Possibly Moving to New York City - Info Wanted

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HelloAngel

ONE love, blood, life
Joined
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Hi all :)

I am seriously thinking of moving to NYC in the next year, but I need help. I need information on the cost of living in regards to rent $/square footage. Safe apartment buildings, and good neighborhoods. If any of you have a good understanding of the NYC Apartment/Real Estate market, please reply here or email me more details.

Thanks so much. You could be helping a very passionate girl accomplish a dream. See, all I've ever wanted was to live in NYC and work at a music magazine - even if it's just an internship. If you have any information about that too, please email me.

Love to you all. :hug:

C
 
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Hi Carrie! :)

I love NYC, in case you can't tell, and am also trying to move there. My fiance used to live there and he'd like to move back.

The housing market is, of course, ridiculous. DO NOT go through a real estate agent. You'll be charged a "finder's fee" and will probably be looking at (deliberately) higher-priced places. The Village Voice classifieds are good to check out (you can view them online, www.villagevoice.com).

There's a David Sedaris essay in which he talks about the NYC housing market which is actually pretty hilarious and informative; it's called "The Great Leap Forward" and it's in Me Talk Pretty One Day. He worked as a mover for a time, and he talks about the market being so ravenous that people will ask family and friends about the specifics of a deceased person's apartment while still at the funeral (or something like that). Of course, Sedaris also talks about a move to the boroughs being seen as a failure, which I don't think is as true as it once was. The Williamsburg and Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens/Brooklyn Heights/Park Slope areas of Brooklyn are all pretty hip (although Williamsburg is now being dismissed as "trendy" and targeted for gentrification by some) and cute, and are only one or two train stops from Manhattan. Some parts of Manhattan would be affordable on not-a-lot-of-money, but we are talking not-a-lot-of-Manhattan-money, and it also depends on what you're willing to accept in terms of space, a nice neighborhood, and proximity to public transportation; all three of those items drive up the cost. Also, it seems to me (though I could be wrong) that rent-controlled apartments (meaning that you always pay the same rent you pay when you initially move in, regardless of how long you live there) are harder to come by these days. You can probably forget about living in a neighborhood like the Upper East, Upper West, TriBeCa/SoHo...but who knows, you might get lucky in those places too.

I'm rambling here, mostly, and accentuating the negative, so let me add that the city has been cleaned up quite a bit, the subways (I think) are a hell of a lot of fun, nothing compares to TRULY not needing to have a car, and you can never ever be bored. :) Another thing I can recommend is that you sign up for the U2NYC mailing list; I'm not on my home computer so I don't have the link, but Headache in a Suitcase is on it and so (I think) are a few other blue crackheads. ;)

Anyway, hope that helps. PM me with any specific questions; maybe I can help more.

:wave:
 
Wow! Gosh!

Thanks so much for the information. Hopefully everyone will be as nice and help me out with some information about $ and what not. I am so desperate for helpful hints before I get on a plane and start pounding the apartment finding pavement up there. I haven't been back to the city since June of 2001. :(
 
new york city is amazing. i can't imagine a much more incredible place to live.

good luck carrie!
 
Thank you!!

Please you guys -- I know it's sillie - but any information/tips/advice you can give me about moving to NYC is appreciated! Ask your uncle, sister, brother, mother and grandpa! Email me if you don't want to write certain things! Anything will do! :)
 
Hi Carrie!

Maybe you could try Staten Island. It's not as exciting or diverse as Manhattan or the other boroughs. But the rents are reasonable, the neighborhoods are pretty safe, and its an easy commute to Manhattan. There's tons of express buses, and a train that takes you to the ferry into the city (that one is the easiest commute). Also, there is in no way a shortage of housing or apartments because development over here is outrageous.

Here's a website that might help you

http://www.silive.com/realestate/

The website also tells you everything you need to know about the Island and its neighborhoods. I hope this helps! I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have!

Good luck!
 
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try the boroughs. you'll pay half the rent and have a commute from anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour depending on what borough. manhattan is the most convenient, but the $$$ is absurd
 
Thanks!

Which borough would you recommend if say, I worked in Midtown? I'm trying to get an internship, and want to decrease my commute as much as possible.
 
Brooklyn, I would say. Like I said, some of the nicer Brooklyn neighborhoods are only one or two train stops from Manhattan. The train ride might be, say, half an hour to Midtown.
 
got your e-mail... figure i'd reply here instead so other people can offer their opinions as well.

not knowing your financial information, i'm gonna go out on a limb and say manhattan is out. if i'm wrong, then we should become friends when you move here because you've got some cash and i want to mooch :wink:

i'd take a look at hoboken, new jersey.

hoboken.jpg


it's right across the river from manhattan and is a quick ride on the PATH train... i think it's still $1.50 per ride, but it might have jumped up to 2 bucks like the subways, too. haven't taken the PATH since december, and i was cocked so i don't remember :shrug: it can be a bit more pricey than other areas, but it's a beautiful neighborhood, convienient location and is a discount compared to if you were just across the river in manhattan.

long beach and the rockaways on long island would be another option.

cm1010.gif


the commute to midtown would be long... about 45 minutes to an hour by Long Island Rail Road depending on wether you get on an express or a local. these areas are FILLED with young teachers, city cops and cidy firemen. they have their own little social scene, as well as being just a short trip away from Manhattan. when my sister was living in long beach, she and her two roommates paid $1,500 USD a month for a 3 bedroom, 1 bath appartment... pretty nice place, a block and a half north of the Ocean, a block and a half south of the Bay. Two years ago she moved to southern jersey, but she's moving back to Long Beach this summer 'cause she misses it. it's a great, fun town.

Other people have already mentioned places actually in the city, so i won't really comment on them. Baisicly the following rule should apply... the closer you are to Manhattan, the more expensive you're gonna get. The further away, the longer the commute, but it'll be much much cheaper rent-wise.

Hopefully this helped a bit... my suggestion would be to look in Northern Jersey or the south shore of Long Island... especially if you're just looking at an internship. the money you'd save in rent would far out-weight the time of commute... at least i think so.

here's a map of the whole area... i dunno what the ZOOM and other crap on it is for... i found it on google :shrug: it'll give ya an idea as far as the locations of the places i mentioned as well as some of the places other people have mentioned.
newyorkcity.gif
 
Headache,

Thanks so much for the info! I don't want to mention much financially on here, but email me - Manhattan isn't out for me.

Talk to you soon. :)
 
i lived most of my life in bklyn (the first 25 years) - depending on what part of bklyn you live, it could be up to 45 minutes to midtown. rent in an area in downtown bklyn with a 1 or 2 stop train ride to the city will be vastly more expensive than the outer reaches of bklyn. best bet for a midtown job is queens. you can have a 15 minute train ride and probably pay like $900 for a one bedroom. downtown bklyn, you will pay a minimum of 1400 for a one bedroom. hope that helped.
 
forget about hoboken; you'll never find a 1 bedroom for under $1800.
if you're looking in n.j. and want to be close to n.y., I would either look in jersey city, or go to bergen county, in towns like hackensack, rochelle park, maywood....there are alot, and the buses run all the time, and its about 20 minutes from here to midtown (without traffic), which of course, never happens.
 
Thanks JOFO!

I'm primarily looking in Manhattan and Brooklyn/Williamsburg. Ideally would like something in the LES area and surrounding villages.
 
Someday I'll move my ass to NYC. :cool: I've been there 3 times before and I love the place. Amazing vibe. I feel like this since the first time I went there. I hope this doesn?t end up as just a dream for me however. Good luck HelloAngel!!! :up: :hug:
 
TheBrazilianFly said:
Someday I'll move my ass to NYC. :cool: I've been there 3 times before and I love the place. Amazing vibe. I feel like this since the first time I went there. I hope this doesn?t end up as just a dream for me however. Good luck HelloAngel!!! :up: :hug:

I know how you feel. NYC is an expensive move for anyone to make, and is one of those places where you really have to want it BAD in order to move such a great distance to live there... Which is why my boyfriend and I have allotted ourselves a year to get everything in order financially to make the best decision for us. Luckily, we work at home, so we are professionally portable. Still, though, I've always said I'd live in NYC one day, and darn it, I just might!! :)
 
HelloAngel said:


I know how you feel. NYC is an expensive move for anyone to make, and is one of those places where you really have to want it BAD in order to move such a great distance to live there... Which is why my boyfriend and I have allotted ourselves a year to get everything in order financially to make the best decision for us. Luckily, we work at home, so we are professionally portable. Still, though, I've always said I'd live in NYC one day, and darn it, I just might!! :)

:applaud:

Now I'm all:dance:
 
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