"Moving-to-the-Bronx/NYC" Anxiety -- HELP! (Webster, Bedford: transplants, neighborhood)

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by Guywithacause

Laysayfair...would it be a fair and reasonable assessment to say that Brooklyn has ZERO positives..because "that's just the way I see it?" I also believe the world is flat and dogs are the best drivers in Missouri..so you should accept my posts as valid, reasonable, logical, and contributing something of some substance to the thread because "that's just the way I see it."

Whether I lived in the Bronx is moot, because I would say the same thing if this poster claimed there were ZERO positives in Brooklyn, Queens, LI, Jersey City, Westchester County etc. It is not reasonable to make such a statement, and anyone that makes such a general, meaningless, and irrational statement should be viewed as just that: irrational.

As for Woodlawn, there is no doubt you can rent a 1 bed for $1,000 or thereabouts, which would be quite affordable for a person on that salary. The Bronx is well known for being the most affordable area of the city for the past 100 years...so it makes sense.

I spent my childhood in the East New and Brownesville section of Brooklyn in the late 60's and early 70's. There were ZERO positives to living there. Just...zero!

[Guywithacause]

Lol....hmm....let's see...so you are saying none of these things were positives:

-affordable rents/lifestyle
-easy/cheap commute to the city
-walking distance to stores/other amenities
-more spacious apts than Manhattan
-abundant street parking available
-easy commute to JFK via car and public transport
-short trip to the beaches on LI via car/public transport

These are just off the top of my head.

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by Guywithacause

Lol....hmm....let's see...so you are saying none of these things were positives:

-affordable rents/lifestyle
-easy/cheap commute to the city
-walking distance to stores/other amenities
-more spacious apts than Manhattan
-abundant street parking available
-easy commute to JFK via car and public transport
-short trip to the beaches on LI via car/public transport

These are just off the top of my head.

That is just off the top of your head. Not from anything in it.
None of that applies to Brownsville, New York in the late 60's.

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by laysayfair

That is just off the top of your head. Not from anything in it.
None of that applies to Brownsville, New York in the late 60's.

Are we talking specific neighborhoods or entire boroughs.

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

Are we talking specific neighborhoods or entire boroughs.

I was using a specific neighborhood in Brooklyn (where I grew up in the late 60's) as an example
of a place that had zero positives.

[Guywithacause]

How can you say none of those apply to those neighborhoods in the 60s? Was there no train service back then? Did JFK not exist? Was Brownsville somehow further from the beach than it is today? Were the apts smaller than the ones in Manhattan at the time?

Thanks for the pointless comment.

[laysayfair]

Originally Posted by Guywithacause

How can you say none of those apply to those neighborhoods in the 60s? Was there no train service back then? Did JFK not exist? Was Brownsville somehow further from the beach than it is today? Were the apts smaller than the ones in Manhattan at the time?

Thanks for the pointless comment.

You must be very young.
We'll agree to disagree.

[Guywithacause]

And you must be very old. I will however agree to disagree with you, nonetheless those positives did and do exist, you just choose not to acknowledge them.

[gq0850]

hi there detroitguy! i've lived in the south bronx for about 15 years so i'll try to help answer some of your questions as best i can

[quote=detroitguy;3227823]

1. What kind of life can I expect to live making 45k per/yr living in NYC?

to be totally honest, if you were living in the city itself, you'd be looking at a studio/one bed room w a roomie. 45K won't get you anywhere you will have better luck in the bronx, but you won't be totally comfy as you are now in michigan. it's a big cost of living difference.

2. What other things should I figure into my budget that I may be missing? Cost of parking (if I bring my vehicle)? What else? Using the transit system?

cost of parking will depend on if you will live far away from public transportation or not. if you stay near the trains/buses i don't think it'd kill you to leave your car in michigan, at least until you get settled. millions of people get by on the train, i think you could pull it off for a couple months! if you do end up bringing your vehicle though, be prepared to either pay parking garage fees, or learn the alternate side parking rules to avoid a parking ticket. at $115 a ticket, it aint a pretty sight .

3. What areas of the Bronx are safe to live in other than Riverdale and are relatively inexpensive (less than 1000k/mnth lets say)? Is it inevitable that with my salary that I may need to get a roomie?

there are lots of inexpensive areas, you just have to walk around and get a feel of the area. my neighborhood, for example, is made out to be this big bad place, but i have yet *knock on wood* to be mugged or had anything vandalized. i love the area and it's really changed in the 15 years since we first moved here. in my area, for example, a basic one bedroom would probably be $1000-$1200

4. What areas outside the Bronx can I live in and comfortably commute to work from? I know that Wsh hts is relatively close. Some have recommened Inwood, Yonkers, Weschester county (maybe too far) Anywhere else? I am hoping commute time is less than 25m-30m each way every day.

Anything in Manhattan itself, expect it to be the size of your closet (and not a walk in closet at that!) everything is tiny tiny tiny! you'd have better luck in yonkers/westchester county, but then you'd have to consider bringing your car here bc the public transportation isn't reliable at all.

5. What areas would I need to have a vehicle in order to commute? What areas really don't require a vehicle?

If you stay in the 5 boros, you'll be fine without a car. yes, it's a nice perk, but the cost of insurance, the risk of parking tickets and the overall gas prices these days, to me at least, out weigh the pros of having a vehicle. be a new yorker and use public transportation

6. What can be said about 183rd/3rd area? Is it safe to live around there?

hmmm...can't tell you much about this area, expect that it's very close to the little italy of the bronx.

7. Other than craig's list, are there any other recommened sites that can be used to find housing?

i'd say check out the local newspapers (online) classifieds if craigslist isn't getting you anywhere. local newspapers include NY Daily News, NY Post, NY Newsday, AMNY, MetroNY, Village Voice, to name a few.

8. A big part of my life is my health. I know there are 2 Bally's in the bronx. Are they pretty nice places to work out at? How about fresh produce? Is is easy to get to a meijers or some other grocery markets from the bronx without a terrible commute or waiting over 1 or 2 wks to do my major shopping?

If you do decide to live in the Bronx, Van Courtland park is amazing. It's huge and you could get a great run there. As for the gyms, Ballys in the Bronx is decent. If they have a Ballys out in Michigan, though, sign up there to avoid high NY prices! Fresh produce, you'd have to go to manhattan for that. Whole Foods market in the city is known for it's very fresh (but extremely pricey!!!) produce. I'm not saying the produce in your local supermarkets will be dead on arrival, but if you like it super duper fresh, your best bet would be whole foods! if you live here, you'll have supermarkets every few blocks, we don't skimp on food out here, so you won't go 2 wks without major shopping...at least i hope not!

good luck!!!

[KRaZy]

Today in the newspapers (I think it was the METRO, I'm not sure though) was a little article about Bedford Park. It suppose to be one of the nicest neighborhoods in the BX, close to the botanical garden. It said that renting a studio on Decatur and 196th st. (I believe it was) cost $895. 1 BR on Webster ave. and 199th st. starting at $900. A lot of families live there, it's close to the subway, the best schools etc. Hmm.....I don't know how true this article is. I know that Decatur and Webster ave. are bad.