I have just come back from Manhattan after a weekend ( my fifth trip) I love the city dirty, grimey,exciting, and LIVED IN! I love sheffield to death, and have been here 15 years, but could our city learn from New York city?

I am not talking about zero tolerance,or the fact that the two cities in many ways could just not be compared, BUT, New York seems to dovetail residential to commercial so well...a thing sheffield does badly. NY also suits its scruffy nature, where as in many areas Sheffield just looks scruffy....

ideas anyone?

Theres a scheme in New York that caught my eye. You can book tourist guides for the city who are just run of the mill normal people/residents, and they take you out for a walk/tour all for free (although i suspect a large tip is the norm). So you kind of get the 'real' NY experience as a local person experiences it. Its a scheme i'd like to think could take off over here, and Sheffield would be a cool place to start!

I wouldn't want to be working in the arts tower.

Originally posted by crowefan
New York seems to dovetail residential to commercial so well...a thing sheffield does badly.

I don't really understand this bit.


NY also suits its scruffy nature, where as in many areas Sheffield just looks scruffy....

ideas anyone?

New York does look scruffy but as a tourist you are easily distracted into believing its part of the city and it adds to the atmosphere. Would you be so happy with the filth if you actually lived there. Its hard to form a true perspective of 2 totally different cultures and cities when your views about one are from a tourists perspective and the other from a long time residents perspective

It's like when you go to Skegness... It's fine banging money in the endless arcades, and living in a caravan, and eating deep-fried mars bars, and watching Derek Batey off Mr&Mrs switching on the illuminations...

But you wouldn't want to live like that at home, would you?

Originally posted by smedley
It's like when you go to Skegness... It's fine banging money in the endless arcades, and living in a caravan, and eating deep-fried mars bars, and watching Derek Batey off Mr&Mrs switching on the illuminations...

But you wouldn't want to live like that at home, would you?

I dunno..sounds like a good life to me

Yeah, but you can have too much of a good thing...

I thought about getting in touch with EA Sports to see if they wanted to buy my idea for SKEGGY GAMES...

There's the one where you put five quidsworth of 2pence pieces in, trying to get the ***** digital watch... After a while you can bang your digital hip into the machine, only for an alarm to go off (causing your controller to vibrate, obviously), then you have to hammer the buttons to run away from the tattooed gyppo, who (in a turn up for the books) is angry that someone is trying to rip him off.

There's also the game where you have to get to tthe chippy before the fat ******* from Barnsley, or you won't get scraps, unless the kind of scraps you want are the ones where you're left with sovereign ring imprints on your cheeks.

Finally, how about a go on the **** picth n putt in force 9 gales, as your face is whipped by sand.

£39.99

I think in NY there is no choice but to put resiential and comercial property in the same block, there is just not enough land to seperate the two and people are "happy" to live with that because there is no other choice unless you want to live miles away in the suburbs.
Most US cities (that I have visited) are like Sheffield in that they have definate bussiness, housing and industry areas (they reminded me of Sim Cities actually) that spread out as far as possible, rather than going upwards.
I think NY is a unique city in the same way that Tokyo is because of the physical limitations of space, not because anyone actually wants to live like that.

Just like Skeggy, where the pensioners have learned to live alongside the rough as ******* yorkshire folk, spending two weeks in a caravan on their doorstep, with their scream 2 year olds, whose ears are septic from cheap gold.

Originally posted by smedley
Just like Skeggy, where the pensioners have learned to live alongside the rough as ******* yorkshire folk, spending two weeks in a caravan on their doorstep, with their scream 2 year olds, whose ears are septic from cheap gold.

Steady on, your hatred is affecting your ability to type something that makes sense.

I hate the thought of Sheffield being compared to NY. Having spent time in both places, I cannot help but think its like comparing the Mona Lisa to Jordan.

I love Sheffield, but it's Hicksville compared to NY. Can you imagine walking tours through Parson Cross? They'd want to be walking fast, wouldn't they?

Don't they have rent control on the apartments in NY? NYers can get apartments for a fraction of their worth and the landlords get tax breaks. Or something like that. I think that probably helps make it into a more affordable city in which to live.

Plus, there is not the dependence on cars that there is in Sheffield. All the shots you see of NY streets show wall to wall yellow cabs. Plus they have the NY metro, another reason for the lack of private vehicles on the streets.

Consequently, people aren't reliant on driving into the city for shops so there's no competition for parking spaces. People live nearer their place of work so there's more money spent in the city.

Originally posted by smedley
I wouldn't want to be working in the arts tower.

LMFAO.

Sheffield always reminded (physically not culturally) more of old East/West Berlin with the Wicker Arches as the dividing line. Leafy West vs grimy East?

How rose-tinted are your specs???

Both sides of the wicker arches are a ********... As is the surrounding couple of miles.

I'd say that line could be drawn around Dore, not down the wicker

A large wall should be built around Dore.

Do you mean to keep the scum out?

Either that, or maybe to give the dole-fiddling navvies a bit of extra chrimbo money.

If I was going to build a wall anywhere it'd be round the Manor. Just to keep 'em all in. The crime rates would plummet.

They'd nick your ladders, cement mixer, bricks... And sell the lot in cash convertors.

Originally posted by wasp
Do you mean to keep the scum out?

Erm, no, to keep the 10-bob millionaires in.

Originally posted by smedley
How rose-tinted are your specs???

Both sides of the wicker arches are a sh.ithole... As is the surrounding couple of miles.


Bit of an exaggeration

Yes, I apologise... I obviously meant a mile and a half.

its more symbolic than actual.Although I do seem to remember a vast change in demographic, fashion, culture and attitude etc the minute you went under the arches from east to west. It is definately atale of two cities. . .

Originally posted by smedley
I love Sheffield, but it's Hicksville compared to NY.
there really is a Hicksville, NY about 45 minutes east of Manhattan (15 minutes east of the city boarders). and suprisingly its very over crowded and noisy (though nothing like NYC, but for a suburb its quite packed). One its more famous locals is Billy Joel.

im making my first trek to sheffield in 13 (!!!) days and very excited. NY works the way it does because people put up with it.

Originally posted by max
Don't they have rent control on the apartments in NY? NYers can get apartments for a fraction of their worth and the landlords get tax breaks. Or something like that. I think that probably helps make it into a more affordable city in which to live.

Plus, there is not the dependence on cars that there is in Sheffield. All the shots you see of NY streets show wall to wall yellow cabs. Plus they have the NY metro, another reason for the lack of private vehicles on the streets.

Consequently, people aren't reliant on driving into the city for shops so there's no competition for parking spaces. People live nearer their place of work so there's more money spent in the city.

NYC USED to have rent control. I think in the 70's that law was ended. Only people who moved into a apt at a certian time can keep that once they die/move the rent jumps up to where it should be. my friend was living in the west village for a while and her share of her small two made into three bedroom apt was $1200 US a month (and thats NOT with utilities)

and nyc loves their cars. how else do you expect them to over crowd the roads and get to the east end of long island summer after summer?

though im envious of their public transportation system. long island has very little since everyone here is dependant on their cars.