Completely anecdotal, but doing it in-person in NYC was pretty painless for me. Walk in with paperwork, wait 2 weeks, pick up visa. I’ve heard of others having difficulty though, particularly over mail.
Yeah, plus the consulate in NYC is pretty empty, at least when I’ve been. I once was able to get a two year visa in under an hour in and out, although my father is Algerian and half my family still lives there, so it was likely a special case for them.
Why don't you get an algerian passport?
I've heard the paperwork to get a military service exemption is not worth it unless you're visiting frequently
Everything went fine for me too, but it was difficult to figure out what to do from California. Sending my passport to them that way made me nervous, though.