When I practiced karate in Long Island, it was Koryu Uchinadi, an ancient style that was basically reintroduced by a dude named
Patrick McCarthy. Xazy, if you don't mind driving out to Elmont (just on the border of Queens/LI) or taking the metro out there, my old dojo is well worth the effort. I don't know the new schedule, it used to be three weeknights from 7ish to 9 or 10, depending on what we were doing that night. He started introducing weekend classes during the warmer seasons (and depending on his work - he's in law enforcement). I believe he also started having a judo teacher friend come in and supplement their training sometime after I left.
It was a fantastic experience for me and that style incorporates all of that old time wisdom and kata (the more stylized, going through the motions kind of stuff) as well as very practical maneuvers for self defense. The grappling was probably my favorite, but we sparred as well (not as beginners, but after our first belt upgrade). The instructor's dojo is a converted garage in his home and he ran the classes on donations (still does as far as I know). The great thing was that it was full of adults who really wanted to be there, because of the way he set it up. I'm pretty sure he was running on a net loss for a long time just because he loved to practice the martial arts! He welcomes all levels. I highly recommend starting there since you are in NYC. Feel free to PM me for his info.