Ryan

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.

Fra_Diavolo

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.

ekscrunchy

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.

starrs

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).

suze

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.

ellenem

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.

ekscrunchy

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.

starrs

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.

travelbuff

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.

Aduchamp1

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.

nytraveler

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.

nytraveler

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.

ellenem

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 . . .

Fra_Diavolo

"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.

ellenem

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

Bowsprit

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

Aduchamp1

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

nytraveler

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.

Gretchen

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!!

Bowsprit

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.