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New Yorkers, please advise

Blackheart

Blackheart

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2004
938
0
Seattle
I'm looking to graduate from my university after winter quarter and I intend to move to New York City to work in the financial district. I've lived in the Seattle area for most of my life and I basically want to get an idea of anything you think might be useful for a NYC n00b to know.

Ideas might be:
1) Where to live / not live?
2) What are the pros/cons of different areas?
3) What are the costs associated with living in certain areas?
4) How's public transportation, what do people usually take, and what's the cost? (Buses? Subways?) Also, how long might it typically take for these transports to go from suggested residential areas to the financial district? (During morning/afternoon traffic)

Feel free to answer any questions I've not asked. I want to get a really good idea of what I should be looking out for.

Thanks in advance for your help! :)
 
1) Basically stay out of any place shady looking OR any place without a subway or bus line near a subway because then you'll be stuck trying to get anywhere unless you have a car.
2) Stay out of areas with corner grocers and liqour stores. Any place with the combination is a must for trouble. People like to hang out at them and get rowdy.
3) Basically it's expensive everywhere here. Even in the shady areas. Homes are in the 500k to 800k range. And apartments are in the 1k - 3k area a month.
4) Financial district is very easy to get around. (I walked the entire thing this summer) just live near any train going into the city. I've provided a subway map below.

My description is a bit vauge, but there are a lot of different sections in NYC. You can walk like a couple blocks and end up somewhere very different.

subwaymap_mta.gif


All the trains going into the city are the ones crossing the water to the island. Living in the city is pretty nice. If you live in the city you're pretty much 15 - 30 minutes (by train) away from anything (anything in the city of course).
 
Thanks for the reply, Hummer. What might be the time for a train ride along the 3 from, say, Saratoga Av to Wall St? I'm trying to get an idea of the scale here.
 
Blackheart said:
Thanks for the reply, Hummer. What might be the time for a train ride along the 3 from, say, Saratoga Av to Wall St? I'm trying to get an idea of the scale here.
Click to expand...

25 - 30 minutes tops. Keep in mind the time it takes for the train to get to your stop to pick you up. Some city trains come like every 15 or so minutes coughtheN/Wtraingoingtowardsditmarsinthemorningcough. I'm really not sure how often the 3 runs and at what times.
 
I lived downtown and loved it. I lived on Union Square (14th street and Broadway), which was my ideal location. Union Square is a major hub for the subway, so that was super nice.

The financial district is really nice, but I don't think it has the character of other parts of Manhattan. I'd go jogging down there once a week. I might live there this upcoming fall if I go to Pace University.

Chelsea is really nice. It's the 'gay' area of Manhattan, but we won't kick you out if you want to live there ;). I've always liked Chelsea. Lots of fun businesses in Chelsea.

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Thanks for all the help so far, guys!

scem0, if you don't mind me asking, what are the price ranges for places in Union Square and Chelsea?
 
I second scem0 about Union Square. I live in Grammercy Park which is directly to the upper-right of Union Square. Depending on how much $$$ you have to spend and assuming your not going to share an apartment your going to spend anywhere between $1000-$4000 a month. I suggest you buy if you can for it is cheaper in the long run ($500,000-$3,000,000+). My wife and I own, she picked it up right before the real estate boom some 8 years back for around 130k and its now worth $500,000+.
Union Square is perhaps the best neighborhood in Manhattan right now for the young professional.
 
Yea union sq. sounds great.......Manhattan is very $$$......but if you are looking for cheap....I would go somewhere in queens or brooklyn...the trains are good in these area as well.

Every area is shady in NYC...not just the ones with pop shops on the corner so...





Bless
 
lived on union square for 3 years and loved it.

the whole area though, from about houston to 23rd or so is pretty sweet. ideally between 2nd and 8th aves or so...
 
Thanks for all the pointers, guys.

If we can afford it, I'll be purchasing a place with a friend so that we don't get gouged by rent.

What is the cost to ride the train? Are there monthly/seasonal/yearly passes?
 
Have you thought about a place in jersey and taking a train to work? A ton of people do it everyday, especially around me. I assume an apartment in NJ is much cheaper than NY.
 
Two dollars for the ride train/bus......They have monthly passes...I really can't remember the cost though...last time I looked up at the map I think I saw it at $75(I'm guessing here)...I just buy a $20 card every couple of days...I can't be bothered.






Bless
 
Thanks for the pricing, 2nyriggz.

Does anyone have any opinions about living in NJ and taking the train to NY?
 
monthly pass used to be around 60-65... so it's probably around 70 now, not too bad if you commute, for sure. not 100% sure if it works for buses....

depends where in nj... hoboken is actually a pretty nice city. at least parts of it. if you're talking about further out, then i'd get past jersey city and newark to places like morristown, or south along the princeton area line of the njtransit train.... just depends if you mind sitting on a train for 2 hours a day
 
Oh how this makes me want to move to NYC :( . I'm thinking of doing my postgrad in NYC, so I'll be watching this thread with great interest (although I'll be a student so I'll be sure to be renting somewhere far, far away from Manhattan :rolleyes: :( )
 
Blackheart said:
Does anyone have any opinions about living in NJ and taking the train to NY?
Click to expand...
My uncle does it, my friend does it, my neighbor(s) do it, and many other people I know do it everyday without a problem.

Fact: Middletown, NJ (where I live) had the most deaths in the WTC attacks (36) out of any town in NJ. So a lot of people do it.
 
How expensive is the Riverdale neighborhood in the Bronx? my sister-in-law lives there, and they were really close to Manhattan by car. I stayed there for a while, and loved it.
 
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