Manhattan Living (New York, Newburgh, Boston: employment, college, salaries)

[hilary086]

We live directly across from Battery Park.
It's nice and quiet down here.

[LevityNYC]

Why do all young, relatively poor, after college students feel the need to live in Manhattan?

I don't understand it! Its so expensive to just end up with a 1 BR piece of shhiiit apartment. Why not save some money and buy a house somewhere?

I think a lot of it has to do something with Friends and Sex in the City. TV shows such a glitzy image of these living spaces that in reality they would have no chance to afford. A 3 bedroom apartment like in Friends would easily run 3800 a month rent. None of them work real jobs...come on....someone working in a coffee shop living in a 3 BR in Manhattan??

Sex in the City is even worse. Fashion magazine writer??? They make what like 35000 a year? NYC isnt all about walking 5th Ave with your quirky friends buying Gucci bags after your fancy lunch, before dining out with a bottle of wine, and heading out to an equally fancy bar to meet a wallstreet hunk.

Its about living in a cramped apartment with roached and noisy neighbors, while eating egg sandwiches from the corner deli.

I wish more people (specifically young people) understood this.

[LevityNYC]

Originally Posted by Anna Maria

Hi Eugene

Can you please tell me the location of this picture, its just the kind of place i am looking to live and do you have any idea on rents here

That is Park slope in Brooklyn. Its full of yuppies. If you are thinking about owning a car, then forget it.

It looks like its somewhere between 6th - 11th ave and between 20th and St Marks Place.

Rents will run you about 2000 - 2500 a month for something halfway decent. There are no balconies, but many allow pets.

It could also be Brooklyn Heights. Its in the same general area, but closer to the Brooklyn Bridge. Rents there would run about 2500-3000 a month

[mead]

I honestly do think it has a lot to do with all of the TV shows being set in the city. Think about it. Seinfield, Friends, Sex in the City, Law & Order, etc. All of these shows have a very NYC centric point of view and they are all very popular and glamorize the area quite a bit. Even the shows like Law & Order that try to show the dirty underbelly of the city even seem like they end up glamorizing the place.

Plus moving to this area just seems to be like the "in thing" for people to do at the moment, especially people from really random areas of the country like places in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest and the South.

Originally Posted by LevityNYC

Why do all young, relatively poor, after college students feel the need to live in Manhattan?

I don't understand it! Its so expensive to just end up with a 1 BR piece of shhiiit apartment. Why not save some money and buy a house somewhere?

I think a lot of it has to do something with Friends and Sex in the City. TV shows such a glitzy image of these living spaces that in reality they would have no chance to afford. A 3 bedroom apartment like in Friends would easily run 3800 a month rent. None of them work real jobs...come on....someone working in a coffee shop living in a 3 BR in Manhattan??

Sex in the City is even worse. Fashion magazine writer??? They make what like 35000 a year? NYC isnt all about walking 5th Ave with your quirky friends buying Gucci bags after your fancy lunch, before dining out with a bottle of wine, and heading out to an equally fancy bar to meet a wallstreet hunk.

Its about living in a cramped apartment with roached and noisy neighbors, while eating egg sandwiches from the corner deli.

I wish more people (specifically young people) understood this.

[BXGEAR]

if you are not from NYC, dont expect to become a New Yorker just by moving into Manhattan. True NY is the outer boroughs, Westchester south, and even Jersey City

[lauralove181mn]

Originally Posted by LevityNYC

Why do all young, relatively poor, after college students feel the need to live in Manhattan?

I don't understand it! Its so expensive to just end up with a 1 BR piece of shhiiit apartment. Why not save some money and buy a house somewhere?

I think a lot of it has to do something with Friends and Sex in the City. TV shows such a glitzy image of these living spaces that in reality they would have no chance to afford. A 3 bedroom apartment like in Friends would easily run 3800 a month rent. None of them work real jobs...come on....someone working in a coffee shop living in a 3 BR in Manhattan??

Sex in the City is even worse. Fashion magazine writer??? They make what like 35000 a year? NYC isnt all about walking 5th Ave with your quirky friends buying Gucci bags after your fancy lunch, before dining out with a bottle of wine, and heading out to an equally fancy bar to meet a wallstreet hunk.

Its about living in a cramped apartment with roached and noisy neighbors, while eating egg sandwiches from the corner deli.

I wish more people (specifically young people) understood this.

While I completely understand where you're coming from. I just have to say that the reason I'd like to move to NYC isn't because of some shows on T.V. set out to make Manhattan life so glamourous. It's because I've wanted to live there ever since I was a little girl. I love city life, always have. I mean, I've lived in Phoenix AZ for a while and had gang members right across the street from us shooting their guns off at night and trying to lift up my skirt when I was 11 while riding my bike. I don't think NYC will be any sort of ritzy "place to be". It's just a dream I've always had and what the hell is wrong with having a dream anyways? I also think it would be a wonderful place to develope my career. No, I don't expect it to be easy. In fact I expect it to be extremely difficult. But, hey, it's my life and I can do with it what I want. Now lets get back to the matter at hand. What this forumn was really meant to be about, what are the nicer areas of manhattan to live?

[briarwood]

Originally Posted by lauralove181mn

While I completely understand where you're coming from. I just have to say that the reason I'd like to move to NYC isn't because of some shows on T.V. set out to make Manhattan life so glamourous. It's because I've wanted to live there ever since I was a little girl. I love city life, always have. I mean, I've lived in Phoenix AZ for a while and had gang members right across the street from us shooting their guns off at night and trying to lift up my skirt when I was 11 while riding my bike. I don't think NYC will be any sort of ritzy "place to be". It's just a dream I've always had and what the hell is wrong with having a dream anyways? I also think it would be a wonderful place to develope my career. No, I don't expect it to be easy. In fact I expect it to be extremely difficult. But, hey, it's my life and I can do with it what I want. Now lets get back to the matter at hand. What this forumn was really meant to be about, what are the nicer areas of manhattan to live?

Don't let the grumps here spoil your dreams. I think many posters here are arrogrant and jaded and think NY is so horribly afflected with success. Nobody ever realizes there was once a time no one wanted to live here and many areas were a dump. We have it extremely good here and hope the growth and success continues to roll.....

[SaintLaurent]

I agree, don't let that poster sway you from moving into Manhattan. Just move in when you're financially secure.

LevityNYC, why would someone young like her want to buy a house and live in the boring suburbs?

Manhattan is indeed glitzy and glamorous if you move with some $$.

[lauralove181mn]

Originally Posted by SaintLaurent

I agree, don't let that poster sway you from moving into Manhattan. Just move in when you're financially secure.

LevityNYC, why would someone young like her want to buy a house and live in the boring suburbs?

Manhattan is indeed glitzy and glamorous if you move with some $$.

Thanks! And thats exactly what I want, to move when I have some dough. And after I've visted the city a couple times. My cousin actually just got married about 3 weeks ago and told us she and her husband were moving to the upper east side (they're from Sioux Falls SD). So when we visit we can stay with them instead of having to blow all our money on a pricey hotel.

[UpstaterInBklyn]

Lauralove,

If you are early in your career and want opportunities, coming to NYC earlier, rather than later, would be to your benefit.

The business culture here is fast-paced and competitive, but offers tons of opportunity for someone smart, ambitious and hard-working. In certain fields, like finance, media, advertising, and fashion, opportunities are especially abundant and you reach the pinnacle of the industry.

Climbing the ladder here makes a difference because later in your career it is more difficult to make the transition/relocation, unless you have some kind of exceptional specialty skill or you are on an executive level.

Be aware, however, that the typical lifestyle of a young person on an entry-level salary means sharing a small apartment with 2-3 others, perhaps in a so-so neighborhood. You will have a 10' X 8' space to call your own. You will spend almost all of your money on rent and food.

However, you will meet people from all over the world, make new business contacts, and make friends by taking advantage of new chances to socialize, since you'll hardly ever be home in your cramped apartment!

Young people come here all the time. Some embrace it and succeed, others can't take it and leave. You really have to find out for yourself.