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Is it sensible to have a piano in NYC? I'm trying to figure out whether I have to get rid of it or not. I play on occasion. Will moving it into a city apt be complicated? Noise to neighbors? Lack of space in apt? Or would it be easier to move from the suburbs (where we currently are in San Jose) to a suburb in CT and commute into Manhattan. If we have a dog and a baby on the way soon, should I rule out Manhattan on pragmatic reasons? Right now we have a 2000 sq foot house and one car. Will the adjustment not be worthwhile?
I agree if it is a walk up it will be difficult to get up stairs and downstairs whenever you have to move, but lots of people have pianos.
I've found a more helpful alternative (for practicing or leisure) is to have a usb midi keyboard, hook it up to your comptuer/laptop and get a decent VST/standalone plugin that will sound almost like a Steinway or even a Fender Rhodes (Its one of those things where its close but no cigar, I for one would suggest Native Instruments Plugins). Then you can hook in your headphones and get some late night practice in.
You have many issues. The piano is the least of them. The baby and the dog would seem to take priority. Not all buildings take allow dogs, that's something you need to consider in your search.
Are you getting an apartment in Manhattan or one of the boroughs? What's your budget?
Have you ever lived in an apartment? You're not going to get anything near 2,000 square feet without spending a fortune in Manhattan.
It might be easier to find a place in Connecticut to keep the dog and the car happy. The train is relatively quick to Grand Central, and if you don't mind the taxes, you can be less than 30 minutes away from Grand Central in some areas of Lower Westchester. It's worth considering...
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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)
If it's a grand piano it would basically take our entire living room leaving enough space for a couch and TV, but it wouldn't be ideal.
If you have an Upright, I don't see any issues. It can easily fit in an average NYC living room.
One thing is that in Manhattan what you bring with you limits your choices but it usually doesn't make it impossible. So for instance you have a dog and baby on the way, so there are certain neighborhoods that are more conducive to the lifestyle you would likely have such as the upper west side. Then if you are worried about your piano being damaged while being carried upstairs, you would then have to limit yourself to elevator buildings.
Then if you wanted to play at night sometimes you would have to hope to find an apartment with thick walls, with less units or musician friendly neighbors.
So you really have to prioritize to make your life simpler when looking for a spot here.
As for CT vs. Manhattan. IMHO, live in Manhattan while you can. That means do it now before you have more kids or your kids get older (school age). Because once that happens Manhattan isn't really worth it compared to the suburbs.
Right now in your shoes, I would choose Manhattan, with or without the piano. If you live here long enough you learn that you need a storage unit anyway. So see if you can preserve your piano by putting it into storage.
Conneticut might be better. Try not to put the piano on a shared wall. Trust me, it's annoying, and people are not always so forgiving. Like another said, the baby and dog are top priority, the walk-up may not be an issue as many apartment complexes have utility elevators for that purpose. Back when I thought I could swing an apt. instead of a dorm, I toured a lot of places and there was adequate room for a piano.
Like another said, the baby and dog are top priority, the walk-up may not be an issue as many apartment complexes have utility elevators for that purpose.
Ummm....no. Generally, walk-ups do NOT have utility elevators. I've lived in enough of 'em to know.
Ummm....no. Generally, walk-ups do NOT have utility elevators. I've lived in enough of 'em to know.
We had some friends move between 3 different walk-ups in the course of 2 years and 2 of them had a utility elevator, though each building is different.
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