A pal from UA gives me instructions on how to survive life in NYC...
did a project in lower Manhattan (Broadway) for six months, and I previously lived in Long Island for a year and a half.
Where you want to live depends on what part of Manhattan you're working in. If you're anywhere between west Midtown and TriBeCa (the 'TRI'angle 'BE'low 'CA'nal Street), you should live in New Jersey and take NJ Transit to either Hoboken (for the ferry, if you're going south) or Penn Station (for the subway or anywhere in Midtown). If you're on the east side or in upper Manhattan (above 34th Street), I'd live in Westchester County (above the Bronx) and take Amtrak or Metro-North to Grand Central (shorter trip). Long Island and the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) is an option as long as you're going to Penn Station, but IMHO you're better off on the Jersey side (less money to live and easier to get places).
While I was working there in April-October 2002, I was making $75/hour before taxes as the project manager/lead designer. I hired several subs, ranging from $55 to $70 an hour, also on contract. I lived in Morris Plains, NJ (just above Morristown) and rode NJ Transit for an hour and five minutes to Penn Station, then took the subway to Wall Street (usually another 20 minutes). Cost was about $450 monthly for transportation and $1700 for rent.
Bottom line: don't take less than $60/hour. NY companies are used to paying for good talent. Depending on the company, you might be able to drop your rate a little and ask for a "per diem", which isn't taxed and helps both you and the company.
This is one of the answers to what I asked in the morning:
I need some answers today, if possible. I'm considering an offer to work in New York, and I want to know whether the offered salary is anywhere near enough or not.
So, how much do programmers (in general, but Foxers specially) make in the Big Apple?
One directed me to an online calculator, wher it turned out that NYC is about 5,3 averages, while its neighbors are only 1,45 times. „Difference sufficient to kill a horse“. It ended with a decision, probably with few talks with David, that the only way is to be a telecommie, because every other way costs too much - time, money or both.
On 19th, more work for Gary, though there's not much of a comment in code with this date, so it was probably something small... in a routine which „sends updates“ (to a server? could this be the variant with a subapplication for those who'd trade in posters?). And something in the html generating code, where it depends on something being in preview mode (red) or not (normal). Such terse comments are useless in two weeks, let alone twenty years. Still can't remember what was this about.