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AhmedFaisal
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So long as you work in investment banking or were born with a golden spoon in your mouth. What people talk about in regards to the great "New York" experience is pre-Giuliani era.
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Anyone live in NYC? Is it worth sacrificing high rent to have fun in the city?
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So long as you work in investment banking or were born with a golden spoon in your mouth. What people talk about in regards to the great "New York" experience is pre-Giuliani era.
Hmm....And the old Village days? I'm old enough..Cafe Wah, Hendirx et. al. I don't suppose for one minute it's going to be like that when I get back, but it's still home to me!
Whether it's worth it is entirely subjective. That said, you'll get very little advantage from living in Manhattan over many parts of Brooklyn or Queens.
Unless you're living directly in the parts of the city you want to hang out in, you'll still be traveling everywhere by subway, and the outer boroughs have neighborhoods with more character and that are more enjoyable to live in.
For most people under 40 (excepting the investment-banking set) you'll find your friends live in the outer boroughs too, so choosing to live outside Manhattan can mean being nearer to where your friends live.
Keep in mind that there are parts of Manhattan that are less expensive than parts of the outer boroughs. Brooklyn Heights costs more to live in than Washington Heights or much of the Upper East Side -- in part because the commute from there to downtown or midtown is easier.
Unless you're living directly in the parts of the city you want to hang out in, you'll still be traveling everywhere by subway, and the outer boroughs have neighborhoods with more character and that are more enjoyable to live in.
For most people under 40 (excepting the investment-banking set) you'll find your friends live in the outer boroughs too, so choosing to live outside Manhattan can mean being nearer to where your friends live.
Keep in mind that there are parts of Manhattan that are less expensive than parts of the outer boroughs. Brooklyn Heights costs more to live in than Washington Heights or much of the Upper East Side -- in part because the commute from there to downtown or midtown is easier.
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The only upside of living in Manhattan is cheaper cabs for when you're too wasted to get home on the subway.
Oh, and it's definitely easier to pick up girls. I'm not sure you're going to outcompete all the bankers or the hipsters though.
I agree with the below post.
To OP, You think just because you live in Manhattan you'll be close to everything you want? How long would the walk from Central Park to MSG be? At least 20 minutes.
And I find it hard to believe that in Brooklyn you can't walk from a book store to a gym... And Isn't Williamsburg hipster central?
Also consider Hoboken, 5 min Path train to midtown.
To OP, You think just because you live in Manhattan you'll be close to everything you want? How long would the walk from Central Park to MSG be? At least 20 minutes.
And I find it hard to believe that in Brooklyn you can't walk from a book store to a gym... And Isn't Williamsburg hipster central?
Also consider Hoboken, 5 min Path train to midtown.
Save yourself some money and move to bergen county, NJ.
Edgewater has a great view of the city, but is probably a little expensive, and is a 10 minute drive to NYC.
Edgewater has a great view of the city, but is probably a little expensive, and is a 10 minute drive to NYC.
I live in Brooklyn off the L train in what is considered one of the 'coolest' areas of the city right now. There's art, music, new restaurants, new buildings, renovations, cool and different things happening all around every day, and we're just minutes out of Manhattan on the subway (plus I get a somewhat bigger and nicer place for my money, though rents are still out of control). Worth a look for sure. You're still very much in the city, but it's a bit less claustrophobic.
Also, rents in Manhattan will make your wallet jump out of your pocket and run shrieking out of the city...at least $2,000/month for a studio, $2,500 and up for a 1br, and those are for apartments smaller than many walk-in closets. The housing market and lack of new construction has created a strange rental environment in the city right now, where there aren't enough new units being built to keep pace, and tight credit has would-be buyers renting smaller places at higher prices, pushing rents up everywhere. I just signed a new lease last month, and the jump in asking rents just between early April, when we first started looking, and June, when we signed, was crazy.
Also, rents in Manhattan will make your wallet jump out of your pocket and run shrieking out of the city...at least $2,000/month for a studio, $2,500 and up for a 1br, and those are for apartments smaller than many walk-in closets. The housing market and lack of new construction has created a strange rental environment in the city right now, where there aren't enough new units being built to keep pace, and tight credit has would-be buyers renting smaller places at higher prices, pushing rents up everywhere. I just signed a new lease last month, and the jump in asking rents just between early April, when we first started looking, and June, when we signed, was crazy.
Drive??????!!!!
LOL Well he doesn't have to drive, but there are plenty of shuttle buses that take you to port authority for pretty cheap.
Mitsuwa supermarket used to charge $2 for a one way trip from edgewater, NJ to port authority in NY. They take the Lincoln tunnel, so it's probably more expensive now that tolls have gone through the roof.
Hmm....And the old Village days? I'm old enough..Cafe Wah, Hendirx et. al. I don't suppose for one minute it's going to be like that when I get back, but it's still home to me!
Prepare to be extremely disappointed. The Village is full of hipsters and yuppies now. There's a Whole Foods on Houston and Bowery. I'm not kidding.
When I saw that, I realized the last decent neighborhood on Manhattan was gone. My friends who live there have finally given up and are moving to Brooklyn.
Yep. And it's been gone for a long time.
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Just. No.
If you're moving to NY because it's fun you want to be able to get home on 24-hour public transit when you're drunk. Even cabs won't generally take you to NJ. That means if you MUST live in NJ, live in Hoboken, where you can walk for groceries, and hop the PATH to Manhattan at all hours.
Hoboken is just down the street overlooking midtown Manhattan (Hoboken is full of hobo's), near the Lincoln tunnel, while Edgewater is near the GW bridge and is a very nice town with plenty of places you can "walk for groceries" (I was just giving in an example of a place that was close to NY without the cost.
He could pick Fort Lee, or any of the small cities bordering Manhattan Island.
Sure. I guess the point is that Edgewater and Fort Lee are places you move to if you have a job in Manhattan and want to raise a family outside the city. I have family in Glen Rock, about 15 minutes past the GWB.
Hoboken is where you go if you can't afford Manhattan, are scared of Brooklyn, but still want to live the young single urban life.
The cities you mentioned are very nice places to live, but they're not interchangeable with living in NYC itself or even Hoboken. The simple difference between taking the Lincoln Tunnel and taking the PATH is a major part of what differentiates the lifestyles.
Yeah good point.
I'm in my 30's so I see those other places as more desirable.
There are a lot of cities in NJ that border NYC, even though it looks like you could throw a stone at NYC it's quite a commute. Picking one with the best public transportation is a good idea.
Personally I think there are a lot of nice areas in Queens, some might be a little pricey though. The Whitestone/Astoria area. I'd probably move to Flushing Queens if you like Asian food and it's probably cheap enough for a young guy.
I'm in my 30's so I see those other places as more desirable.
There are a lot of cities in NJ that border NYC, even though it looks like you could throw a stone at NYC it's quite a commute. Picking one with the best public transportation is a good idea.
Personally I think there are a lot of nice areas in Queens, some might be a little pricey though. The Whitestone/Astoria area. I'd probably move to Flushing Queens if you like Asian food and it's probably cheap enough for a young guy.
Queens is awesome. I used to live in the Ditmars area of Astoria, which was spectacular. The residential streets are built a little like a densely-packed suburb, but it has great transit access and good urban-style commercial streets. Also very affordable.
By the way....
If you're angsting over rent, you probably can't afford to live within jogging distance of Central Park except maybe in East Harlem, or *possibly* Morningside Heights. Neither of which is packed with museums.
The only places I know where you can jog to Central Park, visit a museum without hopping on the subway, and walk just a couple blocks to Barnes & Noble are 84th and Park or 82nd and Amsterdam (roughly). And do you know how much rent is going to cost there?
Or you could live in Prospect Heights / Crown Heights in Brooklyn and live 2-3 blocks from Prospect Park (which is huge) and a similar distance from the Brooklyn Museum (which is world-renowned for its Egyptian collection, among other things), a couple blocks from the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, and one subway stop from Atlantic Station, which is among the 2-3 biggest subway hubs in Brooklyn. Oh, and pay about a third the rent.
Just saying.
If you're angsting over rent, you probably can't afford to live within jogging distance of Central Park except maybe in East Harlem, or *possibly* Morningside Heights. Neither of which is packed with museums.
The only places I know where you can jog to Central Park, visit a museum without hopping on the subway, and walk just a couple blocks to Barnes & Noble are 84th and Park or 82nd and Amsterdam (roughly). And do you know how much rent is going to cost there?
Or you could live in Prospect Heights / Crown Heights in Brooklyn and live 2-3 blocks from Prospect Park (which is huge) and a similar distance from the Brooklyn Museum (which is world-renowned for its Egyptian collection, among other things), a couple blocks from the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, and one subway stop from Atlantic Station, which is among the 2-3 biggest subway hubs in Brooklyn. Oh, and pay about a third the rent.
Just saying.
Appreciate all the suggestions guys. To the above poster, I wouldn't say I'm angsting over rent. I am probably more financially responsible than most and am overly cautious about my spending habits and credit score. Throwing money on a $400 bottle of wine to impress a date is idiotic to me. Likewise paying an extra $30 a month on LTE service for the iPad when I already have an iPhone 4S with unlimited data and Wi-Fi being everywhere in NYC. Or taking a a cab when I can just take a bus or subway.
There are definitely things that I cheap on (like never buying coffee since I get it for free at the office), but there are some things that I don't. For example, I love physical fitness and don't mind paying $75 a month for my gym membership since I go 6 days a week. Rent is one of those things that I feel like I shouldn't have to sacrifice on since I already sacrifice on many things in life but it doesn't mean I will thoughtlessly drop money without thinking about it.
There are definitely things that I cheap on (like never buying coffee since I get it for free at the office), but there are some things that I don't. For example, I love physical fitness and don't mind paying $75 a month for my gym membership since I go 6 days a week. Rent is one of those things that I feel like I shouldn't have to sacrifice on since I already sacrifice on many things in life but it doesn't mean I will thoughtlessly drop money without thinking about it.