New York neighborhoods

[Casius]

So I am planning on moving to NY this Fall for school and I would love to get a 2 bedroom apartment out there. But I am in a quandry as to where I should look. The places that have what I am looking for and are affordable are Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, and Williamsburg. I'm not too picky about having to live in Manhattan, I'm mainly just looking for a good, safe neighborhood that is somewhat close to the city life (and school). I have also heard Astoria is on the up and up as well.

Anyone have any experiences with the aforementioned neighborhoods? The good, the bad?

My range is 1300-1500 for a 2bedroom if possible since I will most likely have a roommate. I have done some searching through nytimes as well as rental.com and a few other brokerage sites.

Thank you for any help!

Casius

[Faust]

Re: New York neighborhoods

$1500 for a 2 bedroom total, or just your share (making it $3k total)? Where is the school?

[Anonymous]

Re: New York neighborhoods



hello cassius,

that price for a two bedroom does not exist. in new york now, it has become a buyers market, and not a renters market. the going rate for apartments now is basically $800-$900 per room. a "real" two bedroom in queens will run you maybe 1650. but you'll be in queens, and just the fact that you are on this site tells me that you will not be interested in your surroundings. which means that you will be hanging out in manhattan most of the time, enjoying yourself. which means you'll be spending tons of money on the commute back and fourth into the city. which means you may as well put all that money towards a decent one bedroom in the city($1950-$2400), so that you can walk everywhere.

this is what people never realize when they think they're getting such a good deal compared to manhattan. people are paying the same prices for maybe an extra 150-200 square feet of space. but they all work and hang out in the city, mainly because no one's going to make that trek to come and see them.

and the areas you are considering, are all 20-25 minute commutes on the train, into the city, with the exception of williamsburg.

your best thing would be to look for a share, just to get your feet wet. williamsburg is the closest commute. i actually lived their when i first moved here in 91. you can find a 2 bedroom there, but it's going to $2500-$2800.

good luck though....m

[kamsky]

Re: New York neighborhoods



casius -

blackforest makes a very good point when he mentions that you will not be interested in your surroundings if you choose to live in queens; yes, you will save money, but it will certainly negatively influence your overall experience of the city. i know this because i live in such an area (bushwick, brooklyn, a couple of stops farther away from manhattan than williamsburg -- it is actuallymuchbetter, in my estimation, than queens would be). and yes indeed, i spend as little time as possible there.

that said, i do not necessarily think that i would choose to live in manhattan, even if money were no object. i think there are several neighborhoods in brooklyn that i would much rather live in.for instance, it would be possible (and i emphasize 'possible') to find a place in greenpoint or park slope in your price range, and both of these are areas that would appeal to me. this is clearly just a matter of personal preferences; park slope is admittedly baby-stroller-land, and i'm sure many here would be loath to set up residence there.

at the risk of stating the obvious, i would advise you to determine what it is you are looking for in a neighborhood, then do as much research as you can in order to decide where you would like to live.

best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Re: New York neighborhoods



hey kamsky,

so you probably live on the L line some where between the Montrose or Morgan stop, yes. I use to have a studio over by the bors head meat packing plant on thames street,

[Casius]

Re: New York neighborhoods

Cool, thank you very much. I have a friend who lives in Park Slope and I liked the area very much! He's paying 2200 for a 2bedroom apartment there, which seems like a really good deal from everything I have looked at online.

Faust-total. I didn't think it was too far fetched because of the listings I have seen online, but maybe those are just to get you to look, so they can pull you in, I don't know the market very well. Oh, and the school is FIT.

You all are probably right in the fact I am going to spend all my time in Manhattan, especially because that is most likely where my job will be and that is where school is located.

So are the Heights a good compromise? Or are they still far from everything?

[Faust]

Re: New York neighborhoods

[quote user="Casius"]Cool, thank you very much. I have a friend who lives in Park Slope and I liked the area very much! He's paying 2200 for a 2bedroom apartment there, which seems like a really good deal from everything I have looked at online.

Faust-total. I didn't think it was too far fetched because of the listings I have seen online, but maybe those are just to get you to look, so they can pull you in, I don't know the market very well. Oh, and the school is FIT.

You all are probably right in the fact I am going to spend all my time in Manhattan, especially because that is most likely where my job will be and that is where school is located.

So are the Heights a good compromise? Or are they still far from everything?

[/quote]

Ok, so FIT - that's 7th/27th, which is 1,2,3 and B,D,F,V subway lines, so look for neighborhoods with those subway lines first. Carroll Gardens and Park Slope are the best, but waaay out of your price range. I suggest trying your luck in Prospect Heights (next to Park Slope from the north), Windsor Terrace (next to Park Slope from the south), and Fort Green/Clinton Hill (G line goes to F). I think you would like Clinton Hill a lot, it's still a pretty good mix of color - it seems like gentrification has spared it somewhat, and it's not as stylized as other areas. Chances are you will still be priced out of these neighborhoods with your low budget, but that's the best I can do for you - unless you want to live where I live (which you don't).

I am not familiar with uptown, but I think Washington Heights is already expensive and you get 4,5,6 there - which will make your commute to school pretty annoying.

P.S. And personally, I think Williamsburg fucking sucks.

[Casius]

Re: New York neighborhoods

Heheh, you know, I didn't even think about corresponding the train to where I would live till you said something Faust. Now I am wondering if I would get more enjoyment out of living in the student housing. The location would be great, just lacking some of those conviences an apartment would have.

[Anonymous]

Re: New York neighborhoods

[quote user="Casius"]Cool, thank you very much. I have a friend who lives in Park Slope and I liked the area very much! He's paying 2200 for a 2bedroom apartment there, which seems like a really good deal from everything I have looked at online.

Faust-total. I didn't think it was too far fetched because of the listings I have seen online, but maybe those are just to get you to look, so they can pull you in, I don't know the market very well. Oh, and the school is FIT.

You all are probably right in the fact I am going to spend all my time in Manhattan, especially because that is most likely where my job will be and that is where school is located.

So are the Heights a good compromise? Or are they still far from everything?

[/quote]

Nooooooo. you don't want washington heights. that's right under the bronx. and if you ever need a cab to get home from manhattan, you can forget it.

[darkanimal]

Re: New York neighborhoods

Well, I did live in school housing in my first sem at SVA. I did it
just to initially get a feel of student life/NY life. If your program
demands a lot of your time working/doing stuff on campus, then where
you live just becomes a stock room, a place to shower and not a place
to relax and hang out with friends. I moved out soon after realizing
the housing is ripping me off. There were pluses of course such as not
having to worry about promptness for class. I don't live in the City
and I don't hang out as much anymore. But yes, if you're a party guy
going home to the outerborroughs will be a bitch. All my buddies live
in Brooklyn or Queens and I rarely step foot in the city during
weekends. Good luck!

[Casius]

Re: New York neighborhoods

Dark-Thanks for the advice. My major is going to be demanding and I'm sure I will have to be on campus a lot of the time. But like you, the reason I am trying to look elsewhere is because the prices are rather high for campus housing and the cost to benefit ratio doesn't seem to add up when compared to an apartment.

[laika]

Re: New York neighborhoods



Casius, Morningside Heights, in the Columbia area, may be a longshot budget wise, but it's worth checking it out, since it's very convenient to the 1/2. You would have a super easy commute.

It's not so bad neighborhood-wise--you'd be surrounded by other students, and it's pretty lively and vibrant. I lived there for two years when I started at Columbia, and never had any lack of amenities--i.e., cabs, groceries, restaurants, etc.

[kamsky]

Re: New York neighborhoods

[quote user="blackforest"]


hey kamsky,

so you probably live on the L line some where between the Montrose or Morgan stop, yes. I use to have a studio over by the bors head meat packing plant on thames street,

[/quote]

i live on the southern edge,just across from bed-stuy,actually --6th (or 3rd, if train's express) stop into brooklyn on thej.