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i'm going to start going to MCNY this fall, and MCNY is in Lower Manhattan on Canal between Varick and Hudson. They do not have dorms. Now, I get the GI Bill as my father is in the USAF - so I am getting tuition paid for in full and I also get $500/semester for books. I get a monthly income of $2,754 for free. Plus I am going to get a job [hopefully, even if it's just McDonald's]. Does anyone have any suggestions? I will be living by myself, I will be bringing a car, I don't mind driving up to 30 minutes and safety isn't a huge huge issue, I'm a pretty big guy haha.
What do you plan on using the car for? I assume you don't mean to commute to school each day by car?! You should probably ditch it unless you have a good car for keeping it (plan on making trips out of the area often or something).
Get rid of the car. You will be taking the subway to school. If you must keep the car, you will most likely be paying to garage it all day while you take the subway. Either way, you will not be driving it to school.
You will probably want to look at Brooklyn neighborhoods. Figure out how much you can afford in rent and go from there.
i'm keeping my car, and yes i plan on driving to school[has a private parking area]. i actually enjoy driving in manhattan, it is fun for me so i am keeping my car. and i have family in queens and long island i will prolly visit.
i'm keeping my car, and yes i plan on driving to school[has a private parking area]. i actually enjoy driving in manhattan, it is fun for me so i am keeping my car. and i have family in queens and long island i will prolly visit.
I really think you should reconsider the car. All sorts of problems arise when you have a car in NYC. People hit and run all the time (bumpers, mirrors, scratches on the side of your car from bikes going by too close, etc). Street parking in NYC is difficult nearly everywhere, and parking lots are very expensive. When you're sitting in traffic watching all the pedestrians walking by while you're stuck at a dead stop, I think you'll regret it.
i'm keeping my car, and yes i plan on driving to school[has a private parking area]. i actually enjoy driving in manhattan, it is fun for me so i am keeping my car. and i have family in queens and long island i will prolly visit.
What will they charge for parking there? Just fyi, parking in a lot or garage is never free in Manhattan, and it's never cheap either.
Are you sure you want to work at McDonald's for 5 hours to pay off parking for one day of classes in Manhattan?
Out of curiosity, I looked up the MCNY parking information; they have a coupon for the lot, but even then it's not cheap! Maintaining, insuring, and driving a car costs a fortune, and your parking fees are going to cost a fortune every month. Granted, I haven't lived in NYC yet, but when we got rid of our car (while in CA) it was a huge relief, and a tremendous savings. Why not ditch the car (or leave it with a relative or something) and just join Zipcar or something (not sure what other NYC options are out there; Hertz has something, too, don't they?) for when you want to go to Long Island. You'd probably still come out way ahead financially, and you wouldn't have to worry about dealing with parking!
Having a car in NYC will easily eat up $1,000 of your $2,700 to live on each month. Parking at school- if "reasonable" - is going to be a minimum of $150-200/mo. Gas is about $.50/gal higher in the city than outside, so figure $200/mo (filling up 1X/week). Insurance will be another $250-300/mo depending on coverage and what neighborhood you live in. Parking near your apartment will be $250+/mo for Manhattan and less for Brooklyn...but in Brooklyn, be sure to budget $50 or so per month for meters and parking tickets since side street parking is a disaster in many areas. Then there are tolls.
Wouldn't you rather live in a nicer / bigger apartment or in a better location or have a bit more money to enjoy living in NYC?
Why don't you make a sample budget for your $2,700/mo? Don't forget car expenses, metro card, food, going out $, haircuts, laundry, rent & bills, etc. Once you know how much you want to spend on rent, let us know & we'll suggest neighborhoods.
FWIW, I would not count on working your first 1-2 semesters, especially since you have a good income to live on. It's far more important to get acclimated to the higher standards of studying (vs high school) and making friends and getting involved. Tackle the job in your sophomore year. Making $70-80/week at Mickey D's is NOT worth blowing off studying or bringing down your GPA if you can't balance everything while you adjust to college life.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the MCNY parking information; they have a coupon for the lot, but even then it's not cheap! Maintaining, insuring, and driving a car costs a fortune, and your parking fees are going to cost a fortune every month. Granted, I haven't lived in NYC yet, but when we got rid of our car (while in CA) it was a huge relief, and a tremendous savings. Why not ditch the car (or leave it with a relative or something) and just join Zipcar or something (not sure what other NYC options are out there; Hertz has something, too, don't they?) for when you want to go to Long Island. You'd probably still come out way ahead financially, and you wouldn't have to worry about dealing with parking!
Generally one takes the train out to Long Island, at least if you're going by yourself and are meeting friends/ family there who can pick you up. Renting a car won't be worth the hassle. I suppose you could leave it with family in Long Island or Queens and take it into the city when you really need it.
If you're going to live in Brooklyn, which makes sense if you're going to be in Lower Manhattan, you not only have to deal with Lower Manhattan traffic (the streets are narrow, there is no grid, drivers are aggressive), but you'll have to deal with bridge traffic which backs up and is always clogged (I've found it clogged at 12:30 AM on a friday night). Have you driven in Lower Manhattan during rush hour? If you decide to live in Lower Manhattan, it will take forever to get street parking. If you garage your car expect to pay $250-$350 a month maybe more.
For neighborhoods, any neighborhood between Prospect Park and Downtown Brooklyn would be good. So would Williamsburg. East Village and the Lower East Side might also be a good choice if you find a place with a decent price
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