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First, BIG THANKS to all NYCers sharing experience & advice here. It's deeply appreciated & priceless (literally).
We're a M/F couple in our early 50's moving from western MA suburbia.
Selling house, cars & leaving lawnmower behind for new owners to cherish.
Seeking advice on neighborhoods & what to expect for $4,000 rent.
1. Working in Empire State Bldg; enjoy walking.
2. Min 1BR (room for king bed?) w/alcove.
3. Prefer 2BR (daughter may boomerage after college; friends will visit)
4. Def not into luxury, but clean & updated is impt; need A/C (prefer central).
5. 1 bath is fine; as is small lvg room/kitchen.
6. Can learn to live w/out washer/dryer; how crazy is it to ask for a small terrace?
7. We're lousy cooks; need restaurants w/simple, semi-healthy take out.
8. Love architecture; not into fashion or nightlife; usually snoring by 10p.
9. A great day? Strolling thru bookstores, art galleries, grabbing snack at cafe, hearing live music, & bringing something home from an open market.
10. The farther we can get from big box & chain stores, the better.
11. Husband is runner; I ride bike/yoga & may enroll in painting/pottery class at night.
12. Will travel a bit, so doorman might be a good thing?
Questions:
How far off the mark is $4,000/mo?
What concessions can we make to bring rent down to $3,000?
Can you recommend neighborhoods to help us focus?
Again, many thanks for your time & advice - your posts are making a big difference in my life.
For $4,000, you can have a superb one-bedroom and a nice two-bedroom in virtually all neighborhoods. However, even at that price, I don't think you should count on central A/C or a terrace. There just aren't many buildings that have it. There are great one bedrooms for $3,000 as well, so if you want to cut your budget and go for a one-bedroom, it's possibly without sacrificing almost everything you want.
I'm younger than you, but my boyfriend and I live a similar lifestyle (although we do like to go out late), so I totally know what you're looking for when you say you want galleries, markets, cafes, etc. I think you might be quite happy in Greenwich/West Village (the area around Hudson/Perry/Charles Sts., etc.). That part of the neighborhood is quiet, great food options, a greenmarket at Abingdon Square, but still a quick walk to Union Square, for the bigger greenmarket. Additionally, you're close to the river, where a lot of people enjoy running and riding their bikes. Also a quick walk to Chelsea Market and Chelsea in general, where you have galleries, bookstores, etc.
With that budget for a 2-br, you can pretty much have your pick of neighborhoods. Even at $3k, you'll have TONS of options.
I just did a quick search on a couple of big NYC real estate sites - 140+ apartments met your neighborhood criteria (ie, Upper West Side, Greenwich Village, West Village, Tribeca, & Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side....in my mind, those are your best bets for what you are seeking).
They range from a 1 bedroom with an upstairs loft area (could double as a second sleeping area) and sweeping city views near Union Square for $3,995 in the Greenwich Village neighborhood.....
Moderator cut: Image presented is part of broker's marketing campaign, subject to their copyright, and the link to it would constitute real estate advertising.
To a 2 br/ 2 bath in a small doorman building on a tree lined Upper West Side (80's) block for $4,000....
To a super-modern & luxe 1 bed/ 1 bath in Tribeca with a communal 8th floor terrace and 50' sky-lit lap pool and 24-hour concierge for $4,000....
To an elegant 1 bed / 1 bath in the famed Upper West Side building, the Apthorp (seen on last week's "Selling New York" on HGTV), complete with 10' ceilings, original plaster moldings, original mosaic tile floors & hardwoods for $3,500......
To a stunning pre-war 1 bed/ 1 bath in a prime West Village location (Perry Street) with a wood burning fireplace AND a 5x10 outdoor terrarce for $3,500. Tree-lined street!
To another famed Upper West Side building, the Ansonia. 1 bed/ 1 bath with 11' ceilings, floor to ceiling bay windows, original moldings & intricate hardwoods, gut renovated modern kitchen, and steps from Central Park, Riverside Park, and shopping along Broadway....all for $2,750!
You quite literally have the "pick of the litter" for your NYC apartment!
You'll be able to live in any neighborhood fairly comfortably since you can afford it. Based on your criteria, I would recommend searching for an apartment in TriBeCa, SoHo, Greenwich Village, Upper East Side (UES), and Upper West Side (UWS). All of these neighborhoods satisfy your desires on your wish list.
Downtown is more "hip" and it seems like every young person wants to live there. Also, most bars and nightlife are concentrated downtown, so downtown tends to be a lot noisier than the UES and UWS at night time. Furthermore, the UES and UWS consist of more established upper-class families (older generations), so that may appeal to you more. There are great art offerings in all these neighborhoods (more galleries downtown, more museums uptown). Living in the UES or UWS will afford you access to the beautiful Central Park for jogging and bicycling. Living on the west side of downtown (TriBeCa, West Village, etc.) will afford you access to the Hudson River Park. You'll have no problem finding a doorman building in the UES or UWS, but it will be much more difficult to find a doorman building in the downtown neighborhoods (TriBeca, SoHo, Greenwich Village, etc.).
Hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any additional questions should you have them.
I have also been looking for a 2BR apt for my daughter, with a doorman and within a 5 minute walk to a subway stop. In the safer and more desirable neighborhood,(I am not looking at UES nor UWS), there are not too many that's renting for under $4500 unless you want 2 bedrooms within 750 sq. ft.
My son is renting a large 1BR (called convertible 2BR) on 34th, within 2 blocks of the Empire State for $3500 and he's just received a renewal increase to $3650. There are a lot of 1BR in your price range, but spacious 2BR are more scarce.
Carnegie Hill would be near ideal, but for a 2BR, you might need to make a couple of concessions. You can easily find a 1BR under $4k, with most, if not all, of your criteria, but a 2BR might be a bit of a challenge, where you would need to look with a broker. Many 2BRs in the area are closer to the $5-8k range, for a 2/2 with most amenities on prime blocks.
Carnegie Hill is also not dominated by apartment towers, though there are a few, but much of the area dates to the early days of the neighborhood -- as in when it was converted from open land to residential development. The proximity to the park is a key factor in this neighborhood, which would work for walking and your athletic pursuits, especially since your husband could run in Central Park around the reservoir.
If you want a newer apartment tower, look on Lexington Avenue, as there are a couple, and you'd still be close to Central Park and the rest of Carnegie Hill, just on the eastern end of the neighborhood. I believe you can find a 2BR there for under $4k, though the building I am thinking of isa newer building at 96th Street, the northern edge of the UES, though the Carnegie Hill historic district extends a couple of blocks north.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I think the Upper West Side will fit all your needs.....do a search on this forum for "Upper West Side" and read. I think you will be pleasantly suprised.
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
You can get a nice 2BR in Stuyvesant Town for 4K (or under). Be sure to request one close to 14th Street --- you can take the bus right across 14th Street to Union Square (green market every weekend). Stuyvesant Town also has a farmers market in the "Oval" in the summer.
There are grocery stores closeby (I think Met Foods or Associated), as well as some great stores along 1st Avenue from 14th street all the way to 23rd. There are also stores all along 14th street -- the further west you go on 14th, the more stores. Everything from grocery stores to clothing stores to wine shops to jewelry stores.
If you decide to look at a place in Stuyvesant Town, make sure you're getting a TRUE 2BR and not one of the 1BR places where they put up pressure walls to make it a "2br". The true 2BR apartments in Stuyvesant Town are HUGE --- smallish kitchen, dining area, very large livingroom, large master br, smaller 2nd br, small bathroom. The hallway will have 3 closets, there is an entryway closet, the master br 1 closet, the smaller br no closet, the kitchen will have a pantry closet. Here is a floor plan:
Its amazing how much rent is for a 1 or 2 bedroom apt but living in nyc would be exciting providing you're a people person. My favorite time in ny would be during nov & dec.
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