Reason#6 Heat

There is a law in NYC that landlords have to provide heat between October 1st and May 31st when the temperature is below 55, keeping the temperature above 68. So one would suppose this means that I would never have to feel cold. Wrong.

Right now it is October 4th, the temperature outside was 50 this morning. The heat is not functioning.

Last winter we were in Manhattan in another apartment. We had a baby. We had no control over our heater. The building maintained it.

You can't put a blanket on a baby. You can't over heat a baby, and you can't let a baby freeze. So when we'd go to bed we'd crack the window open because it would be 90 degrees in our bedroom. Then many times, in the middle of the night depending on the whims of our Super, we'd wake up freezing cold because the window was cracked and the heat was turned off at 2am. Then a few hours after you closed the window, you would wake in a pool of your own sweat because the heat was miraculously turned back on. Imagine this with a baby. A baby that wakes up multiple times at night. Last winter was the most sleep deprived time of my life. Between the noises of the street, the sound of opening and closing windows, the discomfort of chronic temperature changes and the general habits of a newborn, my life was pure hell....sometimes the temperature matching.

Now to our delight we supposedly have control over the heat. Yet its not on. Technically this is illegal. But so what? Who is going to come and do anything about it?

Last year between the ridiculously over heated building there were lengthy periods that the heat "wasn't working" it was "broken". Hmmm...I'm highly suspicious. As was my neighbor. I called 311 (the city's support system) and by the time they called me back, the heater had been broken and restored 3 times. I called the management office where I had to leave multiple messages because the Super turned his phone off and management didn't want to deal. Was anyone punished? Nope. And I know for a fact at least one person besides me called 311. What good are laws that are not enforced?

So what is my point? My point is that laws don't keep people from suffering. There are no laws that can make NYC a livable place. Its so funny to me that there is such a stigma against American's living in mobile homes. When I lived in a mobile home I always had control of my heat. I was never hot. I was never cold. In fact I could set my temperature to exactly the temperature I wanted. 72.5...fine! done! I had no bugs. I had space for all of my things. I didn't have to lug things up stairs. I had a washer and dryer. I could drive right up to my door. Amazing how "poor" American's have it so much better than the middle class New Yorker.

Furthermore, yes I have an electric heater which is running in my sons room while he naps, but the fact is that landlords and tenants alike factor in that heat is covered by their rent, thereby increasing the cost of living. One always forgets pretty much every landlord shirks his heating responsibility to some degree, because doing so directly funds his pockets. Thank you govn't for saving me from the cold. NOT.

Reason#5 Schools

The local news just said people are hiring agencies to help them navigate through the school process in NYC because it is so complicated.

Just FYI

Queens is in New York City. As is the Bronx, Brooklyn, and most strangely Staten Island. Manhattan is the business center, the famous, the most visited, but its really not the core of culture. Manhattan is an amalgamation of every neighborhood within itself and outside of itself. It is however an aspirational borough for most. People complain about outsiders but it is the outsiders that keep Manhattan alive both financially and culturally. Without outsiders it would just be a stale lifeless mass of concrete.

Each borough has a series of neighborhoods. And which ever neighborhood you choose people will stereotype you as being a certain person because each person has to strongly justify why they chose THEIR neighborhood. A wise husband of mine once said, NYC is not a melting pot. Its a tossed salad because each group maintains their individuality but does not mix with the other ingredients.

This has positive side effects. You get great food and culture as a result of this maintained identity and gathering of like minds and backgrounds. Neighborhoods have their own values that can be enjoyed. For example, I don't like living with party animals nor do I have the money for a reasonably sized apartment in the East Village, but I am so glad I can visit and go party.

The negative side effect is that people are even more prejudice & divisive. Their are even more groups to have negative opinions of .

But within neighborhoods it is not just ethnicity or race that people judge. People judge socioeconomic status, age, occupation, style of clothing, etc. If you live in Williamsburg you are a trust fund hipster. If you live on the Upper East Side you are either a snotty twenty something who likes sports bars and carries a chanel bag, or a blue blood or Orthodox rich Jew. In the West Village you are an over paid pretentious artist. My knowledge of these stereotypes is even limited and jaded by my own limited exposure to certain groups. For example, I have know idea what a rich Upper East Sider would say about the West Village, but I'm sure its not nice.

The polish, the Russians, the hipsters, the rich, the poor, the working class, the blue bloods, the Orthodox Jews, Guidos, the fading Irish, recently out of college drunks, the ultra liberal organic baby wearing moms of Park Slope, transplants, the locals with those awful accents, Wasps, etc. The number of groups one can have disdain for is unlimited in NEW YORK! Concrete Jungle where stereotypes are made of!

I like Queens because it has the least stereotypes except for being the 2nd lamest borough. Staten Island of course holds spot #1. I don't really know much about Staten Island. Except that there is virtually no public transportation & it really is the forgotten borough. I'm sure there are many wonderful things to hate in Staten Island. Perhaps one day I will get to enjoy complaining about them.

Is it too soon

Too close to the 9-11 10th anniversary to go back to hating on NYC?

I read this on a NYC forum today.

People who don't live here think I am making this shit up. But I am not making up the cost of rent. No sir. Click the box to see my snapshot.

Reason#4 to Hate NYC: Taxes.

New York City is ranked as the 2nd highest taxed city for income.

The sales tax is 8.376%

New York City is ranked as #8 for the Property tax rate.

New York State is ranked as #2 for highest tax burden overall.

(stats taken from cnnmoney.com)

Yet for all of these taxes that both the city and the state collect, there are still such limited resources. Every day I see children fighting for swings at the playground. I don't remember ever even waiting for a swing when I was a child in another state.

The roads have pot holes and the dividing lines are missing.

There are hardly any public restrooms (which add to problem#3- the smell).

The MTA is always broke. Very few stations have wheelchair access so a handicapped person must adjust their route to get off at specific stops and increase their street commute.

The school system in NYC is famously bad. Most middle class parents either send their kids to private, pray for G&T, or move to the suburbs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/education/06reportcards.html

The outer boroughs are extremely slow for snow cleanup.

The bridge and tunnel tolls are going up to 12$!!! Yes if you want to leave this hell hole, it will cost you 12$ to come back!

Central Park is funded 90% by a private organization & the city gets half of the concession revenues. This information can be confirmed by the official Central Park Conservancy website. Check out this link for an image of the park when the city was managing it and when the Conservancy was managing it. http://www.centralparknyc.org/about/inside-the-conservancy/

Taxes may seem like a small issue, but when you combine that with the highest cost of living it matters. You may make more in NYC but what good is money that is taken from you and buys so much less.

So what are our taxes going to? Hookers for politicians? Parades? Sports teams? I don't know. Cultural events are great, but so are schools, $ in my own pocket, and safe roads.

Reason#3 The Smell

The smell of NYC has always bothered me. However, my hatred for the various stenches became fully developed when I got to experience the sidewalks of Manhattan with the joy of morning sickness. In my 1 mile walk to work the following smells were likely to affect me:

• bum urine
• dog urine
• dog poo
• bum poo
• vomit
• putrid soap smells
• incense
• pizza
• Chinese food
• fresh flowers (a momentary relief)
• rotting garbage
• dead rat
• General lack of bathing or use of deodorant on an individual
• Halal cart
• exhaust fumes
• cigarette smoke
• pot smoke
• cigar smoke
• old beer

I'm certain their are more, but these are the most momentous scents. And I have met bums that smelled so horrific that NOBODY was on the subway car. Do you know what it takes to unpack the 6 train at rush hour!? A deadly smell. What was I thinking...that I was just ohh so lucky to have all of these available seats. Doh!