Moving to New York for doctorate , need some help (Lincoln: apartments, rent)

[Pierre Nickatina]

This fall myself and a friend will begin our doctoral programs at Columbia , both of us are from Vancouver , British Columbia so this is going to be quite the move.

Here are some of our inquires , any advice/help is greatly appreciated.

1. Both of us are 23 years old , our rent budget is 2000 individually or collectively 4000 a month .
2. We are looking to reside in a neighborhood that is .... diverse , younger demographics , bicycle friendly and close hopefully to a cafe , bookstore , yoga studio and a park .
3. In regard to diversity , when I visited my aunt in New York in the early 1990s even then I was shocked at how diverse the city was . I really enjoyed that aspect of her apartment building . Furthermore my roommate and friend Jon is of Eritrean-Canadian(black) heritage and he has stated while its not essential it would be preferred to live in a heterogeneous rather than a homogenous neighborhood. Essentially we are not interested in not being the only Jewish and Black guys in the building , but this is life and sometimes you have to move with the wind.
4. Outside of our academic interests , we are both huge music fans and our self musicians . Be it golden age of 1990s rap, to classical music to Beirut. So any musically centric/ artistic neighborhood would probably work our for us .
Any advice is appreciated.
Cheers

[speedoo]

With your $4k/month budget, you should be able to find a good apartment in a number of great Manhattan neighborhoods. I would start with the Upper West Side and the neighborhoods to the north up to where Columbia is and further north. Also some sections of Harlem. Central Park is very close to the UWS and Harlem, and the music scene in Manhattan is great especially downtown and around Lincoln Center.

There are some wonderfully diverse neighborhoods in Queens that have an easy commute to Columbia as well, where you can get even nicer apartments: Astoria, some parts of Long Island City, Woodside, Sunnyside and Jackson Heights. But the diversity in these neighborhoods may not be exactly what you are looking for, because it is primarily Greeks (in Astoria), and latin, south asian and east asian.

PS... I love Vancouver!

[Jaydata]

You are 23 yrs old now, and you visited your aunt in New York in the
early 1990s (1991-1994) So..... you were 2-5 yrs old back then and
was shocked at how diverse the city was at that age? No wonder you
are doing doctoral programs at Columbia now.

[Pierre Nickatina]

Thanks for the responses so far, especially speedo . Truly appreciated.

[Kefir King]

Yep, with that $4000 cushion you can have any neighborhood you want. I recommend , like speedoo, the Upper West Side near Lincoln Center, Julliard, Carnegie Hall...music, music, music. The further North you go the cheaper/larger the apartment you can get.

Black-Jewish combos no problem anywhere on the West Side. Not really a problem anywhere in NYC except maybe some old-money cushy co-op on Park or Fifth Ave.

Hint: spend a bit less on rent and enjoy the City more.

Anywhere on the Upper West Side is a VERY quick ride to Columbia.

[jcoltrane]

Queens and/or any of the Queens neighborhoods are a poor option, as the commute is not simple, involving subway changes and is a bit time consuming. If your budget was 2K then finances would require more sacrafice.

Fortunately you budget is double that, which allows you more options than most starving students.

The upper west side, as mentioned, is the best option, from roughly Broadway and 72nd to in and around the school, Broadway and 116th, all the way to Washington Heights, Broadway and 168th Street.

That is a pretty sizeable swath of of the Upper West Side with Columbia right in the middle. Generally, 72nd to 116th is white, Jewish and Yuppie, with diminishing diversity. 116th to 168 is more diverse, increasing til you reach Wasington Heights where there is a Dominican majority.

Costs follow the same pattern as the diversity. Where there is less the costs are more. Where there is more the costs are less. Apartment size follows a similar pattarn. So, what will suit you, your roommate, and your budget, will be subjective to what you are comfortable with, proximity to school, and the balance of apartment quality and space.

As you can see, 4K gives you a lot of range in seeking a 2 bdrm.

Luck!

PS, a child's impression of NYC has little to do with reality as an adult. Diversity in a building isn't average, unless it is in a newly gentrifying neighborhood. For that on the UPWS, Washington Heights is your best bet, but there are negatives to that as well.

BTW, what neighborhood did your aunt live?

[Cida]

You should stay in the upper west side if you're going to Columbia. You don't want to spend forever traveling back and forth. You won't be able to interview your building, of course, but it should be fairly diverse.