new York residency

[hmockingbird]

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I think a lot of it depends on your personality... I'm applying to NYC programs this year. I haven't lived in NYC specifically but I've visited a lot as I have relatives there and I have lived in other US and European cities. I studied abroad in a "rough" city but it was awesome to me. It wasn't very "pretty" or gentrified but there were many safe areas. So much good about it - there was so much to do all in one area or easy to get to it on public transport, it was easy to make friends and build your own little "neighborhood" with people whose shops you visited, there were plenty of cheaper food options, always something to do or a museum/landmark to visit, easy to just walk up the street and get groceries, easy to get exercise just by walking, and it was so easy to get around on public transportation. But I'm someone who hates to drive, hates going to the gym, loves food and is very interested in museums/art/theater/etc. I also don't mind living in a small space if I get to do all that awesome stuff, eat good food and have that life. I used to think I would hate living in NYC and I probably would have when I was younger because I was more easily overwhelmed. But after living in other cities and being away from a city I just want to be *in a city* again and I miss all the perks I mentioned, and after visiting NYC again I know I would be comfortable there. No, I agree it's not the "prettiest" city but there is still a lot of cultural capital there and plenty of food options (did I mention I love food?), and I'm now the person in my smaller suburb who's too hustle and bustle for them. However, I understand why others would not like it, the key is to decide if it would work for you.

 

[Banco]

Manhattan has definitely cleaned up over the past couple decades. It's an awesome place to be.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

I'm only an MS3, so I know next to nothing about residency.
But I spent about 3 months living in Manhattan several years ago when working in a lab. I still get to visit Manhattan now and then, and really enjoy spending time there. Not sure about the crime folks are talking about, I mean it can be dangerous, and you need to have some common sense. Personally, it felt safer than I had imagined it would be. There's always a crowd, open restaurants, lights, and people around, which was quite comforting.

Personal view, I first hated living there, but after a month the city grew on me and now I'm even considering going back there for residency if I can. There's many drawbacks to living in Manhattan (loud, expensive, will probably live in a tiny apartment), but there's also a lot to appreciate (I miss the food so much...so much good food, and no need for a car). You just gotta ask yourself if you're willing to put up with city life for the perks of being at the center of it all.

Also, another option. You could do a residency program just outside of NYC (not sure what the options would be, or how many there are, but it's something to consider). Then you're not doing residency in the city, but you can go into Manhattan on a night off and enjoy the fun parts.

 

[bc65]

Queens looks like it was annexed by the former Soviet Union. It's what the human slave quarters will look when skynet comes and anyone with a hope of freedom will get underground.

The stuff you're writing might sound poetic, but there's no truth to much of it. Have you ever actually been to Queens? I doubt it. Queens has all sorts of neighborhoods, some beautiful, some not. Sure, there are areas that are run-down and others that are industrial, too. But some parts of Queens contain the most beautiful areas and homes you could want ( 2-3 million each ) , just a 15 minute subway ride into central Manhattan. But if you ever want to see real diversity, go to Elmhurst. It's not pretty, but it's often referred to as the most diverse neighborhood on the planet. Within a few block you will find ethnic restaurants that are almost exclusively filled with natives of that group. So, Thai restaurants filled with Thai customers, Korean restaurants with only Koreans. Nearby, a Chinese neighborhood bigger and more authentic than the one in Manhattan, with all sorts of Chinese cuisines. I used to go there all the time. I learned how to ask for spicy food in Thai so I could get the real food and order off the menu. Same with Korean. All sorts of Indian cuisines, there's a big Afghan community there, etc. Of course, there's also all sorts of Latin American communities and restaurants. If money were no object I wouldn't choose to live in Queens, but I would prefer it to most parts of Brooklyn.

 

[notbobtrustme]

NYC smells like ****ing garbage and the rats there are bigger than my dog.

 

[clausewitz2]

Queens looks like it was annexed by the former Soviet Union. It's what the human slave quarters will look when skynet comes and anyone with a hope of freedom will get underground.

I understand your point. But the bohemian vibe is an ephemeral thing. Pops up here in one time. There in another.

I just dallied too long in the formless ether. And missed my coming of age in late sixties San Francisco or the Village.

I realize what I long for doesn't exist. Sue me.

Bit OT, and no idea what the relevant regulations are regarding American physicians working in Germany, but have you considered Berlin long-term? By all accounts, it has precisely the sort of vibe you are after, and is still too grungy to be overrun by yuppies.

 

[Kaustikos]

I'd never consider doing residency in a big city. The cost of living doesn't make it worth it when you're working long hours and don't get to enjoy those perks. You just over pay for rent and go live in a hospital.
I'd rather a smaller city where I can get a decent/nice place to come home to at the end and be comfortable.
Plus, I'm more the type to relax in a wooded retreat with a nice fire than the annoyance of the big city. Also, I'd basically sell my car because I'd never drive it. On that topic: NYC has the worst roads, traffic pattern and the tolls. Chicago is worse because they still think they're as good as New York and charge toll fees higher than NYC.
Also, I don't know if I'd be a fan living in places like this because I'd prefer having it as a place to vacation.

Or Tangier, Morocco.

 

[eye love lamp]

Cleanliness is a word not unlike professionalism. I always wonder what it says about the wielder of it than the word itself.

New Orleans isn't clean. Yet one of this republic's most unique and interesting cities.

While your line sounds all fancy and nice it really is just mumbo jumbo. You just said New Orleans isn't clean, but I can't say NYC isn't clean without you wondering about the wielder of the word??

 

[Winged Scapula]

I'd never consider doing residency in a big city. The cost of living doesn't make it worth it when you're working long hours and don't get to enjoy those perks. You just over pay for rent and go live in a hospital.
I'd rather a smaller city where I can get a decent/nice place to come home to at the end and be comfortable.
Plus, I'm more the type to relax in a wooded retreat with a nice fire than the annoyance of the big city. Also, I'd basically sell my car because I'd never drive it. On that topic: NYC has the worst roads, traffic pattern and the tolls. Chicago is worse because they still think they're as good as New York and charge toll fees higher than NYC.
Also, I don't know if I'd be a fan living in places like this because I'd prefer having it as a place to vacation.

Or Tangier, Morocco.

Does FML know this?!

 

[Kaustikos]

Does FML know this?!

Haha. She admits living downtown sucks. Living outside is where it's at. But... Beggers can't be choosers.

I should look into when Stark Industries plans on releasing their Iron Man suit for the public. That would be problem solved.

 

[Psai]

Haha. She admits living downtown sucks. Living outside is where it's at. But... Beggers can't be choosers.

I should look into when Stark Industries plans on releasing their Iron Man suit for the public. That would be problem solved.

what happened to her it's been forever since she posted

 

[StraightOuttaBrooklyn]

Absolutely do not do your residency in NYC. You have the shiittiest nurses and support staff in that city. You're working horrible hours with horrible pay and the chicks don't dig you, they dig the bankers making real money.

Native New Yorker chiming in here.

New York women LOVE doctors. Frankly, my mere mention of "I'm a medical student" seemed to draw more women out of the woodwork than anything else I ever did/said in my heyday.

What you describe seems to fit Miami a lot more than it does NYC, lol. Here, the women hear "student" and they lose all interest.

I think the value system people have in New York runs deeper than what your post suggests.

Go Giants.

-SOB

 

[fancymylotus]

Does FML know this?!

FML mostly agrees. While I love my New York City, work is in the suburbs and I grew up there too so...it's sort of where my heart has always been.

However, if Kaus complains too much about NY, I plan on ditching him in his beloved Tangier when we go next spring 😀