New York City

Whatever you're looking for, you can definitely find it here.

To live...

Someone told me once, if you never live in Manhattan, you can't say you have lived in New York City. I have to agree with that statement. Moving to live in Manhattan is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I have enjoyed every second. Especially if you work in Manhattan, you can save so much time on the commute. If you work late (most people do), you can simply hang out with your friends or co-workers until midnight or later, then take a 15 minutes cab ride home. 

Manhattan is not big in size, but it is big in population. People are literally living on top of each other.  You can feel your neighbors, smell them, hear them, they are part of you. Unfortunately. But this is not a totally negative thing. With so many people in such close proximity, the city does feel "alive", the one word all New Yorkers use to describe their beloved city. This feeling is one of closeness to the human race. Even if you don't know your neighbors, which you usually don't, you know they are there. This is somehow strangely comforting.There are so many neighborhoods in New York City, such as uptown, midtown, downtown, east village, west village, chelsea, soho and so on. Each neighborhood has its own character which is created by the buildings, restaurants, shops and most importantly the people who live in that area. For example, uptown is more family oriented and upscale since most of the buildings are residential and it has so many famous museums (Metropolitan Museum and Guguggenheim) and world famous park, Central Park. The Village is more hip and young since it's nearby New York University.  Living in Manhattan is not cheap, studios (200 square feet) may cost you $1,500 to $2,500 depending on which neighborhood you choose. FYI: Studios are considered "affordable" in Manhattan. 

There are TEN tips to find the best apartment:

1. Browse around the neighborhood day time and night time and see if the lifestyle suits you;
2. Consider paying a little extra to live in an elevator building (Walk-up building is very common in Manhattan). Believe me, it will go a long way, especially when you move in or move out and when you buy a whole lot of groceries. Plus if you want to deliver furniture to your apartment, it will cost you extra if you live in the walk-up building;
3. Look for an apartment through the internet. The easy way is to work with a real estate agent but it may cost you about 10 to 20% of annual rent as commission. However, due to the economy, you may be able to find some no-fee apartments through the real estate agent. If you want to look for yourself, The New York Times or local newspapers are a good start. Also, you can walk around the neighborhood and sometimes you will see advertising by the actual landlord trying to avoid paying premiums to an agent; 
4. Try to look for a rent stabilized or rent controlled apartment. Even when you find a very good deal at the first place, it doesn't mean you will have the same good deal forever. The landlord can raise the rent when your lease is up. However, if you live in a rent stabilized or rent controlled apartment, the landlord can only increase a certain % each year when you renew your lease;
5. Check the apartment unit during the day and at night. During the day, you can see everything clearly and you can also see if you can get enough natural light. A lot of times your window(s) may face the next building's wall. At night, when most people are home, you can see if you can hear the noise from the next door neighbor. Remember, the walls are normally very thin in Manhattan, you may be able to hear an entire conversation from your neighbor. Also, if you have a bar or restaurant below your apartment, you may want to find out how late they are open;
6. Try to meet one of the neighbors who live in the building and share their experience. Not only can you make a new friend but you can find out what you're getting yourself into;
7. Check every inch of the apartment. Sometimes you may find a hole under a sink or you may find some signs of mice. Don't hesitate to ask your landlord to fix everything that you're not comfortable with; 
8. Determine which subway line you're close to. Most people rely on the subway to go everywhere. The New York City subway is not the most complicated one, but it's complicated enough that you need a map at the beginning. Also, if you work on the east side of Manhattan, I would recommend you to live on the east side. It's not hard to cross town by subway but it will save you a lot time if you don't need to;
9. Don't be afraid to ask. For example, ask if you can paint the walls, ask if you can have a pet in the apartment, ask if there is a laundry room in the building (if not, find out where is the closest one), ask what kind of cable service you can use (Time Warner Cable is the most common one in Manhattan but it's the most expensive, it's always better if you have another option), ask if the rent also includes the water and heat (the heat can cost hundreds per month during the winter) and ask if you can get a cheaper rent if you pay a few months in advance;
10. Can't afford to live in Manhattan?, no problem. There are a few areas you can consider if you can't afford to live in Manhattan but close enough to all the action. For example, Long Island City, Astoria, Williamsburg and so on. These areas are only 15 minutes subway ride to Manhattan and they are all up and coming neighborhoods. Even if you don't want to go to Manhattan, there are so many things you can do, many fabulous restaurants you can go to and so many trendy stores you can shop at.

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To shop...
 Yo are, you won't be leaving empty handed. eresand dollar couture dress on Madison Avenue.
There area few neighborhoods you don't want to miss:

1. Madison Avenue: You can find most of the upscale stores, such as Chanel, Calvin Klein, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes, Jimmy Choo, Prada, and Ralph Lauren. Who needs to go to Italy or France. You can find them all on one avenue in New York City.
2. Fifth Avenue: Most of the big designers have their own flagship store on fifth avenue, such as Apple, Cartier, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co and Versace. Each flagship store spends time and money to make its own store to stand out to insure you'll enjoy the window shopping. Besides the luxury brand names, you will also find some causal stores, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, Forever 21 and Gap. Plus you will also find few big department stores on Fifth Avenue, such as Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, Lord and Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. Most stores are located between 40th street to 60th street.
3. SoHo: SoHo is a neighborhood bounded roughly by Houston Street on the northern side, Lafayette Street/Centre Street on the east, Canal Street on the south, and West Broadway on the west. SoHo is a charming area and represents an old side and a new side of Manhattan. The old side of Soho has the cobblestone streets and historic buildings. The new side of Soho has an energetic feel which brings people to the new stores in the area. Most people go to Soho for the designer clothing such as 3.1 Phillip Lim, D&G, Prada and Tibi or some affordable clothing such as H&M, Topshop, Uniqlo and Urban Outfitter. If you're interested in fine arts or unique furniture and fixtures, you'll find them all in Soho.
4. NoHo: NoHo is north of Houston Street. Most people may just go to SoHo and miss another wonderful neighbor right next to it. NoHo is also a historic district. Besides small boutiques you may find in NoHo, you will also find some charming cafes. When you're tired or just waiting for your girlfriend or husband to shop, you should try one of the cafes in NoHo and enjoy a cup of coffee.
5. Lower East Side: Lower East Side is a neighborhood bounded by Canal St. to Houston St., East River to Bowery. This area is a little bit run-down and dirty. However, you will find a lot of amazing local or up and coming designers in this area.  The night life is crowded with a younger population all seeking to have a good time in one of the grungier areas of Manhattan.  Dive bar anyone?
6. China Town: Boundaries are from Chambers St. to Canal St., East River to Centre St. People who go to China Town are looking for cheap food, cheap souvenirs and cheap knock-off designer goods. China Town in New York is the biggest China Town in the world. It's not only for tourist, a lot of local Chinese also go there for groceries and restaurants.
7. Meatpacking: Roughly from West 14th street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. Meatpacking is not just a name, it does have slaughterhouses and meat packing plants in the area. Some people are looking for a Meat Market in one of the many clubs in the area, but mostly people go here for the shops and restaurants.  People who like to hang out in the Meatpacking district are young professional and hipsters. Some designer stores, such as ADAM, Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin, Jeffrey New York and Stella McCartney, are located in the Meatpacking district.
8. Bleecker Street: If you're big fan of Marc Jacobs, you won't be disappointed here. You can find the men, women and children's clothes, shoes, bags and even bookstore by Marc Jacobs within one block. Don't forget to pick up some special edition and affordable accessories ($1 to $50) by Marc Jacobs as souvenirs, such as canvas bags, pens, wallets and t-shirts. Besides Marc Jacobs, you can also find Brunello Cucinelli, Coach, Cynthia Rowley, Intermix, James Perse, LuLu Guinness and Mulberry.

There are a few tips if you are looking for bargains:

1. Big Sales: most stores normally have big sales during the holiday, such as July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. The biggest sale of the year is the day after Thanksgiving. Most stores will mark down at least 40% from the ticket price. If 40% is not good enough, try to wake up early and look for the "Early Bird Special". Some people will stay up all night and wait for the stores to open at 4am.
2. Sample Sales: a lot of world-known designers have a showroom in New York City and normally hold a sample sale to get rid of all the samples or the overstock merchandise to the public. The goods you normally find from these sample sales are from last season, from the runway and from the showroom. There are so many websites which provide you the list of sample sales of the week or of the month. Just be careful before you register on those websites since some of those websites may charge you a monthly fee. Try the free subscription from Dailycandy, www.dailycandy.com, Clothingline, www.clothingline.com or New York Magazine, www.nymagzine.com.
3. Designer Sales: A lot time designers hold their own private sales and these private sales are not announced to public. There are a few ways you can be on list of these private sales: a) Go to the designer website and get on their email list; b) Whenever you purchase anything from the designer's store, ask the sales associate to add you to the email/mailing list; c) Know someone who works at the designer's store/office. Please note that among the designers, they do circulate emails of their own sample sales. So...if you know someone who works at Prada, that person may also receive other designers private sales.
4. Warehouse/Liquidation Sales: There are warehouse/liquidation sales held by the big stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, ABC Carpets and Big Drops. These stores will collect all the goods from all over the country and put them all in one place and sell them at unbelievably low price, at least 50% -70% off from the ticket price.
5. Magazine Sales: Some of the big magazines hold their own sales events, such as Elle, Lucky's and Vogue. These sales events normally are for charity purposes and benefit their own subscribers. These events normally invite different kinds of designers, well-known or local designers and the goods are sold at least 50% off from the ticket price. These events are so much fun, just like a big party. They serve drinks, play cool music and provide free make-over consultations. These events may cost you money but are well worth it...not only will you get awesome deals, but your ticket also donates money to the charity.
6. Outlet Malls: You will never be disappointed at the outlet Mall in New York. There are so many you can choose from such as Woodbury Common Premium Outlet, Tanger Outlet at Riverhead and Tanger Outlet at the Arches. If you don't have enough time and you have to choose one, it has to be Woodbury Common Premium Outlet. It has over 200 stores which includes Burberry, Coach, Dior, Chanel, Banana Republic, Gap and so on. See complete listings at www.premiumoutlest.com. This outlet is about a 1 hour drive from Manhattan but there are buses leaving from Port Authority at 42nd street.
7. Discount Stores:  Such as Century 21, DSW Shoes, Syms and Loehmann's. The best one is Century 21 which is located downtown, near the World Trade Center. This store has 4 stories and it carries all different kinds of goods, such as clothes, shoes, dishes, bags, curtains, sheets, toys, watches and electronics. If you are a big fan of Sex in the City, Carrie shopped here for a couture dress from this store. So fabulous!

To eat...

There are more than 20,000 restaurants in New York City and you shouldn't have any problems finding food to eat. However, when people have options, they don't know how to choose. There are so many resources that can help you find the best restaurants in new york city, such as nymag.com, opentable.com, yelp.com and zagat.com. Food can be cheap or expensive depending on what you're looking for. If you're in New York City during restaurant week, please do take advantage of it. This is the best way to try the best restaurants without breaking the bank. Lunch normally costs $25 and the dinner costs $35. Reservations are recommended and you can make the reservation online through nycgo.com or opentable.com. For more details, visit nycgo.com.

My all time favorite restaurants:

1. Grimaldi's, 19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (718) 858-4300, www.grimaldis.com: The best pizza I have ever had. If you like a thin crust pizza, this is the place you have to go. Cash only and expect to wait during the lunch and dinner hours and weekends. Don't forget to walk to the riverside, try the ice-cream from Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, www.brooklynicecreamfactory.com and enjoy the beautiful Manhattan downtown view.
2. Jean Georges Restaurant, 1 Central Park West, New York, (212) 299-3900, www.jean-georges.com: It's expensive but I guarantee it will be worth every penny. What can I say...The best french food! The decor is elegant and the service is excellent. This is the place I would go everyday during NYC restaurant week.
3. Papaya King, 179 E86th street, New York, NY 10028, (212) 369-0648, www.papayaking.com: There are so many Papaya Kings in Manhattan but this is the original store which has been operating since 1932. Besides a hot dog, don't forget to try its curly fries and fresh juice. My personal favorite is Mango juice. Expect long lines wrapped around the corner and no seating area.
4. Joe's Shanghai, 9 Pell Street #1, New York, NY 10013, (212) 233-8888, www.joeshanghairestaurants.com: Whoever I take to this place to eat falls in love with the soup dumplings. When I say soup dumplings, mean the ingredients (pork, vegetable or crab filling) wrapped by a thin flour wrap and inside filled with delicious broth which can burn your tongue if you're not careful. It's so good that you can easily eat 10 pieces by yourself. Joe's Shanghai has other locations in New York City; however, I have tried them all and the one in China Town is the best.
5. Landmarc, 10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10019, (212) 823-6123, www.landmarc-restaurant.com: Landmarc has a great atmosphere and the food is reasonably priced based on the location. If you're sitting by the windows, you get a Central Park view while you're dinning. You can find a little bit of everything on their menu, such as, burgers, pasta, seafood, steak and a great wine list too. Love, love, love the steam mussels in shallots, parsley & white wine broth.
6. DuMont Burger, 314 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, (718) 384-6127, www.dumonthburger.com: If you're in Williamsburg, you have to try DuMont Burger. The burgers are so juicy, fresh and tasty. The meat is marinated in a secrete sauce and that's how its burger stand apart from others. The inside seating is a little bit tight but has a rustic feel.
7. The Mark, 25 E77th Street, New York, NY 10075, (212) 606-3030, www.themarkrestaurantnyc.com: The Mark is located inside the Mark Hotel on Upper East Side. You may not notice this restaurant if you walk past the hotel. However, once you find it, you'll be in love at first sight. The decor is cozy and not too uptight. There are a lot of regulars who come here so the food must be good. The price is reasonable for French food. I don't have specific dishes to recommend because I love them all. Bon-a-petit!
8. Land Thai Kitchen, 450 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024, (212) 501-8121, www.landthaikitchen.com: Small place but outstanding Thai Food in the city. The lunch special is to die for, $9 for appetizer and one main course. If you're a first timer, I would recommend trying its mixed appetizers which includes 2 shrimp parcels, 2 chicken curry puffs and 2 vegetable dumplings. Did I also mention it's only $8.50. If you're vegetarian, you can substitute the meat with tofu and the food is still tasty.
9. Saigon Grill, 91 University Place, New York, NY 10003, (212) 982-3691: The best place for pork chop lovers and you must try the #40 Xuong Nuong, grilled marinated pork chop. Another dish I would recommend is #26 La Sa Tom which is a curry shrimp soup with coconut milk, rice vermicelli, bean sprouts and herbs. The soup is not too spicy and the combination of coconut milk and curry is so perfect. This place is huge and you may feel like you're eating in a big cafeteria.
10. Beyoglu, 1431 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10075, (212) 650-0850: This place is always packed (even though they have outdoor seating and seating on the second floor) and the service stinks. Why do I still recommend it?   The food. If you like tapas/small plates, you'll love this place. So many tapas to choose from but my favorite tapas are Cacik, thick homemade yogurt with cucumber, garlic and Patlican Salatasi, mashed eggplant salad. If you have a sweet tooth, don't forget to try one of its Mediterranean deserts.

To Love...

I found my true love in New York City and am living happily ever after. I hope you do too...I love New York City.