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This is of course highly relative, but I was wondering if Chinatown was a good low-rent alternative.
Maybe The Lower East Side?
Background:
Young artist [18]. I have money saved up and am planning to move soon--sorry, I know you've heard this before. I was thinking about trying to find work as a bicycle courier. I really want to try to find something on the island that isn't on 208th street or something, but, of course, if this isn't feasible, any suggestions would be nice.
Is it possible to find a share in Chinatown for 700?
I can live frugally and don't mind small spaces.
If this isn't possible, what are some artist neighborhoods in other boroughs?
It's very hard to get an apartment in Chinatown. They're never advertised. I recall going to look at one once. It was a share, but I was not impressed with the apartment or the potential roommate. Most of the rooms in Chinatown are occupied by real Chinese immigrants, they are over crowded and you wouldn't want to be there (they wouldn't let you in either).
I hate to say it, knowing the groans it'll send up on this board, but you may want to look at Williamsburg and surrounding neighborhoods.
I wouldn't say that it's a racial issue, just that there are Chinese-language papers and communities through which apartments are generally rented in Chinatown. It's not impossible, but it's not the same as going to a broker or an owner from an ad in The Times or on Craigslist and securing an apartment or a share.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
It's very hard to get an apartment in Chinatown. They're never advertised. I recall going to look at one once. It was a share, but I was not impressed with the apartment or the potential roommate. Most of the rooms in Chinatown are occupied by real Chinese immigrants, they are over crowded and you wouldn't want to be there (they wouldn't let you in either).
I hate to say it, knowing the groans it'll send up on this board, but you may want to look at Williamsburg and surrounding neighborhoods.
are you talking about those rooming houses where everyone shares a bathroom? how much do those rooms usually cost a month?
are you talking about those rooming houses where everyone shares a bathroom? how much do those rooms usually cost a month?
Chinatown, unlike Little Italy, is still a functioning immigrant community. It's a very closed society. There are many under-the-radar things, like sweatshops, that go on there. There are still places were people live 5 or even 10 to a room. Outsiders aren't really welcomed as tenants. If you look on the Times rental search page under Chinatown, very few of the apartments are actually in Chinatown. There are all in Tribeca or the LES, and expensive, certainly beyond a bike messenger's means.
There are places on the periphery of Chinatown that are owned by Chinese landlords and have a lot of Chinese signage (on Allen Street, for example) but are not part of Chinatown proper and are open to anyone who wants to rent there.
Ultimately: there is no cheap neighborhood left in Manhattan south of Harlem, period. You might luck out and find a good share situation somewhere, but there's no single neighborhood to look for such a deal. The only places left on the island are Washington Heights and Inwood (and possibly Spanish/East Harlem, though I would be hesitant to live there, personally).
This is something I know a lot about as I've only lived in shares in Manhattan. Most of people with shares are older than you (30+) and frankly, are not looking to live with an 18 year old. If they are younger, they're probably corporate types, i.e., entry level bankers. It's unlikely to be a good fit, either way.
There was a time when an 18 year old could move to central Manhattan without being independently wealthy, but that was 20 years ago.
I would strongly recommend looking in Astoria, Green Point, the nicer parts of Bushwick, and Williamsburg. Those places are full of young artist transplants trying to make it in the city. There's a support network of sorts. There are collectives and other types of alternative housing. That kind of stuff just doesn't exist in Manhattan anymore.
I don't know you and I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. I do know prices in Manhattan. Best of luck.
Ultimately: there is no cheap neighborhood left in Manhattan south of Harlem, period. You might luck out and find a good share situation somewhere, but there's no single neighborhood to look for such a deal.
...With the possible exception of Alphabet City. Generally, the closer you get to Avenue D (and the further from Avenue A) the cheaper it's going to be. The catch is that things change wildly from block to block, so you really have to check it out with your own eyes. But I think it's possible to find something in that part of Manhattan.
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