Or at least I'm hoping to. My goal is to be moved to the city within 6 months. I plan to go in the next few months and start the job hunt. My main concern is a place to live. Any suggestions on neighborhoods that are good for someone living in the city for the first time? I appreciate the help.
Updated On: 10/16/11 at 02:28 PM
Since these questions will be asked, I'll venture them:
1) Do you have a budget or price range?
2) Do you want to live alone? Are you moving with someone?
3) Are you comfortable living with roommates?
4) Do you only want to live in Manhattan, or are you considering the boroughs?
1) I'd prefer around 1100-1250
2) I'm cool with living with a roommate.
3) I don't mind living in a borough at all.
For 1250 you could probably get a studio in an outer borough and live alone.
One bedrooms in Manhattan are at least 2000. If you live in a borough, you could probably share a 2bedroom with a roommate for the same amount.
Until recently, I was living in a two-bedroom in Astoria for $1600/month plus utilities (usually about an extra $100 a month). So, I'd imagine you could get a studio or one-bedroom in Astoria for $1200 or less. Personally, I think it's a great area, and very close to Manhattan (five minutes to UES, 15 to midtown by train).
I found both my current and former apartments through Craigslist. I know some people have had horrible experiences with it, but I have been lucky and gotten two great apartments. So don't rule that out.
If you don't mind living with a roommate, there are plenty of lovely apartments on the UES well within your budget- in nice, safe areas. My roommate and I live in a two-bedroom railroad style (meaning you have to walk through one room to get to the next). Our combined rent is $1650, and we're not far from the 86th st. subway stop. Friends of ours have found better deals in this same area, too.
Now, obviously, our rooms aren't as large as they would be out in a borough. But we're not living in closet-sized rooms, either. I like the convenience of living in Manhattan, and that's basically what I'm paying for.
And I recommend craigslist. It's where we found this place, and saw quite a few others.
location location location. Just to give you an extreme case, my friend owns a building near me in the west village. They're all one bedroom apts. and the current rent which she is now getting for her vacant apts. is $4500.
Don't know if you have already found one or transferring but the number 1 thing you should have before moving out here is a job.
Any tips on a good "first time New Yorker neighborhoods"?
A specific neighborhood doesn't exist. It all depends on what you're looking for.
Time Out New York Magazine had an article this week on apartment hunting. Might be worth checking out. I think you can find that online.
Thanks for the tip I'll try to find it. Id prefer a neighborhood thats young yet family oriented at the same time and also convenient to what I'll need to survive: market, pharmacy, etc. As a first timer Id prefer Manhattan till I learn the subways (which is a whole other story).
Updated On: 10/16/11 at 09:08 PM
Have you ever been here?
Please, please don't move to NYC without a job lined up, it won't be a good experience. I'm not trying to be intrusive but do you live in a large city now/have you before?
I lived in NY for four years and am now back in the 'burbs. It's a very different lifestyle and I'll probably move back after grad school but it's definitely not for everyone!
Based on what you're looking for, Astoria sounds like a great fit for you. And it's within your budget and close enough to Manhattan that you can come and go as you please. There's plenty of great culture right in the neighborhood, too.
I agree with the comments that it might not be the best decision to move to NYC without a job, but since you're taking your time before your move, I assume that you're trying to line something up and get things together.
I am most certainly trying to get things lined up before I start to look. 6 months is a goal but if I'm not 110% certain that I'll get there and survive I won't budge. I've been to the city quite a few times but haven't been in a couple of years.
It's also a good idea to come with a cash reserve which will cover all expenses for a few months in case it takes that long to get a job and settle in.
broadwaydevil, I moved here in late March, sans job, and had a job the first week of May. It really can be done!
As for the first neighborhood to live in: I lived on the border of Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill for the first two months. (Very close to the Franklin Avenue stop.) If it sounds crazy, well... if a petite Asian girl can get by there without incident, so can you.
Lizzie - not saying it can't be done, but it's a pretty scary experience to undergo that adds a lot of stress to what is already a big transformation. Congrats though!
I think Jane's idea is a good one, too. Having that cash reserve can really help out through the lean times. But anything can be done. I came to New York as a student ten years ago and--aside from two years away when I was doing a master's degree--have lived here and been continuously employed ever since. Not all the jobs were great--lots and lots of strictly survival work--but they kept money in my wallet. And now I have a job in my chosen profession.
Yeah, I arrived with 7 - 8 months' worth of savings. Which really helped when I got laid off in July! Luckily I had another job by Labor Day.
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