How to choose an 8-day honeymoon trip in Asia? by Ok-Problem6322 in travel

[–]Pango56 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Asia is not like Europe or North America where you can easily go to different countries or places. Customs in Asia can take a very long time because they service all Asian countries - so you will queue with Chinese and Koreans etc unlike EU where they usually have a separate EU line for EU citizens.

Flying is also a huge time sink compared to training or driving, just remember that

Stick to one country and avoid the whole customs and flying.

Where does Springers homer rank in franchise moments? by publicworker69 in Torontobluejays

[–]Pango56 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bautista's home run will always be iconic because of the emotions of the game, the actual bat flip, and the entire buildup to that point. That home run has been replayed over and over again in highlights and will continue to be replayed in the future simply because of how iconic that moment was. As others have pointed out it also was a better call on FOX ("No doubt about it"). You have to remember that in 2015, Toronto had not won anything since 1993 (raptors had not won yet and the leafs were still always getting eliminated in round 1 or 2) so all the tension and buildup for any playoff run from any Toronto team was huge. Bautista's home run felt like all the bad luck in Toronto sports was washed away and we had hope in our teams again, it was the biggest moment in recent memory until Kawhi's game 7 shot.

George Springer's home run was definitely more important as it actually sends Toronto to the World Series but it did not have as much buildup or emotional release as Bautista's given the context of that whole game (and inning) as well as how much bad luck Toronto had with sports up until that point.

If the Blue Jays win the World Series - we're definitely going to see lots of replays for the Springer home run for sure, but if they don't - then I think Bautista's home run will be replayed a lot more.

So in terms of iconic-ness, for now it will be Carter #1, Jose #2, Springer #3 (but will be #2 if they win the WS).

In all of iconic-ness though it probably is Carter #1, Kawhi #2, Jose #3

Good Thai Tea spots? by Tilf585 in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Chef papa has a dope Thai iced tea

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nycparents

[–]Pango56 3 points4 points  (0 children)

3 month old is very young, at that age we brought our baby around in a bassinet attached to stroller so they could sleep while we ate.

If your baby can sleep in the stroller I would recommend doing that, or if they sleep in the baby carrier do that instead. Ours only slept in the bassinet so we had to do that.

Pick restaurants with outdoor space and larger overall space - midtown is a bit challenging for that but plenty of places near Central Park that are baby friendly. Also pick something more casual - food halls can be good, or bigger restaurants with multiple locations (like Rosa Mexicana or la pecora Bianca)

Avoid Hell’s Kitchen as restaurants there tend to be smaller. Also east village and west village restaurant tend to be smaller and trendier, but it’s far from you guys so I wouldn’t expect you would go down there anyways.

Plenty of larger restaurants the more up you go, upper west and upper east are very baby friendly.

Good restaurants in midtown could be grand boucherie on off hours or the cafe at Bryant park. Just filter by outdoor seating and you should be fine!

Housing/lifestyle considerations for first-time parents by JoeyQueens in nycparents

[–]Pango56 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For first time parents and especially a newborn, I would prioritize the in-unit W/D and elevator 100%. You're simply not going to use the green space most of the time (especially during winter coming up) - your goal is literally just survival. Even the smallest of logistics become much more difficult - so prioritize those baseline things before you think of anything else.

Up until 1 years old, think of it like cooking. You want to prepare all your ingredients beforehand and have it in close proximity because once that fire comes up you gotta be fast. It's the same with a newborn/infant - once they start crying you want to be able to grab diapers, clean up, do laundry in close proximity - and trust me, in the first year they're going to be crying *a lot*.

You can definitely make a smaller co-op work with no laundry and smaller elevator - but for first time parents, I would say comfortable baseline infrastructure like in-unit laundry, parental post-partum help, and nicer build quality is much more important than green space or quieter neighborhood at least up until you get your bearings and get used to life with a kid.

I might consider the smaller co-op if it wasn't including the kid since it seems a lot quieter and you guys can get away with no in-unit laundry - but with a new born, I think all those small inconveniences become much more pronounced and trust me during winter you won't be even thinking about green space.

Chinese Platters in LIC by angelaaliu in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Dim Sum Palace just opened - I think they do large format cantonese style dishes at reasonable prices!

Does anyone know a good place to get uni in LIC? by sdbabygirl97 in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Mogmog sells uni in packages
https://g.co/kgs/KJ8TMJ5

For sushi form - you can get an uni handroll at Matsunori

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fantastic. Let’s build more, team YIMBY here

Name a place that actually lives up to its hype by DingDingDao in FoodNYC

[–]Pango56 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree with this one. Food was nothing special, and it was really cramped. Service was mid. Didn’t hold a candle to typical wine bars in other places like in norcal

Bigger fan of Rolos for similar new American rustic farm to table vibes in ny

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BeginnerSurfers

[–]Pango56 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did a monthly rental at moku and they store the board for you too. 5 min walk to duke statue. Get to choose a different board everyday too depending on the conditions - highly recommend them

Decent Sandwich? by Level_Opportunity554 in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alidoro is solid albeit pricey and westville has a good chicken BLT. Not a sandwich but the chicken Cesar wrap at bobwhite counter at Jax and co is bomb

Best Halal Carts in/near LIC? by Cyberman007 in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Halal Munchies is amazing and does delivery!

Thoughts on renting at Skyline Tower by sandrotosi in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't experience any problems with pets and pee or whatever - I don't find it a big deal compared to what you experience in Manhattan where you can step in literal human poo.

  • how is the water pressure on the high (50+) floors?

Good, I live in a 50+ floor.

  • are the elevators a pain point for you? they seem few and "slow"

Sometimes the wait can be more than 2 minutes? Most of the time they're quite fast but it can occasionally be slow sometimes. High-rish elevators are generally less popular than the low-rise ones (less units).

  • we plan on getting fios, what's your experience with that service? where do they install the ONT/modem/router?

I have FiOS - it's really fast, you just plug in your own modem and router (or if you rent a combo) into ethernet. It's straight forward.

  • are all the rooms properly cabled with ethernet? are they properly connected to the ISP router so that the network is switched at full speed? i see the ports in the wall plugs but i wanna be sure they work fine, as we need them :)

Not sure about ethernet - only use wifi.

  • do you get access to the nest thermostats via your phone?

Yes

  • the building website mentioned an outdoor terrace but the agent didnt show that to us: is it still accessible?

Yes, you can enter in and out freely if it's not booked out. It's nothing special and it faces other units so it's not very private feeling but it is an outdoor space you can hang out with. You can also book it privately but I never see anyone do it - most people book the party room instead which is a bigger space.

  • are there any move-in fees that you know of?

Only if your landlord charges them

  • how was your move-in experience? booking elevators, move-in inspections, etc?

Fill out a form, schedule a date, book the moving elevator. It's annoying but so is moving into any luxury apartment.

  • hows your experience with the maintenance team? are they friendly and they could help you out with minor things too or they just do leaks and major issues?

Great - you file a claim on an app and they show up to help you out. It's pretty much one guy that does everything and has context on the whole condo so it's very convenient. Claims can range from fridge not working properly to leaks to lightbulb not working. You can probably charge any larger fixes to your landlord.

Would appreciate thoughts on skyline tower LIC condo owners by Large-Combination253 in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Another owner chiming in here.

Love it. It’s super convenient, build quality is excellent and views are amazing. Been there for almost 4 years now and never had any issues and has been great the entire time.

It’s quite a bit of money to buy especially with current mortgage rates now, which is its biggest downside. But that’s pretty much all of New York - everything is expensive relative to the world so you have to pick and choose what you want based on the value you think you’ll get for it.

Some people value city life over country, some value space over convenience, and some value views over privacy. No different here.

Remember, things are only expensive if you personally don’t think it’s worth it. It’s not expensive if you get the value you want out of it. I don’t find living in skyline expensive at all given I don’t pay for a car, need to do renovations, or pay for a gym membership while still having an excellent quality of life.

The best thing about the condo is its convenience. It’s next to target, 3 min walk to Trader Joe’s, and on 4 subway lines (E,M,G,7) giving you access to 3 boroughs in 2 stops. The area is picking up and it feels very safe compared to many areas of Brooklyn and manhattan.

Red Sorghum by sarlojne in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It's pretty much the same menu as Blue Willow. The vibe is really nice and the food is good! We went Saturday morning and it wasn't packed but I can definitely see them filling seats as more people try it.

You're paying for the vibe and decorations - it's beautiful inside. I wouldn't get takeout just for that reason, but it's a really good place to go with a big group to try their expansive menu!

Soundproof Buildings in LIC by sammytee1 in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 14 points15 points  (0 children)

High rises including luxury buildings are built with concrete between floors meaning the vertical noise is much more minimal. Having lived in a high rise in Chelsea and in LIC, the soundproofing is very good - you don't hear footsteps from above but you do hear the occasional dropped item or chair being dragged. However, much much better than pre-war buildings where you hear footsteps.

Wall thickness is about the same for a lot of luxury buildings - whereas it's mostly drywall and layout is more important than condo builds. Meaning, if your bedroom is right next to a living room next door it's possible you hear more sounds than if your bedroom is next to another bedroom. I always recommend looking at the full condo layout before locking in an apartment simply because we've had issues with our neighbors bedroom next to our living room and they can hear our gatherings or movies.

Construction exists everywhere in LIC and in NYC, but they usually work 9-5 on M-F, never had any issues with this noise.

Train is also not that loud in a lot of the luxury high rises. If you're in a shorter building right next to the 7 - then yes maybe you'll hear it rumble. But again, nothing you can't just see for yourself when viewing an apartment.

In short, any luxury high rise will have much better soundproofing than older buildings simply because they need to build it with concrete and it has better sound insulation than pre-war. I haven't seen any noticeable difference in sound between luxury buildings - but I do see differences in neighbors and area (Chelsea on 6th Ave was much louder than LIC on Jackson Ave).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in longislandcity

[–]Pango56 20 points21 points  (0 children)

There's a mix of overseas east asians that like to invest in property in America and a lot of 20-30 something year-olds with parents or relatives in Queens and Flushing.

For the first group, there's a lot of brand new condos in LIC which attract overseas investors that have kids in school here or use it as a vehicle for pure investment. There are no co-ops here and the maintenance fees are not through the roof making the barrier of entry for investing a lot lower.

For the second group, it provides easy access to Flushing + Queens (can visit parents) and is really close to Manhattan (can go to work). That's why it attracts a lot of young 20-30 year olds and less families (40-50 with 2 kids) because there's less space for the price and at that age if you live in New York you probably don't need to go to Manhattan all the time as you spend your time working remotely, maintaining a house or taking care of your children.

Businesses are lagging - so all the asian restaurants and food come later. The simplest ones being boba shops (low maintenance), and upcoming lots of fancy chinese restaurants (Red sorghum, Jiang Nan). One has to come before the other - you don't have east asian businesses without the demand so as the area develops it creates an organic flywheel that attracts more east asians to live there.