Life in New York after winning a green card: why everything is good and why we want to leave

Irina Ilyichenko never dreamed of moving to the USA. Her English level fluctuated around the Intermediate mark, and her ideas about New York were limited to cutting scenes from the film “Manhattan” by Woody Allen and the TV series “Sex and the City.” But one day she and her friends took part in the Green Card lottery. On October 31, 2018, she will celebrate the second anniversary of her move to New York, but in the meantime, she has prepared a column for Journal tinkoff about how much life in New York costs.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

Visas

I learned that I won the green card in May 2013 of the year. From that moment until my move to New York, 3,5 passed.

In the summer of 2013, I sent to the Kentucky Consular Center package of documentsrequired for each applicant. A few months later I received an answer: my case was tested. I was assigned interview in the US consulate in Moscow on February 2014 of the year.

Winning a lottery by itself does not guarantee receiving a green card. The issue of her extradition is decided directly on the interview. At the interview, the main thing is to confidently tell you what you are planning to do in the United States, and to prove that you will not live on the dependency of the state. Before that, you must pay a non-refundable fee.

In the end, I was approved a visa, which acts as a residence permit for a year. The entry is given six months. A full-fledged green card should be received already in the USA.

In the summer of 2014, I first came to New York. For two months, I had to get a plastic card of a resident and apply for a “re-entry permit”. This document gives the right to postpone entry into the country for a period from 1 to 2 years without the risk of cancellation of the green card. It is issued on a special request to the migration service, if the applicant has valid reasons for obtaining such a delay: relative illness, incomplete military service or education.

I moved to New York in October 2016 of the year. In Russia, I still have two red diplomas of higher education in law and a three-year experience as a journalist. Here I work as a model and remotely as an editor. Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

In my case, the reason for the delay was the magistracy. I deliberately enrolled in it in two years to complete all the affairs in Russia, to tighten up English and to make a sensible preparation for the move. I planned to find a parent model agency in New York and continue my modeling career, interrupted by university entrance.

It was much more difficult to solve the visa issue for my then young man. When I won the green card, I was 21 year, and he 20 and he was preparing for admission to the magistracy in Europe. It was possible to address the issue of registration of marriage at the time of filing my documents on the green card and get a VNZhkak family. But then we did not think seriously about the wedding.

As a result, the next few years, my future husband was looking for work in New York. My permission to defer entry has expired in November 2016. In October, 2016, when I already packed my things and bought a ticket, the issue with his move was never resolved.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

At the end of December, he arrived in the USA on a three-month exchange program at one of the universities and immediately began to personally meet with potential employers. In March, 2017, an investment bank that he had been with in Paris for two years, invited him to a series of interviews for the suddenly opened position of a financial analyst. As a result, the bank offered him a job.

Already in April, he was transferred to New York on a L1 visa, and in November we officially registered the marriage. Today, my husband continues to work in the bank, and I cooperate with a model, TV and advertising agency, and for the fifth year now I have been working remotely as an editor at the Russian company Taymped.

Money

My spouse and I pay for goods and services in three ways: using credit cards, cash and checks. I used to live within my means and not borrow, and therefore I would never open a credit card. But in the US, a credit score is built on the basis of credit card payments - an analogue of our credit history. This is the main indicator of the financial security of a citizen. Without a credit rating, you simply cannot become a full-fledged part of American society.

The more punctually you return the borrowed money to the bank, the higher your credit rating, which means you have a different market for rental housing and better mortgage terms. With the growth of credit history, more and more banks send you letters with offers to open an account with them, and in return receive an attractive interest, cashback and other bonuses. “Are you returning the money on time? Come to us, we will also give you a loan! ”- the general message is approximately the same.

The first year of life in New York, we used the HSBC Bank debit and credit cards. However, recently they began to dive into the cashback theme and opened the cards American Express, Bank of America and City. The first is profitable to pay in grocery stores, cashback - about 3%. The second is to make purchases in the travel segment: one flight to our native Omsk costs each of us 900 — 1500 $, so the percentage matters. The third is to make all other purchases: 2% versus 1% in HSBC.

It is believed that a person should not receive more than two new credit cards per year. Each application for opening lowers a credit rating due to a request to a credit agency. This request is made by the bank, making the decision to issue a card and the monthly spending limit on it.

As for cash, we always have around 100 $ in small bills in our house. Cash is needed to buy fruits and vegetables in tents on the streets, to tip the delivery services, and to go to the laundry room.

We started a checkbook to pay for the services of an insurance company serving our house. They do not accept other payment methods. Insurance we pay 140 $ per year.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

Taxes

Taxes are divided into three types: federal, state and city. They are paid simultaneously at the end of each fiscal year - it corresponds to the calendar one. The income tax in fact consists of three:

• The tax on ordinary income is an analogue of our personal income tax.
• Investment income tax.
• Dividend tax.

The last two have lower rates.

In America, the progressive scale of taxation. The federal and state tax rates depend on the level of income, marital status still affects, and whether you file a declaration with your spouse or separately.

The city tax rate also depends on the amount of income, as well as on the period that the taxpayer spent in New York during the year. Basically, the city is obliged to pay taxes only on income received on its territory. The maximum rate can reach 8,82% - if the income is higher than 1 million dollars per year.

In early January, you start receiving tax forms from your employer, banks, brokers, etc., indicating all income for the past year. Do you have time until mid-April to debit the loan, fill out a tax return, calculate the amount of taxes to be paid and send a check to the tax office - IRS.

There are three ways to calculate the amount of taxes:

• independently;
• contact an accountant who specializes in filling out and filing declarations;
• use one of the many online services where you answer a lot of questions, and the program calculates all the numbers.

If you are a green card holder or a US citizen, you must file a tax return and pay taxes on all types of income that you received anywhere in the world. Even if you have not spent a single day in America over the past year.

There are double tax treaties between the United States and many countries. For example, you have a green card, but you live in Israel, do business there, and in Russia they sold an apartment inherited from your grandmother. If in Russia you have already paid 13% NDFL, and in America you have to pay the state 25% for a similar type of income, you first pay them in full, and for the next year the IRS, holding the difference in 12%, returns you the repayable 13 to their treasury % This is how a tax deduction works. In this example, the same scheme will operate with income derived from business activities in Israel.

Those who spent more than 183 days in a year in the Americas, in most cases, become its tax residents, regardless of the type of visa and the purpose of their stay. The US and African Eritrea are two countries in the world that tax the entire income of their non-residents according to the same rules as residents with citizens: regardless of the source of income.

Most Americans submit a declaration once a year, although in theory this should be done every quarter, sending a check to the IRS for an approximate amount of tax that is due. In the first case, you will have to pay a small fine, in the second case, at the end of the year, you will need to recalculate on the basis of real numbers and pay the missing amount or receive a tax receipt with an overpaid amount. If your income is stable, the easiest way is to ask your employer to automatically deduct a certain percentage from your salary to pay taxes every month.

The maximum VAT rate for New York State is 8,875%. Of these, 4% is the state VAT itself, and the size of the rate within the remaining 4,875% is set by the settlements themselves in its territory. In New York City, VAT is the maximum 8,875%.

VAT in the United States never indicate the price tag. It is punched in the check at the time of payment. A glass of coffee at the price of 4,5 $ will actually cost 4,95 $. In rare stores like “Zara”, VAT is already included in the price indicated on the label, but this is more likely an exception. In neighboring New Hampshire, there is no VAT at all. If you need to buy something expensive, you can go there.

Drugs and purchases in the grocery segment (products) are not subject to VAT.

Banks

Most often in New York you can meet the offices of the banks "City", JP Morgan Chase, "Bank of America", "Wells Fargo". American Express Bank is also popular - it has its own payment system.

We use the services of HSBC, in which the employer opened an account for my husband. As with most other banks, service at HSBC is free of charge if one of the following conditions is met:

• the amount of the deposit in the account is not less than 15 000 $;
• you have a contract with an employer or another third party, and under this contract you are transferred to the account at least 2500 $ each month.

Otherwise, maintenance will cost 15 $ per month. But banks have many offers: for example, during the year the service is free without any restrictions.

I cannot say that HSBC has a very convenient site navigation and a clear personal account: the standard functions are hidden in the most unexpected places, the interface seems overloaded. But their application for the phone is convenient to use.

Among the products of the bank, we selected credit and debit cards linked to current and savings accounts, as well as bank certificates - a type of securities whose yield is 1,8% per annum. This is the most profitable offer that we managed to find at the time of opening accounts. Usually they barely reach 1%, but in the last couple of months there are offers with 2,5%. On conventional savings accounts, the yield of 0,1 — 0,5%. Recently, there are offers from large banks with a rate of 1,8%.

To open an account in any bank, you need SSN (social security number) and proof of residential address - for example, they may be a rental agreement and a bill for utilities.

In addition to residents and US citizens SSN can get those who have a work visa. If you come to New York as a tourist, you will not be able to open a bank account, but if you have ever been in the States under the "Work-Travel" program, you will definitely have this document. It is the SSN that allows many people to remain in the country illegally and at the same time lead a normal life without having any visa. To rent a house and open a bank account, you only need a SSN.

Pensions

The main retirement savings program in the United States is called 401 (k) - "For-ou-One-Key". This is the article number of the tax code for which tax savings are not taxable under this program. According to 401 (k), a certain percentage of your salary goes to the pension plan, then this amount is deducted from the total income from which the tax is paid.

Companies usually sponsor part of the retirement savings program: they pay you a certain percentage each month. The strategy is widespread to report to these deductions exactly the same percentage of salary that you yourself pay off monthly, but usually this amount is limited to 4%. Put 2% - the company also transfers 2% to you, and if you deduct 10%, the company will transfer a maximum of 4%. Annual deductions are limited. In 2018, the maximum amount is 18 000 $ (1,18 million rubles). Every year the amount changes.

As part of 401 (k), you choose where to invest the money: you can buy stocks, bonds, or invest in real estate. That is, this plan works like a normal brokerage account. And this is the main difference between the American pension system and the Russian one. Alternatively, you can not put anything at all, but take all the money by investing it directly, or spend it here and now.

Taxes on what you postpone, you will begin to pay only when you begin to withdraw money, that is, not earlier than 59,5 years. But if the conditions specified in the law are fulfilled without a penalty, it is already possible to get into the accumulated accumulated by the 55 years.

Even if you do not want to withdraw the accumulated money, the program will automatically start paying when a person turns 70

There is an alternative plan - Roth 401 (k). Under this program, taxes on deferred money must be paid, on the contrary, now. And when you withdraw funds, you will already be exempt from taxes. It is necessary to independently calculate what is more profitable for you.

If a person works for himself or simply thinks that the maximum allowable 18 000 $ per year for retirement is not enough (especially if he paid out a study loan before 35 — 40 years and started to postpone only 40), IRA - Individual Retirement Account. There, too, has its limits of deductions, but in general the idea is the same.

Plus, no one forbids investing through a normal brokerage account.

• Two conclusions can be drawn:
• Financial literacy and involvement in investing in the United States is much higher than in Russia.

In the US, no one will touch your money until you give it away. You can spend on things, you can invest. The concept of “in old age the state will take care of me” is generally irrelevant here.

Accomodation

Housing is one of the main reasons why people in New York only “make money” and prefer to settle in other places. At first, when people move here, they rent a room for 700 — 1500 $ per month. Often they begin to rent individual housing only when a regular partner appears.

We are renting an apartment in the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Central Park for 2475 $ per month. Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

Apartment prices start at 1500 $ in the most remote areas. An apartment in a luxury complex overlooking Central Park can cost 15 — 20 thousands of dollars a month. On average, renting a good apartment in Manhattan with a separate bedroom starts from 3000 $. This can be either housing in a new complex, or in a pre-war building, but in a prestigious area.

Last 1,5 of the year we rent an apartment in the Upper West Side. It is located 2 minutes walk from the Museum of Natural History metro station near Central Park. We were lucky: there are three windows in our apartment, on the contrary there are no tall buildings blocking sunlight. Such a combo in Manhattan is a matter of luck or a very painstaking search.

Paying huge money for renting housing by Russian standards, in fact you will live in a kennel (dressing room, refrigerator, shoe box - as you like). Our apartment is a one-bedroom studio, here it is called “1 BRapartments”. Apartment area - 28 — 30 m². We pay 2475 $ per month for it. It seems to me, for such an area this is fabulous money. But this price is more for the location.

Additionally, we pay for electricity - about 60 $ per month in winter and 100 $ in summer because of the constantly running air conditioner. Internet at home costs another 60 $ per month.

Our house belongs to the category of "pre-war buildings" - pre-war buildings with beautiful facades. But communications in it are outdated both morally and physically. For example, the heating in the building is oil. In winter, it is given only for a few hours a day, so one cannot do without a conventional heater. We always have a humidifier working, otherwise the skin is very dry.

The apartments are mostly rented without furniture, but they have a refrigerator and a gas stove. Washing machines in New York are installed only in new homes. If you are lucky, the laundry will be in the basement of your own building. If not, you will have to search around the area and carry bags of dirty clothes in a couple of blocks. The cost of one load in the laundry - from 2,5 to 4 $, depending on the size of the machine and the owner's impudence. Drying - 25 cents per 4 minutes.

In our house there are two washing machines in the basement, but they are very old - it’s just unpleasant for me to put laundry there. I try to organize our life in such a way as to go to the laundry in the neighboring house once every three weeks. To do this, for example, my husband’s wardrobe was replenished with five more shirts to last for additional 5 working days. For one trip to the laundry, I spend about 20 $ (1300 Р).

One of the biggest housing problems in New York is water bugs, huge cockroaches from 4 see and more. They crawl into the houses from the street. Cockroaches swim, run and fly, they are not taken either by poisons or sneakers.

To rent a house, you need a high credit rating. You will also need recommendations from former landlords, a bank account statement for the last three months, a letter from the employer confirming a certain level of annual income, as well as passport details and an SSN number.

If you have just moved and you do not have a credit rating in the USA, then the landlord will ask for letters of guarantee from the guarantors, and will also request a double or even triple deposit. We made a double. The deposit will be kept with him until the end of the contract or early departure from the apartment. From the deposit will keep any penalties for damage to property. For example, a nail hole in the wall will cost an average of 15 $, and a deep scratch on the floor will range from 300 $ and up.

The price of renting and buying real estate depends on many factors: the specific area, distance from the metro, the year of construction, the rating of schools in the neighborhood, the availability of a gym, private laundry, rooftop (swimming pool), a swimming pool, concierge and so on.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

To buy more or less decent housing in Manhattan without a mortgage, you need to be a dollar millionaire. On Staten Island, an excellent two-story home with ocean views and an impressive back yard can be purchased for no more than a million dollars. On average, in New York you can buy an apartment for 500 000 $, but it definitely will not be the home of your dreams. We have more than once thought about buying an apartment, but the market is now at its maximum, and how many years we will still live here is an open question. Therefore, while we have postponed this idea.

communication

My husband and I use the services of different mobile operators. For my package of unlimited calls and SMS within America, as well as 8 Internet GB, I pay Krikit 45 $ every month (2950 Р). My spouse chose T-Mobile services, his plan is 40 $ (2620 Р). It includes 3 GB Internet and similar conditions for calls and SMS.

For home wifi, we chose the company "Spectrum". In the first year, the Internet cost us 60 $ per month, starting from the second year of service - 80 $ per month.

In New York it is easy to connect to the internet on the street. Starbucks coffee shops are on almost every corner, they provide wifi access for free. In almost all other establishments, to connect to the network, you need to enter the password from the check.

Transport

The most common way to travel around New York is by subway. In the summer there is unbearably stuffy. All year long - rats, garbage, bums and beggars, and the stations are always closed for reconstruction. About the principle of "let people get out of the car, then go himself" is not heard here. That would be nice to get into the car, go a little deeper, - too. Nevertheless, a faster and cheaper way at any time of the day to get from one end of the metropolis to the other, bypassing traffic jams, has not yet been invented.

The cost of one trip to the subway or bus - 2,75 $ (180 Р). Unlimited fare on 7 days, including all ground transportation, costs 32 $ (2100 Р). For a month - a little more than 120 $ (7870 Р). I always buy a card for the week. Once I bought it for a month - and the next day I lost it.

New York's business card is yellow taxis. This is a very popular mode of transportation, especially within Manhattan. A trip lasting 5 — 6 minutes (around 10 blocks) will cost approximately 10 $ (655 Рa) with tax and tip. The road from JFK airport to the Upper West Side is 60 $, the road from Midtown to Brighton Beach is all 80 — 90 $.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

Uber, Juno and Gett offer slightly better rates and comfortable cars. On average, a trip on them will cost 15 — 20% cheaper than a regular taxi. At the same time, the risk of getting into an accident is lower, as the drivers of these companies are very closely monitored: they make sure that they are not processed. The special niche is occupied by the kartherings Lyft and VIA - they are very popular and cost almost 2 times lower than standard trips.

If you like to ride a bike, there are City Bike stations in Manhattan every few blocks. There you can rent a bike.

Things and purchases

New York is a shopaholic paradise. I have not seen such a number of discounts in any city in the world. Our mailbox is constantly littered with a bunch of leaflets and newspapers with all kinds of coupons and stock schedules in nearby stores. When we just drove into our apartment, we were sent an envelope with a couple of dozens of special offers from furniture stores, dishes, bed linen and household appliances.

In New York, they move very often. Carrying things along is simply not profitable. Easier to get rid of everything through the Craiglist website, and then buy a new one, than hire a truck and people who will serve it. Most often, things just take out on the street.

Discount centers like Century21, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, HomeGoods occupy a huge niche in urban retail. There you can find everything from Ralph Lauren socks and DKNY down jackets to Tommy Hilfiger kitchen towels and Louis Vuitton duffel bags with discounts ranging from 20 to 75%. It makes sense to look for basic things for home and wardrobe here, and not in mono-brand stores of brands or huge malls like Macy's, Lord & Taylor and luxury Saks 5th Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

The range of cosmetics and household chemicals in such discounts a little less diverse. Often there are brought not the most popular products of brands. However, there are almost always basic clinics cleansing products (15 $ versus 25 $), Estee Lauder blush (20 $ instead of 40 $) and Origins creams on the shelves miraculously and Marc Jacobs eyeliners.

In New York, everyone is crazy about the sample sales of luxury brands - fashion houses sell samples of items from past collections made for showrooms. At such sales, you can buy clothes and shoes with discounts up to 90%. For many girls, 100 $ for a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes is just a dream. And for her, they are ready to stand in line for an hour or two.

What we call pharmacies is called pharmacy in New York. In addition to medicines, they sell personal hygiene products, household chemicals, as well as food and drinks. But it is easier to order toothpaste at a discount at Amazon, and cotton pads and dishwashing sponges can be bought in chain stores like 99 cents, where you will pay $ 3-5 instead of $ 1-2 for a similar product. The same goes for laundry detergent: at Lowe's or Bath & Beyond home furnishings, it will cost $ 12 (785 Р). This is about 5 $ more expensive than the 99 cents and LOT Price.

The policy of returning goods in America is completely different than in Russia. You can return not only things, but also cosmetics and household chemicals, including those already started. The reason can be any: I do not like the smell, texture, allergies began.

A couple of weeks ago, I returned to the store an empty bottle of dry shampoo, which spilled out and evaporated from the bag while I was going home. The seller was a little surprised, but without any objection, she returned the money to me on a credit card. I recently discovered that I can return a dress purchased at Bloomingdales stores within 365 days from the date of purchase.

Food and Food

In New York, a large range of prices, even for basic products. Depending on the area and retail network, the cost of individual items may vary by one and a half to two times. For example, within the 20 radius of walking minutes from my home are the 3 supermarket: Whole Foods, Gristedes and Trader's Joe.

Whole Foods is owned by Amazon Corporation and specializes in organic products. There is a very high average check - 150 — 200 $ per week, which has been the subject of numerous jokes in American pop culture.

Gristedes is one of the oldest grocery supermarket chains in New York. There is also a high average check - 150 — 170 $ per week, there is a large selection of inorganic products from different manufacturers.

Trader Joe's is a mono-brand store with its own production in Monrovia, California. Large selection of organic food, the average check. For our family, all the products I buy in this store. The average bill for a grocery basket on 5 — 7 days, including fresh meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, berries — 100 — 130 $, but this is on condition that I eat only at home. Alcohol is not included in this amount.

Normal bread in an ordinary supermarket can not be bought. For a good baguette or loaf you need to go to a specialized bakery like Maison Kaiser or Amy's bread. There they stand 4 — 6 $. I switched to crackers, as these networks are not near our house. Every couple of blocks you can stumble on a Deli - these are small private shops that are kept by visitors from India or Arab countries. Here you can buy stale vegetables and fruits, canned food, snacks, water and small things for the house like matches and scotch. “Delhi” is open during hours when all other stores are closed. Margin on goods here is 40 — 60%.

As for hypermarkets, such as Aldi or Costco, they are located in remote areas of the city, where residents usually travel by car. It is cheaper to buy there, of course, but if you do not have a large family and you spend most of your time at work, such trips do not make sense.

In addition to the standard networks in New York, there are farmers' fairs. There are more expensive than in stores, but the products are of better quality: locally grown fruits and vegetables, good meat. Sometimes there are seafood, wine, honey and bread. For comparison: a pound of tomatoes (about half a kilo) at such a fair will cost 4 — 6 $ versus 2 — 3 $ in a regular store. Fish - 14 — 20 $ vs. 10 — 13 $.

My products on 5 — 7 days from the Trader's Joe store. It all cost 160 $. Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

The format of eateries on wheels, almost monopolized by visitors from Arab countries, is very popular in the city. For 8 — 13 $ (525 — 850 Р) you can eat a large portion of rice with vegetables and meat. At lunchtime, huge queues lined up around such vans, in which both midtown financiers and ordinary metro workers ran out to snack.

In the Pret-a-Manger or Hale & Hearty chain, lunch will cost a little more: $ 10-14 for a salad, $ 5-8 for a sandwich, $ 4-7 for a soup, $ 3-5 for coffee. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Dos Torros fast food restaurants offer a bottle of water and a huge burrito for $ 12 (785 Р). If you do not disdain fast food - Burger King and McDonalds offer the simplest hamburgers at 1 — 2 $ and half-liter glasses of soda at a similar price.

In the restaurants of the middle price category, the salad will cost from 12 to 20 $, hot - 18 — 27 $, dessert 8 — 12 $. And do not forget to mentally add to the account 30% of the total order value: almost 10% is a tax and another 18 — 20% is a tip for the service. A very modest dinner for two without alcohol costs about 60 $ (3930 Р). A glass of wine or beer will cost another 7 — 12 $ (450 — 785 Р). In the store for 14 — 18 $ (without tax) you can buy a whole bottle of wine. A pack of six cans of beer costs a bit less - 10 — 14 $.

Since the expression “time is money” is very relevant for New York, local people often do not cook at home at all. Instead, they buy ready-made food in supermarkets, order delivery services, go for breakfasts, lunches and dinners in cafes and restaurants, as well as take there takeaways.

People refuse to cook, complaining about the lack of time and fatigue, and then they are indignant that spending on food “outsider” devours a huge part of their budget. Vicious circle.

Services and Entertainment

American service has no analogues: for any service rendered, whether it is a trip in a taxi, refueling cars, dog grooming or house cleaning, in addition to a fixed price, you have to pay a tip. Therefore, people here really work on the result.

Typically, tips are 15 — 20% of the cost of the service, while 15% tips are usually given for a service that you didn’t really like. You can discuss the topic of tips and their size for a long time, but it's easier to accept the rules of the game. As they say in New York: "You can not afford to leave the 20% waiter for tea - eat at home."

Female haircut without coloring before taxes and tips will cost 30 $ at a barbershop around the house, men’s slightly cheaper - 20 — 25 $.

What we call a manicure in Russia can be found in New York only in salons opened by visitors from Russia and the CIS countries. As in Europe, trimming manicure is not found here. In most salons, your nails will simply be filmed, the cuticle will be removed and the coating will be applied - gel or varnish. It takes the master no more than 30 minutes, and it will cost as a haircut - from 30 $ and up.

A subscription to the network of Crunch and NYSC gyms costs about 100 $ per month. Family fare can be purchased for 170 $. The price includes a visit not only to the gym, but to absolutely all classes - yoga, Pilates, karate, dancing, and so on. In the elite gym Equinox prices are much higher.

We live in Manhattan and could not find a normal place to practice swimming. All pools here - small club. A spacious, with lots of long tracks - only in other districts, where to go an hour and a half. And an hour and a half in New York is a luxury.

New York is a city created for entertainment. Broadway musicals, stand-up shows, ballet, opera, concerts, performances with the participation of Hollywood stars, the famous theatrical festival "Shakespeare in the park", open-air film screenings, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum - it's simply impossible to list.

For buying tickets with discounts we use TodayTix application. We live near the Lincoln Center and often go to the ballet here. Ticket prices depend on the selected seats and the troupe, but on average the price starts from 40 $ (2620 Р) for the ticket.

People

Describe the average resident of New York is almost impossible. It is not for nothing that this city was called the melting pot. Here live people from all corners of the globe who are in no hurry to give up their national customs, holidays, costumes and even language. Therefore, a walk through New York is every time a tour, which I would call “planet Earth in miniature”.

Nevertheless, people who live here for a long time still have common features. For example, I still can not get used to the American way of expressing emotions. For example, in the service sector, smiling and ready to help staff causes only a positive response in me. But the habit in everyday life sings chanting “How are you, sweetie?” And using the word exclaim “Great! Awesome, honey! Amazing ”,“ Oh my God! ”And“ I'm getting so emotional! ”- makes me stupor and the feeling of sugar creaking on my teeth.

At the same time, a common concern with healthy eating, an obsession with running, and buying food only with the word “organic” seems strange and ridiculous. At the same time, the same people buy half-liter glasses of coffee drinks at Starbucks in the morning, drink cola at lunchtime, and after evening workout they chew “healthy” energy bars with a huge amount of sugar.

In American culture, and especially in the crowded New York with talented and ambitious people, it is customary to radiate success. But the endless demonstration of positive often does not correspond to the real state of affairs. Therefore, the psychoanalyst profession is so profitable in New York, and the streets are flooded with social advertising about the detrimental effects of antidepressants. If you have insurance, an hour consultation with a psychoanalyst will cost you about 30 $. Without insurance - 150 — 200 $. The farther from the center the psychoanalyst takes, the cheaper.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

All this can be treated with humor, since ultimately it depends only on you which environment you choose. When I arrived in New York, I absolutely did not understand what the employees of the metro and post office told me, how to get medical insurance, where to find a job, why I need all this and how much I need. But it turned out that New York is an understandable and convenient city, where two main things make it difficult to settle in: lack of knowledge of the language and lack of understanding how to make a living. If you don’t work hard, you won’t stay here long. Just not the prices.

Weather

Spring and autumn - the most comfortable time for living in New York. The temperature during these periods is from + 8 to + 18 ° C, so the locals spend at least six months a year in a light coat and sneakers. What is called the golden autumn in Russia is here called the “indian summer” and lasts about three weeks.

Such periods of pleasant weather are more than offset by unbearable heat and high humidity from May to August. The temperature at this time is + 27 — 36 ° C. In winter it is also unpleasant: it is dank, from December to February the wind is piercing to the bones, the temperature is from −2 to + 10 ° C with sharp drops.

Snow falls infrequently, but almost every time its appearance is referred to in the news as a snow storm. In this case, the transport system may be partially paralyzed, and people are allowed not to go to work. I grew up in Siberia, and such a scale of “distress” amuses me.

The uniform of the average New Yorker in case of bad weather in the winter is a down-padded coat or a light, wind-proof jacket like Uniclo, worn under a coat. There is a huge scarf on the neck, and ugly, but really unkillable shoes on the legs are warm semi-boots with waterproof rubber galoshes that protect against moisture. On the head there are warm headphones, they rarely wear hats.

In dry, cold weather, when I put on underwear or tights, some New Yorkers leave the house in ballet shoes or slippers on their bare legs. If you, like me, once wrinkled your nose from the improbability of the episode "Sex and the City" in which Sarah heroine Jessica Parker ran through the snow in a fur coat and sandals - understand and forgive, here it is really like that.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

In hot summer, the most difficult thing is to adapt to the huge differences between the temperature outside and in rooms where air conditioners operate at full capacity for 24 hours a day. Not to faint from the stuffiness inside the subway, and then not to get sick with a runny nose and a sore throat after 5 minutes spent in the subway car, for me personally, an asterisk.

Language

More than 8,5 million people officially live in New York. They all speak or try to speak English. The next most popular language is Spanish. Even in the city, you can constantly hear the most unusual speech for you: Slovak, Mexican, Vietnamese. Many residents speak English with accents from other distant states or countries: Australia, Ireland, Canada. The pronunciation is very different.

Many expats live in ethnic groups and continue to speak exclusively in their native language in New York. For example, the Chinese in Chinatown, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians on Brighton Beach, Filipinos in “small Manila”.

In low-intensity mode, I taught English most of my life: 10 for years at school, 2 for the year at university, plus irregular classes with a tutor and trips abroad. But I started talking, just plunging into the language environment.

Having moved, I started going to the public library for free courses in English ESL - English as a Second Language. It turned out that I was underestimating myself: once I got into the strongest group, I lasted there only a month, since my fellow students literally could not connect two words. It struck me that among them were people who somehow lived and worked in New York for more than ten years.

After a year of living in New York, I stopped shuddering at phone calls from banks, insurance and courier services, because I began to easily perceive speech by ear and without effort to build my answers. Recently, I have caught myself in the fact that I am conducting internal dialogues in English. This is a good sign, but I still want to tighten up the grammar. For this, I think to start preparing for the TOEFL language test - it’s hard to come up with the best incentive for in-depth study of the academic foundations of the language.

Photo: Irina Illichenko, journal.tinkoff.ru

If your main task is to master spoken English, you can go two ways: 24 hours a day to watch TV shows and movies in the original language or to start a relationship with a native speaker. Both options work, but, as the practice of my acquaintances shows, the second brings fruit quickly.

Travels

Only Aeroflot flies directly from Russia to New York. All other tickets - only with a transfer. Getting an American visa in Russia is now difficult: there are few dates for which you can sign up at the embassy. Russians go for a visa to Vladivostok, who go to Kiev or other countries. Tourist visa costs 160 $.

Americans have a highly developed domestic tourism. On weekends, New Yorkers often escape from the bustle of the city in an “upstate” - to the north of the state. There in the mountains of Catskill in the summer are engaged in hiking, and in the winter go snowboarding. Another area is Long Island, where they play golf, go boating or surfing.

During the long weekends, many leave for a rest by car in neighboring Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, or fly away for a day or two to Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Tickets cost from 170 $, a direct flight of United-Airline New York - Chicago for the weekend costs 251 $.

On a beach holiday from New York fly to Florida, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the countries of the Caribbean - Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic. Plus, they travel to exotic for us Turks, Caicos and Santa Lucia.

The minimum cost of a ticket to Cancun Mexican in September is 205 $.

Results

New York is a great city to make money and build a career, especially if you are young. But my spouse and I do not find here the necessary level of comfort for the birth and upbringing of children.

After a few years, we are thinking of starting the naturalization process in order to obtain citizenship. I would like to leave for my children the opportunity at any time to freely move to America and get an education here.

However, we are considering the option of returning for permanent residence to Europe.

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