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#2 There is a Community Supported Agriculture program which you can read about here Farmspot.org | A Jackson Heights NY CSA I am not a member so can't really tell you anything more than what you see on the website
#3 For fruit and vegetables, there are at least three pretty good produce places on 37th Ave. When I say pretty good - I mean that sometimes certain things look excellent and other things look wilted. It's hit or miss. I feel like the vegetables tend to be quite fine and the fruit is sometimes less than fine. However, I still feel like the access to produce in this neighborhood is much much better than in many other neighborhoods (but I don't know about Fort Greene)
#4 There are also tons of vegetable options available at the ethnic markets, like the huge Indian shops near 74th St. and the huge Hong Kong market in Elmhurst. The veggies tend to be quite fresh and the turnover is high. Again, the fruit leaves a bit to be desired.
#5 there are almost always street vendors who sell chopped mangos, pineapple, watermelon etc. (depending on what's in season).
#6 The Met, a regular grocery store, generally has pretty nice fruit and vegetables and I sometimes make a special trip there to get red and yellow peppers, etc. as they are almost always crunchy and fresh.
I find the prices on all grocery items to be extremely reasonable in JH. There is also the option to shop via Fresh Direct and have items delivered if you so choose.
Henna - You mentioned that the $2500 figure could get a good 2 bedroom apartment in JH. Can you comment a little bit about what you mean by "good"? Does the $2000-$2500 range just get you the smallest/less light, etc., apartments or are you getting into the larger/more light, nicer kitchens, etc., apartments for that figure? I know it probably depends very highly on the building, but averages are okay
MapleRadio,
I honestly don't know too much about rentals here since I never had to search for a rental. But rents are really not very high around here. I imagine you could get something very nice for $2000, and that you wouldn't even have to spend $2500. Some of the rentals may be in all-rental buildings and others may be in coop buildings where there is an individual owner. In my coop building I know of 2 rentals by owner. One is a 950 sq foot bedroom with nice light overlooking the garden and it goes for around $1400. It has a renovated kitchen. I think the owner keeps the rent kind of low so that he can have a really good choice of tenants. The other one is a 600 sq ft studio that has a great layout (separate kitchen, a dinette, a hallway, lots of closets) but doesn't have great light and as far as I know it was going for $950. This is considered to be a very nice building, though it is a 12-minute walk from the express stop (rents may be a little higher if you are within a 5 minute walk of that stop).
You will probably need to go through a broker if you want to rent around here. If you need a few names of brokers, pm me and I can send you a few (though I only have direct experience with one of them and that was for a sale).
Ft. Greene has a very active farmers market in the warmer months and the fall at Fort Greene park on the weekends. As far as more "permanent" places for produce there are a few places that have recently opened up. Fresh Gardens on Fulton St and South Elliot has a nice selection of organic produce and is a sort of mini Whole Foods. Prices may be a bit inflated, though. Another place called Green Grape Provisions also just opened up on Fulton and South Portland and everyone around here is pretty excited about the addition to the neighborhood. They sell locally grown produce, fish, meats, and cheeses. As with everywhere who specializes in "sustainable" foods their prices are a bit high.
You would admitedly be better off in a place like Jackson Heights for the more affordable ethnic groceries and eateries. Fort Green is a bit more "upscale" in our restaurant choices. I don't necessarily think that is a good thing as most nights I would rather be able to grab some cheap ethnic eats from a local place like those in Jackson Heights as opposed to a candlelight meal at a French bistro. They are both nice to have locally but it comes down to personal preference. For what it's worth, I'm looking into moving to Jackson Heights when my lease is up to save a little money and have more of the afforementioned cheap eats in my neighborhood.
There are plenty of nice big, new construction 2 bedroom apartments with new wood floors, large living rooms, stainless steel appliances and even a balcony for $2000 there.
Astoria is a very safe, well kept, diverse neighborhood with some of the best ethnic food in the world, tons of charming European cafes and bakeries, bars, clubs, commercial chain stores on Steinway, a NY Sports Club branch, Astoria park for your dog etc, there's even a Starbucks, which tells you its a good neighborhood. It's only 10 minutes to midtown Manhattan.
Just stay within the borders of 21st street to Steinway and Broadway to Ditmars and you will really enjoy your surroundings. Astoria is a lot less dense than Sunnyside, Jackson Heights, Woodside and other areas in Western Queens. It's perfect in my opinion.
Astoria is another great suggestion. A lot of young people are moving in there for it's proximity to Manhattan. I have considered living there myself and have many friends in the area. Definitly another place within your budget to consider.
Great, it seems like we will have many options within our budget. Are there any easily parsed differences for why one would prefer Asotria over JH (or the other way around) besides possibly a shorter commute?
Actually, after re-reading your first post I think Astoria might be better for you than Jackson Heights. Astoria is younger - there are more bars, better nightlife, more cafes with outdoor seating in the warm weather, and there's a big park. I believe it also fits your rent budget. JH is a bit easier and faster to Penn Station since it's just a few stops on the E train, but I can't imagine it's too difficult from Astoria either since Astoria is right next to Manhattan.
From what I hear, some people are bemoaning the hipster element that some see as overtaking Astoria. I don't hang out there much so can't comment much on this, but I suspect that might actually be better for you as a young couple to have a bit more access to the kind of services that come along with the hipster crowd moving in.
There are also more rentals available in Astoria. I think many people come to Jackson Heights to buy, and more people go to Astoria to rent.
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