Manhattan Living (Greenwich, Jay: real estate, apartments, rent)

[lauralove181mn]

So I'm planning on moving to Manhattan when me and my boyfriend are all done with college (by this time we'll be around 24 and 25), now I've researched the costs, but I can't seem to get any information on what are good neighborhoods. I know midtown is more of the shopping district, and I've heard the Upper East side is the more ritzy area. But, I don't know anything about crime rates in different parts of the city. I want to, hopefully, live in Midtown. Could someone give me a little info about what are the nice areas? Thanks.

[EugeneBKLYN]

Well, If you have the money I would suggest the greenwich village/chelsea area.
Crime is at a minimal there.
Areas you should avoid are pretty much around northern harlem and spanish harlem. Although, these areas are quite beautiful because you get some gorgeous views of the palisades and the hudson.

I'd like to advise you that there are areas outside of Manhattan which are also great, like Park Slope in Brooklyn:

You'll save alot of money.

The mistake alot of people end up making is moving to Manhattan, and then realize that the cost of living is so high, so many move to Brooklyn or Queens.

[stretch00]

Anything south of 96th street is fine.

Anything north of 96th street may or may not be fine, depends on the neighborhood.

Each neighborhood in Manhattan has its own flavor. Upper east side tends to be wealthy professionals. The meatpacking district tends to have younger people interested in nightlife. Chelsea has a significant GLBT population.

Crime is not a significant problem in most of NYC. This perception is more of a holdover from the 1970s. By any reasonable way of measuring crime (per capita), NY is safer than any other major metropolitan area.

I will second Eugenebrklyn's advice. Consider Brooklyn or Queens, unless money really is no object to you.

[NooYowkur81]

Like someone posted before below 96 is sort of the cutoff. Above 96 there are some really nice neigborhoods, but it varies more.

If you really want us to help you, you have to give us some specifics.

What are you lookin for in your neighborhood?

Do you prefer quiet, or lively?

Do you prefer an older demographic, or do you prefer to be around people more your age?

What are you realistically looking to spend, rent-wise?

Here's a money saving tip, if you are not already a member of a costco or BJays, become a member yesterday. Borrow somebody's car if you don't have one and go there. You can save a lot of money on a lot of basic stuff, paper towels, toilet paper, cereal, soap, cleaning materials, etc. Don't pay manhattan prices for stuff you buy much cheaper in bulk elsewhere. You'll be surprised how much those little purchases can add up over time.

[mead]

I think you can go up to 110th st on the West side for good neighborhoods. Definitely 96th on the east side though.

The original poster must keep in mind that these areas are really EXPENSIVE. $2,000 a month minimum for a 1br (more likely it will average around $2,500 a month).

[Viralmd]

The West side is good up to about 110th St.

The upper East side isn't necessarily as 'ritzy' as it is family-oriented. However, NONE of Manhattan is cheap and Greenwich Village, Soho/Tribeca and the Upper West side are among the priciest areas.

Midtown IS less costly - for a reason: amenities for daily living are fewer and farther between (like REALLY GOOD supermarkets).

Look around at the NY Times real estate section to get ideas.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by stretch00

Crime is not a significant problem in most of NYC. This perception is more of a holdover from the 1970s. By any reasonable way of measuring crime (per capita), NY is safer than any other major metropolitan area.

False. Crime is still a serious problem in certain areas. I can't think of many areas in across the USA as bad as parts of BK, the BX and Harlem. Not with all the bull**** you see in those areas. Crime stats are garbage becuase they are compromised. Or plain old bull****. Number fudging.

I would also reccomend south of E 96th Street, 110th Street on the West side. Trust me on that. East Village is decent. Upper East Side is also nice.

[cyntmac]

Crime is still an issue in NYC. Crime stats do not reflect reality as many serious crimes go unreported. Maybe not murders but in a city like NY police are freqeuntly not notified of assaults, muggings, robberies, etc. That is not the case in most sunbelt cities for example-where every crime no matter how small seems to be reported. This is partly because of the historical mistrust of the police in certain areas but there are other reasons as well.

Parts of Manhattan are much safer than they used to be. Tourist areas as well. Many other parts of the city have significant problems. I will agree that affordable housing is probably the number one problem in NYC though.

[lauralove181mn]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

Like someone posted before below 96 is sort of the cutoff. Above 96 there are some really nice neigborhoods, but it varies more.

If you really want us to help you, you have to give us some specifics.

What are you lookin for in your neighborhood?

Do you prefer quiet, or lively?

Do you prefer an older demographic, or do you prefer to be around people more your age?

What are you realistically looking to spend, rent-wise?

Here's a money saving tip, if you are not already a member of a costco or BJays, become a member yesterday. Borrow somebody's car if you don't have one and go there. You can save a lot of money on a lot of basic stuff, paper towels, toilet paper, cereal, soap, cleaning materials, etc. Don't pay manhattan prices for stuff you buy much cheaper in bulk elsewhere. You'll be surprised how much those little purchases can add up over time.

Well, we want to move there when we're more secure with money. So it'll be a long while from now. But, it's best to start planning sooner than later. I'm thinking I would like the rent to be around 1000-4000. Who knows what kind of money we'll be making by then though. I've already looked at some apartments and am pretty pleased with the prices and utilities, but the main key for me is location. I want it to be a safe neighborhood, good shopping district, and I need it to have a park near by so I can walk my dogs close to home. I also prefer the nightlife, so where most places are open 24-7. And just one more thing, I prefer the apartments with a generous sized terrace for my dogs. Most of the apartments I've looked up online (with terraces) have been in the Greenwich Village.

So, if that helps specify then someone can take a crack at some advice. I've never even been to NYC so I'm trusting everyone here to give me some good advice. Oh and thank you for the Cosco tip. I'll keep that in mind.

[mead]

Yeah I think you're going to need to visit the city before you even think about moving here. $1,000-$4,000 is a huge range. Did you mean $1,000 to $1,400?

Most apartments don't accept dogs in the first place and having a balcony is going to make the place even more expensive. Space is really tight in this area and it comes at a premium. So having something like a balcony will cost you extra money usually.