Possible move with family to New York
Jan 1st 2009, 5:57 pm
#1
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Possible move with family to New York
Hi,
My husband is transfering within his company to either New York or back to the UK (London). His boss has told him to go away and think about both locations and decide where he would prefer to go, before taking things further.
We are both British but the thought of New York is very tempting as it would open up many doors, possibilities of Green Card in the future, and, well, just the opportunity to live in New York sounds amazing.
We have two young children, of 5 and 2 years of age, and would like to put them through the public education system. We do have friends in NY and have found some very helpful websites, but would really appreciate personal advice on precincts/areas in New York, any school advice and suggestions, and well, just any other advice people can offer.
If it helps to compare and contrast areas, we have lived in Amsterdam, The Hague, Lausanne and Melbourne, as well as knowing Bristol and London in the UK.
Look forward to hearing back and very grateful for all your help!
My husband is transfering within his company to either New York or back to the UK (London). His boss has told him to go away and think about both locations and decide where he would prefer to go, before taking things further.
We are both British but the thought of New York is very tempting as it would open up many doors, possibilities of Green Card in the future, and, well, just the opportunity to live in New York sounds amazing.
We have two young children, of 5 and 2 years of age, and would like to put them through the public education system. We do have friends in NY and have found some very helpful websites, but would really appreciate personal advice on precincts/areas in New York, any school advice and suggestions, and well, just any other advice people can offer.
If it helps to compare and contrast areas, we have lived in Amsterdam, The Hague, Lausanne and Melbourne, as well as knowing Bristol and London in the UK.
Look forward to hearing back and very grateful for all your help!
Jan 1st 2009, 9:33 pm
#2
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
Where are you living at the moment? Can't help you with the NY info, but I'm sure there will be plenty people along who will help.
Might help others to respond if you are able to give an idea of where you would like to live (if you know) or what your housing budget would be as I guess that would narrow it down a bit, especially if you're looking at good school districts.
Sounds exciting!
Might help others to respond if you are able to give an idea of where you would like to live (if you know) or what your housing budget would be as I guess that would narrow it down a bit, especially if you're looking at good school districts.
Sounds exciting!
Jan 1st 2009, 9:54 pm
#3
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
I love NYC .... but I now live as close to it as I ever want to (250 miles north) even though all my work is out of there.
Comuting would be pk but live in the city ? ...... NOT LIKELY
Comuting would be pk but live in the city ? ...... NOT LIKELY
Jan 1st 2009, 9:59 pm
#4
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
Same here Pat...although I live much closer...it's nice to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.
Jan 1st 2009, 10:33 pm
#5
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
i found greatschools.net to be useful for looking at good schools. From there I looked at property that were in the same school district.
Jan 1st 2009, 11:25 pm
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
Hi,
My husband is transfering within his company to either New York or back to the UK (London). His boss has told him to go away and think about both locations and decide where he would prefer to go, before taking things further.
We are both British but the thought of New York is very tempting as it would open up many doors, possibilities of Green Card in the future, and, well, just the opportunity to live in New York sounds amazing.
My husband is transfering within his company to either New York or back to the UK (London). His boss has told him to go away and think about both locations and decide where he would prefer to go, before taking things further.
We are both British but the thought of New York is very tempting as it would open up many doors, possibilities of Green Card in the future, and, well, just the opportunity to live in New York sounds amazing.
Jan 2nd 2009, 2:17 am
#7
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
I live in NYC. You should definitely do it. It's a fantastic place to live. Personally I really cant understand people that say they love it but wouldnt want to live there...why not? Its a very liveable city if you have the money. To live in New York City with kids you should be looking at Park Slope in Brooklyn, or Brooklyn Heights. I'd say they are the number one spots for families. If you really want to be in Manhattan then I'd suggest somewhere slightly family friendly and residential such as the Upper West Side or maybe even Gramercy (where I live). You can also find nice old houses in Harlem. Otherwise, most people at my company who have kids tend to live upstate outside of the city. I've heard good things about Rye, and also Westchester, as well as some people that live up in Connecticut (sp?), others live in New Jersey although I've never been anywhere in Jersey that wasnt either a shithole of incredibly boring and suburban so I personally wouldnt want to live there. I'm sure others would have better info about places within a commutable distance. To be honest, if you are going to do it then you should do it properly otherwise you might as well just move to London (i still think London is the better city) where you'll find more family friendly areas...but there is no reason you cant live in NY. I know quite a few people that live in Manhattan with kids. I guess it just depends on what kind of environemnt you want them to grow up in. Obviously if you want an outdoorsy lifestyle for your kids then NYC might not be right, but I personally would have no qualms about raising kids here. You should definitely check out Park Slope, its really nice.
Last edited by pejpm1; Jan 2nd 2009 at 2:20 am.
Jan 2nd 2009, 9:30 am
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
I live in NYC. You should definitely do it. It's a fantastic place to live. Personally I really cant understand people that say they love it but wouldnt want to live there...why not? Its a very liveable city if you have the money. To live in New York City with kids you should be looking at Park Slope in Brooklyn, or Brooklyn Heights. I'd say they are the number one spots for families. If you really want to be in Manhattan then I'd suggest somewhere slightly family friendly and residential such as the Upper West Side or maybe even Gramercy (where I live). You can also find nice old houses in Harlem. Otherwise, most people at my company who have kids tend to live upstate outside of the city. I've heard good things about Rye, and also Westchester, as well as some people that live up in Connecticut (sp?), others live in New Jersey although I've never been anywhere in Jersey that wasnt either a shithole of incredibly boring and suburban so I personally wouldnt want to live there. I'm sure others would have better info about places within a commutable distance. To be honest, if you are going to do it then you should do it properly otherwise you might as well just move to London (i still think London is the better city) where you'll find more family friendly areas...but there is no reason you cant live in NY. I know quite a few people that live in Manhattan with kids. I guess it just depends on what kind of environemnt you want them to grow up in. Obviously if you want an outdoorsy lifestyle for your kids then NYC might not be right, but I personally would have no qualms about raising kids here. You should definitely check out Park Slope, its really nice.
My husband would be working on Park Avenue in the Midtown area. We are sick of "commuting" so for the time being would prefer to be in NYC as opposed to commuting in. Obviously that might change if we got there and hated living inner city.
Obviously I'd like to live near good public schools too, and playparks.
Where we live at the moment you cannot walk anywhere without being run over by a lorry or a tractor and there are no parks.
I miss people and I don't want my kids growing up thinking that anyone slightly different is a freak. I miss the colour, sights and sounds of city life. But I also don't want my kids living in a scary, dangerous neighbourhood.
Is the commute easy from Brooklyn (Park Slope/Heights) to Midtown? We have friends in UWS and obviously they think we should move there so it's great to hear about other areas.
It's interesting that you think London is the better city. We actually thought that NY would be a better city for kids so I'd be curious to know why you think that.
Regarding visas I think he would be on an L1 and I'd be on an L2... we've only just got the news so our information is quite limited I'm afraid. We'll know more when we make the decision between London and New York.
You have been a fantastic help and I'm truly grateful!
Any more advice/opinions would of course be hugely appreciated!
Jan 2nd 2009, 10:41 am
#9
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
[QUOTE=Emmis;7119041]
Where we live at the moment you cannot walk anywhere without being run over by a lorry or a tractor and there are no parks.
QUOTE]
Oh come on now ................ Milton Keynes can't be that bad 
Where we live at the moment you cannot walk anywhere without being run over by a lorry or a tractor and there are no parks.
QUOTE]
Oh come on now
................ Milton Keynes can't be that bad
Jan 2nd 2009, 12:00 pm
#10
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
Wow, thanks for your replies!! Very, very helpful.
My husband would be working on Park Avenue in the Midtown area. We are sick of "commuting" so for the time being would prefer to be in NYC as opposed to commuting in. Obviously that might change if we got there and hated living inner city.
Obviously I'd like to live near good public schools too, and playparks.
Where we live at the moment you cannot walk anywhere without being run over by a lorry or a tractor and there are no parks.
I miss people and I don't want my kids growing up thinking that anyone slightly different is a freak. I miss the colour, sights and sounds of city life. But I also don't want my kids living in a scary, dangerous neighbourhood.
Is the commute easy from Brooklyn (Park Slope/Heights) to Midtown? We have friends in UWS and obviously they think we should move there so it's great to hear about other areas.
It's interesting that you think London is the better city. We actually thought that NY would be a better city for kids so I'd be curious to know why you think that.
Regarding visas I think he would be on an L1 and I'd be on an L2... we've only just got the news so our information is quite limited I'm afraid. We'll know more when we make the decision between London and New York.
You have been a fantastic help and I'm truly grateful!
Any more advice/opinions would of course be hugely appreciated!
My husband would be working on Park Avenue in the Midtown area. We are sick of "commuting" so for the time being would prefer to be in NYC as opposed to commuting in. Obviously that might change if we got there and hated living inner city.
Obviously I'd like to live near good public schools too, and playparks.
Where we live at the moment you cannot walk anywhere without being run over by a lorry or a tractor and there are no parks.
I miss people and I don't want my kids growing up thinking that anyone slightly different is a freak. I miss the colour, sights and sounds of city life. But I also don't want my kids living in a scary, dangerous neighbourhood.
Is the commute easy from Brooklyn (Park Slope/Heights) to Midtown? We have friends in UWS and obviously they think we should move there so it's great to hear about other areas.
It's interesting that you think London is the better city. We actually thought that NY would be a better city for kids so I'd be curious to know why you think that.
Regarding visas I think he would be on an L1 and I'd be on an L2... we've only just got the news so our information is quite limited I'm afraid. We'll know more when we make the decision between London and New York.
You have been a fantastic help and I'm truly grateful!
Any more advice/opinions would of course be hugely appreciated!
I work in midtown too. If you were in Brooklyn Heights, your husband would probably take the 4 or 5 from Borough Hall up to Grand Central and then change to the 6 train and take it to 51st on Lexington Ave, or he could just walk from Grand Central. It'd take about half an hour. If you were in Park Slope, he'd probably take the F train from 7th Ave up to the Rockefeller Center and then walk from there. I'd guess that would take about 45mins, although there are less subway stops in Park Slope so he could find himself with a 10-15min walk just to get to the subway. It'd probably be worth it though. You are right next to Prospect Park, and also really close to the Brooklyn Museum which is great for kids. Also, on 5th Ave in Park Slope you'll find 'Chip Shop'..a really good English chip shop, if you're into that
Best bet would be to try and spend some time in the areas and see what you think.I prefer London as I just think there is more of a buzz about the city and more going on. Also, you have so many more parks and open spaces, along with densely populated urban areas. I really miss the history and architecture in London. I really like New York, but very rarely am I in awe of anything such as a really cool bridge or impressive building. Obviously thats just because its a newer place, so its not a criticism of NY...I just think London has more diverse options.
Jan 2nd 2009, 1:18 pm
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
I think all of the boroughs have nice areas to live in for a family, with decent schools and reasonable buses/trains/subways. Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx is a decent place, with good parks, amazing views of the Hudson River, a mainline train station, and express buses to New York (unless things have changed in the last few years...) It has good neighborhood shopping and, like other NY neighborhoods, has some of the "village" atmosphere that you get in London. I only mention Spuyten Duyvil because I know it, I'm sure there are a hundred other similar areas throughout the city.
Jan 2nd 2009, 4:22 pm
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
Yeah, I totally agree with you. I was brought up in South London and I want the same kind of upbringing for my kids (when I eventually have them)...I dont want to live in Suburbia ever.
I work in midtown too. If you were in Brooklyn Heights, your husband would probably take the 4 or 5 from Borough Hall up to Grand Central and then change to the 6 train and take it to 51st on Lexington Ave, or he could just walk from Grand Central. It'd take about half an hour. If you were in Park Slope, he'd probably take the F train from 7th Ave up to the Rockefeller Center and then walk from there. I'd guess that would take about 45mins, although there are less subway stops in Park Slope so he could find himself with a 10-15min walk just to get to the subway. It'd probably be worth it though. You are right next to Prospect Park, and also really close to the Brooklyn Museum which is great for kids. Also, on 5th Ave in Park Slope you'll find 'Chip Shop'..a really good English chip shop, if you're into that Best bet would be to try and spend some time in the areas and see what you think.
I prefer London as I just think there is more of a buzz about the city and more going on. Also, you have so many more parks and open spaces, along with densely populated urban areas. I really miss the history and architecture in London. I really like New York, but very rarely am I in awe of anything such as a really cool bridge or impressive building. Obviously thats just because its a newer place, so its not a criticism of NY...I just think London has more diverse options.
I work in midtown too. If you were in Brooklyn Heights, your husband would probably take the 4 or 5 from Borough Hall up to Grand Central and then change to the 6 train and take it to 51st on Lexington Ave, or he could just walk from Grand Central. It'd take about half an hour. If you were in Park Slope, he'd probably take the F train from 7th Ave up to the Rockefeller Center and then walk from there. I'd guess that would take about 45mins, although there are less subway stops in Park Slope so he could find himself with a 10-15min walk just to get to the subway. It'd probably be worth it though. You are right next to Prospect Park, and also really close to the Brooklyn Museum which is great for kids. Also, on 5th Ave in Park Slope you'll find 'Chip Shop'..a really good English chip shop, if you're into that
Best bet would be to try and spend some time in the areas and see what you think.I prefer London as I just think there is more of a buzz about the city and more going on. Also, you have so many more parks and open spaces, along with densely populated urban areas. I really miss the history and architecture in London. I really like New York, but very rarely am I in awe of anything such as a really cool bridge or impressive building. Obviously thats just because its a newer place, so its not a criticism of NY...I just think London has more diverse options.
You have been amazingly helpful. We're keeping what you said about London in mind before we make our final decision... but NY is so very tempting...
Jan 2nd 2009, 4:23 pm
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
Just to keep our options open, are there any other places that would be in commutable distance that aren't too Stepford Wives?! You mentionned Rye and I've heard of Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Irvington.. but what are they really like and are they lightyears away from Manhatten?!
You have been amazingly helpful. We're keeping what you said about London in mind before we make our final decision... but NY is so very tempting...
You have been amazingly helpful. We're keeping what you said about London in mind before we make our final decision... but NY is so very tempting...
Jan 2nd 2009, 4:32 pm
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
I read this story the other day...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/ed...prod=permalink
which echoed what some friends who just moved out of Tribeca had been saying.
But then I don't think it's any easier to get your child into a good school in London either.
Given the choice I'd go for NY for the experience. You can live in London any time but NY is more of a one-off.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/ed...prod=permalink
which echoed what some friends who just moved out of Tribeca had been saying.
But then I don't think it's any easier to get your child into a good school in London either.
Given the choice I'd go for NY for the experience. You can live in London any time but NY is more of a one-off.
Jan 2nd 2009, 4:42 pm
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Re: Possible move with family to New York
I read this story the other day...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/ed...prod=permalink
which echoed what some friends who just moved out of Tribeca had been saying.
But then I don't think it's any easier to get your child into a good school in London either.
Given the choice I'd go for NY for the experience. You can live in London any time but NY is more of a one-off.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/ed...prod=permalink
which echoed what some friends who just moved out of Tribeca had been saying.
But then I don't think it's any easier to get your child into a good school in London either.
Given the choice I'd go for NY for the experience. You can live in London any time but NY is more of a one-off.
Our kids are still little but all levels of schooling concern me. I'm also curious about places in commuting distance but we are terrified of suburbia... Just trying to weigh up our choices.
Thanks again!