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We are a young Asian couple moving from the Midwest to NYC. We would like to live in a safe, affordable area. Any suggestions? Some people have suggested living in NJ, we wonder in what way is it better there besides a lower rent?
We read in a recent post that one doesn't need a car in NYC, but what if we plan to live in NJ? Is it worth it to keep a car for leisure (not commuting)?
Public transportation sucks. It may be fun the first few times you use it but when the time comes you need to get somewhere fast, you are at the mercy of the transit system. The overcrowded trains, dirty, shady looking stations, service delays can really get to you.
Having a car is a great convience. The problem is inside NYC it is not only expensive but it is difficult to find parking in certain areas. Especially Manhattan. There is also the risk of it getting towed, hit by New York's awful drivers, being vandalized, or just plain stolen.
It depends on what you want. If you want to live in a city, you have NYC city limits + cities along the Hudson. If you want to live in the suburbs, you have Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, White Plains and Jersey.
But remember you get what you pay for. The NYC metro is not cheap. You don't put out and you might end up in a real bad place.
Yeah I agree with everything written above by Hustla. The only thing I would add is that if you do move to NJ, Westchester, or Long Island you're definitely going to need to get a car. The public transportation in the suburbs isn't that good.
If you're in any of the popular suburban areas of the NYC metro (ie. northern New Jersey, Westchester County in NY, Long Island, Connecticut, etc.), I'm pretty sure that you'd want a car both for leisure purposes & for practical purposes (ie. groceries, etc.). However, when you need to get into New York City, my ultimate suggestion would be to utilize the park & ride stations depending on which train line you are living near (ie. NJ Transit, Metro North in Westchester County, or LIRR/Long Island Railroad in Long Island, etc.). If you have a choice, you probably don't want to drive to Manhattan too much unless you're real comfortable with the drive, with parking, and ready to deal with unexpected traffic jams & aggressive drivers. That being said, if you're driving into the city from Westchester County, I think the best way to enter the city is via the Henry Hudson Parkway (along the West Side of Manhattan).
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingSheep
We are a young Asian couple moving from the Midwest to NYC. We would like to live in a safe, affordable area. Any suggestions? Some people have suggested living in NJ, we wonder in what way is it better there besides a lower rent?
We read in a recent post that one doesn't need a car in NYC, but what if we plan to live in NJ? Is it worth it to keep a car for leisure (not commuting)?
We are a young Asian couple moving from the Midwest to NYC. We would like to live in a safe, affordable area. Any suggestions? Some people have suggested living in NJ, we wonder in what way is it better there besides a lower rent?
We read in a recent post that one doesn't need a car in NYC, but what if we plan to live in NJ? Is it worth it to keep a car for leisure (not commuting)?
Bergen County is a fine place to live. But, it is an area more prone to car use. Queens is great for public transit & car commute. This is a very general post. If you could give us specifics like, where you will be working? And a price range? We can help you out
Thanks for all the replies. They are very helpful.
One of us will work on 40th St. and the other on the 4th. Our price range is $1500-2000. Living in the suburb and using the park-and-ride stations sound good. Is it reasonable to hope we can reach out workplace from home with about 30 min of commute? We are Chinese so living in/near Chinese community would be nice, too.
Thanks for all the replies. They are very helpful.
One of us will work on 40th St. and the other on the 4th. Our price range is $1500-2000. Living in the suburb and using the park-and-ride stations sound good. Is it reasonable to hope we can reach out workplace from home with about 30 min of commute? We are Chinese so living in/near Chinese community would be nice, too.
OK. 40th and what? Anyway it sounds like Brooklyn would be your best bet. If you live in Bergen County the commute to go downtown will take an hour+. However, if Brooklyn (Sunset Park has a nice sizeable Chinese community) does not fit your needs, try Hudson County. Very diverse and easy commute via PATH. In Hudson County, check out Hoboken or Jersey City. As another option, try Nassau County (Garden City vicinity). You can get into Midtown via LIRR.
Oh and there is always Queens. The County of Immigrants (massive Chinese population).
Yeah but their price range is a little bit more upscale than Sunset Park. Flushing would be another obvious choice for a Chinese neighborhood, but that might be a little bit too blue collar for them.
For $1,500 - $2,000 they can afford to live in an upscale area of Queens like Forest Hills. You'll see lots of Asian people around there. Very nice, upscale area. No need for a car unless you really want to have one.
Bayside is another neighborhood in Queens that a lot of Asian people live in and is very nice. You will probably want to have a car in Bayside, but they have really good access to Penn Station thru the LIRR. Alternatively you can take the bus from Bayside over to Flushing and take the 7 train into the city.
My suggestion is to search out and do research on various neighborhoods and try to get a feel for them, and see what fits your needs (expenses, living, neighborhood, etc). Then decide.
oh God, NOOOO!!! not another midwest outsider moving here. please, God...i'll do anything...just please stop them, pleeeease!
NJ. anywhere in NJ, just not nyc, and especially not brooklyn. if it has to be BK, then look at east new york. you can take the 3-train right to times square and enjoy all the nightlife that the island offers.
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Thanks & specifics
