Soho - Downtown Manhattan : Where to live (Carroll: apartment, for rent)

[prince33c]

Hi All,
We are a young couple and have a 3 month old baby. I work in downtown manhattan and my wife just got a job in Soho. We are looking at renting an apartment that is not too much of a commute for both of us and needed your help on where we should rent. My main considerations are:

• Rent should be a maximum of $2000
• We would be leaving our baby in a day care, so there should be a good day care in the vicinity
• We have a car and I would like to keep that...so some place with parking
• Safety is very important

Look forward to your suggestions.

[Low Life]

SoHo is one of the most expensive places to live in the city.

I question how much you are going to get with a $2,000 limit.

And, parking may be completely unrealistic. Even a garage is going to cost you $7-800++ a month.

[prince33c]

Hi, Just to clarify here - I am not looking to live in Soho. I am looking at some nice place from where my wife can easily commute to Soho via the subway. Someone told me to look at Forest Hills, Queens as it has the 'V' line connectivity and my wifes's office is just across the station.

[bmwguydc]

I would start looking in Brooklyn, especially around Park Slope since it's very popular with young families and you'd not be wanting for a peer group. It's not inexpensive, but for around your budget, you should be able to find a some 2BRs. You might also find something in Brooklyn Heights or Cobble Hill for your budget.

[Viralmd]

Park Slope is almost as expensive as Manhattan. I would stick with Forest Hills for the rental. Most buildings don't have parking - it'll either be on the street or in a separate garage.

[cirlin6]

@bmwguydc

I tried finding a two bedroom for around $2,000 in Brooklyn Heights when I did my apartment search a couple months ago, but couldn't really find anything. I did find some studios and small one-bedrooms for about that price. As Brooklyn Heights is one of my favorite neighborhoods, I'd be very interested if you know of ways to look for an apartment there that I don't know about. I mainly stuck to craigslist and Realtors.

@Viralmd

A good friend of mine found a two-bedroom in Park Slope for a bit less than $2,000 about a year ago. It's possible that rents have changed a lot since then. She lives a few blocks south of the Grand Army Plaza stop on the 2,3 and the apartment is in one of those beautiful walk-ups. However, there's no denying that she got really lucky. She's renting directly from the owner and found the property through a connection. Also, I believe prices get cheaper on the fringes of Park Slope.

Back to the original poster though...if you can find a place in Brooklyn Heights for that price range, I highly recommend it. It's one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city. $2,000 for a two bedroom though...I just don't see that.

Forest Hills also has some nice areas but the commute will be long unless you take the train.

If you wanted to stay in Queens, I'd look at Sunnyside. It kind of has a funky vibe with a lot of up and coming ethnic neighborhoods. It's also inexpensive.

If you're willing to go farther out in Brooklyn, I'd look a Carroll Gardens. It has a similar vibe as Brooklyn Heights but is a bit more inexpensive. I did find some nice two-bedrooms there during my search, but decided I didn't want to commute that far and/or have to rely on one subway line (the F).

Good luck.

[Viralmd]

These people will need schools. So they're limited to areas with decent schools. And they did say that they intended to commute by subway.

[MStant1]

Forest Hills seems like the best bet. Possibly Rego Park? Although admittedly I am not as familiar with that area and subway access is limited.

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by MStant1

Forest Hills seems like the best bet. Possibly Rego Park? Although admittedly I am not as familiar with that area and subway access is limited.

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At the risk of having a self-inflicted wound, I second Forest Hills/Rego Park/Kew Gardens for the OP. The area has great public schools and fantastic transportation options.


Too many people have already caught on to the wonderful logistics, conveniences, suitability of that area. My wound is self-inflicted because I want to relocate there from the UWS but the prices for rent/condos/co-ops/houses have been soaring there as more people catch on. However the OP might be able to squeeze in a 2-bedroom in the area - if he acts fast. Hate to use that term as only agents usually announce housing that way.

[prince33c]

Thanks everyone for your comments and information provided. I think Forest Hills is the best bet. Any idea as to the commute time from Forest Hills to Broadway-Laayette Street by subway. Also the commute time from Forest Hills to WTC (downtown manhattan) by subway??
Thanks.