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Quick background: I am originally from New York City, I was born there and grew up in the Riverdale section of the Bronx (which I loved), but I moved to a rural part of upstate starting in junior high (which I hated), and have wanted to come back to NYC since. I went to college in Long Island, and spent a lot of time in NYC since, but haven't actually lived there. My wife was also born in NYC and grew up across the river in Jersey, she went to college in Manhattan. Most of my close friends still live around NYC and my wife's parents live in NJ. We are both in our late-twenties and we have a two-year old son.
I was just offered a NYC govt. position, so I have to live in the five boroughs. I am familiar with some neighborhoods, namely Riverdale in the Bronx and Midwood in Brooklyn (where I spent a lot of time visiting cousins in my youth).
I am now doing preliminary searches for a place to live, I'm ideally looking for a 2BR, maximum I'm willing to pay is 2k per month. I'd like a family friendly neighborhood for my son, and a place where parking isn't an issue. I'll be taking the subway to work in Manhattan, but I'd still like to have a car. I can endure up to an hour commute, I don't mind commuting too much as it gives me time to read.
The five borough requirement actually sucks for me since my in-laws live less than 30 minutes from my job and they have a pretty big house, but it happens to be in NJ, but I can't fight it. Some of the areas that look good from my research (in addition to the neighborhoods I mentioned above) are: Astoria, Bayridge, Forest Hills and Rego Park.
Anyone have any other ideas or experience that could help me out?
Maybe I'm overrating living in NYC since I've wanted to go back since I was young.
My brother did live in Queens a few years back, and I remember thinking at the time that I was "too old for the city" since I hated having to spend 30 minutes finding parking near his building, but right now I'm pretty excited by the prospect of moving to NY and by the job, which should boost my career prospects.
Plenty of family friendly neighborhoods in the outer boroughs, but the requirement that's going to kill the deal for you is the "easy parking." Any place that has easy parking usually is far from the subway.
Perhaps you could find a small 2-bedroom somewhere for $1800 and spend the other $200 on a parking space.
One place you did not mention that might be ok for parking (I'm really not sure) is Kew Gardens, Queens. Middle Village is better for parking but doesn't have much subway access ( there is an M train stop somewhere, but the rest would be non-subway-accessible I believe).
What other kinds of requirements do you have for a neighborhood? Will your wife be home with your child, and if so, what are her requirements for a neighborhood?
Plenty of family friendly neighborhoods in the outer boroughs, but the requirement that's going to kill the deal for you is the "easy parking." Any place that has easy parking usually is far from the subway.
Perhaps you could find a small 2-bedroom somewhere for $1800 and spend the other $200 on a parking space.
One place you did not mention that might be ok for parking (I'm really not sure) is Kew Gardens, Queens. Middle Village is better for parking but doesn't have much subway access ( there is an M train stop somewhere, but the rest would be non-subway-accessible I believe).
What other kinds of requirements do you have for a neighborhood? Will your wife be home with your child, and if so, what are her requirements for a neighborhood?
My wife will be at home with our son, so I'd like it to be a neighborhood with other kids, and parks or other activities that would be easy for her to get him involved in.
The subway is an important component of what I'm looking for, but I don't need to be right on top of it. When I lived in London, I had to walk a mile to the tube each way, which I didn't mind at all and actually miss living in a suburb of DC where I have to drive everywhere.
If I had kids, and HAD to live in NYC proper I would live in Staten Island. I know that it's hated by many but I believe that it is the most family friendly, especially when you have kids. The public schools are also some of the best in the five boroughs.
If I had kids, and HAD to live in NYC proper I would live in Staten Island. I know that it's hated by many but I believe that it is the most family friendly, especially when you have kids. The public schools are also some of the best in the five boroughs.
I don't think most people hate Staten Island - it's the lack of a subway connection that seems formidable , unlike with the other four boroughs, where you can pretty much rely on public transportation 24/7.
Actually, District 26 which is Northeastern Queens is the highest performing school district in the city for elementary and middle schools. There are some good high schools in Queens as well, but top performance stats are at the city-wide magnet schools that admit by competitive examination.
If you can stand a little bit of a longer commute, I would look further east in District 26, which does include Bayside. I would look into parts of Douglaston and Little Neck, which are quite close to Nassau County for all sorts of opportunities for your wife and child. Now, if you were to take the LIRR from this area, it would be very quick to get to Penn, since the Port Washington branch line is among the fastest in the system.
Since much of Little Neck and Douglaston are suburban-like communities, especially north of Northern Boulevard, you are more apt to have at least one parking spot or garage included with your rental. There are townhouses and condominiums in the area, in addition to single-family homes, though the SF price point would be a tad higher, unless it's very very tiny.
Bayside is a little more built up in places, so parking can be an added expense or a little challenging, which is not uncommon for such neighborhoods in Queens, unless you have a single family residence.
All of Northeastern Queens puts you within minutes of Manhasset for shopping and conveniences, for everything from clothes to groceries. It's generally a quick drive, even when there's traffic on Northern Boulevard. You're as near to a suburban environment within the five boroughs in this area of Queens, which may not be bad, depending upon lifestyle considerations.
EDIT: I forgot the express buses. The QM3 express runs from Little Neck and takes about an hour to 35th St., a little longer to I believe 57th. It's very limited and makes no stops outside of Little Neck. The QM2 runs from Bay Terrace in Bayside and takes about 50-60 minutes to Midtown, east or west buses are an option by origination time on that route, I believe, but not under a separate designation as other routes have.
I've heard good things about Bayside and Douglaston, I wasn't sure how much transit infrastructure they have though (buses). The LIRR should be good for me since I'll be working in Chelsea and don't mind walking 10 blocks.
I'd feel strange living in Staten Island only because my in-laws live literally right across from it, it might just make more sense for my wife and son to stay with the in-laws while I find a place in the city for the weekdays.
Also, looking on craigslist, I have been able to find a good number of 2BRs for below 2k in Forest Hills, from talking to a friend's dad who owns property in the city, it seems rents are slowly going down, though not as drastically in Queens as in other boroughs.
I've heard good things about Bayside and Douglaston, I wasn't sure how much transit infrastructure they have though (buses). The LIRR should be good for me since I'll be working in Chelsea and don't mind walking 10 blocks.
I'd feel strange living in Staten Island only because my in-laws live literally right across from it, it might just make more sense for my wife and son to stay with the in-laws while I find a place in the city for the weekdays.
Also, looking on craigslist, I have been able to find a good number of 2BRs for below 2k in Forest Hills, from talking to a friend's dad who owns property in the city, it seems rents are slowly going down, though not as drastically in Queens as in other boroughs.
ah, wanna leave the wife and kids on staten island , eh? i do hope rents are going down in forest hills because that's where i'm headed too. i didn't see anything below 2k for a 2 bedroom..but then again i was concentrating on the 1 bedrooms. good luck.
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