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Hello. My husband, baby and I are considering relocating to NYC from VA. We would probably rent first, then buy a home on the outskirts. In terms of NYC:
What are the income taxes and what are any other fees I may not be aware of?
Where does one/should one keep their car and how much does that cost?
Are there plenty of playgrounds?
Is their a certain section of NYC that is more appropriate for young families? I like downtown best, but I don't know how kid friendly it is.
Odd question I'm sure, but where do you buy groceries there? I've never seen a supermarket when I've been there.
Hello. My husband, baby and I are considering relocating to NYC from VA. We would probably rent first, then buy a home on the outskirts. In terms of NYC:
What are the income taxes and what are any other fees I may not be aware of?
Where does one/should one keep their car and how much does that cost?
Are there plenty of playgrounds?
Is their a certain section of NYC that is more appropriate for young families? I like downtown best, but I don't know how kid friendly it is.
Odd question I'm sure, but where do you buy groceries there? I've never seen a supermarket when I've been there.
Thanks in advance
Do you have a budget?
1)You do not need a car in NY, in Manhattan its complete hell finding a a parking space.
2)Yes, there are lots of playgrounds throughout NYC.
3)Park Slope, or Bayside. Some nice areas in The Bronx too.
4)Most people buy groceries at the local grocery store, not the healthiest option. Every neighborhood has a supermarket, just leave Manhattan and you'll see it.
Tribeca is the family-friendliest downtown neighborhood due to the number of huge loft conversion rentals appropriate for a family. West Village, too, although a little harder to find well-configured 2 and 3 br apartments. Upper East and Upper West Sides are even better due to apartmet sizes, proximity to Central Park as well as Riverside Park on UWS and Carl Schurzand East River parks on UES.
Bottom line is this- if your hh income is $350-400k++ per year, a family can live well in Manhattan. By "well", I mean comfortably afford a family sized apartment ($5k+ uptown and $7.5+ downtown rents), private schools ($25-35k for tuition, not including uniforms, extracurriculars, tutors, etc), keeping a car ($500/mo+ for a garage space below 96th Street), and to enjoy the best of the city- dining out, musueums, theatre, sports, etc.
There are plenty of grocery stores in Manhattan- Food Emporium, Whole Foods, and specialty stores like Dean & Deluca or Agata & Valentina are the "best", Trader Joe's, Fairway, and D'Agostino are good, and Gristede's is ok/marginal. Also, there is Fresh Direct, where you order online and they deliver.
Hello. My husband, baby and I are considering relocating to NYC from VA. We would probably rent first, then buy a home on the outskirts. In terms of NYC:
What are the income taxes and what are any other fees I may not be aware of?
Where does one/should one keep their car and how much does that cost?
Are there plenty of playgrounds?
Is their a certain section of NYC that is more appropriate for young families? I like downtown best, but I don't know how kid friendly it is.
Odd question I'm sure, but where do you buy groceries there? I've never seen a supermarket when I've been there.
Is their a certain section of NYC that is more appropriate for young families? I like downtown best, but I don't know how kid friendly it is.
No portion of NYC is kids friendly, closest place is Nassau County.
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Odd question I'm sure, but where do you buy groceries there? I've never seen a supermarket when I've been there.
Mostly small, uncomfortable, expensive stores with lots of people and limited selection. They are pretty bad, I used buying food in Morton Williams next door when lived in Manhattan. It stinks. Moving farther from Manhattan you will find big comfortable stores like Walbaums, and Costco.
Quote:
Is their a certain section of NYC that is more appropriate for young families? I like downtown best, but I don't know how kid friendly it is.
Not really, there aren't any good places for families within 20 miles radius from Manhattan.
Above post is total crap- NYC is kid friendly IF you can afford it. There are tons of wonderful things for kids, like program at the 92nd Street Y, The Children's Museum on the Upper West Side, the Striking Viking Story Pirates' performances (google it), birthday parties at Dylan's Candy Bar and Serendipity and FAO Schwarz, the Central Park Zoo, Central Park's boat pond and skating rink, The Bronx Zoo, adorable kids clothing store galore on Upper East and West Sides and Tribeca- and don't get me started on the amazing 2-floor kids department at Bloomingdale's. Then there's the Museum of Natural History and it's Planetarium for older kids. And so many fire stations to visit on Saturdays and watch the firemen wash their trucks. And some of the best private schools in the world for K-12.
Now, yes, if you're an average family of 4 making $60-100k a year, a good life in NYC is more difficult.
But if you can afford it ($350k++ income for a family of 4), Manhattsn is one of the best, most enchanting places to raise a child that I can think of.
There are also neighborhoods in the Bronx (Riverdale), Brooklyn (Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights), and in lower Westchester County where you can have an equally good life on $200-250k.
OP, in re-reading your post....if you already have a baby and your ultimate destination is NJ/CT/NY Westchester or Long Island burbs, I'd just move straight there and give up the downtown Manhattan dream if you really only want to rent there for a year. By the time you pay a brokers fee on your apartment and pay to move twice, that's a lot of cash burned for 365 days of city fun.
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