skipdog21

Looks there was a threat on a similar topic last month. The previous post was looking for an unreasonable deal. I have pulled some information from the continuing posts. I thank everyone that was helpful to that member before and hope that you are willing to help me. I do have some questions for my situation if anyone has time and some information they would like to share.

I am moving to NYC as soon as the end of the year or hopefully the beginning of 2006. Moving from over 16 hours away I do not know much about the area. I understand the pricing will be higher but there are parts of a city that are 'reasonable' to live in and others that are either too expensive, with a high crime rate or are just not worth looking into. This comes with every city so here are my questions.

#1 - What would be the top 5 places to live in NYC that are reasonable to live in? (Say under $1500 for rent a month, nice area and wouldnt kill me to live in?)

#2 - As for the trade off discussed in the earlier threat (Commute to NYC for lower housing), what are the top 5 places to live outside the city? (NYC cities, NJ, etc.)

I will be working in the area of Hamilton Beach and also East Elmhurst to give a frame of reference.

Thank you everyone for your help and advice! I will be checking the site often so if there are any other questions please let me know!

skipdog21

Sorry - my spell checker did not pick up that I meant "Thread" when I mistyped "Threat." Sorry for the mix up. Thanks!

GoTravel

I would live in Park Slope in Brooklyn in a skinny minute.

Ryan

It's ok, we're NYers and are used to "threats".

I think the key statement you made is working in "East Elmhurst/Hamilton Beach." If my map skills are correct, that looks like they are on opposite ends of Queens with the former being by LaGuardia airport and the latter by Kennedy.

I would suggest that what might help is to know how you plan on commuting. If it's by subway, parts of Brooklyn are reasonable. But, the commute to LaGuardia would require a relatively long subway ride even though the distance isn't that far. Obviously if you're driving, it's less of an issue.

Didn't mean to throw one more issue at you but given the lack of great transit options between the airports and really no train that directly links the parts of Queens, a daily commute could be an issue.

That said, Hoboken, NJ is a great place to live. But, anywhere West of the Hudson River probably doesn't work for your commute.

wantsomesun

I just got a new apartment, an entire floor through and a backyard in upper Manhattan for a great deal, so there are deals out there.

If you are working in the city, I would look in Queens and Brooklyn so you aren't commuting long distances. NJ to Queens or Brooklyn is not realistic.

I would check the map of where you will be working and then look at neighborhoods that are fairly close by.

You might check Craig's List for Real Estate in NYC to get some idea of what apartments look like and what kind of local amenties you can expect. You can also get listings there of apartments by owners so you don't have to pay a broker fee.

Hope this helps.

skipdog21

Thank you for the help so far everyone. Wanted to answer some of the questions I got so far.

I am planning on having a car since once a month I will be traveling out of state and will need it. This should help with the commute issue but brings up the parking issue which I will not attack until I find a place.

As for the location - I will be traveling to the areas around the airports. So pretty much in the Queens area as Ryan said. (Hope I got the borough right)

Took a look at some MSL listings and going to check out Craigslist later today.

Thank you so far for the help. I very much appreciate it all! Please let me know any more ideas!

mclaurie

It sounds like you work for an airline or affiliated co. and you're not working in Manhattan, but near the 2 airports. I agree with Ryan, we need to know how you will get to work everyday in order to advise. It actually sounds as though living in Manhattan is NOT the best option for you from a convenience standpoint.

Will you be at one of these locations more than the other? Will you have a car? Here's a subway map

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

You'll see there isn't a subway stop very close to La Guardia.

If you will have a car and plan to drive and don't want or need the urban scene, you may find some decent places (homes) to rent in Atlantic Beach and Long Beach which are near JFK and have some single professionals. (Would help to know a bit about you and what you're looking for.)

If you want an apartment, Astoria Queens is an "up and coming" area. Look on

nymetro.com/realestate

for overview of various neighborhoods.

nytraveler

Bason on where you will be working living in Manhattan doesn;t make sense - and $1500 wouldn't do it anyway.

You will need a car to commute (there is public transport in those areas - but not quick or frequent) which means you need to find a place that has on-street parking available.

Suggest - for something trendyier but no guarantee on how big or how nice you will get for your budget:

Park Slope
Astoria

or - you want somethng even more suburban you might want to consider Bayside or Douglaston

skipdog21

I will have a vehicle so I will be fine on the commute - won't need to use the Subway on a regular basis.

Looks like the list is as follows so far. Park Slope, Brooklyn - Atlantic Beach, Long Beach, Astoria Queens, Bayside and/or Douglaston. Seems that some did not agree with the Manhatten or Hoboken plan so that may be out. Still is a start so far!

Looking for a place that is nice, has some things to do, maybe a nightlife, no family here so not too worried about schools and such and would like some place that is nice enough but not breaking me on rent money.

Hope this gives a clearer picture and answers your questions. Defiantely need all the help I can get!

So any refined or new ideas? Let me know! Thanks!

newyorkais

Hi Skipdog21.

Try looking in Forest Hills, Queens.

Good luck.

Ross

suzanne

I second Forest Hills and Long Beach. If you want to be within walking distance of a nice soft-sanded beach with a boardwalk, Long Beach is great, and it's close to JFK. Parking would be easier than in Queens.

Park Slope Brooklyn = Fantastic but parking problems & very bad commute for you.

Astoria = Not a beautiful area but lots of singles & some nightlife, close to LGA, and you'd be able to zip into Manhattan very easily by subway. BUT parking could be difficult.

All areas mentioned are very safe.

Judy24

Long Beach is a good choice, but be aware that parking is almost impossible during the summer months (unless you have a garage).

mclaurie

It's unlikely you'll find anything in Manhattan for $1500 unless you want to share AND parking is very expensive. Hoboken and anything in New Jersey is west of Manhattan and you're working east of Manhattan so that doesn't make a lot of sense. (You must look at a map).

Atlantic Beach and Long Beach are really part of Long Island but both are within reasonable distance to JFK and not so bad to LGA.

Douglaston Queens might be a good option too. Floral Park is geographically good but I don't know the area well.

There are MANY apartment buildings and complexes in Queens on and near Queens Blvd. I really suggest you repost your request and put either Queens or housing near LGA and JFK in the title.

skipdog21

Thanks for the help so far. Getting a pretty good list now from everyone responces. Here is what it looks like so far in order

#1 - Long Beach, Queens
#2 - Atlantic Beach, Queens
#3 - Douglaston, Queens
#4 - Astoria, Queens
#5 - Forest Hills, Queens

Looks like no one liked the commute Hoboken, NJ brought. Also Manhatten, NY seemed not to be a favorite due to travel time too. Also Bayside didn't get much of a response so it is getting bump I guess. Along with Park Slope, Brooklyn due to the aforementioned commute problems. If this is all right let me know!

The only fall back seemed to be that the Beach was going to be bad parking during summer months which almost requires a garage. (Thanks for the heads up by the way!)

Any more ideas, hints or clues on houses, apratments, parking, location on a place under $1500 let me know! Thanks!

suzanne

Just FYI: Long Beach and Atlantic Beach are not in Queens, they are in Nassau County, Long Island (though not far from Queens).

ekscrunchy

Add Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to your list. ...close to the water with great ethnic food. And where exactly is Hamilton Beach????? There is a Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn but I am not familiar with any such area in Queens... There is, however, a Howard Beach in Queens where you could likely find something within your budget.

carolynf

FYI, not sure what times you would be commuting, but from Long Beach to LGA you are looking at a 45 minute drive at the least. Long Beach is a great place to live...in addition to the beach (obviously) there is a good nightlife, especially in summer, restaurants, shopping, etc. Atlantic Beach not so much. But unless you are ready for long drives in crazy Long Island traffic, you may want to consider somewhere in Queens that's in the middle of the two airports. If driving doesn't bother you, though, I vote for Long Beach (I live about 10 minutes from there)...

michelleNYC

Well, my advice is to tackle the parking issues *at the same time* as finding a new home. Parking might add a significant cost to your monthly expenses. I don't know how much a garage space would be in the areas mentioned but it certainly won't be cheap. In Manhattan, I had a great deal for $300 per month for indoor parking. That's steep! This is, of course, if you cannot find on-street parking. Also note that your car insurance may jump quite substantially when you move to the NYC-area. All things I would consider now, rather than later.

skipdog21

So Long Beach in Nassau would be a 45 min commute. Good to know! Also looks like Atlantic Beach may not be as good of a choice as Long Beach according to CarolynF. So that does narrow me down a little bit. From the amount of reply I have gotten it looks like Brooklyn is out all together just for commuting reasons. Been looking at places at the above listings.

Forest Hills, Douglaston, Astoria, Howard Beach and Long Beach

If this looks good let me know and I put it in stone for now. Thank you for the help so far!

skipdog21

Does anyone know anything about Kew Gardens in Queens? Got a heads up that I might want to look there? Any ideas?