Hello all! Please help! I start school in Manhattan, NY in sept. I'm south african and never been to the states before. I'm also a student, so working on shoestring budget. have found reasonable flights (with some nice layovers) but sure I can do better. where to stay? how to get around, etc. please advise. haven't started planning at all so any suggestions are welcome. thank you all, mash26

Where to stay??? You're coming to go to school and you don't have a place to stay? Doesn't the school you'll attend have any recommendations?

The subway is the way to get around Manhattan cheapest and fastest. Here's a map
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

If you'd like to share where you're going to school and what kind of accomdoation you need, we might be able to help. The website craigslist.com is very popular but you can also get scammed, so be careful. See if you can buy the Not for Tourists guide for NYC.

http://www.notfortourists.com/

Saras Home stays offers shared apartments and furnished aprtments. Check this out:
http://www.sarahomestay.com/

You should be arranging a place to stay through the school. If not a dorm, then some sort of shared student housing. All schools have services that will help with this - and in New York this is a HUGE issue.

Living in Manhattan is incredibly expensive (a moderate one bedroom apartment is about $2500 US per month). So - you may want to consider one of the outer boroughs - depending on where you will be going to school.

Initially you can stay in a hostel (there's a decent one at Amsterdam & 103rd that has dorm beds and lockers for $35 per night) until you get settled.

But - strongly suggest you get details from your shool now.

If you give us more info people may have other suggestions.

Things are cooking! Thank you all for the site suggestions, been combing thru those the past few days. things in morningside heights/harlem look reasonable. I know it's a rough area, but I live in a township back here so I think I can handle. Also, found a friend-of-a-friend who lives in ny and is checking out if all the places I find on craigslist actually are what they advertise. Accomodation sorted! Thank you all very much. will keep writing as things pop up.

Morningside Heights has some beautiful buildings and much of Harlem is gentrified - although there are still some blocks that are not great.

The problem with Carig's list is how legitimate they are, how much exaggerated, how many people you will have to share with (often there are girl or boyfriends that stay but are not "counted" - for payment or in allocating space) and habits of unknown people.

Suggest you not make any long-term committments blind.

Also- you don;t say where you're going to school. And while that area is good for Columbia, CCNY - it can be a long trek for downtown schools.