BHAFC14

That’s a really good deal – I’m on the UES and pay $1900 (which was reduced from $2100 this year) for a one bed but no doorman or gym. Agree with the comments about proximity to Central Park.

yrsammit

Just a quick reply here, but it sounds like you've got it made in the shade man. 29 years old making that kind of money in such an awesome city, I'm really jealous. As others said, I also have several friends/family who live in Manhattan for much less. 3.5-4k a month on rent alone will put you anywhere in the city you want. As everyone said, it's also a very expensive city in general (groceries, restaurants, transportation, etc), but that's why you negotiated such a good salary, right?

penguinbar

I also live on the Upper East side. I'm rent stabilised and have been living in my place for 18 years so I won't go into my rent. There are plenty of doorman one bedrooms in the city for under $2000. Have a look on Craigslist. My friend recently got a 3 bedroom 2 bath in a non doorman building on the Upper East Side for $2400. Rents are definately negotiable as well.One of my regular customers is a broker and he always tells me how negotiable landlords are now. There are also plenty of no fee apartments even in luxury buildidngs. I know your company is paying the fee but look around. The Upper West side is nice but don't rule out the Upper East Side as well. The West Village is one of the most expensive areas in the city and can be short on convieniences. I live on alot less than what you are making and I still manage to save money.

I do most of my grocery shopping at Costco. The supermarkets by me always have sales as well.
The subway is much cheaper than the tube and there is no fare difference for the different zones.
You can find some very cheap eats here as well. There are plenty of bars with drink and happy hour specials. Feel free to PM mr for any advice on the city.

retzie

What sort of vibe do you like to live around? I don't like Manhattan at all (tourists, argh!!), so would much prefer to live in Brooklyn and commute (lol, like I even get to choose the state, let alone the neighbourhood, in which I live...) If you are catching the subway anyway, a well-chosen place, close to the right line, could only add ~15mins to your commute. (My vote is for Cobble Hill/Park Slope, btw.) This would also put you closer to cheaper/less crap groceries, great cafes, many and varied (non)dive bars... This is coming from someone the same age, but *cough* many salary brackets below yours.

Remember, no-one said you have to spend all your cash

bigrooster81

Thank you everyone for your valuable posts! I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.

Penguinbar, I definitely will PM you once I gather a plethora of questions to bombard you with!

I did a fair bit of research into where I want to live and scribed below the pros and cons of each area I'm thinking of living in as follows:

Clinton (Hell's Kitchen) - Cool bars, trendy restaurants good vibe for young people. Can probably walk to work weather permitting. However not the cleanest, prettiest area. Bit too close too Midtown.
London area I would liken it to - Islington

Greenwich Village - nice cafe/pub vibe. By the river. Feels like you're not in Manhattan except you are. Close to EV and Meatpacking to go out. Possibly best for groceries but worst for take out. V expensive though. Won't get a lot for your money.
London area I would liken it to - Notting Hill

Union Square - Good college buzzing vibe. Close to all areas of Manhattan. Can't think of too many disadvantages except it's always buzzing.
London area I would liken it to - Covent Garden/Holborn

UWS - similar to thoughts to Clinton but cleaner and nicer and also by the Park though a longer commute to work.
London area I would liken it to - Highgate/Hampstead? (not too sure!)

Brooklyn - (Park Slopes)
As you say Retzie great place for cafes groceries etc. Nice relaxed vibe. However, from what I hear it is a bit too relaxed. I do like to party a bit and if it's easier to get home after a night out, all the better. A slightly longer commute isn't a problem for me tho. It also appears to be more of a family place.
London area I would liken it to - Richmond.

I do think it'll have to be in Manhattan, a least for the first year. Not just for me to experience life in the City, but I'm guaranteed to have ALOT of visitors at first. It'll be a bit easier for everyone to be in Manhattan. If I fancy more of a chilled vibe, Brooklyn is number one thereafter.

The reason I am leaning a bit towards the Village or the UWS is because of what you want at your doorstep. As much as I like going out, I don't need it at my doorstep. What I do want at my doorstep is decent groceries, nice people and maybe a few bars/cafes. I'm not gonna have a car so ou really want the essentials near you, especially as I won't have a car. It's fine to get a cab from a night out.

Now please do correct me if what I'm saying in any of the above is utter rubbish. This is only my humble opinion from 6 or 7 trips to NYC and Internet research!

Any thoughts on the above?

penguinbar

Hi. I would avoid living in Hell's Kitchen and Union Square (wouldn't compare it to CoventGarden or Holborn) . Hell's Kitchen still can be fairly seedy. The West Village is lovely but it is one of the most expensive areas and as I said not big on convienences. Union Square has loads of college kids.The East Village has some cool bars and cheap restaurants but the rents arean't as cheap as they used to be and that area is still a bit seedy as well. Everything is at your doorstep on the Upper East Side and nowadays you can actually get more for your money up here . Upper West is nice too. What area of town will you be working in?

Park Slope is a nice area for families but if I was a young and single guy I wouldn't want to live there. NYC is much less spread out than London and very easy to get around. Taxis are much cheaper than London and the subway runs all night. Hope I can be of help!

bigrooster81

Cheers. I'll be working right next to Times Sq, but would hate to live around there.

I haven't really thought about the UES. Forgive my ignorance but aside from some awesome restaurants it hasn't appealed to me as a place for the young and single. It has always looked to me as a place either for the massively wealthy or the older folk.

I'm sure I am massively stereotyping!

I went out in the Murray Hill area and though nice seemed a bit quiet and had nothing to entice me from the Westside.

I love the EV. Possibly my favourite to place to go out in NYC. But to live there..... I dunno. Like you say, still errs to the side of seedy and to go back to that every day might be a bit much.

penguinbar

Totally wrong view.about Upper East Side. You're just thinking about the Park and Madison Ave crowd. There are loads of young people up here! I wouldn't want to live near Times Square either. The Upper West side would be an easier commute to Times Square for you. Murry Hill is fairly dull. My husband and I go to a great little Indian place in the East Village . Went there last night. I promised him a pub crawl down there ! We are actually off to the UK in two weeks. Scotland first and the I fly to London to visit some of my friends. I do love London!

penguinbar

You must be very excited to move here! It's a really great city to be young and single in!

bigrooster81

I'm insanely excited - hence the meticulous preparation as opposed to actually doing some work!!

Lol, like I said, most of my views of Manhattan areas are very stereotyped! So if I were to live in the UES, what street range would you be thinking be best for me?

Please do PM me the name of that Indian Place! I assume it's around the Curry Row area? The one thing I'll be craving for whilst out there is a decent curry!!

Yeah London is awesome, no doubt I will miss a lot of things about London. If you want any reccos about London, feel free to PM me!

winterbird

UES is one of the oldest communities in NYC, it's quite established as a neighbourhood. All kinds of people live here. Everything we need is always just around the corner. And it's still famous for "safety". We checked out midtown, Murray Hill, even LIC, before we decided on UES. Although if you
work in Times Square area, there might not be a direct train from UES.

Manhattan is small, comparing to London, even though the subway is less frequent (and they don't have Oyster! And most stations have no schedule board), it's still fairly quick to get around. I go to Astoria in Queens all the time and it only takes me less than 20 mins.

I understand you would want to enjoy everything NYC has to offer in your first year, if you can afford it and get a good deal, yeah, Greenwich village and West Village is the place. After a year, maybe you would want something
different, you can always move some place else. We are actually planning to move to CT next year when the lease is up.

deng890

I live on Long Island and commute into Manhattan for work, so I can't really speak for living in the city, rent etc. However, I would say that the UES is a great area to live. I have plenty of friends that live or have lived there and I've always enjoyed the area. Plenty of young people there and lots of interesting bars and restaurants. The only downside to the UES is the lack of subway lines. They're currently trying to remedy this issue by building the 2nd Ave. line but that's years away from completion and for now the 4,5,6 line tends to be very over crowded during rush hour.
Speaking of the 2nd Ave. line...try not to rent any place east of 3rd Ave... in that area it's a bit of hike to the 4,5,6 line on Lexington Ave. not to mention that the MTA have massive sections of roads torn up building the 2nd Ave line that can make certain areas noisy, aesthetically unpleasant and a hindrance to smoother cab rides back home.

You're going to have a blast. There's massive income inequality in NYC area and the vast majority of the population survive on only a fraction of what you will make, so you won't have any problems. I make less than half of what you do and still have enjoyed myself these last 4 years, and if I was able to afford it I'd move to Manhattan in a New York minute!

E3only

Oh yeah, that money being single - you going to have a funn life!

Errol

[QUOTE=bigrooster81;8941158]Cheers. I'll be working right next to Times Sq, but would hate to live around there.

I live on West 99th Street. It takes me about 5 minuttes to the 96th Subway station which connects with the 2 and 3 and the 1 line

The 2 and 3 are express. (2 stops, 72nd Street and 42nd Times Square) and takes about 5 minuttes. The one is a local a takes a little longer

I get the train about 7:10 in the morning and the express is already filling up. Were I to leave at around 9:00am I might might the local a little less crowded and they I think they are little more frequent.

From my perspective, the Upper West Side may offer slightly more square footage compared to the Upper East Side for the price. The Upper East Side to 96th Street has always been a gem, but that couldn't be said for the Upper West side until about ten years ago. Thanks to the Columbia University acquiring mega properties on the UWS and there has been a building boom it is now gentrified I would say through to about 115th Street


Brooklyn Heights which overlooks lower Manhattan can easily equal or exceed in price it's Manhattan UES or UWS equivalent.

Another option is Forest Hills in Queens which is served by the Long Island Rail Road, and the E and F Subway lines which are express and can take, depending on the time, less that 25 minuttes to Lexington Avenue. APartment rentals can be close to Manhattan in price

bigrooster81

Cheers guys - I feel a bit of a prat asking if it was an OK salary now.

As nice as the UES sounds, without approporiate public transport, it seems a bit of a waste living there. It'll probably add an extra half hour on my journey as opposed to eg the UWS.

The one thing deterring me from the Village is the lack of good NYC food AFAIK. I'm not unhealthy but I am a NY foodie nut and occasionally get the hankering for a nice slice, a hotdog or a pastrami sandwich. There doesn't seem to be as much of an abundance in the Village as with other areas. Again, maybe I'm wrong.

However, that may be a good thing - will compel me to cook instead!