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According to Brand24 - Social Media Monitoring ToolIt’s summer time! The sun is shining, I’m starting to work up a sweat whenever I have to walk anywhere, and my social feed is being taken over by pictures of handsome grooms in tuxedos and stunning brides in long, flowing gowns…Can you guess what this means?Yep, its wedding season!It’s amazing how much preparation, resources, manpower, goods and services go into planning a single wedding. In fact, in 2016 alone, there were over 2 million weddings in the US. On average, each wedding cost more than $26K, and the combined cost of goods and services involved brought in more than $57 billion in sales.What goods and services make up the $57 billion wedding industry?Here’s a “short” list of the typical checklist required for any nuptial ceremony:Attire and accessories – wedding dress, dress accessories, tuxedo/suit/other accessories, tuxedo/suit/other rental/purchaseBeauty and spa -hair service, makeup service, manicure & pedicureEntertainment – DJ, live band, musician(s)/soloist/or ensembleFlowers and decorations – bouquets, boutonnieres/corsages, event decorations, event flowers & arrangements, event table centerpiecesInvitations – ceremony programs, engagement announcements, guest book, invitations & reply cards, postage, reception menus, save the date cards, table name & escort/place cards, thank you cardsJewelry – engagement ring, wedding ring/band for HER, wedding ring/bad for PARTNERPhotography and video – digital or photo cd/dvd, engagement session, prints and/or enlargements, wedding album(s) or photo book(s), wedding photographer, wedding videographerPlanner/consultant – A la carte services, “day of” coordinator, for getting started, full service, month of directionVenue, catering, and rentals – ceremony officiator, event accessories, event bar service, event food service, event location, event rentals, hotel room for after the reception, limo rental, other transportation, rehearsal dinner, wedding cake/dessertGuest favors – place holders, wedding souvenirsAnd that’s not all. Especially if you want flying doves. (This isn’t even counting bachelor and bachelorette parties!)The wedding industry as a whole is made of various niches, and each niche contains more businesses and companies than you can count – each offering similar goods and services… so how does a single brand or company set itself apart in a massive $57 billion industry?Stand out in a competitive billion dollar industry with brand awarenessAs is the case for any large industry, there are a bunch of companies selling similar goods and services, giving consumers more options than they need. So the big question is: what makes a buyer choose a particular company over others if they all seem to provide the same products or services?Brand awarenessGetting consumers to pick your brand over others is a matter of brand awareness. After all, most of us would be willing to order something from Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more, but not necessarily from http://ISellStuff.com (or any platform that we’ve never even heard of, much less trust).The first step in building brand awareness begins with making your brand easy to pick out in a line-up, also known as brand recognition. Once your audience becomes more familiar with your company, it’s time to make them automatically think of it whenever they’re in the market for the kinds of products or services that you offer. If people are able to think of your brand on the fly, then you know your business has good brand recall. And this truly matters to your (potential) customers.There are a few different strategies that you can execute to measure brand awareness. But how do you increase awareness for your brand in the first place?I’ve listed a couple methods below that you can easily work into your digital marketing strategy. These aren’t magic beans that will sprout up miles into the sky overnight, but they’re not difficult to implement either. And they will help your company stand out if practiced persistently.Your brand’s ability to stand out determines: 1) how many people know that your company even exists 2) how many customers choose your company over others.But where does “awareness” matter most? Should you take out billboards? Television commercials? Magazine or newspaper advertisements? Focus on digital marketing? Where should you be spending your time in order to make a real impact?With 81% of the US population active on social media, this is where your company needs to be visible…. but that’s not really a secret. In fact, you’ll be competing for the same eyeballs with many (or all) of the other brands in your industry.So how can your company increase brand awareness and stand out among competitors?Start implementing the practical tips below ASAP. Be consistent (injecting a little brand personality wherever you can) and your brand will become more recognizable and memorable, carving out a very unique spot for itself in your industry.Social media for businesses in the wedding industryMany companies maintain their competitive edge by taking advantage of all that social media has to offer. Providers of goods and services for the wedding industry are no exception. But social media is also filled with noise. A tried-and-true method of filtering out irrelevant topics and media is through social listening. Let’s look at a few ways in which social listening is often used as a tool in social media to:Increase visibility (build brand awareness)If you’re a wedding photographer, people usually want to see your work before they decide to use your services. Social media is the perfect platform to share your portfolio, especially on Instagram, Pinterest, and other visually-charged sites. Post some of your images online, use hashtags, boost audience engagement with contests – increase awareness for your brand. Especially in places where people are actively discussing weddings (or your particular niche).Monitor online mentions of wedding-related terms with a social listening tool like Brand24 to find out where people are talking about services and goods that you provide.Build personal brandsPeople tend to trust what they know. Increase brand awareness for your company by building your personal brand. Similar to sharing content for your company, you want to monitor conversations where people are talking about your topic. For example, while your wedding photography company might be focused on sharing beautiful photos on Insta and Pinterest, you might be interested in joining conversations about entrepreneurship and how to run your own company.Manage brand reputationThis could mean defending your company against false rumors; apologizing to unsatisfied customers; protecting yourself against brandjacking; thanking satisfied customers for sharing their good experiences with your company, etc. There are a lot of ways that you can manage and take control of your brand reputation, but they all demand that you monitor your customer experiences so that you’re aware of your reputation in the first place.Engage with audienceskaceeee@thekaceejackson·I need some new fancy ones for a wedding— kaceeee (@thekaceejackson) May 28, 2018I won’t be! I’m just registered in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, + Nebraska! I’ll be going through on personal travels but not with my Airstream... yet!— Paige Ehnle (@paigeehnle) May 27, 2018I need some new fancy ones for a weddingPaige Ehnle@paigeehnleI’ve got an online shop + lots of other options!and I’m a fit queen! So you can always message me with size questions!I’ve got an online shop + lots of other options! 🙌🏼 and I’m a fit queen! So you can always message me with size questions! ☺️🙌🏼— Paige Ehnle (@paigeehnle) May 29, 20181See Paige Ehnle's other TweetsTwitter Ads info and privacyWeddings are usually big affairs that involve lots of people, products, planning, and preparation. Nearly every person who mentions weddings online can be a potential customer, but only if they are aware of your company in the first place. Reach out to people who are talking about having or attending a wedding. Let them know about the goods and services you offer and generate leads through audience engagement.Provide customer serviceA lot of customers prefer to ask questions online via Twitter or FB – they won’t always tag a brand in their posts. Sometimes, they just want to hear about previous customer experiences. Other times, they have questions about products… a quick response can lead to potential new customers, so make sure you’re listening!Promote eventsAre you a fantastic singer or do you play with an amazing band? Maybe you provide delicious catering services? Or perhaps your venue is a great place to host a bachelor or bachelorette party? Promote your events in places where people talk about weddings to find new customers.And the list goes on…It’s also important to remember that social media content isn’t necessarily company-generated. Sometimes, the content that gets the most attention from potential customers is user-generated (UGC).Take a look at some examples of how some businesses in the wedding industry (and not only) are making social media work for them:Is wedding season only for the wedding industry?This image has over 38 comments and nearly 34K likes.By using wedding-themed hashtags with an undeniably gorgeous photo (casual yet glam, just like the perfectly tousled bedhead), this brand captured the attention of its viewers.The best part about this image is that these swimsuits certainly aren’t just appropriate for weddings. They’re really good for any occasion (or no occasion). But the timing couldn’t be better.The brand creatively used hashtags for a current event (wedding season) to ensure that audiences who might not have been searching for their product (swimsuit) would see their beautiful campaign. With over 34K likes, goal achieved.Social media for branding and visibilityThis photo has more than 17 shares, 38 comments, and over 33K likes. Everybody who viewed this photo also saw the products (jewelry and makeup) and photographers and videographers that were used in the shoot. Exposure like this featuring real users who are happy with their experiences serve as the best type of testimonial for any business.And social media only makes it better, since it lets anybody with Internet access view content. And when potential customers see user-generated social proof vouching for the quality of the services provided, it makes an impression.This is yet another photo on Instagram that has captivated its audiences with over 140 comments and nearly 35K likes.Posting photos like this on Instagram is ideal for exposure. Over 25 providers have been mentioned. Even if their work isn’t immediately visible in the photo, their brand awareness has already increased just from being mentioned.Measure your results in social mediaAfter making sure that your brand is visible in social media (here are 10 social media marketing tips your business needs to follow), the next step is measuring your results.This is where a social media monitoring tool like Brand24 comes in handy. By tracking mentions of your brand name or your hashtag campaign in social media (or anywhere online), you can quickly check on the results of your marketing strategies whenever you want. With real data.Another important reason (for me, this is actually the most important one) why social media monitoring tools are so helpful is simply because they save you so much time. Instead of scouring the web and running deep searches to find mentions of your company, product, or industry across 50+ different platforms (or having your interns do this), you’re free to focus on actually implementing your strategies.Tools like Brand24 also provide automated analysis reports so you can get quick insights; sentiment analysis filters, so you can see how your audience feels about your product or company; plus storm alerts to notify you immediately when people suddenly can’t stop talking about you (for better or worse) and a mobile app for added convenience… and much more.Track your mentions on social media with social media monitoringIs your brand visible in social media? Do you use a social media monitoring tool to measure your results?

Life in New YorkFrom Times Square, if you draw a 50-mile radius circle, you will define the New York City Metro area which holds more than 20 million people. If you draw that circle with a 100-mile radius, you will define the New York City commuting region which encompasses more than 30 million people, all using one of New York Cities mass transportation systems all directed to Mid Town Manhattan which assumes a population of 15 million every week day.Who hasn’t heard about the Long Island Railroad, New York City’s subway system (biggest in the world), AMTRAK (fastest trains in the USA), Metro North, Con Rail, the PATH Subway (New Jersey to Manhattan), Penn Central Station (700,000 commuters per day), Grand Central Station (biggest train station in the world), The World Trade Center mass transportation center (longest escalators in the world) and the Port Authority Bus Station (biggest in the world). International connections are provided by New York City’s five major airports, La Guadia, Kennedy, Newark, White Plains, and Newark.New York’s mass transportation system provides extensive interconnections to Long Island, Westchester County, Southern Connecticut, Downstate New York, Northern New Jersey, the Jersey Shore, Eastern and Northern Pennsylvania, and of course, New York City itself consisting of Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island and the island of Manhattan. These areas contain every kind of disparate neighborhood known to man, of distinctive cultures, ethnic groups, races, colors and social economic variances, from poor too extremely wealthy, but basically middle to upper middle class.It is not the gargantuan size of the region, or the crushing and suffocating commuting to a small Mid Town Manhattan space through tunnels and bridges that defines New York City, it is the diversity of people and everyday experiences that generate the excitement of living or working in New York City. Just think, 37 per cent of New York City residents are foreign born and each ethnic group has its own colorful neighborhoods, restaurants, Badagas, social styles with its own ethnic parades like St. Patties Day that millions watch and hundreds of thousands march in on 5th Avenue. There are similar parades for Halloween in Greenwich Village, the Caribbean, Asian, Middle Eastern peoples and that grand daddy of all, Wall Street Ticker Tape Parades.New York is not about whom to hate but who to love, because hating would be fruitless in this widest expanse of diversified humanity on earth and loving is so much fun . . . and Godly!It is because this gigantic collage of differentiating humanity is thrown into a bucket and stirred around and mixed up really well, the result being a salad bowl with political opinions and life styles that are so different and varied that the typical ideological wars between Republicans and Democrats or Whites and Blacks seem like child’s’ play, like confrontation 101. Believe it or not, everyone gets along, because they want to keep the peace and because they have learned to enjoy each other.New York’s life style has always been to “Live and Let Live.” They work together, socialize at the dance or night clubs, date and marry, go to church and have sex with each other, and now you can understand New York City. It’s all about connecting to the world in a small space, the island of Manhattan. The culture of New York City extends well into the 100-mile radius of the commuting region with the performing arts, academic intellectual curiosity and liberal social life styles.Life in New York CityThinking about moving to New York City? Here's what you should keep in mind before you put down stakes in the Big Apple.Honking Horns are a New Yorker’s Ambien. Ads for an apartment often say “cozy.” At first, you’ll think this means a nice little one-bedroom, maybe with some exposed brick or a fireplace. Nope: It means you can probably touch your fridge from your bed. Seriously, there are hundreds of apartments in this city that are 200 to 300 square feet. Sometimes you’ll have to shower in your kitchen or store your clothes in the oven. And many of them cost upwards of $1,000 a month.In New York City your job is your life - 10 hour days are the norm (even if you’re just an assistant). This means that by Tuesday, you’re exhausted and in need of a cocktail. The good news for you is that NYC has one of the best bar scenes on Earth (we have a cocktail named after our most famous borough,Manhattan) - and you never have to worry about drunken driving (subway!).At first, you’ll move to the City and the sound of traffic will keep you up. But then, a strange thing happens: The traffic begins to soothe you. “It’s like the ocean, no?” you’ll explain to your bewildered mother. Then, when you go visit your parents in the ‘burbs, the sound of silence will literally freak you out. “Am I about to get murdered?” you’ll lie awake thinking—as you count the hours until you’re back in the city.Without a car, going to the grocery store is a hassle. So New Yorkers get almost everything they eat and drink from their corner bodega. This means your bodega guys sees it all - that 3 a.m. bottle of cheap Chardonnay you’re using to console yourself after another bad date, your affinity for Chubby Hubby and Cool Ranch Doritos after a long day at work. It won’t take long before the two of you are on a first name basis—and it won’t take long after that ‘til you start to dish on your problems. After all, with the rent you’re paying, it’s not like you can afford a real therapist.Sure, pizza in NYC is incredible, but when it comes to bagels, we rule. Soft on the inside, crusty on the outside, and slathered in cream cheese, mmmm.Driving in NYC is best left to the taxi drivers. The traffic is insane, no one obeys traffic lanes and you can forget about parking for less than about $20. You’ll take the subway or taxis everywhere—and pretty soon, you’ll come to love it (just read on your iPad and chill until you’re deposited at your destination). Years go by, and almost by accident, you wonder if you’ve forgotten how to drive—but you don’t really care.NYC has some of the best food on earth - at all price points. There are more than ten thousand restaurants, diners, and street counters. And then there are the thousands of Halal food carts. You can easily spend $200 at Per Se for one of the best French meals of your life or $1 for a slice of pizza that will blow your mind. And you can get pretty much any type of food delivered anytime you like. You’d think all these delicious eats would make the pack on the pounds, but they won’t - you literally burn them off because New Yorkers walk everywhere (that restaurant’s one mile away - no problem!). Oh, and thanks to Mayor Bloomberg, you’ll be forced to look at the calories on menus of any chain restaurant, so you can forget about your appetite after that!Living in NYCNew York City occupies a special place in the American consciousness as the tumultuous seat of our financial markets and the buzzing capital of our culture.New York is celebrated for its wealth of nationalities, ethnicities and languages. But why would anyone want to live in NYC? It's insanely expensive, there are too many crazy people, it's bundles of energy and famously, "If you can make it inNew York, you can make it anywhere." And lots of people love the challenge! Most important, it’s the city that exemplifies American pluralism, the “melting pot” that attracts new immigrants looking for work and college graduates drawn from their hometowns by the promise of excitement and opportunity. Its appeal hangs on its image as a city where everyone can try, get, and be anything. It has been my home for more than 40 years and I love it for its social and economic freedoms. My education and computer technology background fit right in and I found great career and social successes. Am I wrong or what?But NYC is not a panacea, it has its own problems just like any other city. First of all, it's terribly expensive, living costs are very high, you live in a small apartment that cost a fortune or commute from far away distances. Taxes are high to pay for all the social services, city employees and infrastructure support. The New York City government's budget is the largest municipal budget in the United States. In 2016 the NYC city government had a budget of $80 billion a year. The best jobs are in NYC and unless you are wealthy, you must commute and the hours required while being stuffed on packed trains and subways which are actually a frustrating second job. Second, the City is densely crowded. People are piled on top of one anther. Third, you will never get a good job unless you have a great education, NYC is comfortable for skilled and educated people only. Others scrape by! NYC is also being seriously gentrified, wealthy people move in to replace poorer people who are moving out.On the other side of the coin, NYC is certainly a playground for adults. There's never a dull moment in NYC. It's the city that never sleeps. It offers a thousand different interesting things to do every day. Besides high paying jobs for the talented in the business, banking, financial, advertising, business, performing art’s world, there is Broadway, Greenwich Village, China Town, Little Egypt, parades galore - St. Patties Day, Halloween, Macy's Thanksgiving, street theater and theatrical Flash Mobs, thousands of restaurants, bars, night clubs, museums and parks to pleasure your life away. Living or commuting to NYC is like being a member of Delta Force. It ain't for everyone but if you can do it life is great and you are a very special person.So let's talk about NYC. The New York City immediate Metropolitan area represents the largest city and metro in America with more than 20 million residents.New York City has an extraordinarily diverse population. Half of the residents are immigrants. It is one of the few cities in the country in which four different racial/ethnic groups each make up at least 10 percent of the population. Put it in perspective, and you end up with the conclusion that New York City is by far the most ethnically and racially diverse city in the world. It has the largest number of blacks, close to 3.5 million in the USA . (Atlanta is second.) This is almost 9% of the entire Black population of the United States.New York City proper has more than 2.4 million African Americans. According to the 2010 decennial census, 33 percent of New York City residents are white, 26 percent are Hispanic, 26 percent are black, and 13 percent are Asian. Altogether, 47 percent are immigrants. Some neighborhoods are mixed, but most are of the same ethic/racial groups. Expensive neighborhoods like most of Manhattan and lots of Brooklyn and Queens are white. Immigration from the Caribbean and Central America are diminishing the dominance of Puerto Ricans, and among Asians, where new arrivals now are more likely to be from rural China or Southeast Asia rather than Taiwan or Hong Kong. In joining the ranks of American cities where whites are a minority,New York, in its diversity, is more like Los Angeles and San Francisco than cities like Detroit and Newark, where black majorities replaced white ones. New immigrants do not simply replace old residents in the same jobs. They alter the economic mix. Look at the way Italians shaped the construction industry or, more recently, how Koreans have changed green groceries. The succession of wealthy and skilled Blue Collar European groups who founded New York and dominated it for centuries have now become a racial minority. Whites are the racial minority residents in NYC itself. And they tend to be wealthy too to afford the expensive skyscraper multi million dollar condos and $3000/month apartments being built by the hundreds to accommodate the huge world migration to NYC. People have their priorities and if one of the top ones is living in Manhattan then they make it happen. Lots of people live in 2 bedroom apartments with 2 or 3 other people they don't know so they only pay $1,000 month each. I don't know how people move to NYC from anywhere else because the amount of living space you'll end up having is just a fraction of what you're probably used to . . . but for us NYers it's just what we are used to. It's also a very different lifestyle. There are a lot of singles and couples, it's exciting, active, socially diverse, people get along, tons of things to do any day with lots of entertainment choices, Very few families live here (in Manhattan).Lots of the people renting are struggling actors or such and they sacrifice space for location. I have friends who live in only a small room and share bathroom and kitchen. I know people who commute 2 or 3 hours to work . . . I am one of them, which is ridiculous but I have six kids and wife Upstate in the Catskill’s mountains, so its worth it. If you know the right spots to look and the right people you can get something affordable in this town . . . but for most people you're better off moving somewhere else. It sounds crazy but it's just life here.Most New Yorker's don't own, they either rent and/or live in the burbs & commute. When I first moved here, I lived in Hell's Kitchen in Midtown Manhattan and then moved to Jamaica, Queens. I worked in the Village and spent one hour on the F Train each way to and from work. The average rent for a Manhattan apartment was more than $2500 in 2005 and it's only gone up since. It would be more realistic for you to look for a studio, deep in another borough and even then you will have a hard time finding something acceptable that is that cheap. There is an affordable housing crisis in NYC and things are bad for everyone. Luxury skyscraper condos are sprouting up for sale everywhere but nothing affordable to rent. You could always try renting a bedroom in a share situation. It's possible that you won't find much less than $700/800 since you don't want to get shot or have an hour commute.NYC is a commuting culture. Millions of people commute to Manhattan every day, they ride trains, take ferries, subways or buses to Manhattan and there are tens of thousands of amenities to accommodate them. They come from Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut, Hudson Valley, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Upstate. This Metro area is more than 30 million people. Consequently, transportation is everything in NYC. But if you live in Manhattan, don't even consider a car unless you're wealthy, because you'll have to pay big time to keep it in a parking garage which cost around $800/month. You can get around by train, subway, taxi and bus. Subways go everywhere but are full of smelly homeless, hot, dirty, loud with rude people, constant beggars and candy sellers etc. But the entertainers at the stops are great. The A Train travels the entire length of the city, from the Bronx all the way through Brooklyn. It is quite the ride . . . a bucket list thing. Busses aren't bad but it tends to be slow. Living in Manhattan or Brooklyn and having a car is suicidal. A car is needed if you live on Staten Island. In Queens a car is helpful, and not a pain. For most of the Bronx, forget it, except for Riverdale.Manhattan and parts of other boroughs have alternate side parking, which means you have to move your car every day except Sunday and find a new parking spot. Loads of metered parking also.When I moved to NYC, I kept my car. I love the freedom that driving gives me and I hate having to rely on public transportation. My only issue with cars would be traffic & parking. It's HORRIBLY hard to find parking in Manhattan. And no one drives a nice car in NYC, just whoopdees that suffer lots of dings and dents. Your car is also apt to be hit or sideswiped so if you're very anal about the way your car looks, you'll have to pay extra to fix it . . . And yes, insurance is expensive.As for "deals" on apartments, some neighborhoods are cheaper and some more expensive. Location counts for a lot. I, for one, always was more interested in space than in location. I was always willing to live on off blocks (but never dangerous ones, just skuzzy looking ones) to get a bigger place. Right across the Hudson,Hoboken is a great pace to live. Hoboken is a very up and coming place, lots of young people who commute to Manhattan, lots of bars, restaurants. It's just so clean, quiet and friendly here. There is the PATH Subway and ferries to take you to work in NYC. Speaking of commuting, New York City has one of the most extensive public transit systems in the world. The New York City Subway System is one of the largest subway systems in the world with more than 700 miles of tracks covering the four out of five boroughs of New York City. It is the only subway system in the world that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Penn Station is the busiest railroad station in the world, with more than 800,000 commuters in it every day. In addition it hosts the Long Island Railroad, which bring million of the commuters from the eastern suburbs into the city daily. Grand Central Terminal is the largest railroad station in the world. The GCT is home to Metro-North Railroad, which operates train from this fame rail hub to the Hudson Valley, the northern suburbs and Connecticut. And now also the Long Island Railroad to Manhattan's east side.Other form of transportation operates to and from New York City, they included The PATH, NJ Transit, Amtrak, and both national and regional buses departing from and arriving to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. There also five airports, (Newark, LGA, JFK, Newburgh, and White Plans), as well as an extensive ferry system that include the Staten Island Ferry. So there is definitely no way you'll need a car to get around New York City.Manhattan squeezes people in skyscrapers and more are built every year for business, condos and apartments. Most people who work in those tall Manhattan skyscrapers of Manhattan live in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, or even the NJ cities. Asking whether the City or New Jersey right across the Hudson is better is like asking if surfing is better in the Great Lakes or the Pacific. Stay away from Long Island, New Jersey or Hudson Valley, etc. if you're not looking to start a family, or simply do not prefer some of the most exciting activity in the world.NYC is heavily minority but overall, whites are much better off - they are better educated, have significantly less out of wed lock births, suffer less drugs, idleness and do much less crime than minorities. The evil doer whites steal unethically at the top in Wall Street and the blacks steal violently at the bottom on the street. Social progressives are always trying integrate the neighborhoods and schools, but it is the old story, how do you mix poor minorities with educated affluent whites? So the melting pot image belies the reality that much of the city remains divided along racial or ethnic lines. In dozens of neighborhoods, a single racial or ethnic group predominates, at rates of 70 percent to nearly 90 percent.New York schools are the most segregated in the country according to a new study. More than half of New York City’s public schools are more than 90 percent black and Latino, But these numbers don’t mean very much when placed in the context of the demographics of the school system as a whole - more than 67 percent of all students in the NYC system are black and Latino to begin with and live in their own neighborhoods. There just aren't not enough white kids to go around and integrate. And the white kids come from a different demographic too - more wealth, better educated and less dysfunctional homes. Sounds like Atlanta to me too! This is the worrisome inequities hidden beneath the New York’s glowing facade. There is a “tale of two cities” and the growing gap between the city’s haves and have-nots, which all too often follow racial lines. Indeed, racial segregation in New York is frequently accompanied by socioeconomic segregation. Across the state, the typical African-American student “attends a school where 69% of students are low-income.” For the typical Latino student, that number is 65 percent. For whites, less than 30 percent. Mandatory efforts to force integration - such as busing - are unlikely to gain political traction today. This causes great anger among whites and they move out.New York’s elite high schools are some of the city’s crown jewels, are the best in the USA, renowned for their merit-based exclusivity. Changing admission requirements to the city’s top schools for the sake of feel-good social justice would erode the schools’ tradition of excellence in the service of dubious ends. Absent a massive program of busing, or forced population transfer, there aren’t enough white people to satisfy the social progressives. And many of the best-regarded public elementary schools are getting whiter.More than a third of the 100 most diverse schools are high schools, reflecting the city’s practice of allowing students to apply to any high school. The Mathematics, Science and Engineering High School at City College is the most diverse. Every year about 80,000 students will soon receive high-school acceptance letters, and for many this time marks the culmination of months—sometimes years—spent hitting the books, meeting with tutors, and sprucing up resumes. That’s because admission into one of the city’s 400 or so public high schools is rarely automatic: Each kid ranks and applies to as many as 12 schools, and recent statistics suggest that less than half of a year’s applicants get into their first-choices, while 10 percent of them—nearly 8,000 kids—don’t get a match at all.Then there are the crème de la crème of New York City’s public high schools: the nine prestigious "specialized" institutions that are often seen as informal feeders for the Ivy League. Only 5,000 kids are offered admissions to these college-prep schools, which students can pursue in addition to their 12 choices. You get into them by passing a test - a 150-minute multiple-choice test known as the SHSAT. But critics say the test encourages a culture of exclusivity - one that, matched with the schools’ notorious lack of student diversity, has been subject to intense debate over the years. Social progressives suggest new desegregation efforts that link “choice” with “key civil rights standards, such as strong public information and outreach, free transportation and no admissions screening.” Personally, I think that admission screening is a must unless you want to water down academics.NYC is the epitome of capitalism and socialism - called Plato's Utopia - in the USA . They are conflicting values, but everyone on both sides gets along. In such a highly people packed environment, where ten thousand people work in one skyscraper, getting along is a must. Immigrants, entrepreneurs and business make the world turn, the socialists want undeserved economic equality.I am old school - you work for what you get - and I do not agree with much on the progressive social agenda that I equate with giveaways and guarantees for the free lunch crowd. I don't have a problem with providing a "hand up" but dislike the handouts that never go away and encourage laziness and dependence on the government. Excellence starts in the home and grows stronger in the schools. I do not favor increased social welfare spending - life is sweet but can be hard, getting educated and keeping a job and your nose clean is perquisite for the good life. In another words, "personal responsibility" counts more than welfare spending. Social progressive wanted to eliminate tests and merit-based criteria for schools, busing to mix populations, reserved housing for minorities in wealthy areas, etc. I totally disagree with any of that. I say stimulate the economy, create jobs and that will eventually take care of most of the problems.Life on 34th StreetI am a 35-year New Yorker. I lived in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan and Jamaica, Queens for two years and worked in Greenwich Village, Mid Town, the East side on 42nd Street, and around Manhattan's Penn Plaza (One Penn Plaza @ 57 floors and Two Penn Plaza @ 42 floors). It was a very busy area with major transportation facilities and office buildings where tens of thousands of people walked by every day. New Yorkers tended to be diverse, thick skinned, adventurous, well groomed and mannered, tall, slender and well dressed - and friendly too, always ready for a joke or a prank. There are dozens of Delis, cafeterias, and eateries in each building and one Penn Plaza has a roof top Mexican restaurant which has decent view of the Empire State Building , which is all you need/want when you’re throwing back beergaritas - giant, strong margaritas with a Corona dumped right in.Madison Square Garden (MSG)It was a busy area, across the street from Penn Plaza was MSG and below was Penn Station with all Manhattan's subways connections also serving Amtrak trains to destinations all over the United States and Canada, and Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit trains to suburbs and the Jersey Shore. Consequentially the people traffic was about a million every day, with about 800,000 using Penn Station alone. MSG is home to concerts, hockey, basket ball, circuses, conventions, and boxing. It is the oldest and most active major sporting facility in the New York metropolitan area. I have been there dozens of times, but there's nothing like The Garden on fight night. Some of the greatest heavyweight championships have taken place over the years and more than fifty world title bouts overall have been decided at The World's Most Famous Arena. I went to the "Fight of the Century" in 1971 between Joe Fraiser and Mohamed Ali - It was a great fight - Burt Lancaster did the blow by blow. Fraiser won. I went to Club 21 after the fight and hung around with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack who were at the fight too.8th Avenue & Times SquareWithin two blocks were about 500 restaurants, fast food, places, bars, shops and hotels. Street performers and Flash Mobs were everywhere. You could even get into a great game of Chess on 34th Street. Around the corner on 8th Avenue was the Fashion District, going up several blocks to 42nd where the infamous and world's largest bus station Port Authority sat, across the street was the infamous Terminal Bar with exciting and somewhat perverted 42nd Street right next store. Times Square had thousands of activities, home to hundreds of night clubs, dance clubs, discos, Bars, Porn shops, Massage Parlors, all night Movie theaters (each had three movies plus cartoons), restaurants, hotels, and the Great White Theater District. The 11th Avenue Diner was my favorite all night spot for eggs, bacon with greasy potatoes and onions. Celebrities haunt the place. I met Woody Allen and Telly Savalas there. It was a very exciting area. One of trembling anticipation of what was around the next corner to embellish your life.There are even high quality strip clubs if you like some skin, for Belly Dancing there is Little Egypt; for cabaret there are dozens of clubs around; plus all kinds of fine ethnic restaurants - Chinese - Korean - Japanese - Indian - Egyptian - Portuguese and German food emporiums. The area is filled with food street counters, Orange Julius, Pizza, Shiskabob and Halal street carts for even more tasty ethnic dishes. Lunch out on the tumultuous streets was always an adventure. You had a hundred restaurants to pick from and the girl watching was excellent. Girl watching is an art form in Midtown, so many beautiful women pass by on the street, of every color, racial type, size and ethnic origin, you have your pick of whom to fall in love with for that second. You could say "I am watching for a six-foot Asian girl in a Yellow dress and five minutes late she would walk by. And the girl watching around Penn Plaza was great, not as good as Mid Town or Wall Street, but great.Occasionally you would see one of the painted girls, they are naked but there body is painted so you cannot see their privates. Usually they have something like the American Flag painted on them. There is lots of street entertainment, Flash Mobs put on dance and singing performances from hits in Broadway plays while the underground music scene in New York City is in the subway system, and is characterized by Mariachi bands and musicians playing various instruments. Occasionally you stumble upon a gem, a real professional playing versions of the Grateful Dead’s 'Me and My Uncle.' Yesterday while waiting for the train to Brooklyn , I saw a young girl do a roof-raising Irish jig who inspired a small hootenanny of strangers coming together in unfettered joy.Right up the street on 34th Street's Penn Plaza was a major shopping street connecting the Lincoln Tunnel and Queens-Midtown Tunnel - is Macy's the world's largest department store, Gimbals, the Empire State Building - the second tallest building in the city, and Herald Square, a major subway station where Broadway and 6th Avenue intersect. Slightly north, at 38th Street and 5th Avenue is Lord & Taylor; the oldest department store in the United States. At the west end of the street one finds the Hudson River, the West Midtown Ferry Terminal, the West 30th Street Heliport, the Hudson River Greenway, the West Side Highway, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center where the Auto and Boats shows are put on. On the West Side 34th Street is in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, at the north end of the West Side Yard. On Tenth Avenue is a McDonald's with a drive-thru and a small parking lot, a rarity in Manhattan . There are more than 180 hotels near Penn Plaza , but right around the Plaza there dozens, each with its own restaurant and Happy Hour and many with entertainment or a DJ. Are you looking for a cheap Motel, an economy Holiday Inn, staid Penn Plaza Pavilion hotel, fancy Staler Hilton? From sleaze to five star, it's all here.New York City is all about meeting people and the street Café serving up espresso or wine is great at that and they are on every street and corner. Meeting New Yorkers is not who you are but what you are . . . diversity personified, no bigotry allowed, mix with the poor and rich, just have fun and appreciate each other. On special occasions we go to the Florida Bar and Grill on 35th off 8th Avenue . It's really a first class strip club, women are curvaceous and beautiful, and their topless dancing is good. Over all a fun experience.Penn PlazaAround the complex of Penn Plaza office building, there is Penn Station, Madison Square Garden (MSG), dozens of hotels, and hundreds of bars / restaurants / dance clubs / strip joints. After a stressful day at work satisfying Manhattan's high expectation customers, if you are interested in some intellectual or casual conversation, maybe unwind with a beer or cocktail, or for sure a tasty snack, there are literally hundreds of places within two blocks to try. Everyone knows that the area surrounding Penn Plaza and MSG is just an unfortunate, low brow, Irish-themed reality (if you don't, now you do), filled with your favorite gritty places to eat and drink for Happy Hour or before a big game. I like McCann's on 33rd off 7th Avenue , its got multiple huge TV screens, you can watch sports or news, eat all kinds of free food snacks from Sliders, pickled Pig Feet and hard-boiled eggs up to $5.00 three inch thick burgers and $10.00 full course meals if you want it.It's wonderful to have so many interesting spots near my Two Penn Plaza office for lunch or after work drinks, even in a five star restaurant. Other than that, the next best place is the Brother's Bar and Grill across the street from MSG on 33rd by 8th Avenue . It sits right next to One Penn Plaza , my first Plaza office for my 50 person engineering group was 9,000 sq. feet on the Mezzanine right next to the bar. The big circular bar surround by sit down tables hold hundreds, you will meet all kinds of famous people and performers playing MSG who hang out there. It gets super crowded after work hours but there is a lot of outdoor patio seating which is great during the summer.Penn StationUnderneath Madison Square Garden (MSG) is Penn Station where you will step into a homeless shelter enforced by the ACLU, full of sleaze and excitement. It's the busiest passenger transportation facility in North America catering to almost a million people every day, and there are hundreds of 24 X 7 available food choices available. When I used to live on NJ and if there was a delay (let's be honest that happened more often than it should) there was in the station lots pf places for a bite or a drink and 30 or 40 random spots that no sane person ever dared to go into - but commuters are not sane - they are tired, hungry and desperate. Penn Station is basically a subway/train station on a Hollywood playwright’s steroids where writing about Penn Station is like writing a review of herpes. It’s a gritty place, full of characters, Dive Bars, and new big city experiences, all with plenty of COPS around too kept the peace. If you are an ex sailor, it’s a great place making you think you are back in Karachi or Bangkok . If you're unlucky, sloppy, or come from far enough away where all this is strange, you do what you have to do to get out of it as fast as possible . . . but the stink will linger on. It is a whole lot dirtier than Manhattan 's other big public transit center, Grand Central Station on 42nd Street. Penn Station has all the glitz and glamour of your usual subway station, which pretty much says it all. More than 800,000 commuters a day use the place, and it is always crowded. It is home to the LIRR, NJ Transit and Amtrak. Penn Station is the commuter's home away from home, it has everything to keep you comfortable whether you want to eat or drink.Rabbit Dive BarThere were more than 30 bars in the Penn Station complex alone, each with its own theme and ambiance, but the Rabbit was the most fun. I like a Dive Bar, they are comfortable, dirty, sleazy, and usually filled with crazy and interesting characters. It had a great Top 40 Juke Box, greasy hamburgers, with pickles and onions, Hamburgers and chili smothered Hot Dogs. On the 7th Avenue entrance and across the passageway from the Rabbit Bar was a Pizza Place, a Manhattan Deli, newspaper stands, and a convenient store where you could purchase clothes, candies, and personal items if you suddenly found yourself stuck in town overnight. Which did happen often and we would get one of those vacant (where the Manhattan Project people stayed) prepaid DEC rooms at the South Gate Hotel on 31st street. You'd probably miss this place with the hustle and bustle and gazillions of people pushing/shoving their way through the Penn Station underground, but you'd be missing out on this place that's literally right under all these people's noses. Go down the 7th avenue stairs into Penn Station and its on your right. Of course, the crowd is of all types . . . this can be a plus or a minus depending on who YOU are.. We started to go there for Happy Hour and sometimes wind up hanging out there all night and then get rooms at the South Gate hotel down the street where DEC booked rooms at for our guests. Besides New Jersey / New York / Pennsylvania commuters, you would meet people from all over the USA and world. This place is like a hidden diamond. Its got a juke box, pool table and old piano. The bar is long and serves up standard NYC bar food, pickled pigs feet and hard boiled eggs.The Rabbit is the kind of place for meeting interesting people and talking. Most people have to catch a train,. so you keep meeting new people all night. Being such a comfortable and interesting bar, a lot of people practically lived there. George would came over once in a while and play three sets of flawless big band tunes. When the Juke got fired up, the dancers hit the floor and were a treat to watch. All levels of skill and knowledge, and a delightful older black man who was obviously from the old school of Lindy Hop who was very kindly and sweetly teaching some of the younger pups how to do the steps. There was one older guy who looked kind of like an elderly and spindly college professor who could move more in five minutes than I ever could in a lifetime. It was a true total treat.