Amir Said starts with basic info about the five boroughs;
how Manhattan is an island with a grid, how Robert Moses plowed through the
Bronx, how Staten Island is a mob residence, how Brooklyn is getting more love
than ever before, etc. Some things in here I don’t believe, like the part about
NYC being the place for jobs. Illegal immigrants take a lot of the jobs in
restaurants and construction, and most of the tech jobs are done by unpaid
interns. Obesity is not a major problem here, because everyone has to be on
their feet.
He does give some
humorous pages to renting an apartment in the city, with all the down-and-dirty
about rent control and how the landlords try to scare away tenants. He advises
the renter to discard the dream of a spacious apartment, and avoid any place
with a commute of more than 45 minutes into Manhattan. Stay close to a good
public library (decent people in the area) and avoid police stations (they’re
placed in high-crime areas.) The subways are how people get around, but they are
unreliable, filthy, overcrowded, and prone to delays.
The book goes on
to cover dating, food and dining, nightlife, culture, education, and religion.
Sometimes the writing goes too far, some parts are too long, each chapter could
be its own book. Some parts, like the one on schools, would be better if they
included interviews with parents, maybe have a part about schools where the
White kids are a minority.
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