i'm gonna have wheels built soon, i weigh 155-160lbs. will be riding on city streets,NYC should i go with 36H or what?

doesn't really matter for your weight
you could go 32 without any problems and save some weight
only thing that should matter is if you like the hubs and rims.
my opinion

Assuming you get decent rims like Velocity Aero or Mavic Open Pros, I'd go 32.

less (but stronger) spokes better. my mechanic is making me a 28 holer. that's just one man's opinion, though. i'm sure you'll get others.

BTW i run 16 spokes on my front wheel for all my street bikes and i've never had a problem. that front wheel has been going for a year and a half.

or Mavic MA3s.

I'm closer to 170 pounds and commute with books etc on 32 hole Mavic MA3's and haven't had any trouble. I think it is worth the time (do it yourself) or money (find someone really good) to make sure the wheels are well built. In my experience, the quality of the build is key... assuming the parts are of reasonable quality as dobber mentioned.