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I may need to move, and I already want to move, so I thought I'd query my betters for some moving advice.
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Requirements:
a. Spacious "apartment." e.g. genuinely large studio apt.; 1 BR apt.; loft; small, formerly industrial, "live/work" space; tiny house with not tiny garage; etc. I don't care about looks, so long as it's clean & well maintained.
b. CHEAP rent. (I can get a two bedroom apartment in Norman, OK, with access to a coed-stocked pool for less than $700 a month. If there are no coeds included, I should pay less! ;-)
b. Served by, and within walking distance to, a train running 24/7, including holidays. (I work odd hours very near Penn Station.)
c. Mayberry'ish. Or at least reasonably crime free.
d. The combination of rent, utilities, and commuting should be within $1K a month.
Additional Info:
- I'm a single, adult college student (www.cosc.edu), so a long commute on a single train would be acceptable. (I must study somewhere.)
- I'm kind of warming to the idea of living in upstate NY, but I'm not wedded to it.
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Based upon my web research, a "Cortland" (N.B. no "t") type town located where "Cortlandt" (N.B. "t") is would be swell. Do I have any chance of finding such a place, or must I continue trying to transfer off to a Blue state?
What you're asking for simply does NOT exist, in Manhattan.
You might be able to find a decent studio (read: NO bedrooms) in the other Boroughs for about $700-800, but in Manhattan, you'll pay no less than $1500 for a postage-stamp...
I think he wants to commute to Penn from a less expensive suburb. I don't see how a semi-decent flat could be rented in a semi-decent area for the amount stated. Figure a monthly commutation ticket will run anywhere upward of $250, depending on how far away the station is. Also, 24/7 service is very limited on the local commuter rails, at least on the LIRR. I am not sure about New Jersey Transit, but I would be suprised if the service was much more frequent. Metro North of course has no service to Penn, so if a place in Westchester or Conn. would somehow fill the monetary requirements, subway fare would have to be added.
I apologize if I didn't make myself clear, but I need to COMMUTE to Manhattan (I work near 30th St. & 9th Ave); I certainly have no desire to live in Manhattan. (I currently live in Brooklyn.)
I think you're probably right, "boomvang", when you doubted that I'd find anything that meets my criteria (see original post). Still, I thought it would be best to check as I know little about anywhere beyond my haunts.
Some additional tidbits:
a) 24hr/7day train requirement clarification: I need to arrive at Penn Station (or there abouts) at 3:45PM without fail, and I'd like to depart at around 12:45AM. I need to be able to do this every day, including weekends and holidays. If the train doesn't run when I don't need it to run, that's okay by me. <g> Also, since I would be traveling "off-peak," this might reduce my commuting expense.
b) I have always been sorry that I missed out on the days when people were cheaply renting disused industrial lofts, etc. for home/work spaces. Is there anywhere in commuting distance (e.g. not-too-up upstate NY, NJ, etc.) where this is still possible? General tips on the subject? (I'm looking, albeit casually, for a safe & clean space to call home. Not necessarily a pretty one.)
c) Is there anywhere along the NJ Transit operated Metro-North line (i.e. the part that stops in Penn Station) that is worth checking out? For example, train service at Suffern seems compatible with my schedule and wallet, although I don't think the apartment rental prices are. Are the any other towns on the same (or other!) lines where apts near train stations are cheap, big, and plentiful (relatively speaking)?
Thanks in advance for any help, and thanks to everyone for taking the time to post so many informative message on city-data!
Hoboken? I dunno, I lived minutes from the train in mid-Jersey (30 years),that I could take easily into Penn Station in about 30 minutes. Not sure what the rents are running in Hoboken now, but they have the kinds of apartments you are describing. Check the train line along the Jersey Shore, you might find something further south. Good luck!
Last edited by buffalopc; 10-16-2007 at 04:48 PM..
Reason: grammar
I live upstate NY in Fishkill and work in the city. I commute everyday to Grand Central and work 2 blocks away. It's an easy 1hr 15min- 1 hr 1/2 hr commute. Good time for reading and sleeping. As far as rent over here, I'm paying $900 for a 1br. I don't know if your bugdet will bode well over here.
I think, in your case, you would be best in NJ. NJ Transit will take you right into Penn Station. If you look into Upstate NY, the trains there will take you to Grand Central....then you would still have to pay to take the train to the west side. That would mean a $200-$300 monthly train pass + $70 Metro Monthly pass.
You're not going to meet all of your expectations within a commutable distance to Penn Station. The train pass alone runs $250-300 + $70 for a metro card. You'd be looking at at least $300 in commuting costs alone.
Finding an apartment for $700, walkable to a train station, crime-free area, including utilities for $1k a month is just not going to happen around here... unless you maybe rent out a room in the burbs with someone for like $400/mo.
Even if you find something for $700, the commuting costs will bring your total cost over $1k before you even factor in utilities.
First, thanks for the additional feedback! I certainly appreciate both of you taking the time to reply.
As I am currently paying $700 a month for a small 1br in Brooklyn (Marine Park area), paying $900 for a similar apartment even farther away from work seems like a step in the wrong direction. Still, as I know little of what life is like in Canada <g>, I do appreciate the info on Fishkill.
I'm afraid that "newtoli" is correct about there being no reasonably priced, pleasant accommodations near NYC: one can have reasonably priced/pleasant or one can have near NYC, but (apparently) never the twain shall meet. I am currently exploring the possibility of getting transferred out of NYC (my employer, like other sorts of pestilence, extends across all of the USA). Anyone want to share moving costs to Kansas? <g>
Cordially,
[whoever I am here]
P.S. Happy holidays to all!!!
P.P.S. Least anyone get the wrong idea, $700 a month in my area of Brooklyn is "below market." Still, I can't even imagine anyone paying typical market rents in NYC. If you can afford $1.2k-... a month, you can afford to live almost anywhere -- and IMHO anywhere is better than here. If you can't afford those sorts of rents, surely there are nicer places to be poor?
Would I be able to afford living in Brooklyn if I work three 8 hr. Shifts and two 12 hr. Shifts a week? I would like to have weekends off. Does anyone know where I can rent a small apartment for under $900 in Brooklyn in a safe neighborhood?
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