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Destination :: New York
New York: With a population of about 8 million people, which rises considerably with tourist numbers during the summer months, New York is a busy place made up of various districts including Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island. These are also the main areas for J1 students to live and work.
Some practical stuff to know:
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Climate: during the summer months, New York City suffers from very high humidity. If you’re staying in Manhattan or Brooklyn, take a trip out to the breezy shores of Long Island to escape the stifling heat.
- Time Difference: New York is 5 hours behind Ireland.
- Getting Around: Walking can be a great way to see the city; it is a relatively flat area and easy enough to navigate. If you don’t want to risk getting lost on your own, there are several different walking tours that you can also take.
Subway: It is busy, noisy and sometimes confusing, but it is still one of the quickest ways to get around 24 hours a day, although the buses are quite efficient and run from 6am until just around midnight. Both the bus and the subway cost $2 per ride no matter how many stops you’re staying on for. (Caution is advised if taking the subway after dark, taxis are a safer option then).
For more general info on New York visit:
o www.nycvisit.com
o www.iloveny.com
o www.nyctourist.com
o www.mustseenewyork.com
o www.news-ny.com (for all the latest news in New York)
Where to live:
If you’re moving out to areas of Manhattan and Long Island, the best places to go for accommodation (expensive but very decent, keep an eye out for hidden deals) are in Hamptons Bay. (Try to avoid the South & East Hamptons, more expensive) Montauk (further north) gets crowded very quickly with J1ers; this makes it tougher to find work and accommodation although there is rarely a shortage of jobs; it just depends on how fussy you are. If you want to go for something a little bit different to the rest of the J1 crowd, have a look in Hoboken, a city in New Jersey located on the Hudson River (see extra notes below) Try to pick up a copy of the Village Voice (out on Tuesdays) for more accommodation options.
Hoboken
Hoboken is an alternative area for J1ers to live and work for several reasons:
- Its location: technically part of New Jersey, Hoboken is on the Hudson River – the Manhattan skyline can be observed clearly from its shores. There is 24 hour subway service from Hoboken Terminal to midtown Manhattan and Newark and a regular ferry service to the World Financial Centre and Pier11/Lower Manhattan;
- Its relative anonymity: it is not a very well known area for J1ers therefore you will find it easier to get jobs and places to live. This also means you will be more likely to make more American friends than Irish ones, it’s densely populated and ethnically diverse;
- Its fascinating facts: Frank Sinatra was born there and they now have a park named after him; Marlon Brando’s “On the Waterfront” was filmed there; Hoboken was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the city with the most bars per square mile, making it known as ‘the city with a bar on every corner’. (What could be more Irish than that?) They were not lying about that one – there are a multitude of bars and restaurants to choose from to work in (or to drink in!) including several Irish bars.
Check out www.hobokeni.com for more info.
Also try out the following websites (as well as other college/university websites that may have links to finding student accommodation):
Where to work:
If you don’t have a job before you go, the big department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdales will usually have openings but the best jobs for J1ers are usually in waitressing and bartending, where tipping is mandatory. (These tips will make up a large part of what you live off, while you may be able to save most of your wages) Make sure you bring plenty of copies of your CV with you and don’t be afraid to be persistent.
For more tips and advice on where to get jobs in New York, check out the New York Post, the New York Daily News and the New York Times for adverts for jobs. You could also try the following websites:
Where to go, what to see and do:
In terms of sights to behold and places to visit, New York has it all; Central Park, Coney Island, the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, Museums of Modern and Contemporary Art and, of course, the Statue of Liberty. Don’t forget to visit the Irish Hunger memorial for some of our own native history.
Parks: In each of the 5 boroughs of the city there is at least one park, making NYC the greenest city in the USA; in Manhattan, Central Park; in the Bronx, Wave Hill; in Brooklyn, Prospect Park; in Queens, the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and in Staten Island, the Blue Heron Park.
Departing approximately every 30 minutes, the Staten Island ferry is free and one of the best ways to appreciate the skyline of Manhattan; or else you can take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Make sure to take in a Broadway show while you’re there, they have everything from Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera to Spamalot and The Producers.
 Check out the following festivals while you’re there:
MAY Sample culinary delights from all over the world at the Ninth Avenue Food Festival
JUNE sees musicians performing free concerts at the World Financial Centre for the Buskers Festival
JULY No American experience would be complete without sampling the Independence Day festivities (July 4)
AUGUST brings a one day festival at the Hudson River Park ‘Blues, Barbecue and Fireworks’.
Where to Eat in New York:
Many students can be reluctant to spend money on eating out when they don’t have to but here are a few budget eateries around New York if you just don’t feel like cooking yourself:
- Empire Diner in Chelsea – a simple but delicious traditional American menu including club sandwiches, burgers and fries
- Ruben’s Empanadas, Lower Manhattan – cheap and tasty South American stuffed pastries available for take away
- Sparky’s in Soho – another tasty and cheap spot that offers organic alternatives
- St. Charlie’s, Lower Manhattan – located close to Ground Zero, this cheerful café is very reasonable priced
- Ben’s Pizza, Greenwich Village – the name speaks for itself and at $2 a slice it’s well worth it
- The Red Lion, Greenwich Village – a bar/restaurant with live music most nights
Also a must for any visitor to New York is a hot dog from one of the many hot dog stands located around the city.
Where to Relax:
Although you are there to work, there is absolutely no harm in having some fun while you’re so far away from home and New York is a great spot for nightlife. For the really homesick, try Bull McCabe’s in the East Village; an Irish bar that does what an Irish bar should – offer good music and comfortable surroundings.
For a more traditional American experience, try 1849 in Greenwich Village – a cheap and cheerful, old west-themed bar/restaurant. Also try to remember that the J1 is a work and TRAVEL programme, so do be sure to take some time and travel around the surrounding areas. Many choose to spend some time in Canada, while others take in the western states that they missed, California, Nevada, etc.
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