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I would look into my neighborhood which is Inwood, where I was born and raised, I have deep roots here, my family has been here for generations, it is Manhattans northern-most neighborhood, with a long history. It's very affordable for NYC terms, you could probably get a 2BR for about $1600 in a nice elevator building with a good super. Now the thing about Inwood is it is a beautiful neighborhood with the 2nd largest park in Manhattan (2nd to Central Park) but you should NOT go WEST of Broadway. Anything East is fine and dandy. Inwood does have a very large Hispanic population (Mostly Dominicans) but also a good amount of Irish-Americans and Irish immigrants, it was an Irish majority neighborhood since about the 1930s. They still have a very noticable presence, many Irish pubs, stores, an Irish Catholic Church (Good Sheppard).I'm Irish-American myself and If I had to guess I would say East of Broadway is about 60% Irish and 30% Dominican with the rest being mixed. while West of Broadway is almost 90% Dominican and 10% Irish with the remaining Irish being very poor and couldn't afford to move out. Inwood is often confused with Washington Heights, us Inwoodites take great offense to that. We are much better in OUR opinion! LOL. But Inwood is a great, affordable, quiet, safe(east of Broadway), old NYC Middle Class, neighborhood. Broadway is where you'll find many express buses to Manhattan, the A train express subway (be downtown in less then 25 minutes)., Spanish food cafes, Irish pubs, Many stores like GameStop, Footlocker, etc. If you go up to the Bronx which is only about a 5 minute bus ride on the 20 bus, they just put up a new mall with a Target, Applebees, Marshalls, Lane Bryant, Walgreens and dozens of other smaller stores. Inwood is the best kept secret in NYC. You will be amazed when you find Indian Caves in Manhattan! It also has the Columbia football field where they play College football games every Sunday during the winter. this article will tell you everything you need to know; If You're Thinking of Living In/Inwood - Away From Manhattan Without Leaving - NYTimes.com
Haha. Ok thanks so much. You had great info for me.
07-28-2010, 09:37 PM
grant516
n/a posts
To answer the OP's question, since he is looking for -Manhattan-, the lowest price place where there's some nightlife (or close to it) would be the Lower East Side.
It still however, when compared to Chicago is extremely expensive. For some reason New York's real estate costs are bottom line, twice what you'd find in Chicago which is a crying shame.
A studio will be in the $1000 price point a month.
If that's too much you will have to look outside Manhattan.
To answer the OP's question, since he is looking for -Manhattan-, the lowest price place where there's some nightlife (or close to it) would be the Lower East Side.
It still however, when compared to Chicago is extremely expensive. For some reason New York's real estate costs are bottom line, twice what you'd find in Chicago which is a crying shame.
A studio will be in the $1000 price point a month.
If that's too much you will have to look outside Manhattan.
Are there really $1000 studios on the Lower East Side? Are they large enough to turn around in?
There's no such thing as an affordable neighborhood with nightlife in Manhattan. If it’s affordable it’s way up north (Inwood or Washington Heights). Unfortunately basic amenities, like bars and restaurants are sorely lacking.
If it has nightlife, like the East Village or Chelsea, it’s expensive. In Manhattan, the better the nightlife the more expensive the neighborhood. They’re expensive because everyone wants to live in a cool neighborhood with nightlife.
For the best balance you should look at Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Green Pont, Fort Green) or Queens (Astoria).
There are tons of bars and restaurant in Inwood and Washington Heights, just not of the whitebread, Sex and the City sort.
Since these always turn into pimp your nabe threads, I have to do my part.
There are tons of bars and restaurants in Washington Heights - there are sit-down Thai, Japanese, Mexican, and American joints within one block of my apartment. There is easy access to the waterfront for biking and Ft Tryon is a gorgeous park for running. Large, pre-war apartments are cheap and rent-stabilized - if you are lucky like me, you can even have a view of the Hudson. And due to the poor economy, you won't have to pay a broker's fee. I'm on the A train which takes me 30 minutes to get to Columbus Circle (many will say it is 20, but that is only if you hit it perfectly). Last night, I saw a concert at Lincoln Center and was home in 20 minutes.
The best rent deals are east of Broadway, but the gentrified part of the neighborhood is west of Broadway. It is especially safe along Ft Washington, as Columbia has security patrols to protect their med students.
However, the A train runs local after 10:45ish and if you do a lot of socializing downtown, it is a pain in the butt. I wouldn't recommend Washington Heights to a single person who will end up taking lots of cabs home. You might as well put the cab money into paying more rent closer to where you socialize.
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