Where should i live in New York
 

Hi me and my girlfriend will be moving to New York in the next month I will be working in Staten Island and she will be working in Manhatten, we r both in are upper twenties and like to have fun but safety and quality of living is very important to us. My price range is around 1800 for a apt. for a 1bedroom. I was wondering the best midway location or easiest place that we both could commute to work and like I said before a safe neighborhood is a must if anyone has any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated thanx.

Please note it is spelled Manhattan.

It all depends where you work on Staten Island. Public transporation is very limited.

Many take some form of transportation to the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan and from there the location of the job dictates how she gets to work. There are also Express buses to Manhattan from Staten Island.

You will not get much for $1,800 in Manhattan and Brooklyn and Queens are a tough slog to Staten Island.

Here is a map of the Staten Island line:

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/simap.htm

Here is a list of the Express bsues:

http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/bus/sisch.htm#xpress

You may want to look at Alphabet City -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_City,_Manhattan

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...4/b3736044.htm

I live in the East Village and the article Starr cited is 10 years old. And few people call it Alphabet City, it almost always called the East Village. It is like the Big Apple and Gotham, rarely do you here anyone who lives call it that except people with a commercial interest. I am sure there are people who do, but it is never from someone who lives there.

The name East Village was started in the 1960's by real estate agents to give it the same cache as the West Village. Until then it was all the Lower East Side. Ironically the name Alpahbet City came into existence and popularity when crack and murder were at its highest in the 1980's.

Tompkins Square Park, one of the most identifiable places in the East Village was so bad 25 years, the police had to bring in tanks to get rid of the drug dealers and squatters. Now the Park is filled with children and families.

There is nothing that you would want to live in for $1,800 a month for a one bedroom. There is a lot of devlopment in the area and if you should be lucky enough to find a place at that rent, it will be at least a three floor walk up.

That is the reason the kids started moving to Williamsburg 15 years ago and now further out on the "L" subway line because the rents were high.

And on top of that, there is matter of getting to the job in Staten Island. If it is near the train or the ferry that is one thing, otherwise it could be a problem.

$1800 is a VERY modest amount for a 1 bedroom apartment in Manhattan - you are unlikely to find anything in a place you want to live.

As for in between Staten Island and Manhattan - there is nothing but water. I fear your only option may be an apartment on Staten Island -- and your girlfriend commute to Manhattan.

Also - since you obviously haven;t started to look yet - be aware that landlords will want you to have proof of total income that is many times the monthly rent, as well as security and first month's rent - plus large fee if you use an agent. I hope you have significant savings and jobs with high enough incomes - or you may find that renting a studio is more realistic.

Susggest you immediately contact one or more agents on Staten Island to get an idea of rental costs there (I haven;t a clue).

Hi timhawk,
Congrats on your move to NYC. You said you are - "upper twenties and like to have fun but safety and quality of living is very important to us." A family member in the same age range and with the same goals sublet in different neighborhoods for a few years and not long ago signed a long-term lease on a new apartment. When I asked the area she chose her response was "Alphabet City" and for the reasons you list. She's loving it.

As you know, rents are high and for $1800 you'll probably end up in a studio and/or walk-up. Here's a link that may be useful. It's TimeOut NewYork's Apartment Guide and shows apartments in different neighborhoods that were available for under $2000.

http://newyork.timeout.com/shopping-...partment-guide

Examples from their NYC apartment guide -
Alphabet City - 1br - $1698
Chelsea - studio - $1875
East Village -studio (with backyard!) - $1890
Hell's Kitchen - studio (less than 500sf) specially priced at $1908

The neighborhoods in TimeOut's apartment guide include:<i>
Alphabet City | Battery Park City | Chelsea
Chinatown and Little Italy | East Village | Financial District
Hell's Kitchen | Lower East Side | Midtown East | Murray Hill and Gramercy
Soho | Upper East Side | Upper West Side | West Village
Bedford-Stuyvesant | Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo | Bushwick
Cobble Hill | Fort Greene and Clinton Hill | Greenpoint
Park Slope | Sunset Park | Williamsburg | Astoria
Long Island City | Sunnyside | Jersey City</i>

It may be helpful in giving you an idea of what's available in your approximate price range

For that kind of money, you'll probably be living in Staten Island if you really do want a 1-bedroom apartment, to be perfectly honest. You could no doubt find an apartment in Brooklyn for that price, but you'd have to commute by car or express bus, and that would really eat into your income.

As nytraveler mentioned, typical fees to sign a lease in Manhattan might include paying first month's rent, plus last month's rent, plus one month security, plus a broker's fee of 15% of annual rent. So even if you find a place to rent in Manhattan for $1800, at the moment you sign the lease you might have to pay about $8000. And then 30 days later you owe another $1800. Read listings carefully to see how many of these fees may or may not be included.

My niece lives in a fourth floor walkup, bedroom alcove off of hall, LR and Kitchen,old tenement building, no a/c, so she put a window unit in herself, pays $1800. She loves the area.

That Time Out article may be less than accurate.

For example, the midtown East listing--the first one I looked at-- shows an apartment at an address in Brooklyn.



http://newyork.timeout.com/shopping-...0-midtown-east



The term Alphabet City is not used much by locals, or at least any local who spends any time in the area. A friend who lives at Avenue B near 10th Street, calls his home turf "Lower East Side."


Agree with the consensus here that you either need to raise your budget, or look in SI, or perhaps in south Brooklyn (??) which would certainly be safe, if a rather tedious commute.

You need to think about it more broadly than just rent. Rent is one component, but depending on where you live you need to factor in parking (if you have a car), the ability to commute to a Staten Island location by public transit, and the cost of tolls if intending to drive to Staten Island.

If is incredibly expensive to drive into Staten Island via the Verrazano Bridge. $13 each per day unless you are a Staten Island resident. So, if planning to live in say Brooklyn or Queens, consider that public transportation TO Staten Island is limited and driving will add about $250 per month for just the tolls.

Driving into Staten Island from New Jersey won't be much cheaper and you can hit really bad traffic. The Bayonne Bridge is the least travelled. But, tolls will be heading towards $12 to $13 per day in 2015 with a deal being worked out. Every year between now and then the toll will increase.

What is reasonable is public transportation from Staten Island to Manhattan. If you look at something in a town like Great Kills or Eltingville, there are trains that express to the Ferry terminal. Ferry is free, connection to subway in the city is free.

As you are working in Staten Island, you can avoid the tolls on a daily basis. You can also find a place and NOT have to pay for parking. If you move into Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, or parts of New Jersey like Hoboken or Jersey City you will need to pay for parking.

I grew up in Staten Island and my parents and siblings still live there. There are issues with congestion, but that is true for many parts of New York. There are plenty of decent locations to run, parks, etc.

For social life, easy enough to head into Manhattan on the weekend. Also, easy access to the Jersey Shore in the summer which is waht everyone else does.

I have no idea what rents are in Staten Island. I can say they are a lot less than the other boroughs, especially if you will have a car and can avoid tolls.

If looking at somewhere in Staten Island, let me know the neighborhood. I haven't lived there in over 20 years, but I did grow up there and my family is still there. There are a few parts that I would avoid, but a lot fewer than the other parts of NYC.

ekscrunchy, I'm guessing that it's more likely that someoone made an error in the address
"1235 E 53rd Street between Second and Third Aves, No. 4D"
than made an error and listed an apartment in Brooklyn between Avenues I and J.

Try googling 235 instead of 1235 and see if you agree that the apartment is Midtown East. I think it's a simple typo. Probably apt 4D above -
http://www.bricklanetoo.com/about.php


HappyTrvlr makes a good point. Most prewar buildings do not have a/c so people use window units. Even Yoko Ono's huge apartment in the Dakota uses window units. It was a bit of a surprise for me coming from the land of central airconditioining. :-)

In fact, there's an apartment available in that building for $1900 - available 9/1/11
Apt 4C
http://www.urbanedgeny.com/property/...artments/22962

Even if someone lives in the East Village or the LES, they would first have to walk to take a bus or maybe two trains just to get to the SI Ferry. The also have this crazy "select bus" system that has limited stops.

And as Ryan pointed the cost of commuting by car from Manhattan is ridiculous and wait until you have to buy even minimum insurance for the car.

The point of the Time Out article is that rents for decent apartments for under $2,000 are so uncommon, it merits an article where the writer speaks to the veracity of the ads.
_________

Happy Traveler

The area is wonderful especially if you are young. There are over 20 bars in a five block radius from our place. And even with the increase of rents, it is the best eating neighborhood in terms of quality v. value.

The problem is the OP works on Staten Island which presents its own set of problems and whether someone wants a walk-up without A/C plus a few other inconveniences for a $1,800. And if you have a car, you have deal with the alternate side street parking.

A friend of the family moved to NY after college. He lived in a studio apartment on the LES that cost $1600 a month (about 4 years ago). He could reach everything in the kitchen while standing in one spot. He slept on a futon, so he'd have a square inch or two of space when not sleeping (as opposed to a bed).

Let's see.
Boyfriend will work in "A" and girlfriend will work in "B".
One possibility is for the couple to live in A or B - and one of them has a major commute.
Another possibility is for the couple to live in "C" - and then they both will have a commute.
Something for the OP to consider.

The OP mentioned $1800 as a price point.
That's going to be a studio or very small 1br in Manhattan.
The same amount of money will buy a larger apartment outside of Manhattan.
The OP will have to weigh the options to decide what works best for them.

The point of my posting the TimeOut link is to give the OP an idea of what's available - in different neighborhoods of the city - at a price point close to the one he quoted. Hopefully the link will be helpful to the OP and serve that purpose.

I'm not sure where the car/parking/taxes discussion entered the conversation. Does the OP plan to bring a car? If so, that's really going to be sticker shock. Monthly parking for the car can equal the rental rate for an apartment "back home". A friend fought to keep her company car when she accepted a transfer to NYC - and is lucky that the company is STILL paying for the monthly parking charges years later. Sweet.

I have no personal knowledge of these places, but a friend was there recently for a wedding -- how about Hoboken or Jersey City, which are both MUCH less expensive than Manhattan, easy access to Manhattan, and the OP could drive to Staten Island (and possibly have free, or less expensive, parking?)

Back when we were looking for an apartment for my DD - 2008 - we had to verify that our income was something like 8X the rental amount. (Am I remembering that correctly? Does that still hold true?) Luckily there were two girls and 2 sets of parent's income.

I do remember a very reasonable and nice apartment down near the Financial District. the apartment was somewhat across from where people get in line for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Sorry I'm not more specific, but I remember that area being more reasonably priced.

Free parking is not a NY thing unless yuo have a house with a driveway. Even in the nearby suburbs apartment complexes typiclly charge for parking.

It never occurred to me that the OP would try to bring a car- that simply not possible in Manhattan on a budget - monthly garage will be in the area of $500 and insurance $200 (if you have a perfect driving record). And where would you use it?

The key is the location of the job on Staten Island. We really can't give pertinent advice without knowing this.

Chances are the job will not be along the rapid transit train line. The OP will probably require a car to get to work. Based on this assumption, in my opinion the best choice is to find a place in Staten Island, so the OP can avoid hefty commuting costs and tolls for his car. His girlfriend can commute to Manhattan using the best method (ferry, express bus, whatever) based on their Staten Island location.

I lived in Hoboken. It is a great town for two people in their late 20's and as mentioned it is easy to get into the city.

However, the parking situation in Hoboken is actually worse than the parking situation in Manhattan. There are a limited number of parking spaces for let and on-the-street parking can be a real problem - especially if needing to repark the car every evening.

I raised the issue of the Bayonne Bridge tolls with Hoboken and Jersey City in mind.

Having grown up in Staten Island, I know a fair bit about the area. The most basic question that will determine the best place to live is where you will work in Staten Island. If you will be working near the Staten Island Ferry, then you have numerous options as you won't need to drive. However, there are multiple parts of Staten Island are completely impractical via public transportation.

If you will work near one of the Staten Island Rapid Transit stations then "reverse commuting" is feasible.

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/simap.htm

If not - or if you will not be working a standard "9-5 M/F" job, then your options to commute to a job in Staten Island will be limited by a very slow bus service.

One thing about life in NYC that may be very different than other parts of the country is the required trade-offs between commute, house size, schools, taxes, tolls, etc. Other places have that, here they tend to be much more pronounced, especially if looking in a nice suburban town. (That's part of why Staten Island has become popular. It's got a lot of the feel of the suburbs with tree-lined streets, limited crime, and ok to fair schools.)

Everyone coming to NYC wants a nice one-bedroom in a vibrant part of town for $1,800. But, those are rare. Which means you need to consider which options are the best for what your priority will be.

Commuting into Manhattan from anywhere within a 75 to 100 mile radius comes with numerous options. Bus, train, boat, etc. Which option fits best depends on numerous issues such as where in Manhattan, the hours of commuting, and what you're willing to spend both in terms of money and time.

However, commuting into Staten Island is not quite so easy because your options are limited. You can either drive or take the ferry from Manhattan.

I might suggest you narrow down what your priorities will be. From there a lot easier to determine what makes sense from a cost and commuting perspective.

I do know a guy who lives in Inwood (northernmost tip of Manhattan) and commutes to his job on the far end of Staten Island. It takes him two hours each way, which most people would find intolerable, and his neighborhood is probably not what most young people coming to Manhattan are looking for.

I'd suggest coming to town and checking out the LES, as suggested above, parts of Brooklyn, and Astoria (Queens), where a lot of young people who cannot afford the nicer parts of Brooklyn, let alone Manhattan, are living. Be sure to try the available transit and determine if you can tolerate it.

I'm not sure that this is the lest bit relevant, but to address the comment above about air conditioning: I am surprised that Yoko Ono would have a window unit a/c in her coop, but since I've never stood outside her windows and peered in, I cannot verify this statement. I live in a pre-war building and have, as do many people living in older buildings, through-the-wall air conditioners, not window units. It certainly also possible to have central air added to older buildings. And window units are common as well.

The apartment linked in the TimeOut article is in a series of buildings with restaurants on the ground floor. Not a charming stretch of block block and not an ideal situation in a the 4th floor walk-up above a no-frills Indian restaurant. So the price sounds about right--$1995 for a studio in midtown East.

Hi ekscrunchy,

Aren't there a LOT of walk-up apartments in NYC - including midtown East - situated over restaurants ("no frills" AND fancy), stores and other commercial businesses? I'm not sure why THAT particular block of NYC would be less desirable - or "less charming"- than similar blocks because an apartment is situated over a restaurant. Maybe I'm missing something. If so, my apologies.

Re Yoko Ono's windows - it would be very hard to peer in her windows because they are so high up, but I remember my surprise that the beautiful vaulted window had glass removed for the a/c unit. It was then that I started realizing how many building in NYC did not have central a/c - and why. I know it's probably a bit strange but it's something that I notice - coming from the Land of Central Airconditioning. A friend's mom bought an apartment for her on the UES - 2 br, 2b, 2 terraces - and window units. Gorgeous apartment, but again a bit strange that a place that cost that much was cooled by window units. It's not a big deal, just something I thought the OP would find useful to know (that it's normal in NYC for apartments to be cooled by window units).

I think the suggestion already made of living on Staten Island and one person commuting into the city would get you the most bang for your buck.

It may not be impossible to find a 1 bedroom in the city for 1800/mo but it ain't gonna be pretty.

Most buildings in NYC built after the 1960s have central air, or individual AC units. Many of those tall, stately buildings that are so desirable, often called pre-war (meaning pre-WWII), had no air conditioners. It is very costly to rewire and replumb to add central air conditioning to such buildings. Just doing normal plumbing repairs can be problematic.

I live in a pre-war (circa 1927) and don't have any AC because I don't want to spoil my view with an AC unit in the window, nor do I have any electrical outlets near a window. In any case, I only have two electrical outlets in each room, because in 1927 people didn't use many electrical devices. My ceiling fan, tower fan, and reasonable cross-ventilation make it cool enough for most days.

S: Yes, there are a lot of small buildings in the East 50s, but the nicer ones are generally not situated over no frills restaurants. There can be aroma issues, and animal life, to name a few of the perils. That particular stretch of buildings is quite dingy and 53rd Street in that area is quite grimy. Chinese massage places, a string of fast food eateries. scads of delivery bikes chained to the posts outside, etc etc. It is one of the least appealing stretches of block in the immediate neighborhood. And it is but half a block from a noxious stretch of Second Avenue that is lined with bars and packed with stumbling (and worse) over-imbibers many nights of the week. I hate to think what the noise level would be inside the apartments near the bars.

There are window units, there are through-the-wall units (that do not block a view, or protrude from the window) and there is central air. An apartment can have any of these, or a combination of the first two. Or none, as Ellenem states above.

Thanks for your response, ekscrunchy. Again, I think your description describes a lot of NYC - not just that block.

I completely agree re the a/c units. The first apartment I stayed in was at World Wide Plaza - doorman, elevator, marble and teak lobby, 800sf for just under $1600 in the early 90s. I was shocked at that price at the time. What a deal it would be now :-)

I love the prewar buildings. Tall ceilings, original parquet and hardwood floors. Huge rooms with lots of windows. Lots of closets. A/C units in the windows.

I'm glad HappyTrvlr mentioned the a/c situation so the OP can be aware. She raised a good point.

If you are going to be working on Staten Island, you will need to find an apartment on Staten Island. It makes NO SENSE to live in Manhattan and commute to SI. It does make sense for commuting into Manhattan from there and there are lots of buses from SI into the City and several bus routes, so when you find a place to live you can get info on the buses. Also commuting to the ferry is available by bus and then the ferry over and then subway/walk/bus from there.

I used to live on Staten Island and commuted into the City so I can tell you that it is a LONG commute unless you are working in the lower end of Manhattan (commonly referred to as the Wall St area). Figure the commute to midtown will take an 1 1/2 hours and nightly will take close to 2 hours in rush hour traffic, through the tunnels/bridges.

Also on Staten Island you HAVE to have a car, the public transit is not all that good. The good thing is that car insurance is less on Staten Island than the rest of the City, it is considered "rural".

For housing check the Staten Island Advance the paper on the Island, you should be able to find apartments to look at and check Craig's List as well.

Hope that helps.

Our building was erected in 1948 and must be modeled after Hitler's Bunker because everything is poured concrete. They have rewired and we have one small A/C unit for the same reason as Ellenem, we do not want to obscure the view or the light.

For a remodeled 2 bedroom in our building they are asking over $3,800 a month. Fortunately our apartment is rent stabilized.

Manhattan had one of the lowest foreclosure rates during the recent recession. Something like 15-20% of the apartments are second places for people from all over the world. In some of the more exclusive neighborhoods, apartments are vacant most of the year. That is one of the reasons for the high purchase and rental prices. There is a push down effect until it reaches $1,800 for a forth floor walk up studio without A/C.

One would have thought that after 9/11 less people would have wanted to live in Manhattan but the opposite occurred.

Most prewar buildings are brick and cutting a lot of holes in brick buildings to insert air conditions does NOT contribute to the long-term stability of the fabric of the building. It's not allowed in out building - only window ACs are -- and that's true of most brick buldings. If, on the other hand the building has some other form of structure (stone? what do I know aobut buildings? - then through the wall may be allowed.)

You will not get that kind of building for anything near $800 for a one bedroom - it would be more like $4000 a month.

Oh - and putting in a window AC is not that big a deal - you can get a decent one with installation (you have to put brackets on the outside of the building) for about $600 - plus intstallation fee. It's just that your Con Ed bill will rise from perhaps $80 to about $300 per month.

My bill last month during the intense heat wave rose by 25%, and that was for running two fans all day. I can't imagine what AC would have cost . . .

"I can't imagine what AC would have cost"

Well, for our two bedroom, turning it off at night in the living room and entirely over the weekends when we're away, about $400.

So for my one bedroom, running my two fans day and night during the heat, it was $100.

Just curious: Anyone else have 'huge rooms and lots of closets' in their pre-war apt.?

We have a friend on the UWS who married his wife just for her rent controlled apartment. She has big drawers.

Yes, we have huge rooms and lots of closets. We also have 12' ceilings and original parquet floors. But it's a co-op that we bought, similar is practically impossible to rent. And it' not a budget apartment. One of our neighbors is subletting her smallish one bedroom and is getting $3600 per month.

Amazing. You just have to wonder if Tim has ANY clue about the cost of living in NYC. And commuting. I guess they have jobs, since he says so.
Ah, rent control!! I have a friend who "may" pay as much as $300/month!! She is very quiet about how much!!

Aduchamp: Big drawers for her big chest? People have gotten married for less.

nytraveler: You are living the NYC dream. The only place I've seen a prewar with huge rooms and big closets is in Park Slope.