carolynf

A lot of Forest Hills is really beautiful. I'm not sure of the rents, though. Howard Beach would be on the bottom of that list, if on it at all. Forest Hills, Douglaston and Astoria are all good choices. What type of rental are you looking for? Apartment in a large building, one floor in a house, etc.? That may influence your decision. All of those areas are convenient to mass transit (including Long Island railroad) and major highways. Where are you moving from?

nytraveler

Have you looked at the NY Times web site real estate section? It has numerous profiles of neighborhoods - which might help give you an idea of the flavor of some of these places - some are mostly mid/high-rise areas, some more two-family houses or smaller buildings.

Also - there are some areas that are more young people and singles - versus primarily family areas.

You can also search for specific apartment info (just to get a feeling for the market- there are certainly other ways sto search once you have decided on a neighborhood).

I would also eliminate Howard Beach from your list - it is (in)famous for a series of racial attacks - as well as in a quite inconvenient location. There are much better choices.

Also - I would get a good map of Queens - which may help you decide on areas with reasonable transport/routes to where you'll be going.

skipdog21

Howard Beach has subsequently been removed from the list. Thanks for the heads up.

As for the location. Wouldn't mind a place that was either singles, family or such. More interested in saving money and having to drive/subway to go out at night verses paying more to live a block or two away from the action. Does that make sense?

Will also make sure to pick up the NY Times and check out the real estate section as suggested! Thanks!

michelleNYC

As previously asked, and simply out of curiosity -- where are you moving from?

nytraveler

You can get the whole real estate section on-line - NYTimes.com - it's free- you just need to register - with much more detail and info than any print issue.

mclaurie

skipdog, there are several posters on the NYC forum on tripadvisor.com that live in Queens. You might want to consider posting your questions over there as well. I would use a title that highlights working at JFK and LGA. Here's the URL

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum..._New_York.html

AllanNYC

I lived in Forest Hills as a kid and it's still a nice area - a quick subway ride into the "city" (Manhattan) and an easy drive to East Elmhurst and Hamilton Beach. Hey, what can be bad about a neighborhood that brought us the Ramones and Captain Kangaroo???

I have friends still living in the area and you can probably get by on $1500.

Kew Gardens is also nice - it's just east of Forest Hills and they're both more or less the same. Rego Park which is to the west of Forest Hills is also worth checking out.

Martinan

Forest Hills is a great and safe location. They have good shops and restaurants. Convenient subway commute to the city and easy access to highways for commute to work. You should be able to find a 1 bedroom apartment for $1500.

TarheelsInNj

Hello! I would agree that Hoboken should be crossed off your list- it's a great area, and an easy commute to the city by mass transit. But if you're planning to drive, you just never know what the tunnels will be like on a given day, and it's probably more headache than it's worth.

Forest Hills is indeed a great area- my husband and I are in the process of moving there, so I'm a bit biased $1500 is definitely possible, though the closer you get to Austin Street (the main "trendy" area) the more expensive things will be. But it's an entirely walkable neighborhood, so you're fine.

Kew Gardens is also nice...it's less expensive, I think generally because the subway doesn't reach all parts of it. However, there is an easy bus, and since you'll be driving to work it's definitely worth looking at. Both Forest Hills and Kew Gardens are well-named: they are very green areas, for the most part.

We spent the summer in "South Park Slope' (Windsor Terrace to many) and found that parking was not a problem. Rents are less expensive as you go below 9th Street in Park Slope, so you might consider that. As with any apartment, you'll need to go and look at it, because New York can differ drastically from block to block.

Good luck!

regulator

I am a longtime Queens resident even though I do not live there now. I am also a landlord. So i'll give you some ideas of rent....

1. Jackson Heights. (76 st 34 ave) You can almost waly to LGA from here. The drive to Kennedy is also quick. There is plenty of reasonably safe parking. What are you driving? I rent a pre-war 2 bedroom for 1300. I rent another for 1400. I also rent a first floor 1 bedrrom with a parking spot in the driveway and a backyard for 1150. You can find a large studio for 800 here. I truly believe this neighborhood has the best restaurants in the city because all of them are run by new arrivals into the US. This neighborhood is a virtual United Nations. Everbody gets along without any racial trouble. There is very little crime here and Manhattan is a 15 minute subway ride away.

2. College Point. (25 rd c p blvd) From here you can see and walk to LGA. There are gobs and gobs of free street parking that is very safe. I rent a 3 bedroom for 1450, and another for 1500. The first floor small one bedroom is only 700.

3. Woodside (56 st 31 ave). This is a great neighborhood with plenty of street parking that is reasonable safe. I rent a 3 bedrrom for 1400 and another for 1500. The first floor here is 900. These 3 br apartments are almost 2000 sqft. From here you have a 10 minute drive to LGA and a 30 minute drive to JFK.

4. Whitestone (25 av f l blvd) 3 bedroom for 1300, another for 1500. The first floow one bedroom is 700. There are gobs and gobs and gobs of very safe on street parking. You can easily find a one bedroom for 700 or even less.

5. Howard Beach. I don't own anything there but I know that this is cheaper than all 4 of the previous neighborhoods. From there you can take a 5 minute bus ride to JFK and a 30 minute drive to LGA with plenty of street parking around.

Here are places where I wouldn't live given where you work and your budget. They may be great areas but they are not for you given that....

1. Manhattan Prices out of this world, lousy commute, noisy, and no place to keep your car.

2. Hoboken You'd have to pay income tax to 2 states (NY and NJ). You'd rack up plenty of tolls. The commute is really lousy, total triffic. The prices are silly and there is no on-street parking.

3. The Bronx - Many areas are very good. Some are downright horrible. The good areas are dominated by the 5 Queens neightborhoods because of a quicker and cheaper (no tolls) commute. The 5 neightborhoods that I mentioned will cause you to never have to pay a toll to go to work. Also if you hang out in Manhattan use the 59th street bridge. It is free. I probably saved 10,000 by using it for my driving career.

4. Brooklyn Heights / Park Slope / Carrol Gardens - Overpriced Hype, little parking and a lousy commute to your work. These areas are for people with plenty money OR people with no car who work in Manhattan.

5. Fort Greene / Brownsville / Boerum Hill These are dangerous neighborhoods even though they are being gentrified. Do not leave your car on the streets there. They also have a lousy commute to where you are going. As long as the City Housing Projects are there these areas will be rough.

6. Corona (Queens) This is one of the few areas of ineer Queens that is considered tough. It is very cheap and very convenient to LGA but the crime rate is high there. Also there is little parking and the area is noisy. You can do better than this.

Good luck

freedom05

I too lived in Queens for a long time.
Not sure why Howard Beach would be off the list but Long Beach would be on. It can take FOREVER to get in and out of Long Beach, especially in the summer months. Not many options for roads out of there. Forest Hills is very urban, but certainly convenient and Austin Street has held its charm for a long time.

On a separate note, I'd be interested in speaking with the "regulator" directly about some of the listings you had. I'm headed back home to Queens after living on L.I. for the past 8 years. Need to start looking.

ekscrunchy

I agree with poster above; as I mentioned a while back, Howard Beach is a very nice, safe neighborhood. Yes there have been a few, very few, publicized crimes there, but that should not deter you from the area. I would put it back on your list, as well as Jackson Heights and many of the other areas in Queens recently mentioned. By the way, I would still like to know the location of "Hamilton Beach" Queens.

dloech

you can find an apt. in Manhattan for under $1500 - you just have to do your research - I just looked on Corcoran.com and craiglist.com and found a handful of apts. One on Sutton place to boot! (Skipdog - this may not be your cup of tea - but a very nice part of town!)

nytraveler

It's true Corcoran does have several studios for $1500 or under. Most are in Harlem - which can be pleasant or somewhat gritty - depending on the exact location. These look like they're all in brownstone walk-ups.

There is also one in Inwood - which is kind of suspicious since it gives absolutely no info on the building.

I can;t figure out the one on Sutton place - it's a studio - but not that tiny - although a bad layout - perhaps there's something I'm missing. The trouble is this is a VERY expensive area - you can't really park your car on the street (garage will be about $400 per month) and everything nearby will be pricy - market, delis, cleaners etc.

Still - if you're willing to give up space and add to your commute it looks like there might be some options in Manhattan.

skipdog21

Have had many good responses to this thread about housing options in the NYC area. As stated above it looks like most agree that the Queens area would be best for me. So given that here is what my list has come to been at this time. (In alphabetical order)

- Astoria
- Bayside
- College Point
- Douglaston
- Forest Hills
- Howard Beach
- Jackson Heights
- Kew Gardens
- Whiteside
- Woodside

From everyones reviews, which I have been tracking, looks like each of the above listed areas should be good, safe, nice places to leave with an easy commute in Queens, for reasonable rent, good space and easy on-street parking for my vehicle.

Let me know if anyone has any more places, comments or suggestions about the list so far! Thanks for your help!

carolynf

FYI, it's WhiteSTONE not WhiteSIDE.

mclaurie

Some of these areas (perhaps all) have some streets/sections that are better than others. The neighborhood may be generally "safe" but some streets better than others. I just bring this up b/c as you start looking you really need to be aware that some sections are ok and some not.

I would also say not all these areas have easy on street parking. How do you plan to proceed? I hope you're going to start visiting places and not take something sight unseen.

skipdog21

Don't worry about that. I plan on visiting every place I am interested in getting. Nothing left un-inspected no matter what the hardship. Will need parking though one way or another reguardless of where I live. Going to start looking hopefully in the next two weeks.

regulator

To freedom05.....I realize that this deviates from a travel discussion but you can email me at [email protected]

I do not have any openings now but I have an extensive knowledge of most of Queens real estate, parking, commuting, shopping, etc...