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Those Archstone apartments have a Westbury address (though not technically Westbury). I lived there for 2 years. They are beautiful and the area is actually peaceful except mall traffic gets crazy on weekends and around holidays. The one bedrooms start at $2500, a garage is another $200, there is a mandatory $500 amenity fee. We moved to Westbury to get away from Queens and as nice as it was, that's over $72,000 gone and we have nothing to show for it.
We now live in a house in Laurelton right next door to Rosedale. We grew up around here. The southeast section of Jamaica is not bad at all, the houses are big and beautiful, the main streets are just shabby. The area is full of Black teachers, nurses, lawyers, local politicians, business owners, just middle class families minding their own business. That whole area gets a bad rap because it's predominantly Black and part of "Jamaica".
I don't know anyone anywhere who does everything in their own neighborhood. Most of us in that area do our major shopping out on Long Island because it tends to be cheaper and better quality and for the big box stores, but runs to the local stores are perfectly fine. Men hang around stores and barber shops because it's part of the social structure, a cultural thing. Men tend to congregate to talk, play cards, dominoes, etc. That's not to say the area doesn't have drug and crime problems, the entire City of New York shares the same problems whether people like to admit it or not. Street smarts are required no matter where you live. Even Garden City borders a rough part of Hempstead and the craziness does spill over.
To be honest, nobody here except the occasional village idiot really cares what color you are as long as you keep up your property, stay out of trouble and treat your neighbors with respect. The whole point to my long-windedness (sorry) is while I understand what it's like to feel uncomfortable or that you don't fit in - I've been the "only" many times, if you have low rent in a nice house in a safe neighborhood, you are the envy of many New Yorkers of any race, color or creed. Sleep, eat and keep your stuff at the house and enjoy outings to whatever areas you prefer until you're able to easily purchase what you really want.
Thanks so much for your point of view! You actually live in the Laurelton area, and I am forever grateful that I got first hand perspective from you. Wow, you actually lived in those Archstone apts! Why did you move there? Why did you move out - too expensive?
You're right. I think the safest route is to save for later (I’m only 29 and I made a big move from Miami to NYC 4 years ago, and I basically started over). I just graduated from York College last Friday. I have a great job, too and make money. But not enough to comfortably get in $500,000 home debt with my husband. Sigh. I wanted to be perfect for having kids, but I guess it doesn’t have to be that way. There are bigger problems than not liking your surrounding corner stores and instead running errands two miles away in Lynbrook!
Long Island is becoming the place for the middle class to live. Everything is super expensive. I do very well and will probably move down south one day. All houses have ridiculous property taxes on top of inflated home prices.
As for the area you live in most of rosedale and jamaica are ghetto and if you have never lived in areas like that it will be near impossible to adjust too
Yep, I hear you. Also, I believe I come from very spendy parents who lived check-to-check, but they gave me everything, took me to the best places, traveled, bought me cars. I had all of this growing up. I now realize that they had all the flash growing up but never enough money in the bank account. They had no savings. As a kid, you don't realize that. All you know is that you're the one that lives in a gated community, calm upbringing, nice car, gas cards paid for, etc.
Now I married someone who is the opposite. Poor upbringing (parents came from Africa/settled in NY) - now fastforward - tons of savings in the bank, owns several properties in NY/PA...but the parents still wear crappy clothing and don't mind living in a neighborhood like I described b/c the homes were scored for cheap.
Sigh. Two different people came together, I tell you. So because my husband's father grew up this way and I grew up the "appearance" way, I bring you this problem....
NYC really gave me a wake up call in these four years. I prob. will never go back to live in Miami, but it has been rough trying to adjust. Love/hate relationship.
I know exactly how you feel. I know you're not racist, and some people are just taking it the wrong way here. I like black people and I have a couple of good friends who happen to be black, but the neighborhood isn't as peaceful as you'd like. I go to school in Jamaica, or if you even consider it Jamaica, and i hate it. Even in the "desolated & nice" areas, there is still a lot of crimes there. But I agree with what a lot of people have been telling you: while you're paying close to nothing right now and you both have a good source of income, I suggest you save up and find a new house, or as a matter of fact, even go apartment hunting right now.
In that case, perhaps Baldwin, West Hempstead, Roslyn Heights, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, East Meadow and Inwood(Lawrence UFSD) on Long Island may be better.
I don't believe in living "under siege" in your own home. Trust me I speak from experience. I lived in Jamaica for a while and that's exactly how I felt. I didn't feel safe walking around in my neighborhood, I drove everywhere to do the basic things. Even though my street had nice houses, the poverty I saw everywhere just made everything depressing. After a day at work, I'd like to be able to walk home from the train without having to feel like I have to be on guard. It is not enough to feel safe only after you lock your front door.
If I were you, I would definitely move. Eventually this dissatisfaction with this part of your life will creep into other things. I should know, I almost broke up with my girlfriend over this. Do you really need to have a suburban lifestyle? Would you ever live in a neighborhood like Kew Gardens or Forest Hills?
My husband and I moved to Archstone because it was big and pretty and exclusive and new and diverse and not Queens where we grew up. And it was all those things and we enjoyed it the first year. We left because the quality of life there changed after that and it was no longer worth the high cost. When we first moved there the rebuild was not yet complete and it was full of regular professional people who could afford the place and enjoy all the amenities. After the first year, all of the construction was done so they bumped up the rent astronomically and trust fund kids and other "young professionals" with a lot of money and entitlement issues moved in. Suddenly there were fast food bags, beer bottles and condom wrappers in the parking lot and breezeways. The pool was one big frat party and Saturday nights in the summer there was always a bunch of drunk blond girls in skimpy clothes screeching on the balconies. People smoking week on the balconies. Young Asian and Hispanic guys in expensive sports cars flying through the complex almost hitting several kids until they installed very large speed bumps, parking across several spaces. They would hurl insults to some of the older Muslim women who walked around with their grandchildren. One apartment in particular the women liked to flash their boobs to men getting out of the cars. One night we were awaken at 2am by drunk guys outside our door trying to drag a stolen arcade machine up the stairs. They were all very rude and loud and ghetto - even though they were white and had money. It wasn't all day every day, but often enough that it made us feel very uncomfortable and unsafe. So, being older and not wanting to live around people like that who had no respect for themselves or anyone else, for $37K a year we decided not to renew, as did most of the people who moved in when we did.
We chose to buy and rather than pay over $10K in taxes to stay in Nassau County, we got a 3100 sq foot, 5BR home in Laurelton on a clean, tree lined block with a big yard and 2 car garage and we never hear a soul, unless there's a BBQ - can't get mad at BBQ. I don't check the precincts about crime stats, so I don't know what the numbers say like many people who post here all the time, but I feel safer here. My husband didn't like me out at night by myself in Westbury. It's all a matter of what you're used to. Growing up in this part of Queens, I know the common areas leave much to be desired, but I don't live directly on Merrick or Springfield. I know when something doesn't look or feel right so I go the other way.
Appearances are usually deceiving. We have a couple of young men on my block from an upper middle class Black family who try to look, dress and act hard but when you see them early on weekday mornings in their Kellenberg uniforms getting driven to school, they're complete nerds.
I'm not a racist any more than I believe you are, but there's good and bad in every race at every income level. And you'll find that good and bad everywhere you go. There are some people in my neighborhood that I just shake my head, but as long as they leave me alone I don't really "see" them.
I'm not really into appearances but people who come to my house don't stay ugh how can you live in this neighborhood around these people on the corners, they say oh my god look at this house.
I hope you find what's most comfortable for you and your husband like we have, but try not to buy into the stereotypes and the hype. Trying to keep up with appearances in NYC will leave you bankrupt.
I don't believe in living "under siege" in your own home. Trust me I speak from experience. I lived in Jamaica for a while and that's exactly how I felt. I didn't feel safe walking around in my neighborhood, I drove everywhere to do the basic things. Even though my street had nice houses, the poverty I saw everywhere just made everything depressing. After a day at work, I'd like to be able to walk home from the train without having to feel like I have to be on guard. It is not enough to feel safe only after you lock your front door.
If I were you, I would definitely move. Eventually this dissatisfaction with this part of your life will creep into other things. I should know, I almost broke up with my girlfriend over this. Do you really need to have a suburban lifestyle? Would you ever live in a neighborhood like Kew Gardens or Forest Hills?
Thanks for understanding! Where in Jamaica did you live? Why did you feel like that? I feel mostly moreso awkward as if I stand out. I don't like standing out too much. When I'm with my husband, I don't get those types of looks. Nah, I would not live in Forest Hills. Kew Gardens, yes, but I'd only like Kew Gardens. The problem with those two areas is that everywhere I'd go (to restaurants, Van Wyck expressway, Queens Center Mall, etc) - everywhere would be crowded ALL the time. We don't even frequent those areas now and it's in our same borough!
I do need a suburban life - especially as I get older. I'm not a city girl, and I am only 29 now. I can imagine that the older I get, the more I'll want an even more suburban life. I'm looking to work outside of Manhattan asap also. As soon as I have kids and don't frequent bars anymore, I'll probably never ever go into the city. Is that weird?
My husband and I moved to Archstone because it was big and pretty and exclusive and new and diverse and not Queens where we grew up. And it was all those things and we enjoyed it the first year. We left because the quality of life there changed after that and it was no longer worth the high cost. When we first moved there the rebuild was not yet complete and it was full of regular professional people who could afford the place and enjoy all the amenities. After the first year, all of the construction was done so they bumped up the rent astronomically and trust fund kids and other "young professionals" with a lot of money and entitlement issues moved in. Suddenly there were fast food bags, beer bottles and condom wrappers in the parking lot and breezeways. The pool was one big frat party and Saturday nights in the summer there was always a bunch of drunk blond girls in skimpy clothes screeching on the balconies. People smoking week on the balconies. Young Asian and Hispanic guys in expensive sports cars flying through the complex almost hitting several kids until they installed very large speed bumps, parking across several spaces. They would hurl insults to some of the older Muslim women who walked around with their grandchildren. One apartment in particular the women liked to flash their boobs to men getting out of the cars. One night we were awaken at 2am by drunk guys outside our door trying to drag a stolen arcade machine up the stairs. They were all very rude and loud and ghetto - even though they were white and had money. It wasn't all day every day, but often enough that it made us feel very uncomfortable and unsafe. So, being older and not wanting to live around people like that who had no respect for themselves or anyone else, for $37K a year we decided not to renew, as did most of the people who moved in when we did.
We chose to buy and rather than pay over $10K in taxes to stay in Nassau County, we got a 3100 sq foot, 5BR home in Laurelton on a clean, tree lined block with a big yard and 2 car garage and we never hear a soul, unless there's a BBQ - can't get mad at BBQ. I don't check the precincts about crime stats, so I don't know what the numbers say like many people who post here all the time, but I feel safer here. My husband didn't like me out at night by myself in Westbury. It's all a matter of what you're used to. Growing up in this part of Queens, I know the common areas leave much to be desired, but I don't live directly on Merrick or Springfield. I know when something doesn't look or feel right so I go the other way.
Appearances are usually deceiving. We have a couple of young men on my block from an upper middle class Black family who try to look, dress and act hard but when you see them early on weekday mornings in their Kellenberg uniforms getting driven to school, they're complete nerds.
I'm not a racist any more than I believe you are, but there's good and bad in every race at every income level. And you'll find that good and bad everywhere you go. There are some people in my neighborhood that I just shake my head, but as long as they leave me alone I don't really "see" them.
I'm not really into appearances but people who come to my house don't stay ugh how can you live in this neighborhood around these people on the corners, they say oh my god look at this house.
I hope you find what's most comfortable for you and your husband like we have, but try not to buy into the stereotypes and the hype. Trying to keep up with appearances in NYC will leave you bankrupt.
Urgh. Middle class/upper class people who try to act hood or hard are the worst...absolute worst...
Thanks for understanding! No, I would not live in Forest Hills. Kew Gardens, yes, but I'd only like Kew Gardens. The problem with those two areas is that everywhere I'd go (to restaurants, Van Wyck expressway, Queens Center Mall, etc) - everywhere would be crowded ALL the time. We don't even frequent those areas now and it's in our same borough!
I do need a suburban life - especially as I get older. I'm not a city girl, and I am only 29 now. I can imagine that the older I get, the more I'll want an even more suburban life. I'm looking to work outside of Manhattan asap also. As soon as I have kids and don't frequent bars anymore, I'll probably never ever go into the city. Is that weird?
Most of Nassau is congested. Even Garden City, the area around RF Mall gets horribly jam packed at rush hour and holidays. Just last Saturday, my husband and I spent 45 min in bumper to bumper traffic on Old Country Road and we were just going from RF Mall to Westbury for lunch !! Without traffic, it's a 10 min drive.
Have you considered Suffolk? Maybe Copiague, Lindenhurst, Melville, Farmingdale? Those areas will give you more bang for your buck (space wise- Lots may be larger) than anything in GC, RVC, Oceanside? You also won't feel like a packed sardine when you go grocery shopping at the local stores in Suffolk county on a Sunday afternoon. The taxes are a killer in those towns (I should know, it's where I live), Rockville Centre in particular requires you to pay for separate energy bills (no LIPA) and Village taxes on top of regular school/property taxes.
If you are concerned about being in an area with diversity- I find Malverne to be another town you might like.
If taxes are too high, you can look into Bayside, Bay Terrace, Whitestone and Malba. All those areas are safe(r) than Jamaica/Rosedale.
Last edited by LegalDiva; 06-05-2012 at 12:22 PM..
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NYC really gave me a wake up call in these four years. I prob. will never go back to live in Miami, but it has been rough trying to adjust. Love/hate relationship.
