Moving from LA to LI (Huntington, Stony Brook: best city, sales, apartments)

[Saltmine]

I promised my best friend in Brooklyn that I would go to college near her so we could finally do things together; I will be going to SUNY Stony Brook next year. I've never lived anywhere besides Los Angeles (SF valley), so I am completely unprepared for the experience.

What are the basic things that I should know about Long Island (or NY in general)?

Would I be able to easily and economically go from the Stony Brook area to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn? How much would the LIRR cost? How much would the subway/train/etc cost?

What would be the best city to rent a studio if I want to go to college at SBU, yet visit Brooklyn very often?

Would I be able to find a clean, insect-free (I am mentally allergic to them...) studio with a kitchen for around $700~800 per month? Any suggestions on what complex/company to rent a studio from?

What happens in winter? 65 degrees is pretty cold to me... the NY winter is already scary and I have yet to experience one. Most studio apartments will have good heating, right? How much would the heating cost per month?

I dislike most Californians that I have met; how are the people in NY compared to Cali? Then again, I'll be in college so I wouldn't have to deal with shallow, rich high school kids as much...

I always hear that the great public transportation in NY replaces the need for a car, but is it still more convenient to get a vehicle?

And... what other questions should I be asking?

Huge thanks to anyone who can help

[Smash255]

I graduated from Stony Brook in 2004.

First off I think you should get a car. The public transportation is very good in the city, but unless you are commuting into the city, its not that good on Long Island. Stony Brook does have a train station right on the edge of campus, so it is possible to take a train directly to Stony Brook, however commuting there via train isn't a good idea. First off without a car you would be limiting yourself to the areas on the Port Jefferson branch that is within walking distance of the other train stations. On top of that the LIRR is mostly built on commuting into the city, you would basically be doing a reverse commute since you would be going further east. Going to Stony Brook via another type of public transportation really isn't an option.

As far as making trips into Bensonhurst. How often do you mean by very often? It shouldn't be that much of an issue as many Stony Brook students live in the city and make that trip either by car or train on the weekends. Its $10.50 each way during off peak times, $15 each way peak from Stony Brook to the city (a little cheaper if you are further west than Stony Brook). It probably would take about 2 hours or so though, and it would be better to take the train to the Atlantic Avenue station in Brooklyn instead of Penn Station (as long as the transfer time isn't that long which it usually isn't too bad) The fare for the subway is $2.25 each way (no matter if it is one stop or 20), you can buy packages and get a few extra rides with it.

As far as a studio with a kitchen for $700- $800 it is possible, but likely pushing it, might need to up it to $850-$900 to get something 1/2 way decent.

As far as where to rent if you want to go to Brooklyn often. As I said it would probably be 2 hours or so from Campus, the further west you go it would cut that time down a bit, but it also pushes you further from Stony Brook. One question would be what type of commuting time would you deem acceptable?

Winters here can be quite cold, especially if you aren't use to it, and heating costs aren't cheap (not really sure how much a studio would be, but I would almost bet it would easily be $100 a month if not close to $200). One thing, however is you can find quite a few studio apartments in which heating is included in the rent, though keep in mind many of these may technically be illegal apartments.

Hope I was able to be of some help.

[LIGolf]

Congratulations on your NY adventure!

Public transportation is wonderful in the city, but not on Long Island. You may want a car, unless you're content to spend most of your time on or around campus. Brooklyn is about 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hour drive from Stony Brook (depending on traffic). It's about a 2 hour train ride to Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn with at least one transfer involved. In other words, SBU isn't exactly in the neighborhood of Brooklyn. Have you looked into Hofstra (much closer to the city) or the CUNY schools?

You can get fares and other info on the LIRR and NYC transit at MTA Home Page

While winter's have gotten milder, it still gets a lot colder than 65 degrees. In the dead of winter temperatures can range from -0 to the upper 40s. Plan on investing in a warm winter coat for December through March.

[grant516]

You can live @ Stonybrook and go to school there and take the train to Bensonhurst when you wish- but despite the 60-75 mile trip, the train will take well about 2 hours and cost about $25 round trip.

A studio by itself is unlikely on Long Island as such housing is rarely built. If you can find a roomate you'll be set for less than the amount you've listed- other than that housing is pricey.

As far as people go- most Long Islanders in the youth age- are in some way, shape, or form supported by their parents. LI is similar to LA in a lot of ways, minus the urban centers.

On the plus side, insects are minimal on LI- it's one of the safest places in the world when it comes to earthquakes, scorpions, snakes, and killer spiders. You should be pretty set as long as that goes.

Have you considered going to Queens College, rather than SUNY Stonybrook- it's about an equivilent school- WAY more convinent for non-locals and much closer to your friend.

[sean sean sean sean]

Everybody else gave really good advice so far, how set are you on Stony Brook? Is there some program that only they offer? It's a very good school....but not a whole lot to do. Any time I visited friends out there when I was in college, we rarely ever got off the couch. Don't be fooled that it's only 50 miles away from Brooklyn or whatever, Stony Brook is a world away from NYC both physically and culturally. 4 hours on a train just to hang out gets old really quick, although it probably beats LA traffic...

If you've really got your heart set on it, I'd check out Huntington. MTA website says ~40 minutes to Stony Brook and you're actually closer to an hour into Penn Station (although it's probably more like 2 to Bensonhurst because of the transfers). It's also a pretty lively town for LI with plenty to do and a wide variety of rentals. I'd still try to get a cheap car, if only to drive to the train and back. There is a bus you can take but the service is kinda flaky, especially at night.

[Saltmine]

Originally Posted by Smash255

I graduated from Stony Brook in 2004.

First off I think you should get a car. The public transportation is very good in the city, but unless you are commuting into the city, its not that good on Long Island. Stony Brook does have a train station right on the edge of campus, so it is possible to take a train directly to Stony Brook, however commuting there via train isn't a good idea. First off without a car you would be limiting yourself to the areas on the Port Jefferson branch that is within walking distance of the other train stations. On top of that the LIRR is mostly built on commuting into the city, you would basically be doing a reverse commute since you would be going further east. Going to Stony Brook via another type of public transportation really isn't an option.

As far as making trips into Bensonhurst. How often do you mean by very often? It shouldn't be that much of an issue as many Stony Brook students live in the city and make that trip either by car or train on the weekends. Its $10.50 each way during off peak times, $15 each way peak from Stony Brook to the city (a little cheaper if you are further west than Stony Brook). It probably would take about 2 hours or so though, and it would be better to take the train to the Atlantic Avenue station in Brooklyn instead of Penn Station (as long as the transfer time isn't that long which it usually isn't too bad) The fare for the subway is $2.25 each way (no matter if it is one stop or 20), you can buy packages and get a few extra rides with it.

Atlantic Avenue = Flatbush? So it would be SB>Jamaica>Flatbush>subway? What do you do in a transfer? Just walk out of the train and go in another one? Is there a fee for that?

It seems it would be cheaper to just get a car, but I have no experience with driving. Are the roads in NY easy and safe to navagate?

Originally Posted by Smash255

As far as a studio with a kitchen for $700- $800 it is possible, but likely pushing it, might need to up it to $850-$900 to get something 1/2 way decent.

As far as where to rent if you want to go to Brooklyn often. As I said it would probably be 2 hours or so from Campus, the further west you go it would cut that time down a bit, but it also pushes you further from Stony Brook. One question would be what type of commuting time would you deem acceptable?

Winters here can be quite cold, especially if you aren't use to it, and heating costs aren't cheap (not really sure how much a studio would be, but I would almost bet it would easily be $100 a month if not close to $200). One thing, however is you can find quite a few studio apartments in which heating is included in the rent, though keep in mind many of these may technically be illegal apartments.

I remember seeing some really fancy looking apartments for $1.3k or so. So there is a huge difference between a $900 room and a $1.3k one? I don't mind if the room is tiny, as long as it is clean and functional.

I think 20~45min train ride away from campus would be fine. If I use a car instead, it would probably have to be 15min or less, though.

Originally Posted by Smash255

Hope I was able to be of some help.

Yes, very helpful~ Thanks

Originally Posted by LIGolf

Congratulations on your NY adventure!

Public transportation is wonderful in the city, but not on Long Island. You may want a car, unless you're content to spend most of your time on or around campus. Brooklyn is about 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hour drive from Stony Brook (depending on traffic). It's about a 2 hour train ride to Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn with at least one transfer involved. In other words, SBU isn't exactly in the neighborhood of Brooklyn. Have you looked into Hofstra (much closer to the city) or the CUNY schools?

You can get fares and other info on the LIRR and NYC transit at [url=http://www.mta.info/index.html]MTA Home Page[/url]

While winter's have gotten milder, it still gets a lot colder than 65 degrees. In the dead of winter temperatures can range from -0 to the upper 40s. Plan on investing in a warm winter coat for December through March.

It does seem it would be both cheaper and faster to get a car rather than rely on the train. But are the highways in NY safe for a completely unexpierienced driver?

Yeah, I'll probably need like 5 coats, sometimes I even get cold in California's summer...

Thanks for replying

Originally Posted by grant516

You can live @ Stonybrook and go to school there and take the train to Bensonhurst when you wish- but despite the 60-75 mile trip, the train will take well about 2 hours and cost about $25 round trip.

A studio by itself is unlikely on Long Island as such housing is rarely built. If you can find a roomate you'll be set for less than the amount you've listed- other than that housing is pricey.

As far as people go- most Long Islanders in the youth age- are in some way, shape, or form supported by their parents. LI is similar to LA in a lot of ways, minus the urban centers.

On the plus side, insects are minimal on LI- it's one of the safest places in the world when it comes to earthquakes, scorpions, snakes, and killer spiders. You should be pretty set as long as that goes.

Have you considered going to Queens College, rather than SUNY Stonybrook- it's about an equivilent school- WAY more convinent for non-locals and much closer to your friend.

I don't think I'll be able to find a roommate, but I could probably afford to pay a bit more. I have seen some really nice rooms for around $1.3k, would I be able to get something nice and clean for around $1k (it can be a really small room)?

I'm not really scared of snakes, just cockroaches, espcially the giant 2 inch ones we have in Cali...

I can't really consider other colleges (explained in next quote)

Thanks for posting!

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

Everybody else gave really good advice so far, how set are you on Stony Brook? Is there some program that only they offer? It's a very good school....but not a whole lot to do. Any time I visited friends out there when I was in college, we rarely ever got off the couch. Don't be fooled that it's only 50 miles away from Brooklyn or whatever, Stony Brook is a world away from NYC both physically and culturally. 4 hours on a train just to hang out gets old really quick, although it probably beats LA traffic...

If you've really got your heart set on it, I'd check out Huntington. MTA website says ~40 minutes to Stony Brook and you're actually closer to an hour into Penn Station (although it's probably more like 2 to Bensonhurst because of the transfers). It's also a pretty lively town for LI with plenty to do and a wide variety of rentals. I'd still try to get a cheap car, if only to drive to the train and back. There is a bus you can take but the service is kinda flaky, especially at night.

Yes, I really like the computer science program at SBU. It is pretty much the best CS program anywhere near NYC.

Would it be a good idea to completely forget the train and only use a car if I lived at Huntington (I will be very new at driving)?

Thanks!

[LIGolf]

Originally Posted by Saltmine

Atlantic Avenue = Flatbush? So it would be SB>Jamaica>Flatbush>subway? What do you do in a transfer? Just walk out of the train and go in another one? Is there a fee for that?

Yes, the LIRR Flatbush Ave station is the same station as the NYC transit Atlantic-Pacific Aves Station.

To transfer trains you get off one and then get on another (sometimes you have to wait 5-30 minutes in between). There is no additional fee. You pay based on how far you travel.

It seems it would be cheaper to just get a car, but I have no experience with driving. Are the roads in NY easy and safe to navagate?

I agree. I live in the Huntington area and work in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Unless I am traveling during rush hour (which is a nightmare on the roads) I always prefer to drive, and can make it to Brooklyn in under an hour with no traffic.

The LIE and BQE can be a bit intimidating especially for a new driver. People can be quite aggressive and speeding is the norm. Driving local Brooklyn streets is also a bit nerve racking at times, but it is something you get used to. I'd practice driving for awhile before you attempt the journey!

Huntington is a wonderful town for a young person. You will feel a lot closer to "civilization." There's plenty to do socially and culturally and you would be dead centered between the city and SB. You can also get direct trains to Penn and (sometimes) Flatbush. The train ride will only be about an hour.

[Saltmine]

Originally Posted by LIGolf

Yes, the LIRR Flatbush Ave station is the same station as the NYC transit Atlantic-Pacific Aves Station.

To transfer trains you get off one and then get on another (sometimes you have to wait 5-30 minutes in between). There is no additional fee. You pay based on how far you travel.



I agree. I live in the Huntington area and work in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Unless I am traveling during rush hour (which is a nightmare on the roads) I always prefer to drive, and can make it to Brooklyn in under an hour with no traffic.

The LIE and BQE can be a bit intimidating especially for a new driver. People can be quite aggressive and speeding is the norm. Driving local Brooklyn streets is also a bit nerve racking at times, but it is something you get used to. I'd practice driving for awhile before you attempt the journey!

Huntington is a wonderful town for a young person. You will feel a lot closer to "civilization." There's plenty to do socially and culturally and you would be dead centered between the city and SB. You can also get direct trains to Penn and (sometimes) Flatbush. The train ride will only be about an hour.

What happens during rush hour? In LA rush hour just means a whole ton of traffic...

I don't think I would need to take the LIE or BQE. This is the route that I was thinking of:

NY-25A/E Jericho Turnpike > Sunken Meadow Pkwy > Sagtikos Pkwy > Southern State Pkwy > Belt Pkwy

Would this be a safe route to drive? Do any of those roads have a toll?

Thanks

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by Saltmine

What happens during rush hour? In LA rush hour just means a whole ton of traffic...

I don't think I would need to take the LIE or BQE. This is the route that I was thinking of:

NY-25A/E Jericho Turnpike > Sunken Meadow Pkwy > Sagtikos Pkwy > Southern State Pkwy > Belt Pkwy

Would this be a safe route to drive? Do any of those roads have a toll?

Thanks

It's safe. In rush hour you will generally hit a lot of traffic...usually going west toward manhattan in the AM and then east toward the island in the evening....but both ways can be affected.

No tolls on any of those roads. None of the roads on LI (nassau/suffolk) have tolls except the Atlantic Beach Bridge. (You probably will not use that one very often. I live 5 minutes from it and I have used it maybe twice).

You will most definitely need a car on Long Island.

As other posters have mentioned...there aren't many studio apartments to be found in general. There are some where I live but it is far from Stony Brook and I own mine, not rent. Another option is campus housing if they offer it.

Keep in mind everything is more expensive here...perhaps comparable to LA, but more expensive than most parts of the country. Our taxes, our rents and mortgages, our sales tax etc. Our sales tax is @ 8.25% or something crazy like that.

[dman72]

Stony Brook to Bensonhurst is okay if you do it only on weekends, but I wouldn't want to do it any more often than that, either by train or car it's pretty much hell.

Also, as others have said, Stony Brook is very sleepy by college standards...there is not a lot going on and the surrounding area would not be my first pick as a 20 something.

As for 65 degrees...well, look at averages Monthly Averages for Stony Brook, NY (11790) - weather.com

you're going to be unhappy 6 months out of the year..and, oh yeah, in August and July it's much more humid than it is in LA....85 degrees with a 65 degree dew point is much different than 85 and 50 degree dew point. Bensonhurst on a 95 degree day with high humidity must be lovely.

Nobody moves to the Northeast because of weather, I can tell you that.