<p>Any must see sights in and around Greenwich Village? Eateries? </p>
<p>What do you, current NYU students, do for fun?</p>
<p>you serious? its New York City… scold me for being simply a lowly NYU '15 applicant, but I can tell you that whatever you want to do in NYC you can do. and i place very few restrictions upon this claim.</p>
<p>hmm… NYC… I didn’t know that!
Gosh forzworm. </p>
<p>I have to say, it never works out for students who go blindly to any city school with just the thought of “NYC” in their heads… it’s best to live in reality. That being said, I’d like to know what real NYU students do for fun… </p>
<p>It was a question, not a demand. If someone feels so inclined to answer, they will.</p>
<p>forzworn: I have to agree with snoopdog1 here. Often, people apply to NYU with this romanticized image of the city and end up alienated and disappointed. That said, I love NYU and being in the city. There is much more opportunity than can be found on any gated campus; however, as snoopydog1 said, you have to be realistic – for a 17 or 18 year old, the opportunities are not necessarily unlimited, especially with regard to nightlife.</p>
<p>snoopydog1: To answer your question, NYU students do a lot of different things for fun. In the NYU area (which is only a part of a much larger city), you can basically find anything you would ever want to eat. Bleecker Street has tons and tons of restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. In the warmer months, hanging out in Washington Square park or Union Square is always nice. There are always performers, markets, etc.</p>
<p>In terms of nightlife, New York City obviously provides a ton of opportunity, but it does for the most part remain a city for adults (21+). I’ve found that there are generally a couple of camps of NYU students (in terms of those who go out and party, which of course is not everyone). Most people who go out will have fake IDs and go to bars and/or clubs on the weekends. Most tend to stick to the “student” bars in the area (especially freshman/sophomores), but some are brave enough to venture into other parts of the city. Don’t place great faith in your fake though. I’ve found that in order for an NYU student to truly live the “NYC lifestyle”, they must either 1) be gorgeous, 2) be loaded, and/or 3) have a really, really good fake, 4) have connections.</p>
<p>For those without fakes, there’s stuff going on in Brooklyn like warehouse and apartment parties. People throw apartment parties in Manhattan, as well, obviously. Though fun can still be had without a fake, I’d say that these people are probably missing out a bit. And of course there is always a ton of things to do that don’t involve drinking.</p>
<p>thank you nyyankees</p>
<p>That was a very good response from nyyankees. Snoopydog1, I want to share that the first semester at NYU for my son has been stupendous, “awesome” in his own words. He LOVES living in NYC and plans to stay there for the forseeable future.</p>
<p>He attends a lot of music events, bars, and venues (usually smaller and cheaper places?).
He has had offers to play with 2 bands who perform professionally. That brought him into heaven! He also mentioned going often to Williamsburg and parts of Brooklyn, like watching a free movie in a Brooklyn park with a huge screen. He has attended BAM free event(s) in Brooklyn. BAM is a place where there is theatre, music and movies made available (generally paid entertainment) to the public.</p>
<p>Of course, he also has mom and dad paying his way to Jazz festival events at Lincoln Center, theatre on Broadway, etc. He also just hangs out with friends to play board games or eat in one of the many eateries in the NYU neighborhood. Sonny also likes to go into thrift shops to buy clothing at cheap prices. Also, musical items and equipment.</p>
<p>The problem is lack of time because of the rigor of studies, ECs, like Mock Trial, and musical creation and performing. </p>
<p>Also, I provided a budget of $600/ month for sonny. He has kept within this budget, but thankfully his birthday and holiday monies have additionally helped him pay for the things, food, entertainment he likes to enjoy in NYC. So NYC is not cheap if you want to capitalize on enjoying what the city has to offer. Sure, there are free events in NYC and some sponsored by the school, but those tend to involve lines and big crowds. So generally sonny does not take advantage of them due to time constraints and impatience with long lines.</p>
<p>Anyhoo, going to school in NYC is magic and heaven on earth if the match is there between the kid and the city. I hope you are one of them. Of course, first I hope you get in and can afford the school! :)</p>
<p>Unless you are already accepted into NYU? If that is the case, forget my last line.</p>
<p>By the way, I am also planning on going with sonny and his NYU friends to Flushing, Queens Chinatown area for Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit) in early February 2011. We will hopefully catch a dragon parade and go around to many of the really cheap eateries/ food courts for dumplings, seafood, noodles, and desserts (boba tea, cakes, pastries, etc.).</p>
<p>We just discovered this area of NYC and find prices that beat the prices in Manhattan’s Chinatown. With very good Taiwanese, mainland Chinese food, along with great Korean food (that we have yet to try).</p>
<p>In the Flushing area, there is a spa operated by Koreans that is supposed to be great R & R for everyone, but perhaps for really stressed people like students to take a break, with pools, resting places, saunas?. Massages are extra (not included in entrance fee).</p>
<p>hahah, yes I have been accepted, and thank you for all that info!</p>
<p>Shopping:
- Soho (boutiques and designer storefronts, very glam and trendy, best district in the city)
- Union Square (inevitably crowded, more ‘big-box’ retailers here i.e. three- or four-story stores)
- Midtown (famous retailers with flagship stores, Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Brooks Brothers, etc.)</p>
<p>Dining:
- Soho (higher-end restaurants that are hard to get into without some connections or serious money you’re willing to drop)
- St. Mark’s Place (college atmosphere, mini food shacks with cheap eats and lax policy on drinks)
- Bleecker Street (see other poster)
- the Village (any type of food you could want period, cheap)</p>
<p>Nightlife:
- Brooklyn (ew. Warehouse and loft parties that Facebook-spam all freshmen, not quality at all)
- Soho (clubs that are hard to get into if you aren’t a model, willing to pay for bottle service, or have some ridiculous connecs)
- on-campus parties, frat events, etc. (most freshmen try to meet other people this way at first, lame but fairly well-attended)</p>
<p>I’m just wondering what your budget is like for living in the city. I think Manhattan can be a much different experience for people who aren’t loaded. I know that personally my parents feel that paying my tuition is enough, which is obviously perfectly true, and don’t give me a dime. I make it through my fall semester with money saved from a summer job and spring with Christmas/birthday money. This past semester I made it through spending less than $800, which includes food and toiletries and the like since I’m a sophomore and only have the 75 flex meal plan. Still, I feel I enjoy a lot of what the city has to offer, and I do not agree with evolving that you can’t do so without insane amounts of money. And I say this as a life long New Yorker, not just an NYU student. I keep myself to a super strict $20 or less a week budget, but as I only tend to spend money on the weekends, it’s not hard for me. But I’m not super high maintenance. I know my roommate spent upwards of $7,000 this semester, but she gets huge grants from her government (she’s international).</p>
<p>My friends and I don’t party much, but if you’re looking for it I’d recommend skipping the night clubs. They’re insanely expensive most of the time (for guys epecially. I usually pay $15 at a $30-$40 place because I’m a chick) and if you’re a girl the cheaper price is usually offset by the copious numbers of creepy older guys trying to grind with you. I highly recommend sticking with the warehouse parties in Brooklyn that were already mentioned, as they’re usually filled with a younger crowd and cost less money, or pregame and then find a bar to chill at, so then you only need to order a few more drinks. There are a number that won’t card at all around NYU (though once again, you usually want to make sure your guy to girl ratio is leaning to the female side,).</p>
<p>As for other things:</p>
<p>Upright Citizen’s Brigade: It’s an improv comedy club that has different groups perform every night. Shows are usually $5-$10 and, though they vary in style and quality, once you go a couple of times and find a group you like it’s easy to just find shows they’re performing at.</p>
<p>The Liar Show: A show performed on the first and last Saturday of every month at the Cornelia Street Cafe. Basically 5 people get up and tell you stories of varying ridiculousness, and if you pick out the liar you get a t-shirt. It’s not as simple as it sounds. When I went there were only 3 winners in the room. It was a lot of fun though, and they don’t card for alcohol. Only $15 for entrance fee with a drink included.</p>
<p>Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: Another show that’s a lot of fun. Everyone in the audience gets a menu with a listing of the titles of the different skits being performed for the evening, and you shout out the ones you want to see. If you go quick enough, you can see all 30 plays before the hour is up. Entrance is $11 plus the roll of a dice (so $12-$17 depending on what you roll. I got lucky and rolled a 2 =))</p>
<p>TV Show Tapings: I’ve been to three tapings of The Daily Show and two of The Colbert Report, but there are a number of shows that tape in the city and the best part is: they’re free! Tickets can be hard to come by but if you keep an eye out a lot of times seats open up on the websites a day or two before or day of. There are also standby lines you can try, but most popular shows overbook and I’ve never seen anyone on standby actually get in. I think this is a lot of fun though, especially if you love the shows.</p>
<p>Discount Broadway: If you’re interested in Broadway plays or musicals, there are a number of them that have student rush tickets you can get with a flash of the student id (a bit pricier at $25-$35 usually, but very cheap for Broadway) or a pre-show lottery that requires a bit more luck. The front row seats are raffled off two hours before the show for $20-$30. I saw Wicked and Next to Normal this way, and it’s pretty amazing. </p>
<p>Museums: Maybe this is a bit nerdier, but keep in mind that almost all museums in the city have a free entry day and the Met is free all the time, and it can make for a fun afternoon if you go with friends and take pictures posing with the artwork. =)</p>
<p>Other than that, there’s a ton of other stuff to explore in this city. Walks in central park are free, or just general walks throughout the city (My roommate and I walked 4 miles from 82nd to 4th once. It was a bit exhausting but also a lot of fun). There are thrift shops, record shops, comic shops, hat shops and tons of other cool places to explore as well. My personal favorite neighborhood is St. Mark’s, but there’s stuff scattered all over. </p>
<p>I know I’ve written a novel, but I’ll leave off with a couple of great restaurants where you can get a huge meal for $10 and under:</p>
<p>Food:
Plump Dumpling
3 Guys (my personal favorite restaurant)
Udon West
Saigon Market
Silver Spurs</p>
<p>Dessert:</p>
<p>Viniero’s
The Spot
Doughnut Planet (square doughnuts!)
Crumbs Cupcakes
Kitchenette (Famous for its strawberry lemonade)
Max Brenner (chocolate heaven)</p>
<p>Another tip, movies in the city are insane ($13 for a regular movie and $19 for 3D, with prices rising every couple of months), but Skirball offers discount student tickets for $8. If you have the patience, it also helps to do a “double feature” and just sneak into a second flick. It’s surprisingly easy. I’ve never seen only one movie at a movie theater. Keep an eye open for free events from your dorm as well. I got a bunch of free movie tickets, free concert tickets and some other cool events as well on the weekends just by responding to emails from my RA. Every dorm offers stuff, so definitely take advantage. </p>
<p>Other than that, my friends and I enjoy getting drunk in someone’s room and playing board games or watching old Disney movies or just hanging out. Sorry if I’ve written too much, just trying to share some of my favorite places. Have fun in Manhattan, it’s a great place to live!</p>
<p>Lauren: I’m impressed with you and your parents for getting you on a budget. I too am paying all my kid’s bills to go to NYU and I have the ability to give my son an allowance like “evolving” but would never give him spending money. One of the non school related learning experiences is to learn how to manage your money as well as learning how to entertain yourself without spending lots of money. The best gift your parents are giving you is the ability to take care of yourself upon graduation. I know too many kids who have no loans and can’t seem to get by on their salaries and are over charging on their credit cards and still living off mommy and daddy.</p>
<p>My son is having a great time and only spent about $400 over the first semester. I did provide him with a 19 meals a week meal plan. But it is my responsibilty to pay for his food while he’s in school. Boys however have much less expenses than a girl.</p>
<p>Kudos to you on finding places to go that are inexpensive. If your parents gave you your spending money I doubt you wouldn’t seek these places out. You will be a valuable member of society. Tell your parents congratulations on raising you to be an awesome young adult.</p>
<p>Lauren,</p>
<p>I think you misread me. I did not intend to imply that you can only live well in NYc and all that it offers with a ton of money only. Notice I commented on free event sonny attended in Brooklyn and free or discounted events at NYU and in NYC. I only meant to say my son apparently did not have the time to find or willingness to wait in long lines for some of the free events he found, e.g. BAM in Brooklyn. I also provide a budget for sonny, which I found to be reasonable after getting a consensus on expenses last year from the NYU posters with opinions on a reasonable budget for NYU students. I think I was midway between in the numbers put out by posters. There were those like yourself who managed with very little to students with Trust Fund money (hehe, not quite half way here) or somewhat less than that, say at $1000/ month budget.</p>
<p>SO, please, you and prospective NYU students out there, NYU definitely is do-able on a very tight budget if you do your research and can be patient and if you do not bury yourself in books and are studying for days and days on end. Lauren’s suggestions are really great, like VolleyballDad commented.</p>
<p>My son also managed on about $450 over the semester. I am actually a little afraid that has made him a bit too conservative about doing things. He is not very outgoing and I would hate for him to turn down an opportunity that came up because he didn’t want to spend any moneh. We did realise he doesn’t use all of his 14 meals a week and this semester we’re going to go down to the 10 meals per week + 250 dinning dollars plan, which saves about $150 he can add to his self-determined budget.</p>
<p>Recommendation to all the parents: get your kids the Flex dining plans. The ‘x-number per week’ are not smart. If you use them up by Thursday, you’re sore out of luck until Sunday when the weekly allotment resets. If you have 5 left on Saturday night, you waste them. Get the Flex, they normally come with more dining dollars (which your kids will probably tell you they value more than the meal swipe). The beauty of the flex plans is that the meals are for the whole semester. If you get the 175 Flex, it basically comes to 13.2 a week or something, comparable to the 14 and you’re guaranteed to not waste any on weekends just by expiry.</p>
<p>Lauren, great post. I’ve been to or done almost every single thing you listed and heartily recommend that post to everyone. I’m probably more tight-fisted than you, my parents don’t even foot the bill for school. There really is no limit to how frugal you can be here.</p>
<p>thanks everyone, this is great stuff!</p>
<p>I am a student at NYU and I usually spend $40 dollars a week. But that’s only if I’m going out or decide to something from the very many shops around me (:</p>
<p>Coming from a native 2nd generation New Yorker, Flushing is indeed THE holy ground for those that wish to eat like a king (or queen, hehe inside joke) on weekends and a source of economical fresh ingredients. Look for “Prince Street” in particular if you drop by flushing for a special visit as some of the more conspicuous restaurants simply function as staple eateries for locals. There are immigrant chefs that have both worked in and are currently working in Michelin star restaurants as well nationally renown chefs from mainland china present in the street lining the left side of the Flushing Sheraton. The neighborhood is widely considered to have THE best East/Southeast asian food within America and well worth a visit if you’re living in the city. On the more economical and less indulgent side, $20 dollars’ worth of groceries at a Flushing asian supermarket will literally feed you for a full week if you live in an apartment-style dorm with a kitchen such as University Hall or the Palladium. Corner 28, an establishment 1 block away from the 7 train station right under the Long Island Railroad tracks is possibly the busiest restaurant/cafe you’ll find within Flushing as it pretty much epitomizes the Flushing gold standard. Within the cafe, you’ll find high quality roasts such as Char siu/roast duck going for around 5-8 dollars a pound depending on cut type, roasting method and meat, a good 3-4 pounds worth of familiar cantonese-american style “riceboxes” for 4.50 (enough to feed the average NYU guy for 2-3 meals), and 12 oz. smoothies made from fresh fruit for $2. Even factoring in the NYU fare, you can’t go wrong using flushing as a food source. Nearly every establishment in this neighborhood has an “A” for health inspection as well, not to invoke a stereotype or anything <em>cough</em>…</p>
<p>Personal Recommendations: </p>
<p>Gu Shan, found immediately to the right of the Sheraton, great Chinese cross-style cuisine
Spicy and Tasty (little known fact: the kitchen crew was very very very very renowned in Sichuan before fleeing communist china)
Taste of Shanghai - Also Perpendicular to the sheraton’s main entrance, excellent Shanghai-style cuisine
Prince Street Noodle Shop - Handmade noodles from a family recipe on site, enough said
Sentosa - Another prince street eatery, One or two michelin star malaysian restaurant</p>
<p>…at the urge of a friend, I’m starting a blog soon revolving around tips from a native suburban New Yorker for surviving life in NYU soon =)</p>
<p>Imhillon,</p>
<p>I am glad you followed up on the Flushing theme. The street you mentioned where the Sheraton Hotel is located and and Prince St. right nearby do hold all the wonderful eateries you mentioned. I just discovered most of the ones you listed, though Sentosa with its wonderful Malaysian Chinese food was introduced to me years ago.</p>
<p>It really is worth the trip to Flushing. Go there for a celebration and a treat to yourself after exams or papers due if you love Southeast Asian and Chinese food. YUMM! And so cheap! You can get seafood for cheap (try the different fish dishes and saute small bluecrabs) at Taste of Shanghai. Also, wonderful breakfast/ brunch at King Noodle, also on Prince next to Sentosa and Spicy and Tasty. Beef rolls, soy drink, beef noodle, of course! Etc., etc. Stop for Bobo tea too! So many varieties!</p>
<p>Can’t wait to go back with sonny and friends from NYU for Chinese New Year (2/3/11, Year of the Rabbit).</p>
<p>By the way, please come back and let us know how to access the blog you will start. :)</p>
<p>yes- i’d like to see that blog!</p>