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I realize there is no "perfect" neighborhood in NYC, but I was hoping maybe someone could help me out on a good place for me to be?
We plan on moving to NYC in the next couple of years, and I just wanted to get a rough idea of where exactly. Here's what we're looking for: a one bedroom (if possible), otherwise a studio, for under $1500. However, I want to make sure it's a decent neighborhood (lower crime raters, nice community). I would enjoy somewhere with lots of culture & things to do - not necessarily just nightlife, but things to do in general.
Somewhere preferably close to transportation to Manhattan. I'm finding it hard to find information on specific neighborhoods in each borough, if someone could direct me! We've looked at info on: Brooklyn (in general), some in Manhattan (but who knows what is affordable!), Queens, and Yonkers. If anyone could provide some information about specific neighborhoods, I would really appreciate it!
Studios in decent neighborhoods of Manhattan are usually expensive ($1,700+ for a very small ammount of space). Maybe you could manage to find something up in "Hudson Heights," which is the western part of Washington Heights, but that area is pretty far removed from other nice neighborhoods. For under $1,500 in Manhattan you're probably going to end up in a pretty undesireable neighborhood.
Northern Brooklyn is an obvious choice for the out of town/hipster crowd. However these days everything is pretty expensive down there. You could probably find something for $1,500.
for neighborhoods in Queens you could check out queens.about.com . I think you should check out Astoria as it seems to meet all your requirements. You can read about it by doing a search on here, or at Queens' Neighborhoods: Close to Manhattan
Also there is a great astoria online forum cPanel® that I think is down today (jan 31) for maintenance.
There are plenty of neighborhoods in parts of Brooklyn that you would probably like, but your rent price point is pretty low for those neighborhoods. You might be able to find a place in Fort Greene or Greenpoint (two very different neighborhoods not near one another; they just happen to have green in their names).
Your price range would get you something in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn which is oft-discussed on here, but given what you're looking for (proximity to Manhattan, nightlife etc) I think you'd be better off in the other places I mentioned.
For $1500, I'd say, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, and perhaps Forest Hills in Queens. Forest Hills has a lot to offer, like excellent housing, good restaurants, great shopping around Austin Street, quick commute to Manhattan (30 minutes by subway & 15 minutes by LIRR). Rego Park and Kew Gardens are west and east of Forest Hills, respectively.
These neighborhoods are clean, safe, with good transportation. And unlike many other parts of Queens, you can live in them without a car.
I've also heard there are some good deals to be had in Sunnyside and Woodside. However, they aren't as nice (well-to-do) as the ones above. These areas tend to be more working class or lower middle class. But if affordability and proximity to Manhattan are your primary goals, then you should have some luck. In these two areas, you'll be near a lot of good, inexpensive ethnic restaurants, e.g., Thai, Indian, Filipino, Uruguayan, Peruvian, Argentinean, Turkish, etc.
In Manhattan, Inwood is still relatively cheap, although it's sometimes rather a long commute to downtown.
But what is there to do in Kew Gardens and Rego Park? And even Forest Hills? (yeah, I know in Forest Hills there are some mediocre but not cheap "upscale" restaurants and some chain stores, including a Barnes and Noble, and a nice gym).
It just seems to me if the OP wants to have some options open to him for "culture and things to do" that I would personally not suggest the neighbhorhoods you have mentioned. In Queens, for culture and things to do, I will just re-iterate my Astoria suggestion and I will add on my own neighborhood, Jackson Heights. If you want to see the huge number of cultural offerings, check out the Community Groups, Activities and Events section on the Jackson Heights Life website Community Groups, Activities & Events - Jackson Heights NY - Queens (broken link)
True, this neighborhood is middle class, and not upscale for the most part (though it has its moments). Unfortunately it seems like in Queens when you go for the more upscale parts, there is a dearth of cultural offerings.
Curious, how interaccial is Astoria or Jackson heights? I am a white/russian woman, and my husband is black, and we want to move from Harrisburg, PA...?
Are there really any cultural things to do in Jackson Heights or Astoria?
Just because you can find dinner for under $10 in an ethnic restaurant (Indian/Arab/Latin) doesn't mean a neighborhood has culture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Henna
But what is there to do in Kew Gardens and Rego Park? And even Forest Hills? (yeah, I know in Forest Hills there are some mediocre but not cheap "upscale" restaurants and some chain stores, including a Barnes and Noble, and a nice gym).
It just seems to me if the OP wants to have some options open to him for "culture and things to do" that I would personally not suggest the neighbhorhoods you have mentioned. In Queens, for culture and things to do, I will just re-iterate my Astoria suggestion and I will add on my own neighborhood, Jackson Heights. If you want to see the huge number of cultural offerings, check out the Community Groups, Activities and Events section on the Jackson Heights Life website Community Groups, Activities & Events - Jackson Heights NY - Queens (broken link)
True, this neighborhood is middle class, and not upscale for the most part (though it has its moments). Unfortunately it seems like in Queens when you go for the more upscale parts, there is a dearth of cultural offerings.
To answer Amen4mom's question, Astoria and Jackson Heights are very diverse. In JH I have seen several black-white or black-Asian couples and many more that are white-Asian or white-Arab. No one would look twice at a mixed couple because everyone is mixed or from somewhere else it seems. However, I would just add that even though Jackson Heights is considered to be one of the most diverse places anywhere, the black population is not all that high percentage-wise. I don't know details about Astoria but it always seems very diverse when I am there.
In JH there is a small Russian population (I occasionally hear Russian spoken on the street) and there is a tiny Russian grocery store called Grourmet Fantasy Foods.
Are there really any cultural things to do in Jackson Heights or Astoria?
Just because you can find dinner for under $10 in an ethnic restaurant (Indian/Arab/Latin) doesn't mean a neighborhood has culture.
Hey Mead, guess you didn't click on the link in my post. If you did you would have seen that when I was talking about cultural events, I was actually talking about events and not things to eat. This includes films, gallery openings, etc. But whatever, you can believe whatever uneducated thing you want since you clearly aren't willing to open your eyes.
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We've looked at info on: Brooklyn (in general), some in Manhattan (but who knows what is affordable!), Queens, and Yonkers. If anyone could provide some information about specific neighborhoods, I would really appreciate it!
