AlphaTangoMike

Murray Hill would be good for both partying and for walking to work. You may be able to find a few apartments closer to your office in Midtown. Another option would be the Upper East Side. You could take the 4,5 or 6 trains to Grand Central (42nd street) for a short commute.

Try and avoid commuting cross-town, very few subway lines run across Manhattan. (So you'd have to walk or catch a bus).

rpjs

UES can of course be super expensive, but when we first moved to NYC the company put us up in one of their corporate apartments in a block at 94th and 3rd. Studios there are going for around $2,500 pcm so for your budget it can be done just don't expect much bang for your buck.

Also the 4/5/6 train does get pretty crowded at peak. Better than the Northern line from London Bridge though!

Bob

Ha....I thought I had added that when I put the page together, I guess when I edited it in a while ago, it didn't go through and never double checked.

I put it in now though.

penguinbar

I'm from NYC. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

penguinbar

I live on The Upper East Side. It's very convenient to where your office is located. What type of amenities and what size apartment are you looking for?

MMcD

47th & 2nd Ave.

+1
Murray Hill is roughly the area between 5thAve east to the river - in the 30's
Beautiful old townhouses on side streets (even some trees) as well as tall, newer condo bldgs.(views) - if that's more your style.
You should be able to find a quite nice studio or 1 bed. in Murray Hill, within your budget.

Vicious B

thanks so much everyone for your assistance. should hear about the offer this week, so may well have a lot more questions once it's received. i'm getting the feeling that for going out [bars/ restaurants/ clubs] it's probably going to be better to live/aim for the lower east side/ east village way, that should also mean not too far of a commute to the office...does that seem reasonable? (oh and i might get more space for my money - bearing in mind i'm going to be coming from a 1500sq ft apartment in DXB)

penguinbar

Forget about 1500 sq ft for $2500!The lower East side/East village aren't cheap spots to live in either. They have become very hip and trendy. Some parts are still sketchy as well in both areas so you still need to be careful. As I said I'm from NYC and I used to work in real estate as well so feel free to contact me for any questions.

Vicious B

Thanks penguinbar, yes I have already seen the sizes of apartments (aren't they tiny!!!) and am thinking i am going to have to have a massive clear out before I get there! I don't even think my bed would fit in most of these places LOL. It's ok though, will be nice to get back into the 'real world'...I love Dubai but we get very spoiled!

penguinbar

You're welcome.

jaffy23

I agree Murray Hill is a good base. I'm on 29th and Lex and find it a nice, easy walk to work above Grand Central. Decent grocery stores, bars and the 6 subway. We pretty much looked at every building around here so let me know if you would like any more info.

Vicious B

that's great thanks for the advice, i might well PM you once i get offer...(still waiting!!)

Vicious B

still no news on my offer yet (i'm getting slightly impatient now) particularly as my apartment renewal is due here in Dubai and i'm not sure what to do about it. Would anyone be able to advise how long the turnaround is on visa processing? I am assuming I will be given the L1A visa...i've read on here it could take up to 3 months, would that be a correct assumption?

civilservant

Yes, although your employer paying for premium processing would certainly get things moving quicker.

Lucybell33

If your employer has a blanket L1, it could be done within a month, otherwise 2-4 months.