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Manhattan is over-rated, I have co-worker transplants wondering why I live in Brooklyn like if there was something wrong with me? You're the one paying twice as much as I am for half the living space i have. And you pay more for everyday goods and services just because!
Honestly you have all the entertaintment you can find in Brooklyn and/or just take the freaking train.
This is true only for bad or distant Brooklyn neighborhoods. Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights have rents at almost Manhattan levels.
Why am I not surprised you own a pick-up truck...in NYC no less. Another piece of the puzzle.
Regarding how people afford it...it's really about how badly you want to live in NYC, and what you are willing to compromise. Anyone...I repeat...ANYONE in ANY income bracket can live in Manhattan. How? Well what are you willing to give up?
Are you willing to have 2 roommates you have never met? How about a revolving door of 5 roommates?
Are you willing to sleep in someone's livingroom for $900 a month?
Are you willing to share a room with another person and have several other roommates?
Are you willing to live in a room smaller than a 7 x 9 cell?
Are you willing to live in a basement apt with tiny windows, no light, next to the boiler? (with several roommates of course)
Are you willing to live in a "dangerous" neighborhood to have 1 less roommate?
Are you willing to live in an apt with literally no kitchen or livingroom?
Are you willing to walk up 5+ flights, 3 avenue blocks from the nearest train, in the extreme eastern portion of UES or Midtown East to an old railroad apt with no view?
Get the idea? Anyone can live here..but its all about sacrifice. When you are younger it is much easier to sacrifice more. As you get older...the sacrifices become unbearable, and you either move to the boroughs to live like a human being, or you leave NYC (or marry well and move to a bigger/better apt in Manhattan).
I am 24 years old, I live in St. Petersburg, FL, which is a pretty small, fun little beach town. I have never been to NYC but recently I've just been dying to get a drastic change, and NYC seems like the most polar opposite from St Pete that I can find. I know literally nothing except that housing is ridiculously expensive. How do people my age afford to live there? I know there must be plenty of mid-20s people roaming around that live there and don't live on the side of the street...how do they manage?
If you actually move to NYC, you'll find that upwards of half the people you meet your age will still be living on the parental dole...even people well beyond your age in some cases. They come from money from elsewhere and have parents who apparently think nothing of flipping them a few thou a month so they can go live the dream. (If this weren't the case they probably wouldn't be there in the first place. Simple economics would dictate otherwise.) I can't personally relate but imagine it must be nice...in some ways.
The other 40-45% (the broke half) who actually have to match income to expenses on entry level salaries often end up slumming it in crappy apartments in sketchier parts of town with roommates that may or may not be insane, or end up shelling out 50% or more of their take home pay for a respectable living situation.
The later 5-10% are the lucky ones who either worked hard for, or stumbled into, high paying careers that allow them to do quite well on their own without paychecks from parents or funky living situations to contend with.
Then you've got the 1%'ers who are from filthy stinking rich families that don't even need to work if they don't want to. You probably wont meet any of these people...they only socialize with people they want to socialize with in specific settings (that you're probably not invited to.)
Last edited by UrbanAdventurer; 04-25-2011 at 06:22 PM..
Why am I not surprised you own a pick-up truck...in NYC no less. Another piece of the puzzle.
Regarding how people afford it...it's really about how badly you want to live in NYC, and what you are willing to compromise. Anyone...I repeat...ANYONE in ANY income bracket can live in Manhattan. How? Well what are you willing to give up?
Are you willing to have 2 roommates you have never met? How about a revolving door of 5 roommates?
Are you willing to sleep in someone's livingroom for $900 a month?
Are you willing to share a room with another person and have several other roommates?
Are you willing to live in a room smaller than a 7 x 9 cell?
Are you willing to live in a basement apt with tiny windows, no light, next to the boiler? (with several roommates of course)
Are you willing to live in a "dangerous" neighborhood to have 1 less roommate?
Are you willing to live in an apt with literally no kitchen or livingroom?
Are you willing to walk up 5+ flights, 3 avenue blocks from the nearest train, in the extreme eastern portion of UES or Midtown East to an old railroad apt with no view?
Get the idea? Anyone can live here..but its all about sacrifice. When you are younger it is much easier to sacrifice more. As you get older...the sacrifices become unbearable, and you either move to the boroughs to live like a human being, or you leave NYC (or marry well and move to a bigger/better apt in Manhattan).
Funniest/truest thing I've read all day. I lived in a place where the rent and location were great BUT I had to have three roommates, who revolved constantly, like every month or so. They were all somewhat okay except for this chick from Minnesota. She pretended to be this little innocent college girl who worked waiting tables. The whole story was a front she put up to get the room, turns out she was actually a coked-out prostitute. She O.D.ed in her room one night and I had to call the landlord as I knew something was wrong but couldn't tell what. The landlord came over with her husband and when they opened her door she was laying there on the floor passed out in a pool of blood that came out of her nose. Then I had to worry about her Jamaican boyfriend, john, whatever the hell he was coming back to retaliate on me for ratting her out. That was a fun week! I was already super defensive as it was. It went from me having a good lock on the door and all the cash and vital documents, jewelry, etc. in a fireproof box to me installing cameras and being totally paranoid. Another reason why, even though I love NY, I won't come back without a phat (meaning PHAT) stack of cash and a job lined up that pays at least 60K. It's fun when you're young. When you're old it's just unbearable. Truer words never spoken!
Why am I not surprised you own a pick-up truck...in NYC no less. Another piece of the puzzle.
Regarding how people afford it...it's really about how badly you want to live in NYC, and what you are willing to compromise. Anyone...I repeat...ANYONE in ANY income bracket can live in Manhattan. How? Well what are you willing to give up?
Are you willing to have 2 roommates you have never met? How about a revolving door of 5 roommates?
Are you willing to sleep in someone's livingroom for $900 a month?
Are you willing to share a room with another person and have several other roommates?
Are you willing to live in a room smaller than a 7 x 9 cell?
Are you willing to live in a basement apt with tiny windows, no light, next to the boiler? (with several roommates of course)
Are you willing to live in a "dangerous" neighborhood to have 1 less roommate?
Are you willing to live in an apt with literally no kitchen or livingroom?
Are you willing to walk up 5+ flights, 3 avenue blocks from the nearest train, in the extreme eastern portion of UES or Midtown East to an old railroad apt with no view?
Get the idea? Anyone can live here..but its all about sacrifice. When you are younger it is much easier to sacrifice more. As you get older...the sacrifices become unbearable, and you either move to the boroughs to live like a human being, or you leave NYC (or marry well and move to a bigger/better apt in Manhattan).
OK, let me explain, not that I have to justify myself to you, (and you know I do this with love)....I have a pick up truck, because the both of us ride bicycles all over and I can put 2 bicycles in the bed to take us to different areas.
Why am I not surprised you own a pick-up truck...in NYC no less. Another piece of the puzzle.
Regarding how people afford it...it's really about how badly you want to live in NYC, and what you are willing to compromise. Anyone...I repeat...ANYONE in ANY income bracket can live in Manhattan. How? Well what are you willing to give up?
Are you willing to have 2 roommates you have never met? How about a revolving door of 5 roommates?
Are you willing to sleep in someone's livingroom for $900 a month?
Are you willing to share a room with another person and have several other roommates?
Are you willing to live in a room smaller than a 7 x 9 cell?
Are you willing to live in a basement apt with tiny windows, no light, next to the boiler? (with several roommates of course)
Are you willing to live in a "dangerous" neighborhood to have 1 less roommate?
Are you willing to live in an apt with literally no kitchen or livingroom?
Are you willing to walk up 5+ flights, 3 avenue blocks from the nearest train, in the extreme eastern portion of UES or Midtown East to an old railroad apt with no view?
Get the idea? Anyone can live here..but its all about sacrifice. When you are younger it is much easier to sacrifice more. As you get older...the sacrifices become unbearable, and you either move to the boroughs tolive like a human being, or you leave NYC (or marry well and move to a bigger/better apt in Manhattan).
yes, this I will agree with 100 percent. When you are younger it is a challenge, fun, exciting.....when your old like me, the challenge has worn out, ain't as fun as you thought it was, and it is about as exciting as a suction cup......................
When I was 24, I lived with a bunch of roommates in various Manhattan apartments and loved it. Well, living with roommates was a pain, but being able to stumble home at 4am and not have to worry about passing out on the subway or taking an expensive cab ride home was worth it. I also appreciated the extra sleep I got the next morning before going to work.
Sure, it got old after a few years, but it was perfect at the time. Besides, I think living with roommates when you are young teaches you how to deal with people.
i have to agree somewhat about age playing a factor - when I moved out of my 3 story house in Queens to go to a 5 fl walk up on 15th street & 1st Ave - complete with 1 bedroom and 3 roommates!!
I was 19, a college freshman and it was all very exciting - The bloom was off the rose by sophomore year when it became really clear
1) I was NEVER going to have my own place
2) ANY place I could afford was on floor 3 or above and
3) No matter how hard I tried I couldn't change 1 & 2
so after I graduated I moved to Washington heights/Inwood by the Yeshiva- I had a HUGE apartment in an "ok" part of town - I lived there for a few years until my 1 roommate wanted to move back to Chinatown where his mom was - so I moved again - I was 25 when I moved to Bed Stuy - great apt terrible nabe - STILL BETTER THAN NYC THOUGH! - despite it being so poor, I had a train around the corner, 24 hour delis, and super cheap washeteria -and paid $350/month for my own 1 bedroom! and was on the 2nd floor.
Now at 37 Im moving to the Bronx, to live in a 1100 sq foot co-op thats 35 mins from Manhattan - I just couldnt imagine having a revolving door of roomies at this stage of my life - with a kid and all, nahh man....Im an adult now - I need a living room AND a dining room.
Lots of people in NY have multiple jobs, too...that's another way. I work a full time day job, and then anywhere from 3-5 nights a week at another job.
It's tough right now, because salaries are depressed, and everything else, like rent, is increasing. So as a result, I live in the Southern Bronx, where cost of living is very affordable, access to the city is easy fast and cheap via the train (14th street in 25 minutes), but the neighborhood is notorious (and not in the good way!). These are the choices everyone is making, and sacrifices must be made to live in this city. I can afford to pay more to live in a 'better' area, but why should I? It all depends on your priorities...and it is the reason why so many people are moving to 'transitioning' communities: they are typically close to the city, affordable, and people have an opportunity to buy or at least live like a human being.
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