Well the job here in Houston fell through at the last minute so I'm going to NYC next week to lead a project for Sony BMG in Manhattan on Broadway. I have NEVER been to NYC and I have no idea where to go or what to do. I have no idea about where to stay or what areas even look in. Sony is picking up all of my expenses but I dont have carte blanche to just spend on whatever. I'm thinking I'll be around for about two months so I'm thinking about getting corporate housing. Anyway, if any of you from NYC or anyone that knows NYC well could help me out I would sure appreciate it. Also I'd enjoy meeting some of the people from Clutch NYC so if you want to hook up, shoot me an email to trey@mcglaunenterprises.com. Thanks in advance for any and all help.
Just out of curiosity. How would you introduce yourself when you meet a BBS memeber? "Hello, I'm the Master Baiter from Clutchfans"
Believe me I always feel stupid and everyone always has that Butthead laugh, "Huh Huh, uhhh, you said masterbate."
Broadway runs the length of Manhattan, so I'm not sure where exactly your client is. Since its Sony, I assume its probably Midtown/Times Square? If thats the case, you should probably get a feel for living here and stay in a hotel in Midtown for a week or two. Learn how to get around on the subway, walking etc., and then ask people at Sony if they have any corporate housing available. I've never stayed in corporate housing here, but I think it would prob. be tough to find something reasonably priced right off the bat. If Sony doesnt have any corporate housing, I think there's probably places downtown or in Jersey(Jersey City, Hoboken). You might also want to try to sublease an apartment on Craigslist, alot of people do that. If you're a baseball fan you should definitely catch a Yankees game. For restaurants and bars check out Citysearch and pick up a Time Out magazine.
Remedial Transportation Tips: 1) NYC subway map. Learn it. Live it. Possibly love it. You may want to carry a small subway map around in your wallet. (I carry my old, pre-9/11 map that's still functional, more or less. ) 2) Take 5 minutes to memorize the order of major avenues in NYC. Also, memorize WHICH WAY they go. Ex: 2nd Ave. goes south (or downtown). 3) If you're paying your own way, try not to take taxis, as the costs can add up. Plus, sometimes, taxis are actually slower than taking public transportation. 4) Buses in Manhattan aren't that bad. Honestly. 5) Get an unlimited MetroCard ($70 a month - only good for one month) so you CAN be lazy and take the bus for that one avenue trip. It's worth the money. 6) "E. [number here]" means a location east of 5th Ave. "W. [number here]" means a location west of 5th Ave. The numbers increase the farther from 5th Ave. you are. 7) If you walk slow on the sidewalk, I WILL KILL YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY. 8) There are no nice people here, so don't expect others to hold doors for you or wait for you to exit the subway train before piling in. Learn to be a little aggressive (but not overly). 9) Don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Refer to #7 for punishment. 10) When flagging a taxi, try to be respectful of the people around who are also doing the same. If they've been there longer, don't steal their cab. ... Bah. Who am I kidding? Walk a block up (or down, depending on the flow of traffic) and snatch their taxi out from under them. It's the New York way.
First, wlecome to New York! I assume you'll be working out of Sony HQ on Madison/55th street? there are actually two buildings, one on the west side of the street (HQ, and the former AT&T building) and the other at 555 Mad. on the east side. it's not a bad area to work, although not the best served by public transportation. there's a starbucks in the building, as well as other food services in the public atrium. excellent sushi about a block away, on 56th between 5th and 6th. you're alos not far from the park. there's an E train stop at 53rd between madison and park- probably your closest subway (the stop is actually called "5th avenue" remember, subway trains are at least a block long!) you're also not too terribly far from grand central, and if the weather is nice it's an easy walk. get used to walking, it's often the quickest way to get anywhere. 20 uptown blocks=1 mile, ie, it's a mile from 72nd street to 52nd street. cross town blocks are much further. don't stay in mid-town if you can help it. the west side is probably not too convenient for where you'll be working- look east or downtown. murray hill is more reasonable, also try east village, brooklyn, etc. east village is cool, but once again, transportation can be a problem. F and V trains go there, so if you're near oone of them, you could get to rockefeller center easy enough and walk to Sony. it might be tempting to stay in queens because of the E train, but i don't think you'd be happy. feel free to ping me through the bbs anytime- i just had a meeting at SOny about a week ago, curious what your project is?
if you are thre on the 20th, a few of us are meeting for the Seattle game in the East Village... i am down for the 23rd while we are on the subject... masterbaiter, everything has already been said in this thread, just be smart and dont get scammed
