Astoria here I come! (New York, Greece: apartment, rental, crime)
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Some of you may remember me from my post the other day asking if I should move back to NYC. Well, I finally weighed all the options and made my decision to move back. Despite all the naysayers in so many places making videos about how bad NYC is, when I moved out back in March I too thought that I was over it. But then after living a while in a rural area the reality starts to sink in and no, rural living or even suburban living is NOT for everyone.
I will explain my decision here and hopefully this can serve to give some info to other people weighing their options. I will also explain why I chose Astoria over other options.
The past week has been an amazing rollercoaster. In a matter of just 48 hours, not only did I decide to move back to NYC, but I even was able to find an amazing deal on an apartment (shared at the moment, but will be vacant for me by the end of 2021 if not sooner because the leaseholder is going back to his home state). Rent is only $800, the apartment is old...but I like old for sure and I made the decision based on the fact that not only is the house pre-war, but it's also only a 2 family! I hate tall buildings and like many old Greeks say in Astoria, I think like they do that Astoria has a much more "euro" vibe in many ways than Manhattan proper. Yes, the area is rapidly changing because unfortunately rezoning has been allowed, but it's still manageable and interesting.
The house is a 2 family. Again, I hate tall buildings where you have to take an elevator to go to your apartment and always bump into neighbors, so this has been great. I met the landlords last week and they are really happy to meet me. They even offered to sell me the place if interested in the future.
Point 2: Newly installed bathroom, new tiles, freshly painted. It is a 2 bedroom, but I love the fact that it has a very long corridor and my room is at the entrance, very far from both the bathroom and the other bedroom which is next to the kitchen (eg: you have to go through the kitchen to go into the bedroom).
Point 3: No children upstairs (hence no running noises, etc)...the owners are an old couple who are foreign born. I have dealt with "foreign" old landlords before and in my experience it has been great to deal with them. No credit check nonsense, just straight up job reference, pay slips and references from other landlords. As someone like me who has never used credit cards, credit checks are a major pain in the rear because I do not have a credit history.
Point 4: The street is quiet. It is very near the last stop in Astoria, so if I were to use the MTA, it is very convenient and only 15/20 mins into Manhattan. Since most of what I ever did in Manhattan was on the Upper East Side anyway, again, this is perfect.
Why did I choose Astoria? My other options were: Bay Ridge (I've lived there before and don't typically like the vibe down there, but that's just me...it feels almost a bit like Staten Island and if you want to go into the city it is annoying and far away! Bay Ridge also has, near the water, a very upscale atmosphere. Now, that is not at all alien to me, but I like the fact that Astoria has a more urban edge without it being too wild. It still has some grit and more commercial activity, so it is perfect. Bay Ridge seemed to me to be a mix always of either "bro" types who always hang out there and grew up there OR, wealthier and hence a bit on the uppity side.
Other options were Forest Hills/Kew Gardens/Briarwood: Those areas have some great places and it can be very nice in Forest Hills, but it has almost a suburban feel to it compared to Astoria. Suburbs are just not my thing to live on a daily basis. I like the houses much more in FH and KG, but the other tradeoffs are better for me in Astoria.
What have I noticed about NYC now that I am back. Well, for the record let me just say that I was already familiar with all the neighborhoods. What I have noticed is, of course, lots of businesses shuttered, fewer people in general and yes, there has been a noticeable spike in dirt, grime and other QOL issues. But I have to reject the notion that NYC is "dead forever". There is no way this city is going to "die forever". Will it change in several things? YES, but it always does that even pre-pandemic. Ever since I was a child in school, I always heard the same stories about "ohhh, too cold and expensive here and the people are rude, I'm so over this, time to go to Florida! Now, it's usually not just Florida but also Texas, Arizona and some other states that mean nothing to me. That brings me to the cost of living:
Yes, many other states have lower taxes or none at all, but you also suffer a HUGE pay cut and you definitely notice the decay in services and more poverty. There is poverty in NYC, but every time I go to the South, the poverty is way more decadent than here. Those states also can afford lower taxes because those "evil left wing" NY taxpayers fund them. I agree with what Cuomo said on that issue. If we truly had a fair tax system, those places would not be as attractive except the weather. NYC weather is awful, so there's that.
Does anyone seriously think that when all this is over NYC firms are going to pay their workers NYC salaries so you can live out in the middle of nowhere in Arizona? Think again. Not going to happen ever! Unless you are already grandfathered in contract wise, major corporations will not stand for that. They need people in the city consuming and people will come back. I strongly believe people will come back to the city once they realize just how awful other places can be and how boring with lack of opportunities in many job sectors.
What else do I like about Astoria? Many "Mediterranean" type restaurants, particularly Greek, among others. Food is important to me and I try to have an excellent meal on a daily basis. I follow the "Mediterranean diet", which means not only lots of fresh produce and not as many meats, but also a structured meal time where you do nothing else other than enjoy the meal and not worry about work issues.
Back to the Astoria advantages for me: Astoria also has many more young people and just as safe as Bay Ridge for the most part. Many of the shops cater to modern tastes while at the same time you can definitely find "euro" stuff and even Indian and Egyptian.
Astoria is much closer and has many more young people and is still relatively safe except for the immediate area around the projects which is are technically in LIC. There are a lot more establishments that cater to young people. Lots of grocery stores and ethnic markets too.
A few more things:
I cook a lot and the roommate told me he hardly cooks, so that's another huge plus for me. The apartment rental includes everything. I am saving a huge amount of my pay.
Going back to cost of living issues -- I honestly do not see such huge differences in the COL in the tri-state area. I don't think "suburbs" are all THAT MUCH cheaper and when you factor in commute for many as well as cost of groceries, services and taxes, it's almost the same if not more expensive. Right now the great thing about NYC is that it is slightly more of a renter's market. So, smart people are snatching up the cheap deals.
Re crime & De Blasio, etc. Since I am not a conservative and think the way forward is social reinsertion of a criminal through more humane/therapeutic means, I agree and applaud many of the judicial reforms in the city. Yes, there has been an increase in homelessness (I saw almost no homeless in Astoria, so it's mainly a Manhattan issue at this point) as well as crazies doing horrible things to people on the subway, but that's not an argument for going back to Ghouliani policies.
Oh! I forgot to add: My lease is month to month, just like I wanted it in case anything happens. The landlord wanted a minimum of 1 year and I said 1 year? Nope. I am in a strong negotiating position right now.
So let's see what I have accomplished in 1 week:
1) Found an apartment in Astoria, no credit check, great deal.
2) Got another extra "part time" job online making $100/hour doing what I love.
3) Secured an AIRBNB in Forest Hills while I wait to sign the lease on Monday 2/1.
4) Found the best Israeli instant coffee that reminds me exactly of the coffee I tried in Spain (the famous torrefacto stuff which leaves your cup and teeth stained).
Yeah, I now see that due to my tastes, NYC is the place to be and it will get better once most people are vaccinated. There will always be negative people who slam the city, so that's nothing new. Nobody slams NYC more than New Yorkers, but at the end of the day when you live in other places, you realize just how lame most places in the US really are.
I have good memories of Astoria from even my college years, because in those days there were talks of smoking bans and Astoria was the only place I remember where Greek cafes and bars openly defied the smoke ban (much like in Greece they defied the Euro wide smoke ban) and back in those days I was a heavy smoker, so that was fun. I also consistently found the area much more interesting because of the people than Manhattan itself, which already back in the late 90s/early 2000s people spoke of gentrification and how it was rapidly becoming a huge suburban shopping mall with a Chase on every corner and a Starbucks.
I strongly believe people will come back to the city once they realize just how awful other places can be and how boring with lack of opportunities in many job sectors.
What else do I like about Astoria? Many "Mediterranean" type restaurants, particularly Greek, among others. Food is important to me and I try to have an excellent meal on a daily basis. I follow the "Mediterranean diet", which means not only lots of fresh produce and not as many meats, but also a structured meal time where you do nothing else other than enjoy the meal and not worry about work issues.
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I hate to break it to you but your old school Manhattan "butts in seat" job will keep you too busy to take your nice long Mediterranean lunch
I hate to break it to you but your old school Manhattan "butts in seat" job will keep you too busy to take your nice long Mediterranean lunch
Wrong! I don't work an old school "9 to 5" butts in seat job. To the contrary! The great thing about my job is that it's less than 30 hours a week and I still bring in 6 figs/annum.
Yay. The once proud and authentic Astoria of the Greeks/Irish and Italians continues to be overrun by transients who think it's "cool."
Wide swaths of Astoria are actually overrun by Muslims. Steinway south of Astoria Boulevard is a lot like walking down a street in Lebanon or Pakistan
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