Novel,

Here is the picture the red tape is covering the pipe in
question..sorry, its the best i can do
http://s349.photobucket.com/user/Nov..._0172.jpg.html

Anthony, yes a 'real plumber' did that years ago before I bought the
house according to the previous owner in order to snake it straight
down and then taped it. I am a diy..but particularly not in plumbing
of that nature so i would have to leave all to the discretion of a
real plumber. To the best of my knowledge, PVC's are not allowed or
were not allowed in NYC.

As far as I know, PVC and ABS are standard in the national plumbing codes.
Of course, it's entirely possible you have a local code that supercedes the
national code. If that's the case, you would probably have to go with
galvanized again. Here in Washington state, I don't think I've ever even
seen a galvanized P-trap.

From the photo and what you're describing, it sounds like the plumbing has
been pieced together and patched up over the years. It probably needs
updating, but then you run into the old issue of how far do you go.
Problems tend to escalate when you're dealing with old pipe. It could turn
into a real headache.

As another poster mentioned, if you can get that old pipe nipple out
without breaking things, it might be smart to just replace that and leave
the rest alone. At least until you can afford to update the rest of the
plumbing.

Good luck!

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com