Cheap, Safe, & Has Stuff (New York, Buffalo: best neighborhoods, 2009, apartments)

[ajacques]

My g/f and I are debating between MA, CT, & NY. I'm currenlty looking into Syracuse. It has much cheaper apartments and I'm thinking since its in NY it has more stuff do than CT (hartford). If you had to choose between the two (syracuse or hartford) what would it be?


I want a city that has lots to do - 1.)shopping 2.) non-outdoorsy stuff
A place were theres stuff do if I can't sleep at 1 in the morning. But I also can't afford more than $800 p/month for rent. I'll be going into law and my g/f will be going into education - art or history teacher. Any advice?

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by ajacques

My g/f and I are debating between MA, CT, & NY. I'm currenlty looking into Syracuse. It has much cheaper apartments and I'm thinking since its in NY it has more stuff do than CT (hartford). If you had to choose between the two (syracuse or hartford) what would it be?


I want a city that has lots to do - 1.)shopping 2.) non-outdoorsy stuff
A place were theres stuff do if I can't sleep at 1 in the morning. But I also can't afford more than $800 p/month for rent. I'll be going into law and my g/f will be going into education - art or history teacher. Any advice?

Syracuse......For instance, before my wife and I bought our house, we lived in a 2 bedroom apartment in Liverpool that was only about $600 a month(Clayton Manor Apartments). That included a fitness room and maintenance as well. You only had to pay for electric and we rarely paid over $70 a month for that. So, that gives you an idea of what kind of apartments are in the area.

As for doing something at 1 AM, most of the bars close at 2 AM and you might find some places open after 2. I'm not sure what they are though.

Here's some infomation for you to take in: City of Syracuse

http://www.visitsyracuse.org/

Syracuse, New York - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carousel Center

Great Northern Mall | Home

Shoppingtown Mall | Home

Much of the shopping is located around the malls and on roads like Brewerton Road(Route 11) in the North Syracuse area and West Genesee Street in the Fairmount/Camillus area.

Downtown Syracuse

Armory Square :: Official Website for Historic Downtown Syracuse, NY

http://downtownsyracuse.com/images/u...hureforWeb.pdf

http://downtownsyracuse.com/images/uploads/DEBA.pdf

Syracuse, New York - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Syracuse University

Welcome to The Westcott

The Palace Theatre & Cafe

There are plenty of festivals to check out during the year and the arts are big in this area. If you have any more questions, just holler.

[ajacques]

^ THANKS! You rock!.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by ajacques

^ THANKS! You rock!.

Anytime....

[RollsRoyce]

A can of worms has been opened on the Buffalo forum titled "Syracuse vs Buffalo"

http://www.city-data.com/forum/buffa...s-buffalo.html

Be prepared for the WNY cool-aid drinkers on the Buffalo forum to deride Syracuse.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by RollsRoyce

A can of worms has been opened on the Buffalo forum titled "Syracuse vs Buffalo"

http://www.city-data.com/forum/buffa...s-buffalo.html

Be prepared for the WNY cool-aid drinkers on the Buffalo forum to deride Syracuse.

After reading that post, it's too easy as to which city to pick. What's funny is that Ithaca might be even better, eventhough it is smaller.

[RollsRoyce]

K

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

After reading that post, it's too easy as to which city to pick. What's funny is that Ithaca might be even better, eventhough it is smaller.

Ithaca is clearly the best choice. Heck, if Rochester had a law school I would pick it over Buffalo any day. Unbridled passion for one's hometown is healthy, however "Buffalonian4life's" unending prouncements that Buffalo is on the cusp of being a North American leader in business, medical breakthroughs, outside investment and the arts is dilusional at best and criminal at worst. While Buffalo was once a major city 80 years ago and has a good selection of arts organizations and Roswell Park, there is nothing breathtaking or pioneering about it in 2009. That being said, I wish Syracuse had someone as stubborn, idealistic, and bullish on our city's renaissance.

Buffalo's poor reputation is very accurate. Cleveland on the other hand gets a very bad rap and shouldn't be compared with Buffalo as is often the case by the cool aid drinkers that even compare Buffalo to Pittsburgh, Boston, and Chicago. To me there is no comparison between Buffalo and Cleveland aside from a large manufacturing presence, economic decline, a large blue collar contingent of diehard professional sports fans, and political corruption. Roswell Park and some Buffalo arts organizations are nothing compared to the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland's suburbs are also far superior, although there are many that are in the same league as Lackawanna, Kenmore, Cheektowaga, etc and some like East Cleveland that rival East St. Louis, IL. Communities like Shaker Heights, Bratenahl, Hunting Valley, Pepper Pike, Gates Mills, Chagrin Falls, etc are in a different league than Buffalo's East Amherst, Clarence or Orchard Park.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by RollsRoyce

K


Ithaca is clearly the best choice. Heck, if Rochester had a law school I would pick it over Buffalo any day. Unbridled passion for one's hometown is healthy, however "Buffalonian4life's" unending prouncements that Buffalo is on the cusp of being a North American leader in business, medical breakthroughs, outside investment and the arts is dilusional at best and criminal at worst. While Buffalo was once a major city 80 years ago and has a good selection of arts organizations and Roswell Park, there is nothing breathtaking or pioneering about it in 2009. That being said, I wish Syracuse had someone as stubborn, idealistic, and bullish on our city's renaissance.

Buffalo's poor reputation is very accurate. Cleveland on the other hand gets a very bad rap and shouldn't be compared with Buffalo as is often the case by the cool aid drinkers that even compare Buffalo to Pittsburgh, Boston, and Chicago. To me there is no comparison between Buffalo and Cleveland aside from a large manufacturing presence, economic decline, a large blue collar contingent of diehard professional sports fans, and political corruption. Roswell Park and some Buffalo arts organizations are nothing compared to the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland's suburbs are also far superior, although there are many that are in the same league as Lackawanna, Kenmore, Cheektowaga, etc and some like East Cleveland that rival East St. Louis, IL. Communities like Shaker Heights, Bratenahl, Hunting Valley, Pepper Pike, Gates Mills, Chagrin Falls, etc are in a different league than Buffalo's East Amherst, Clarence or Orchard Park.

Good points...Buffalo does have some nice urban neighborhoods like Elmwood, North Buffalo and the Delaware district. I think the Elmwood Strip was recently named one of the best neighborhoods in the country.

[acknight]

Originally Posted by RollsRoyce

A can of worms has been opened on the Buffalo forum titled "Syracuse vs Buffalo"

http://www.city-data.com/forum/buffa...s-buffalo.html

Be prepared for the WNY cool-aid drinkers on the Buffalo forum to deride Syracuse.

Heh, it's written by the OP

[jzcrandall]

Originally Posted by ajacques

^ THANKS! You rock!.

These guys won me over. I've begun my search for a job and a place to live