Hey Nighttrain,
I'm an MS1 at NYU. I think it's a great school, I really like the majority of my classmates and the academics are strong too. One of the best things about NYU in my opinion is the students, and that's one of the reasons I chose to go here. People are pretty laid-back, pretty friendly, and most know how to have fun. The class is really pretty close-knit and people hang out and do a lot of stuff together. I've made several close friends since coming here and lots of acquaintances who I'd like to get to know better. So I think the social angle is definitely a strong point. I don't know if they told you about it in your tour, but the post-exam parties are worth mentioning. After every exam, the school subsidizes the student government to rent out a bar or club for the night and everyone goes out to party. Usually you can buy three drink tickets for $10 and once in awhile there's an open bar. Everyone likes socializing and hanging out together after the pressure of exams are over, and it's really a lot of fun. There's also formals or semi-formals a couple of times a year, plus things like ice-skating and ski trips that are organized by student government. Plus of course there's all kinds of things to do in NYC. BTW, I'm from Colorado and haven't found adjusting to NYC to be a problem, in fact I love it, so I wouldn't worry about that aspect if I were you (unless you're going to really miss California).
Anyway...academics. I think the classes are well-taught for the most part and we get really good preparation. It's a mix of the lecture and small-group styles, although the first semester is mostly lecture. It's a traditional curriculum, anatomy plus MGB (molecular biology, genetics, and biochem) and embryology first semester, physiology, histo, cell bio, and some neuro second semester. Personally I found anatomy fairly rigorous but I'm enjoying this semester a lot more. Grading is entirely pass-fail for the first two years. Speaking of academics, I've got to get back to studying physio, but if you have more specific questions feel free to post 'em and I'll try to answer when I get the time.