DIGITAL39

A friend of mine knows someone at Sun Microsystems in NYC and he wants him to try to get me a job. Personally I dont know if I want to move to NYC with everything being so expensive. Just incase I wanted to see what apartment prices are like for a 1 bedroom in good shape. I'm guessing ~2500, but any input would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
Pete

tankman10024

hey Pete where is your friend moving from? yea nyc can be expensive, but if you want to live in the city then you're going to pay for that. I work in a pre-war condo on the upper-westside of manhattan and 1 bedrooms go for just about 2500 and up depending if the apt is fully renovated and with new appliances. But your friend doesnt have to live in manhattan unless thats where he wants to live, but there are some nice places to live in queens and brooklyn also, the best thing for him to do is to contact a real estate broker in nyc and he'll get alot more info that way. have him tell them just what he's looking for and they'll go fro there

best of luck to your friend
tankman

DIGITAL39

Thanks tankman,

My friend is actually trying to get me the job so I can move there. I'm sure if I was working for Sun I would make the money to pay the bills, but it never seems to work out as just getting higher pay for higher cost of living. I would like to live in manhattan if I lived in new york, and while I'm sure in many ways it is probably an oxymoron I would like to live in a safe area (haha).

dendawg

One advantage to living in Manhattan is that you don't need a car. I have one and maybe use it once or twice a week to get out of the city. Rest of the time I use the subway to commute to work, and at $76 for a 30 day unlimited use metro card it is very cheap. But everything in Manhattan can be very expensive compared to living in the outter boroughs or the suburbs.

lazzarello

Dude, you'll be living in New York City. It's the best city for biking in the northeast. Anywhere you want to go is never more than 10 miles if you stay near bridges. I live in Brooklyn. This is my commute. But hell, I even work in Long Island sometimes.

A 1 bedroom in Brooklyn can vary but will be around 1600 - 2500 depending. Since you'll be working for Sun, I doubt you'd be interested in the sub 1600 apartments in Bushwick and Bed Stuy.

splytz1

[QUOTE=botto]WTF are you talking about?

link

New York was the safest of the nation's 10 largest cities in 2005, with about one crime reported for every 37 residents, according to an Associated Press analysis of FBI statistics.
________________________________________________________________________
I think he means he wants to live in a safe neighborhood in NYC. Statistically, NYC is a very safe large city - doesn't mean there aren't bad neighborhoods. I live in a safe neighborhood but would never consider living in Brownsville, East New York, East Harlem, Washington Heights, or the South Bronx. It's still an enormous city with a great diversity of neighborhoods, safe and unsafe.

(I do think he used the word "oxymoron" incorrectly. How is "safe area" an oxymoron?)

Anyway, to the OP, if you take the plunge, don't discount Brooklyn - I think you get more bang for your buck. I live in a 1 br w/a nice back yard in a turn of the century brownstone for 1800$, and can ride over the Manhattan bridge to downtown Manhattan in 20 min or so - riding is faster than the subway!

Hambone

If my breakfast were that close to Russ and Daughter and my lunch that close to Katz's, I would weigh 500 pounds.

Hambone

Could not agree more with above.

NYC is expensive if you live here like you live elswhere. But you don't have to do that. You don't have to buy a car. A bike and a $76 monthly metro card will get you anywhere in NYC you want to be.

I say if you make less than $100,000 -- live in Brooklyn. Granted there are exceptions, but the bang for the buck is so much better here. You can get neighborhoods like you will never have in Manhattan. Brooklyn is where more of the hipper new restaurants are. (Smith Street is as hot as they come.)

In Brooklyn, look into Cobble Hill, Carrol Gardens, Williamsburg (if you want "edgy"), Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights is very safe but kind of stodgy and none to cheap.

If you have questions ask. Why not come for a week and see.

[edit, added:]
I always find the cost of living arguement suspect. Milk is milk. Maybe a quarter more a half gallon.

Hey, do this: Check out freshdirect and look at what food in NYC costs. www.freshdirect.com (You can use 11215 as a zipcode.)

Hambone

I think we skipped Boerum Hill too.

The reality is, Brooklyn is the borough to be in.

DIGITAL39

Thanks for all the information, I was speaking to my mom last night who lived in Brooklyn for many years and she heard the other day that NYC was one of the safer big cities. I was always under the influence it wasnt that safe in a lot of places and I have only been to NYC once.

I don't think I can get the job, but I will send my resume to the guy anyway. I would like to go up to NY again now that I wont be sick as hell like the last time. I think I know someone I could stay with, but how much is a decent hotel?

I was actually referring safe area back to the topic of new york so I sorta used it correctly haha, but yeah safe area obviously isn't an oxymoron.

Hambone

actually, if you have no ties to a neighborhood (friends, family, etc) then I would say, find out where the job is (what subways it is near) and start your neighborhood search from there.

If you are a serious rider, being near Prospect Park would be nice....

splytz1

listen buddy we got some restaurants coming in. There's a French fusion place at the intersection of Myrtle & Vanderbilt now!

and the C, forget about it - I'm on the G! Why do you think I bike everywhere?

& no one mentioned Prospect Heights - close to the park and there's some really nice blocks up there now.

timmhaan

the easiest thing to do is browse craig's list and try to find a roommate. many times you can move into a bedroom without having all the hassle of getting a new lease. will save you a TON of money as well. plus, if it doesn't work out, you're not tied into anything long term.

i can't imagine how someone would secure an apartment for themselves from a distance. there are so many people lined up locally any time an apartment opens...trying to do it from VA would be really really hard.

Hambone

Is the NYC housing market still that tight?

DIGITAL39

I figured it would be difficult. When I moved to San Diego I used a roommate website that worked really well. My buddy's sister lives in NYC I believe so I could possibly crash until I got something lined up. I got the cart before the horse, because I havn't even sent my resume, but I have learned some about NYC that I probably would not have learned otherwise. If I did need to come up for a week or something how much does a hotel run per night?

Thanks everyone for all the information

Pete

Jay H

As much as I dislike cities, and this is a generality, not NYC itself, NYC I feel is fairly safe these days. Sure there are petty crimes now and then and there are sections you probably don't want to be around at certain times, but like any metropolitan area, it is true. If I didn't dislike cities, I would feel safe in manhatten and the surrounding boros in general, just use common sense.

As far as cars go, I've seen a those zipcars (usually Mazda 3s) driving around upstate NY, like on the Thruway so if you do need a car every now and then, that seems to be an option.

Jay

splytz1

An interesting fact is that crime in NYC is significantly lower than crime in the nation as a whole. There were 2800.5 "major" crimes per 100,000 citizens in NYC vs. 3982.5 in the US.

https://newyork.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm

yes, New York is slightly higher than the nation in violent crime (though MUCH lower in incident of ****), but if you do a comparative look at other major urban areas, you will see that NY is extremely safe for a large city.

Hambone

Any of those hotel search machines will give you a better answer than I can (but I know they are expensive.)

If you decide to come, there are other options like Hostels or a dorm room if it is off season, etc.

Lucky07

You can sleep on Botto's couch until you find a place.

Kidding! You can find a 1 br in Manhattan for 2500. Check the VillageVoice.com & CraigsList.org

cointelpro

No way, Brooklyn is a hella tough place, no lie. I've gotten jumped twice for my sneakers, once in Park Slope and the other time in Carroll Gardens. I got pulled off of my bike in Williamsburg (East Williamsburg, not rebranded Bushwick) by a gang of toughs too! You should just live in the Upper East Side or Tribeca or whatever. Much safer and cooler.

jyossarian

Go live in Sheepshead Bay or Gravesend in Brooklyn or Floral Park or Newtown in Queens. Rent'll be a bargain compared to Manhattan.

jwbnyc

Get a sublet or a room until you get to know where you want to live, then hit the pavement. Go to building supers or owners directly. Pay attention to word of mouth. Hit a bar or bodega. Ask around. Some guy will know a guy, especially if they know you from around. This is how you find the nice digs in NYC. Many apartments are not even listed with real estate brokers. These can often be cheaper than "market rate".

Sure, check with the real estate people, but; don't hand them your checkbook. Don't just slot into the real estate broker route. That's pretty much a guarantee you are going to pay through the nose: not always but quite often.

Many large companies will also give you some help finding a place to live if you are relocating as well. They've been through this a lot. Some jobs come with apartments. No really.

Of course, if you have bags of money just give The Donald a call. He'll fix you right up.

Ginetta

you guys really dug this one up from the grave...

jwbnyc

Didn't notice that.

You're right.