new york/new jersey apt suggestions

[towaga84]

Hey,

I am in the process of interviewing for a sales rep job that I really want, but the only concern I have is the apartment situation near the metro nyc area.

The hiring manager alluded to not wanting to hire someone who wants to live too far away from the territory (manhattan), and suggested I look at Hoboken New Jersey (that's where hew lives).

The opportunity is great for a recent college grad like me but it's not amazing (so I am trying to keep rent at or under 1000).

I just am getting nervous when I search for apartments. They seem nice until I go to apartmentratings.com and find out they are loaded with roaches :)

Any advice or specific places to look would be great. I was told queens/brooklyn might be a good spot to look also...

Thanks!

[friedo]

For Queens, studio apartments can be had for under $1000 in neighborhoods such as Flushing, Bayside, Corona, Jackson Heights, and so on. All of them are within reasonable distance of the #7 train, which gets you right into midtown. The neighborhoods that are closer to Manhattan, like Astoria and Long Island City, cost more. Last year, I was paying $1100 for a one bedroom in Astoria, which is a fairly good deal.

In Brooklyn, there are great neighborhoods in Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Flatbush (I live there now) and Midwood. Coney Island is a dump. The subway situation in Brooklyn is a bit better than Queens since there are more lines closer together.

The New York TImes has a good real estate search (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/realestate/index.html) page that lets you look for apartment ads that match your criteria.

[towaga84]

Thanks Friedo, I'll look into all of that. I am looking for 1 bedroom around 750-800 sq ft. My only two concerns are safety and clean.

I am coming from the Buffalo NY area so this would be a big change for me. I saw a nice place in Hempstead NY but I am not sure how far away that is from manhattan.

[Fiveyearlurker]

Thanks Friedo, I'll look into all of that. I am looking for 1 bedroom around 750-800 sq ft. My only two concerns are safety and clean.

I am coming from the Buffalo NY area so this would be a big change for me. I saw a nice place in Hempstead NY but I am not sure how far away that is from manhattan.

I lived in Hempstead. It's

a) hideous
b) not too close to Manhattan. Commute would be about an hour to midtown by the LIRR.

[What Exit?]

You still can find some 1 bedrooms around 750-800 sq ft in Brooklyn for around $1000. Bayridge is one of the great neighborhoods in Brooklyn and my Brother was paying $925 when he moved out last year. He was in 333 Ovington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209. You might want to look in that area.

It was a great neighborhood and the Subway will get you to Manhattan pretty well.

The area near the Brooklyn Bridge is supposed to be very nice now. I do not know about the prices. Even better commuting times.

I know Hoboken has gotten expensive, but is a very nice town to live in. Try hard to get a place in walking distance to the Path train/Ferry and parking in Hoboken is truly horrible.

Jim

[sugar and spice]

Hey, I'm from Buffalo too! And I lived in NYC for 5 years. You're right, its going to be a big change. You're going from one of the cheapest places to live to one of the most expensive.

If you're considering the suburbs, you might want to also look at Riverdale in the Bronx and Forest Hills in Queens. They're both a little further out, so you can get a nice apartment at a better price (nice meaning the hallways are kept clean and the elevator always works). Also, think about if you could be flexible on square footage, 750-800 is pretty big for a 1BR by NYC standards. Good luck!

[Hello Again]

Thanks Friedo, I'll look into all of that. I am looking for 1 bedroom around 750-800 sq ft. My only two concerns are safety and clean.

I am coming from the Buffalo NY area so this would be a big change for me. I saw a nice place in Hempstead NY but I am not sure how far away that is from manhattan.

LOL. I go to school in hempstead and I live in Queens. Hempstead is a good hour from NYC with somewhat infrequent service on the relevant line of the LIRR (about once an hour). (plus, the LIRR costs WAY more than the NYC subway, my monthly pass to hempstead is $176) I would NOT advise routinely driving into Manhattan from Long Island during normal rush hours. There are two parallel highways, both parking lots 7:30-9am. Plus, that part of long island is just plain no fun. its Suburbia, not The City (the original planned subdivision, Levittown, is nearby).

I live in Kew Gardens, Queens, a quiet neighborhood, large city park, convenient to multiple subways lines... I'm pretty sure you can get a 1br for ~900 (base, since heat/water/gas is usually included the actual rent is a bit higher).

using a realtor might be worth your while. They do cost (usually 12% of annual rent) but they save you mucho time and aggravation.

[robardin]

Brooklyn is rather expensive without going into "deep" Brooklyn like Bay Ridge. I like Bay Ridge, but if your goal is to commute into Midtown Manhattan and stay under 1000/month I'd hazard that Queens is more convenient (your commute will likely be shorter). If your Manhattan destination is south of 14th St., though, that's a different story -- then I would say Brooklyn gets more attractive.

Since Brooklyn's been talked about, I'll talk about Queens. Long Island City in Queens is an 'up and coming' area; it's a formerly industrial area that's moving towards being more residential. It's very close to Manhattan, just one or two subway stops away to Midtown. I did jury duty in the area south of the Queensboro Bridge (a.k.a. the 59th St. Bridge) and while it's not fancy, I wouldn't be afraid to live there myself. I know a couple of twentysomething coworkers who live there now, in fact.

Jackson Heights is also a reasonably good and convenient area, if you're near the IND lines (the express E/F trains in particular at 74th St./Broadway) you're only about 15 minutes away from Midtown.

Ditto for Woodside: close, convenient, reasonably safe and nice area. I have had close friends who had apartments in those parts of town 10-15 years ago, and these areas have only improved.

I live in Bayside/Flushing and certainly consider it a nice area, but the commute to Midtown by mass transit gets rather long, and as a fresh-outta-school guy on a budget you really don't have a good alternative to the MTA. It's what used to be called a "two-fare zone" (from before Metrocards introduced the free bus-to-subway transfers): you won't be close to any subway line and will have to take a 15-30 minute bus ride just to get to Main St., or pony up and pay a lot more to ride the Long Island Rail Road, with its infrequent service. If I take the bus/subway to work in Midtown it's a 55 minute commute minimum, with any sort of service delays stretching it out to over an hour, even an hour and a half :(.

You may also want to bite the bullet and work with a realtor. Real estate moves very fast in NYC, even rentals in the "Outer Boroughs", and unless you've got a foothold here already (like a friend or relative who's willing to let you crash for a week or two) and are willing the pound the pavement, it's hard to find a good deal remotely.

[Fiddle Peghead]

I worked in NYC as a real estate agent for one year and the most important advice I would give you is, be flexible. Make a list of all the things that you feel you must have, would like to have, and can do without, and keep in mind that you are probably never going to find everything, let me re-phrase that, you will never find everything that you want at your price.

Also, I would suggest not having any pre-conceived notions about what kind of apartment you can get for $1000 in the NYC area. I'm certainly not saying that you can't find something very nice, but if you've never looked for an apartment in NYC, you could be in for a bit of a shock. I will say that if you have any idea of living anywhere in Manhattan below 125th St or even a bit higher, you will not find a clean, decent apartment for that price.

[towaga84]

hey guys, I appreciate the replies and I am going to read all of them when I get home tonight.

I thought it would help to mention that I will have a company car.

[Fiddle Peghead]

I decided to make an edit, but was too late. This is what I wanted to say in the last paragraph:

And not that you even mentioned Manhattan, but you can pretty much forget about anything for $1000 unless you want to live at the northern extreme, and even then most places for that price will be pretty dicey.

Also, as an alternative to Hoboken, you might consider looking in Weehauken, which is to the north, but still quite close to Manhattan. There is no PATH (New Jersey Subway) access, but if you don't mind buses, it's pretty close to Manhattan.

Finally, after working with many prospective tenant in my year in real estate, I wish you all the luck in finding a great place.

[Annie-Xmas]

One bedrooms in upscale Bergen County, New Jersey are running about $800/month. The commute from where I am is about 1/2 hour.

[Billdo]

You may also want to consider trying to rent a two-bedrrom with a roommate, which can save you some cash if you can find somebody you can live with.

[robardin]

I thought it would help to mention that I will have a company car.
Well, unless you get free parking on the Manhattan end, it won't help very much. Owning a car isn't any more expensive in NYC than anywhere else (except for the insurance costs); it's keeping a car that's the problem. Parking in particular is the problem. Paying for garage space in Manhattan is as much or more than rent for a studio apartment in most other cities in this country.

Or do you mean a car service? Most or all major finance firms, for example, have vouchers for car service rides home when you work late (after 9pm). But that won't get you in to the office in the morning.

If you really do have free use of a car and no issues with parking, you still have to ask yourself if you're willing to deal with the annoyance of actually driving in Manhattan during rush hour, competing with all the cabs, buses and trucks). Unless you're going to be working "off hours", like the night shift or something.

Personally I would recommend riding a motorcycle or scooter around town. That's what I do now whenever possible. Cheaper and faster and a lot more fun than taking the bus/train, and no parking issues to worry about (just getting sideswiped by a car, oblivious pedestrian or psycho bike messenger, or eaten by a pothole).

[Fiveyearlurker]

I was living downtown near the trade center till a few years ago. Not the most neighborhoody neighborhood, but safe, quiet and a lot less expensive than other parts of the city. Of course, at the time they were paying 500 bucks a month of our rent in order to get people to move downtown, and that has since stopped.

But, of Manhattan neighborhoods, it's one of the less expensive areas, while still being livable.

[liberty3701]

I would highly suggest Jersey City. Just as close as Hoboken, but not as expensive. The neighborhood around the Grove Street Path Station is particularly nice (but still affordable). Avoid anything in the Heights, since it's not that convenient to public transportation, and Journal Square is hit or miss but great for cheap Indian food.

Good luck!

[D_Odds]

LOL. I go to school in hempstead and I live in Queens. Hempstead is a good hour from NYC with somewhat infrequent service on the relevant line of the LIRR (about once an hour). (plus, the LIRR costs WAY more than the NYC subway, my monthly pass to hempstead is $176) I would NOT advise routinely driving into Manhattan from Long Island during normal rush hours. There are two parallel highways, both parking lots 7:30-9am. Plus, that part of long island is just plain no fun. its Suburbia, not The City (the original planned subdivision, Levittown, is nearby).

I live in Kew Gardens, Queens, a quiet neighborhood, large city park, convenient to multiple subways lines... I'm pretty sure you can get a 1br for ~900 (base, since heat/water/gas is usually included the actual rent is a bit higher).
Howdy, neighbor. I'm in Richmond Hill, right on the KG border (and across the street from Forest Park). I also went to school in Hempstead (Hofstra - many, many, many moons ago), but I was local when doing it.

You'll have to hunt to find decent for $1,000. One of the things you must definitely consider is access to transportation into midtown. Unless you need your company car daily, you are better off not driving. All of the places listed here are good choices. A note about living in Queens and Brooklyn - nearly every block is a mini-UN. I've never lived in the Devil's Armpit...excuse me, New Jersey1...so I can't speak to those areas. I've seen many people from mostly homogenous towns and cities get overwhelmed by the multi-cultural aspects that are a way of life for NYers.

[towaga84]

Hey guys :)

So I have made a list so far of areas to look based on all of your suggestions:

Kew Gardens, Queens
Woodside, Queens
Jackson Heights, Queens
Weehauken, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey-Grove Street Path Station area

The company car is something I'll have to use everyday; it's a sales rep job that requires you to have samples, etc.

I am really just looking for clean, realtively safe, and ~40 minute commute to most of manhattan.

Thanks guys, this advice has been great! I think if I get this job I am just going to take a week and go down there and explore these areas in detail.

[What Exit?]

Hey guys :)

So I have made a list so far of areas to look based on all of your suggestions:

Kew Gardens, Queens
Woodside, Queens
Jackson Heights, Queens
Weehauken, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey-Grove Street Path Station area

The company car is something I'll have to use everyday; it's a sales rep job that requires you to have samples, etc.

I am really just looking for clean, realtively safe, and ~40 minute commute to most of manhattan.

Thanks guys, this advice has been great! I think if I get this job I am just going to take a week and go down there and explore these areas in detail.
Cool, where is the office? You might want to consider easy access to the closest bridge/tunnel if you will be driving every day.

Sounds like the Path train will be less important that driving access.

Here is a link all new New Yawkers need, http://www.onnyturf.com/subway/
A very good NYC subway Google Hack Map. It includes the path trains.

Jim

[robardin]

The company car is something I'll have to use everyday; it's a sales rep job that requires you to have samples, etc.
Hmm. Aside from helping you find a place to live, I'd want to know a bit more about this arrangement. Are you going to be schlepping stuff to other locations in Manhattan, or is the company simply based in Manhattan and you'll be using this car to drive samples around to customers and prospective clients in the wider Metro area?

To get right to the point: if you'll be parking a lot around Manhattan during business hours to run in and out of various buildings, you will likely be double parking or parking illegally fairly often. There are limited time commercial parking zones in Midtown, but even then most of the time the spots are all already taken by trucks and construction vehicles, or people with parking exception placards who park there all day like those given to police and fire dept. personnel based in the area, court officials, the handicapped, etc.

If this is the case, find out if the company is going to be paying for your parking tickets or not 'cause you WILL be getting them to do your job. (Just ask any FedEx or UPS delivery driver.)

[towaga84]

Hmm. Aside from helping you find a place to live, I'd want to know a bit more about this arrangement. Are you going to be schlepping stuff to other locations in Manhattan, or is the company simply based in Manhattan and you'll be using this car to drive samples around to customers and prospective clients in the wider Metro area?

To get right to the point: if you'll be parking a lot around Manhattan during business hours to run in and out of various buildings, you will likely be double parking or parking illegally fairly often. There are limited time commercial parking zones in Midtown, but even then most of the time the spots are all already taken by trucks and construction vehicles, or people with parking exception placards who park there all day like those given to police and fire dept. personnel based in the area, court officials, the handicapped, etc.

If this is the case, find out if the company is going to be paying for your parking tickets or not 'cause you WILL be getting them to do your job. (Just ask any FedEx or UPS delivery driver.)

Well, it is a home-based office arrangement where you work out in the field marketing products 4 days a week and do paperwork on fridays. I never thought of the parking ticket issue; I guess I'll have to ask about that when the time is right.

[msmith537]

I would highly suggest Jersey City. Just as close as Hoboken, but not as expensive. The neighborhood around the Grove Street Path Station is particularly nice (but still affordable). Avoid anything in the Heights, since it's not that convenient to public transportation, and Journal Square is hit or miss but great for cheap Indian food.

Good luck!


I would second JC, given your price range and proximity to NYC.


Another possibility you might want to consider is Stamford, CT or Westerchester County NY. It's only about a 45 min train ride.

[towaga84]

Update: towaga84
Guest

Join Date: Feb 2007
Manhattan Apartment Advice
Hey,

The moderator closed my topic and said I posted this before but actually it was before I got the job and was when I thought I could live OUTSIDE of the manhattan area, rather than being required to live WITHIN it.

Here's my issue:

So I am excited. I just graduated from the University at Buffalo and I have been interviewing for months for a Marketing Job with Bose. I got the call today that it's mine

It's about a 55,000 dollar job to start but they pay for the following:

Company Car
Gas
Parking
Internet
Cell Phone

So I am pretty excited. The only thing I have to be careful about is that I have to live in Manhattan (no ifs ands or buts). My boss wants me there. He actually raised the starting offer just to make sure I do live there.

My question to you: What areas would be good for a young recent grad with a salary like mine? I am looking for an area where I might have some more college grads around or something cool.

I want a 1 bedroom+bedroom+kitchen+main room

I understand that lots of my income will go towards rent. Give me some suggestions

[Doctor Who]

You're making $55,000 a year. That breaks down to about $4500 a month pre-tax. Experts say you should spend no more than 28% of that monthly salary on rent. 28% of $4500 is $1260.

So you're really looking for a place sub-$1000. Honestly, a one bedroom apartment is going to be a stretch.

The best thing to do is to scale back a bit - and rent a room in a shared apartment. Look here (http://newyork.craigslist.org/roo/) at the New York craigslist. Try and find something close to work / close to a good Subway line.

Good luck.

[Frank]

You're making $55,000 a year. That breaks down to about $4500 a month pre-tax. Experts say you should spend no more than 28% of that monthly salary on rent. 28% of $4500 is $1260.

So you're really looking for a place sub-$1000. Honestly, a one bedroom apartment is going to be a stretch.
Well, no, even if you believe the experts, he's looking for a place sub-$1260, obviously including the cost of heat, gas, and electricity if that's extra. Was that your calculation, subtracting utilities?

And, depending on his circumstances, it might not be unreasonable to go above 28%, depending on his debt level and his taste for fine clothes and fine dining.

That said, towaga84, you'd better be prepared for some serious sticker shock in moving to New York from Buffalo, and the advice of looking for a shared place rather than going it on your own might be well taken. At least until you get your feet on the ground.

[Darryl Lict]

I'm not a New Yorker but I hang out a lot there. My friend lives in one of those humongous tenement kind of buildings near East Broadway and Grand. I really like the area, you can walk to Chinatown and the Village. Some of my friend's friends live around Allen and E. Houston and I believe that area is one of the cheaper places in the city. The places they live in are tiny cramped studio apartments.

It's going to be a bit of an ordeal to find a decent 1 bedroom that is affordable anywhere in Manhattan. Don't set your expectations very high. You might want to try to consider getting some roommates. Also, from what I understand it isn't easy to get onsite parking in most places.

I don't mean to discourage you. Manhattan is a world class place to live, and I am envious of any recent college grad who has the opportunity to work there.

There are young people all over the place in the divier neighborhoods. Except of course, my friends neighborhood which is full of 90 year old Jewish pensioners. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having close subway access.

[Doctor Who]

Well, no, even if you believe the experts, he's looking for a place sub-$1260, obviously including the cost of heat, gas, and electricity if that's extra. Was that your calculation, subtracting utilities?

And, depending on his circumstances, it might not be unreasonable to go above 28%, depending on his debt level and his taste for fine clothes and fine dining.
Yeah - I got the math down (I did it myself! :p) I was simply accounting for utilities + the fact that even though 28% is the maximum, you don't *have* to spend 28%. Then I started thinking about the cost of everything in Manhattan and I was like "jeez - I know he's just a guest, but we should probably save him enough money that he could buy a loaf of bread or a large bag of rice."

So that's why I ballparked it at sub-$1000.

[towaga84]

heh, thanks guys. I have no debt, etc.

I will have to keep doing research. When I search for about $1200/month I do get quite a large listing of newly-renovated 1 bedrooms. Some are in Washington Heights/Harlem/etc.

Is that why? Is that a terrible area where I will be at major risk or something?

Thanks for this calculation-it's valuable. So even with no debt and car/parking/cell phone paid for I should spend 28%? How would you say utilities play into this?

God I appreciate this help, it's stressful heh!

[Fiveyearlurker]

There might be a few one bedroom apartments for 1200 in Manhattan. But, um, temper your expectations a bit.

I moved out of downtown (not a bad neighborhood, but not trendy or desireable) about two years ago. We had a 700 square foot one bedroom. We paid 2800 per month. And that was with the subsidy for living near the trade center. So, now that apartment would be 3300 a month (assuming rents haven't increased since then, which I'm sure they have).

[towaga84]

There might be a few one bedroom apartments for 1200 in Manhattan. But, um, temper your expectations a bit.

I moved out of downtown (not a bad neighborhood, but not trendy or desireable) about two years ago. We had a 700 square foot one bedroom. We paid 2800 per month. And that was with the subsidy for living near the trade center. So, now that apartment would be 3300 a month (assuming rents haven't increased since then, which I'm sure they have).


Yeah, those expectations in my first post were when I thought I could live outside of manhattan.

I really just want a 1 bedroom in manhattan with maybe a sep. kitchen area. on the New York Times Real Estate site that someone suggested I see a bunch of listings but who knows.

Should I consider Washington Heights or Harlem not a good idea?

Thanks for all of the help!

[nongoog]

no way you're going to get a quality 1-bedroom in a good neighborhood for 1200 a month. I second a roommate situation, or changing your minimum standard to shoebox-sized studios.

My question: why do you get a car and gas stipend if you're living in MANHATTAN? That doesn't seem to make sense, unless your job is going to be driving all over the place in the five boroughs.

Washington heights has some nice places, but you have to check them out first- I have friends who live up there and it's absolutely gorgeous around columbia, but if you get too far from the campus then it turns very heavily minority, black and/or hispanic depending, and also a bit dirty-looking, which is still a safe area but many people aren't comfortable with it, especially if you haven't lived in a big city before.

It seems dumb for your boss to insist that you live within manhattan, where 90% of it is prohibitively expensive for recent college grads, many of whom tend to have debt up the wazoo ANYWAY. I live right over the bridge in astoria, I live two blocks from the subway, my commute is 15 minutes flat, and I'm paying $750/mo rent. I would assume he expects you to find a roommate.

If you insist upon living alone, in a one-bedroom, you better go through a good broker and pay the goddamn fee. If you try to find the deals yourself, you'll be looking forever and getting nowhere.

[Fiveyearlurker]

Washington heights has some nice places, but you have to check them out first- I have friends who live up there and it's absolutely gorgeous around columbia, but if you get too far from the campus then it turns very heavily minority, black and/or hispanic depending, and also a bit dirty-looking, which is still a safe area but many people aren't comfortable with it, especially if you haven't lived in a big city before.



If you're talking about Columbia's main campus, where it is nice in the neighborhood, that is in Morningside Heights, not Washington Heights. No chance of getting a low rent place around there.

Washington Heights holds Columbia's Medical campus, where I spent several years, and never saw anything nice. The only benefit of Washington Heights is that it has the 168th street station which has an express A train; you can get to other parts of Manhattan easily.

[gigi]

Should I consider Washington Heights or Harlem not a good idea?If I understand correctly, these areas are being renovated and don't have the stigma they used to. They may still be predominantly non-white, if that's important, but I certainly have white friends who live there and haven't had a problem.

Back to this driving samples around thing...how much stuff do you have to carry, because public transportation or even cabbing it with a wheelie bag might be preferable to trying to keep a car in Manhattan.

[gigi]

Forgot to mention a reference point. My brother lives in a studio (plenty for one person, not the shoebox size) in a doorman building in Kips Bay (near Murray Hill) in the 30s on the East side. He pays $1800 plus utilities.

[msmith537]

It seems dumb for your boss to insist that you live within manhattan...

FYI, it's also illegal for him to insist so.



Washington Heights or Harlem is better than it used to be. It's still kind of far though. People forget that it could take them an hour to get someplace within Manhattan.

[sugar and spice]

FYI, it's also illegal for him to insist so.



Washington Heights or Harlem is better than it used to be. It's still kind of far though. People forget that it could take them an hour to get someplace within Manhattan. Yes, the thing with Washington Heights is that its not any closer to midtown or downtown than parts of Queens or Brooklyn. Really, you'd probably be closer to your clients if you lived in Brooklyn Heights. Harlem is closer to midtown, but more convenient apartments are more expensive. Morningside Heights is not a budget neighborhood.

Also keep in mind that many of the ads are put up by brokers, who are going to be advertising their cheapest listing, which even then may be a fictitious bait-and-switch. Even in Queens I often didn't get to see the apartment I called about. The ads get you in the door, and then they take you around to whatever is in your price range (plus some on the high side). Don't get me wrong, I do believe there are honest brokers out there, but even the honest ones have to manage expectations.

[Fiddle Peghead]

Having worked in NYC real estate for a year, I know that most places require you to gross 40x the rent, therefore, you're looking at $1375 tops to get your own place. You won't find a decent (or any, really) one-bedroom anywhere in Manhattan below 125th St. at that price. However, quite a few places will rent you an apartment at a higher rent, if you have an excellent guarantor to co-sign the lease with you.

As for the Washington Heights area (155th to Inwood), I lived on 135th and Broadway (known as Hamilton Heights) for the year of 2005. As others have said, it is still mostly Hispanic, but it is perfectly safe, and I never saw any violent act or evidence thereof, and I walked the streets there at all hours. I wouldn't characterize it as any dirtier than, say, the East Village. Of course I'm sure you know that the best thing to do is check out as many neighborhoods as possible, and at different hours.

And yes, I was a broker and thus may be a bit biased, but you will get a better apartment and make better use of your money if you bite the bullet and pay a fee to find a place. The brokers have the nicer apartments (if you were a broker, would you want to show sub-par places to your clients?), you can quickly see a number of places in different neighborhoods, and building up a relationship with a good broker is a great idea, especially when you get that first raise or bonus and want to move up to a better place, or even buy!

[gigi]

I know that most places require you to gross 40x the rentInteresting; I hadn't heard that but it fits. When I was making $24K and living in The Bronx, I paid just under $600.

[Fiveyearlurker]

Yes, the thing with Washington Heights is that its not any closer to midtown or downtown than parts of Queens or Brooklyn. Really, you'd probably be closer to your clients if you lived in Brooklyn Heights. Harlem is closer to midtown, but more convenient apartments are more expensive. Morningside Heights is not a budget neighborhood.



By subway though, since there is the express train stop at 168th, it's less than 15 minutes to 42nd Street. Much faster than Brooklyn, and infinitely faster than Queens.

[towaga84]

Thank you for the advice guys. My cousin lives in Queens and she is going to have me stay with her until we find a place. She knows Manhattan really well, in terms of neighborhoods, so it should be easier.

[What Exit?]

Thank you for the advice guys. My cousin lives in Queens and she is going to have me stay with her until we find a place. She knows Manhattan really well, in terms of neighborhoods, so it should be easier.
Cool, that is the best method.

[sugar and spice]

By subway though, since there is the express train stop at 168th, it's less than 15 minutes to 42nd Street. Much faster than Brooklyn, and infinitely faster than Queens. It depends on where in the boros you are talking about, and where in Manhattan you are going. When I lived in Astoria my ride to lex was 10-15 minutes, and that was from every stop. In Woodside, the express train at 61st street can get you to Times Square in under 20 minutes.

[towaga84]

Just an update guys:

So the salary is around 54k (42k annual+12k quarterly bonus).

My boss is saying he raised my base so I could apparently live in Manhattan (hmm...lol).

Any ideas on if a one bedroom in any part of manhattan that is relatively "safe" is going to happen?

If not how would you confront your new boss who is certainly evaluating you? I might have to beg to live in queens or something heh.