a cat might pass through.

I think maybe they were willing to trade quiet for safety and isolation? Either way, we had a happy 2 years, and I saw 2 years of their babies from my window, and watched them fledge. In Brooklyn, as sirens from the fire department wailed. All creatures can learn to adapt, I suppose.

I lived in Bayonne, too, once, on a ship. Didn't see many birds but ospreys and gulls. Some terns and oyster catchers.

eta: fwiw, the only thing that changed is that people started using the yard again .Noise was a constant, and occurred 24/7 during the 2 years that the cardinals nested there. They abandoned it only after the immediate area was disturbed, not by noise, but by motion.



 

 
 

#19Are residents of Manhattan stressed out and frustrated?

"Take my home:  3 and1/2 baths, 3 bedrooms, full finished basement - carpeted, bathroom and sink included and workshop on 1/2 acre of land, with a forest in the back, 2 car garage, huge lawns front and back, built in 2002, all for $260,000.  Taxes? $2500/year.   Compare that to what you get for the same money in Manhattan.  Clue me in.

That is very nice. I live in Charlotte NC and in 1990 bought my home for $89,500. I moved from LI because my job was relocated to Charlotte. I have modest home that has three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, large living area, 2 car garage and fenced yard with deck. My yearly property taxes are about $1,600 a year.

If you live in Manhattan it is because you love the life of the city and all it has to offer. The theater, fantastic restaurants, sports, museums and many other things. I don't think having cardinals at your window are a top priority. BTW - not often but on occasion I do see a cardinal hanging on the fence in my backyard.

#21Are residents of Manhattan stressed out and frustrated?

Maybe I am like Henry David Thoreau.  I lived in the big city for 30 years and finally the noise and traffic and the confined spaces drove me out.  Today I eat breakfast and lookout my back window and see in the forest: cardinals, finches, woodpeckers and 8 other varieties of songbirds, and the occasional deer.  Last year I saw a momma deer suckling her young one in the forest.  Last week I saw three deer.  I'll take that over a theatre any day.  If I need to enjoy my hobby, I go downstairs to my workshop.  And if I need a special piece of hardware, I hop in the car and go to Menards or Home Depot.  If I want to cook some burgers on the grill, I open my kitchen window and cook on the outdoor grill sitting 5 feet from my kitchen window.  Of course we have a clothes washer/dryer right off the kitchen, like any modern house.  NOW if I was an actor, or a dancer, I'd want to live right in Manhattan to have easy access to the theatres, and for auditions.  But I am not.  I am just a regular guy who enjoys his hobbies, nature, and starting a business. Space and peace are important to me.  Life is good!

#23Are residents of Manhattan stressed out and frustrated?

On my last visit to Manhattan, I saw a rap star wannabe suckling a young tourist trying to get $10 for his CD. Ah, to be out in nature.

#25Are residents of Manhattan stressed out and frustrated?

"Didn’t Neil Simon write a play about this topic?"

Neil Simon wrote "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" which is about a man having a midlife crisis.  In the play, he does portray some frustrating aspects of living in New York City.  It's sort of the bookend to his play "Barefoot In The Park" which portrays a young couple in love with NYC.