OT: Depends Who You Ask Apocalypse - Off Topic Thread of Summer

[PK Cronin]

Curious who you guys use for cell service in the New York area. I'm fairly confident Verizon is the best, but they're also quite expensive. Anybody use any others that work well on the island and upstate?

 

[CBG]

Curious who you guys use for cell service in the New York area. I'm fairly confident Verizon is the best, but they're also quite expensive. Anybody use any others that work well on the island and upstate?

Verizon,,,,and I am in Rockland no issues unless I am near Bear Mountain,, thats the only spot I have had trouble = no towers or repeaters

 

[islesfan186]

Curious who you guys use for cell service in the New York area. I'm fairly confident Verizon is the best, but they're also quite expensive. Anybody use any others that work well on the island and upstate?

Had Verizon for years. Definitely the best provider, but also the most expensive. I've hadn't sprint for the last 4 years. 50 bucks a month, but I guess I have to pay extra to actually get service lol

 

[PWJunior]

Had Verizon for years. Definitely the best provider, but also the most expensive. I've hadn't sprint for the last 4 years. 50 bucks a month, but I guess I have to pay extra to actually get service lol

I was a long time AT&T guy, originally got it when it was Cingular back in the day. Switched to Verizon about 2 years ago and don't miss AT&T at all. You pay a premium, but it has been worth it IMO.

I'm curious about the 5G though as I'm planning on getting the Samsung Note 10. I don't think it's available in NY, but it will eventually will be and want a device that will support it and be able to take full advantage of it.

 

[PK Cronin]

My family is just getting killed with the way Verizon sets up their plans and was looking for an alternative. If you do a shared data plan and go over your limit they double the price of the data and they round up. The issue is that Verizon is the best so they're reluctant to go with any other provider. Looks like you all have a similar experience with Verizon being the only competent provider in the area.

I use Google Fi myself, and I find it wonderful but it definitely isn't worth it for everyone (if you're not connected to wifi on the regular it'd be a problem).

 

[Glory Days]

Curious who you guys use for cell service in the New York area. I'm fairly confident Verizon is the best, but they're also quite expensive. Anybody use any others that work well on the island and upstate?

The family uses ATT. Half of us are on the Island and half in he city. Nobody has any issues with service and we never pay overage charges for data. We are on the shared plan.

 

[PWJunior]

Pretty awesome to see Shane Lowry, an Irishman about to win The Open Championship in his homeland. Enjoy that walk big boy!

 

[nyisles]

I'm on ATT prepaid, probably the best value option out there IMO. $40/mo for 8gb data with rollover, no speed caps or anything. I usually have 3 or 4 gigs to roll over each month too, this month I have over 13gb available if I need it.

I feel your frustration there though PK, I think Verizon has been getting over on a lot of families the same way which partly enables them to be so expensive. A lot of stubborn and/or complacent people have been with VZ forever and refuse to look into anything else, and they know it. My g/f's parents and mine are in the same boat, paying a fortune to VZ each month because they have no interest in going elsewhere even if it saves a bunch of money.

 

[PK Cronin]

The family uses ATT. Half of us are on the Island and half in he city. Nobody has any issues with service and we never pay overage charges for data. We are on the shared plan.

I'm on ATT prepaid, probably the best value option out there IMO. $40/mo for 8gb data with rollover, no speed caps or anything. I usually have 3 or 4 gigs to roll over each month too, this month I have over 13gb available if I need it.

I feel your frustration there though PK, I think Verizon has been getting over on a lot of families the same way which partly enables them to be so expensive. A lot of stubborn and/or complacent people have been with VZ forever and refuse to look into anything else, and they know it. My g/f's parents and mine are in the same boat, paying a fortune to VZ each month because they have no interest in going elsewhere even if it saves a bunch of money.

Do you guys travel a lot? The big issue is service while traveling. Upstate NY (Albany area) is a huge need for them.

 

[LeapOnOver]

When I moved from NY to Texas I was so sad that there weren't any 7-elevens. I mean, a place you think would be perfect for slurpees, is completely bereft of them. I heard there were some in Dallas, but none in Houston. I also missed Dunkin' Donuts. I couldn't believe staples like those were not nationwide.

Fast forward to moving to Korea, there was a Dunkin' Donuts at the airport and the train station when I first arrived. I was in heaven! Then, on the bus ride to my orientation I found 7-Elevens everywhere. I was so happy! I couldn't believe it took moving to a different country to get those two things back in my life. Sadly, reality set in and while Dunkin' Donuts is true to form, 7-Eleven is a shell of itself here. No slurpee machines, no fountain drinks, no coffee stations....they don't roll that way in Korea. 1/2 ain't bad though!

 

[saintunspecified]

Do you guys travel a lot? The big issue is service while traveling. Upstate NY (Albany area) is a huge need for them.

I travel a lot, and I'm on T-mobile. Generally speaking it's fine in cities, and terrible in the country. In Albany it's fine, but if you go more than a half hour north it can drop completely.

 

[nyisles]

Do you guys travel a lot? The big issue is service while traveling. Upstate NY (Albany area) is a huge need for them.

I've found ATT coverage to be pretty good, a close 2nd to Verizon. A couple years back I was with T-Mobile and had no service at all visiting some friends in the Poconos, when I visited again maybe 6 months later I had switched to ATT and had strong LTE signal in their entire neighborhood. I imagine the coverage in or near Albany will be fine.

Another traveling-related note, ATT has free roaming in Mexico and Canada, so I was able to use my phone when I went to Mexico this winter with no issues.

 

[PK Cronin]

I travel a lot, and I'm on T-mobile. Generally speaking it's fine in cities, and terrible in the country. In Albany it's fine, but if you go more than a half hour north it can drop completely.

That's actually right where they travel a lot

 

[islesfan186]

When I moved from NY to Texas I was so sad that there weren't any 7-elevens. I mean, a place you think would be perfect for slurpees, is completely bereft of them. I heard there were some in Dallas, but none in Houston. I also missed Dunkin' Donuts. I couldn't believe staples like those were not nationwide.

Fast forward to moving to Korea, there was a Dunkin' Donuts at the airport and the train station when I first arrived. I was in heaven! Then, on the bus ride to my orientation I found 7-Elevens everywhere. I was so happy! I couldn't believe it took moving to a different country to get those two things back in my life. Sadly, reality set in and while Dunkin' Donuts is true to form, 7-Eleven is a shell of itself here. No slurpee machines, no fountain drinks, no coffee stations....they don't roll that way in Korea. 1/2 ain't bad though!

Something else that is rare to find outside of NY/NJ.....REAL DELIS! Blew my mind, and by real delis I mean places like Manhasset Deli, Hincks in Port Washington, or Parkway Deli in Albertson/Herricks/Roslyn. Good old fashion German Delis. I'm gonna miss the hell out of those when we move to TN next summer. Actually just the food in general I will miss. No more good pizza, Italian bakery's, delis, Chinese food, etc. Though I'm sure I will get killer fried chicken and BBQ.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Something else that is rare to find outside of NY/NJ.....REAL DELIS! Blew my mind, and by real delis I mean places like Manhasset Deli, Hincks in Port Washington, or Parkway Deli in Albertson/Herricks/Roslyn. Good old fashion German Delis. I'm gonna miss the hell out of those when we move to TN next summer. Actually just the food in general I will miss. No more good pizza, Italian bakery's, delis, Chinese food, etc. Though I'm sure I will get killer fried chicken and BBQ.

Yeah, definitely missed deli's as well. There is one in Houston that's really good called Kenny and Ziggy's (I think that's the name). But being the only one it is super expensive, but very delicious. Not a place to go to get a quick cheap sandwich, but good nonetheless. People always asked me the difference between food in NY vs. Houston and my response was the same. I could walk into any ma and pa pizza place or Chinese food restaurant and it would be delicious, but in Houston, it's Russian Roulette. However, I would need to search long and hard to find a great Mexican place in NY, but I could stop at any food cart in Houston and get the best Mexican food imaginable.

 

[crasherino]

Something else that is rare to find outside of NY/NJ.....REAL DELIS! Blew my mind, and by real delis I mean places like Manhasset Deli, Hincks in Port Washington, or Parkway Deli in Albertson/Herricks/Roslyn. Good old fashion German Delis. I'm gonna miss the hell out of those when we move to TN next summer. Actually just the food in general I will miss. No more good pizza, Italian bakery's, delis, Chinese food, etc. Though I'm sure I will get killer fried chicken and BBQ.

Open a deli in TN, find someone with good handwriting to make you a nice chalkboard full of sandwiches with names including an Italian one called "The Bada-Deech!", make a decent egg and cheese on a roll and you'll have every ex-pat NYer within 50 miles banging down your door.

 

[PK Cronin]

Yeah, definitely missed deli's as well. There is one in Houston that's really good called Kenny and Ziggy's (I think that's the name). But being the only one it is super expensive, but very delicious. Not a place to go to get a quick cheap sandwich, but good nonetheless. People always asked me the difference between food in NY vs. Houston and my response was the same. I could walk into any ma and pa pizza place or Chinese food restaurant and it would be delicious, but in Houston, it's Russian Roulette. However, I would need to search long and hard to find a great Mexican place in NY, but I could stop at any food cart in Houston and get the best Mexican food imaginable.

That's a real good way of putting it.

I find that the best places for pizza where I am would be mediocre in NY. The worst places...gross. I've actually been invited over to places where we were told, "oh, we'll just order some pizza and hang out" and then dominoes or Pappa John's shows up and I want to vomit.

 

[doublechili]

I had an uncle who would always get Chinese food whenever he came back home to visit NY. He'd complain about how he couldn't get good Chinese food where he moved to. San Francisco.

 

[PWJunior]

I had an uncle who would always get Chinese food whenever he came back home to visit NY. He'd complain about how he couldn't get good Chinese food where he moved to. San Francisco.

When I lived in Boston, I missed diners and Korean food the most. Now that I'm back in NY, I miss the Vietnamese food from Beantown. Surprisingly, Pho in Boston is absolutely amazing. There was a restaurant in Dorchester that I would only go to with some friends I knew because you could get shot as an outsider around those parts.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

I had an uncle who would always get Chinese food whenever he came back home to visit NY. He'd complain about how he couldn't get good Chinese food where he moved to. San Francisco.

New Jersey has the best Chinese Food. It's a little too refined in SF. They do have great cuisine from other Asian cultures in SF, though.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

When I lived in Boston, I missed diners and Korean food the most. Now that I'm back in NY, I miss the Vietnamese food from Beantown. Surprisingly, Pho in Boston is absolutely amazing. There was a restaurant in Dorchester that I would only go to with some friends I knew because you could get shot as an outsider around those parts.

I ordered two slices of pizza in a hole in wall join on the South End once. The place seemed promising. No frills, just a regular pizza joint. I was underwhelmed when I was served two soggy pieces of crap. Took one bite and immediately put the rest on the counter and told them their pizza was absolutely disgusting and that they should be ashamed serving this to human beings.

 

[islesfan186]

That's a real good way of putting it.

I find that the best places for pizza where I am would be mediocre in NY. The worst places...gross. I've actually been invited over to places where we were told, "oh, we'll just order some pizza and hang out" and then dominoes or Pappa John's shows up and I want to vomit.

Not gonna lie, I kinda like ordering dominoes once in a while. It's like the mcdonalds of pizza, every now and then you just get that urge to have some fast food chain style pizza. Gonna probably wind up having to live off of that and papa John's once I move to TN. That's what I had to do when I was stationed in Kansas

 

[PK Cronin]

Not gonna lie, I kinda like ordering dominoes once in a while. It's like the mcdonalds of pizza, every now and then you just get that urge to have some fast food chain style pizza. Gonna probably wind up having to live off of that and papa John's once I move to TN. That's what I had to do when I was stationed in Kansas

I've eaten both before, but you're absolutely right. They're fast food and not traditional pizza. I wouldn't tell someone to come over and we'll have burgers, then go get McDonald's for them. I felt deceived.

Fast food pizza is good when everything else is closed and it's 2am with a bunch of buddies having a good time.

 

[doublechili]

New Jersey has the best Chinese Food. It's a little too refined in SF. They do have great cuisine from other Asian cultures in SF, though.

Thank you for making sense of something that never made sense to me. And props to my late uncle's taste buds. Reminds me of when my cousins and I as teenagers used to kinda mock another uncle for his taste in music: Johnny Cash and Ray Charles! Now looking back....

 

[BrockLobster]

I ordered two slices of pizza in a hole in wall join on the South End once. The place seemed promising. No frills, just a regular pizza joint. I was underwhelmed when I was served two soggy pieces of crap. Took one bite and immediately put the rest on the counter and told them their pizza was absolutely disgusting and that they should be ashamed serving this to human beings.

One bite. Everyone knows the rules.