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Calling All New Yorkers


Union Carbine

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Hey guys,

 

I jusy found out I'll be moving to New York for a new job at the end of this month. Any resources out there besides the obvious (Cragislist, etc.) for apartments and the like?

 

Although I spent the first half of my life in NYC, I haven't lived there in a LONG time and don't have any family/friends there anymore. :(

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Okay. Millions of questions you must answer.

 

Are you living alone? What's your budget? Do you want a studio? One bedroom? Two bedroom? Loft? You buying a place? Do you want to live in Manhattan? Brooklyn? Do you like nightlife? Do you want a quiet neighborhood? Do you want trannies living at the end of your block?

 

Welcome to NYC. We'll hook you up. If you need a crashpad, PM me.

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Hey Josh,

 

Thanks. I may take you up on that.

 

Okay, no trannies please. I'm looking to rent: 1 bedroom, studio/loft would work for a start. I'm by myself. My preference is Manhattan but the other burroughs might work - I just don't know which sections are good, bad, or ugly. Nightlife is good but I don't mind quiet either. I'd like to stay under $1,600/month but I can swing it for a bit upwards for a good deal.

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Okay, no trannies please. I'm looking to rent: 1 bedroom, studio/loft would work for a start. I'm by myself. My preference is Manhattan but the other burroughs might work - I just don't know which sections are good, bad, or ugly. Nightlife is good but I don't mind quiet either. I'd like to stay under $1,600/month but I can swing it for a bit upwards for a good deal.

 

Okay, here we go. I love this city so I'll barf some info for you, because the wrong choice of living space in NYC can make or break your life.

 

At 1600 you're looking at Upper East Side, Lower East Side, maybe East Village. All nice neighborhoods depending on what you're looking for. You're looking at a studio at that price, though. I'd recommend looking into Brooklyn - it's where most interesting people (in my opinion) are moving and living these days anyway. Your top choices in Manhattan would probably be (in terms of price / lifestyle ratio):

 

Upper East Side will be a lot of frat types, sports bars, decent restaurants and some good delis, but still cool enough to not cringe every time you step outside. Very safe. You're limited to the 4,5,6 lines which could be kind of annoying if you're going to the West side every morning.

 

Lower East Side will be a lot more hip, with new restaurants and people with lots of product in their hair. Hot girls. Safe as well, but not as convenient with subways, but probably walkable during the nicer months.

 

East Village. What used to be a scary neighborhood is now one of the most desirable areas in the city. In my opinion it's past its prime, but you can still find some decent deals. You'd be across town, though, and there aren't really any direct routes to where you'd be going unless you're close to the F train.

 

Other possibilities:

 

Murray Hill (30s East side). Very fratty and lots of high-rise buildings in which you can find the occasional great deal.

 

Chelsea. Very nice neighborhood, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a studio under 1800-2000.

 

West Village. Beautiful neighborhood, but apartments generally start around 2500 and are small. Avoid unless you want to be broke and feel really poor around all the nannies.

 

Upper West Side. The retirement, old-money area. A bit boring unless you're really into old-school Jewish delis (the only reason I go up there). You may be able to find something up there, though, and it would be pretty easy to get to work via subway.

 

Hells Kitchen. A definite possibility. West side midtown. Can be pretty barren, not terribly interesting in terms of restaurants / bars / nightlife, but would be convenient if near a train.

 

Battery Park. This was once a good deal after 2001 for obvious reasons, but it's had a bit of a resurgence. That said, you can probably find a newer apartment with modern amenities here if that's your thing (I personally prefer places with New York charm). Not sure what the prices are like now, though. Very dead at night, though.

 

Meatpacking District. Right above West Village. Probably the hottest spot in NYC as far as nightlife goes, and it comes with all those annoyances. Prices probably go up 20% per year here. I'd avoid.

 

Your office is pretty much in Tribeca. I've worked there. It's nice but very chichi and expensive. I'd be surprised if an apartment exists there under $2500-3000. A friend just bought a 1500SF loft there and spent around $3M for reference.

 

All that said, I still say look in Brooklyn.

 

Your office is near the A/C/E line. I live in Fort Greene, Brooklyn right near the C line. The neighborhood is amazing - delicious restaurants, amazing bars, a fantastic indie / art theater (BAM), performing arts, Target and GameStop nearby, and pretty safe. You could find a 1 bedroom with a lot more space for around 1300-1800 depending on amenities. You'd have peace at night and be at work in 20-30 min tops (closer than Upper East side even). Be quick, though. This place is exploding, and I've seen 1 bedrooms for 2500-3500 already.

 

You can also look in Park Slope, which is a lot more gentrified but very nice.

 

Brooklyn Heights is beautiful, sort of the West Village of Brooklyn, but just about as expensive. If you're near the train, though, you could be in Tribeca in 10 minutes.

 

Prospect Heights is probably the most up-and-coming neighborhood with the best deals to be found. It's not as convenient as some of the other neighborhoods, and some parts can be a little sketchy in terms of safety, but it has a lot of character and there's literally a new restaurant / bar opening every weekend.

 

BOCOCA (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carrol Gardens). This strip of Brooklyn is probably the most popular, and Smith Street is quite the nightlife scene. It comes with the noise, though. Great shops and restaurants on Smith Street. Many good deals to be had, though, and you'd enjoy life if you're single.

 

Williamsburg. The hipster capital of the world currently. Unless you are an indie rocker, look like one, want to be one, or want to date one, this might be too cool for you. Prices are all over the place. There are some real shit-holes here right next to amazing loft spaces, so finding a place could be frustrating. Really only one train into Manhattan, too (L). If you want to be where the cool kids are, though, this would be the place.

 

 

Phew. Digest that for a bit and let me know what you think. I know someone in pretty much each of those hoods so I can start asking around.

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I'm at 50 Greene Ave, intersects with Adelphi.

 

In Fort Greene I'd recommend the south side of the park over where I am. Much nicer. At 89 Adelphi you're pretty close to that subsidized development (projects) that might make nights over there a little more interesting than you want. Fort Greene still shows its roots every once in a while up there.

 

So, yeah, south side of the park, between Myrtle on the north, Fulton on the south / west, and Washington on the East. You can go further out than Washington, but you'd be moving further away from the trains which are at Greene / Fulton (C train, which would get you straight to Tribeca for work).

 

You can check Clinton Hill as well, which is right next to Fort Greene and there's a C stop at, you guessed it, Clinton. There are some AMAAAZing houses in Clinton hill.

 

EDIT: My zip is 11238

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Park Slope isn't bad. It's the most gentrified area of Brooklyn, so there are a lot of restaurants, sports bars, regular bars, and tons of strollers. Be careful when a broker says "Park Slope," though - get an address. According to them the Park Slope area is expanding on a daily basis when they don't want to say "Gawanus" or "Red Hook."

 

It's not the most exciting park of Brooklyn, but it's safe, there's a beautiful, giant park (bigger than Central Park), and all the modern amenities you would expect from a city. Trains are relatively convenient. It's probably 10-15 minutes further than Fort Greene or BOCOCA.

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rent.com io another gret sourse you get like weekly emails wwith listings

it's how i found my plas at the time they offered a 100 dollar reabte of sorts if you metioned to them place you rented yoou used them.

 

Yeah, thing is in NYC:

 

a) By the time the listing shows up it's taken

B) No one offers rebates. You're lucky to get the place.

 

Craigslist and / or a broker are really the only ways to go about it here.

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