Anyone live in Manhattan? Can't imagine never driving anywhere in town!

[BC]

I heard Matt Lauer say last night on Leno that nobody drives in New York City. I was thinking about it and can't imagine life dependent on cabs & buses all the time. I guess I may have the wrong image in my mind, but is there no large grocery store nearby? I mean if you discover you are out of something and want to go to the grocery, do you have to get a cab and is there just small nearby neighborhood stores? Wow, life without a drive to Walmart at least once a week would be strange!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

It is awesome! One of the best things about the city is that you never have to drive anywhere! There are stores everywhere. Keep in mind that not everyone in the city has a huge kitchen with a pantry to store stuff in. So it's not like they need to hit Costco. I loved living in the city and I loved taking the subway and cabs instead of having to drive. I could relax on the way to everything. I also walked everywhere too. I really enjoyed every minute of it.

 

[BC]

I keep telling my daughter I want to go during Christmas and check out Rockefeller Plaza and the ice skating rink. Everytime we watch the first Home Alone movie I say I'm gonna go stay at the Plaza and check out the city like "Kevin" did.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

To be honest I didn't skate at the Plaza until I was in my mid 20's. I did it once and it was fun but they let so many people on the ice it is more of an "I skated here!" thing than an afternoon on the ice. I would still do it again though.
It is always fun to see the windows at Macys and Barneys at Christmas time. Even just getting a cup of hot chocolate from one of the millions of grocers and walking around inhaling the smell of chestnuts and burnt pretzels makes me smile. There is just something about the city that makes you feel like you can do anything.

 

[Aisling]

I live here and there are stores everywhere, for whatever you need, within walking distance or a 5 minute jump on the subway. No Walmarts, though. And lots of people own cars here. If you drive around the block enough times, you'll eventually get a spot. My son is going on 18 and he still doesn't even have a learners permit. He has no interest in driving, since he and his friends take the bus/subway everywhere. It's really easy to get around.

 

[BC]

Maybe when I get ready to go, you can give me some tips on restaurants and not to be missed places to go.

 

[monkey68]

I don't live in Manhattan, but I know plenty of people that do. If I could afford it, I would join them. It's really not that bad. There are plenty of stores around so if you run out of whatever, you can run out and get it. And walking is not that bad. So you get a little exercise on your commute to work... big woop. And walking in all kinds of weather, while not pleasant, will not damage you in any way. I don't know many people that actually still use cabs during the day and evenings when the subways are running pretty regularly. It's just too much money.

They also do have large grocery stores around, but you're probably not going to see them if you're visiting because they're not on streets often populated by tourists. As a general rule, people don't really live in the touristy areas. But it's great, even where I live, I don't have to drive anywhere. I can get what I need in my neighborhood, I can take a train ride to where I need to go and not worry about parking or paying a meter or anything like that.

 

[BC]

would be having to carry whatever you buy which could be several bags if you shop like I do. I guess if you have a heavy load, you just get a cab.

 

[Aisling]

would be having to carry whatever you buy which could be several bags if you shop like I do. I guess if you have a heavy load, you just get a cab.

Yes, but every other car driving by is a cab! There are literally hundreds of them day and night.

 

[LisaR]

would be having to carry whatever you buy which could be several bags if you shop like I do. I guess if you have a heavy load, you just get a cab.

When we vacation in cities like NYC and DC, we find most of the grocery stores deliver! I would love to live in DC and walk everywhere. Not a huge fan of NY but I still love the idea of not using a car daily.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We don't go to the grocery store, we order online from Freshdirect. It's the best thing that ever happened here.

Before Freshdirect we had our groceries delivered from the store.

My mom brings a cart with her.

I don't drive, dh does but he didn't grow up in the city.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Lived in Manhattan for years & also keep a car....only used it to leave the city & for meetings.
When I visited L.I. or N.J. I often purchased items to take back to the city but usually everything was delivered including dry cleaning.

I finally found a store I like that delivers in the burbs!!!!

 

[Mary Anne]

I an 58 years old, don't know how to drive and will go to my grave without a drivers license. I've easily saved a 1/4 million dollars on not having to buy a car, keep it running, or paying auto insurance. FYI, the ice is up and in use at Rockefeller Center. The Christmas Show starts in about 4 weeks at Radio City. I work in 30 Rock and can hear the music from the today show when they perform in the Plaza. I would not trade living and working in the city for anything.

 

[Aisling]

On the block where my building was, there was a 24 hour dry cleaners, a Gristedes supermarket, a liquor store, and a 24 hour Duane Reade pharmacy. All I had to do was take the elevator down 14 floors, and walk a few steps right or left to pick up my drycleaning, buy milk and bread, pick up my prescription and get a bottle of Bailey's. What else could I hope for??

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I an 58 years old, don't know how to drive and will go to my grave without a drivers license. I've easily saved a 1/4 million dollars on not having to buy a car, keep it running, or paying auto insurance. FYI, the ice is up and in use at Rockefeller Center. The Christmas Show starts in about 4 weeks at Radio City. I work in 30 Rock and can hear the music from the today show when they perform in the Plaza. I would not trade living and working in the city for anything.

I agree with you!!! I would go back to the city in a moment. Broke my heart when we had to leave.
There is no other place like it in the world!

 

[yoopermom]

I love everyone's points of view so far, but always wondered about moving. I know you may not have *a lot* of furniture, but I assume you'd have to hire a van or moving company or?? I can't imagine pushing my queen size bed down the street!

Terri

 

[moon]

I an 58 years old, don't know how to drive and will go to my grave without a drivers license. I've easily saved a 1/4 million dollars on not having to buy a car, keep it running, or paying auto insurance. FYI, the ice is up and in use at Rockefeller Center. The Christmas Show starts in about 4 weeks at Radio City. I work in 30 Rock and can hear the music from the today show when they perform in the Plaza. I would not trade living and working in the city for anything.

Sounds wonderful! I really envy you and all the other New Yorkers on this thread.

 

[Imzadi]

Yes, I live in Manhattan. Of course we have grocery stores nearby. I live within two blocks of one supermarket, 9 blocks from a second one which is much cheaper, and about 10 blocks from a different chain in another direction, and 8 blocks from a fourth one in the opposite direction from that.

I have a 24 hr deli on the corner if I'm coming home at 3am and just want to get something to eat.

I live 2 blocks from TWO 24 hr drugstores in either direction. Down the street, in the opposite direction is a third.

For my cat, I haven't needed them, but there are 3 24 hr emergency vets I can take her to. There are also a 2 (human) hospitals in my area, as well as 2 police precincts nearby. Although, I live near Times Square, so we always have 24 hr police presence nearby. I would say that ETA of police arrival is 3 minutes.

Today, alone, I walked to the post office to drop off packages, then headed to two of the supermarkets for different things, as well as went to my neighborhood health food store to pick up my iron supplements for my anemia. I was totally out of them. If that store didn't have any in stock, I could have run uptown 20 blocks and gone to another favorite health food store that would have had them. If they didn't have them, there are about 20 other health food stores in Manhattan alone I could have gone to.

I then headed to the drugstore for other stuff.

WALKING, I finished all my errands and was home within an hour and a half. I wasted no gas, nor spent any money on gas, nor was I dependent on any type of transportation. You could say I was very "green."

I could have also walked into 3 Starbucks on the way and 3 of my own branches of banks and well as about 5 other bank branches.

For clothes shopping, I may walk, subway, bus or taxi to Macy's, Bloomingdales, T.J. Maxx or Daffy's. For home furnishings: Macy's, 2 Bed, Bath & Beyonds. For computer office stuff, there are about 4 Staples stores nearby, one Office Depot and 1-2 Best Buys.

There are 2 Borders Books and about 4 Barnes & Nobles I frequent in MY area. (I think there are about 12 B&N bookstores in Manhattan.) BUT, we have one of the largest library systems in the U.S., so I can reserve a look from one of the 200 branches in the system and have it sent to whichever neighborhood branch I feel like visiting. How do I choose? It depends on my mood and which direction i feel like walking in, or if there is a particular store I feel like visiting while I'm picking up my books.

If it's not rush hour, I can stand at the street corner and within 3 minutes, 20 available cabs will drive by. Any one of them can pick me up. If I can wait 10 -20 minutes, I can take a bus. Same, if I take a subway. During rush hour, the subway across or downtown is actually faster to travel by than above ground transportation.

I love NYC. I have access to everything!

Well, actually - we do NOT have a Wal-mart or a Target in Manhattan. We got our first Home Depot about 6 years ago, and that was a big thing. We now have two.

I can subway to Little Italy or Chinatown in 30-40 minutes. I can go up to Harlem for authentic soul food and jazz music in 45 minutes. I WALK to any Broadway theatre or movie theatre.

When I get out of late night classes or meetings, I can go with friends and have dinner at 11pm or drinks or munchies.

The other night, my plane got in late. As I WALKED home from the shuttle bus stop at Port Authority Bus Terminal, I stopped by my corner deli at 12:45 am to pick up two homemade paninis so I would have fresh food for a late (1am) dinner and have one for lunch the next day.

I lived in Los Angeles for several years, it would take me an hour to drive for one errand, then take 20 minutes driving to a second errand. I'd have to take all week to get a bunch of errands done, as I had to spread them out throughout the week.

This is my life in NYC and I LOVE it.

 

[LisaR]

WALKING, I finished all my errands and was home within an hour and a half. I wasted no gas, nor spent any money on gas, nor was I dependent on any type of transportation. You could say I was very "green."

Totally, completely jealous! I would love, love, love this lifestyle (with warmer weather, though).

 

[Imzadi]

We don't go to the grocery store, we order online from Freshdirect. It's the best thing that ever happened here.

Before Freshdirect we had our groceries delivered from the store.

Are you aware we finally got a Trader Joe's in Manhattan? It's on 14th St between Union Sq and 3 Ave. They actually have a wine store, then towards the end of the block, near 3rd Ave is their grocery store. They are open till 10pm, so I try to stock up when I'm down that way.

My mom brings a cart with her.

The only time I need my little cart is when I'm lugging home kitty litter. I can only bring 4 home at a time when they have a sale.

On the block where my building was, there was a 24 hour dry cleaners, a Gristedes supermarket, a liquor store, and a 24 hour Duane Reade pharmacy. All I had to do was take the elevator down 14 floors, and walk a few steps right or left to pick up my drycleaning, buy milk and bread, pick up my prescription and get a bottle of Bailey's. What else could I hope for??

I love everyone's points of view so far, but always wondered about moving. I know you may not have *a lot* of furniture, but I assume you'd have to hire a van or moving company or?? I can't imagine pushing my queen size bed down the street!

Actually, I've seen that done. But, why would people think we wouldn't need a moving van. Don't YOU use a moving van or truck when you move?

Although, years ago when I bought a double size futon, I was at the futon store, talking to the driver about how I was going to get the futon home if I bought one. He kept assuring me it would fit in a cab. I was a bit more cynical. I figured, I'd have to wait for one of the cabs that are minivans, or one that had a big trunk, and we'd have to tie the trunk closed with the wrapped up, folded over futon hanging out.

The futon guy said, "Just go to the curb and hail down a cab, and open the back door." I told him we'd have to wait for a BIG cab. He said, "Don't worry about it, just hail a cab."

I walked to the curb, turned around, why hadn't the futon guy followed me with the futon? Inside the store door, he just waved me to hail a cab.

I flagged one down. The cab stopped. The futon guy and another guy literally comes rushing out of the store with the futon. He yells, "OPEN THE DOOR!" I open the door and they literally stuff the bundled futon all the way into the back seat before the cab driver realized what was happening.

Cabbies in NYC are notorious for being l-a-z-y and not wanting to pick up people with large items as that usually means they have to get off their butts to help take out the item at the end of the trip. They usually drive by as though they haven't seen you.

I sat in the front with the cabbie. Paid a usual cab fare instead of having to pay for a $25 delivery charge and got my futon home. I just dragged it into the freight elevator and into my apartment.