where should i live - going to work at 55 broad street (low income, apartments)

[oliverharp]

I will be moving to nyc and i am from Denver.
i will be working at 55 broad street as a junior network programmer

i need advice on the following:

- What is the best place to live?
--- I am looking for a studio furnished apartment
--- I don't really care about social life and entertainment. (may be access to train for weekends (i.e may be once in a month to places like jersey city)
--- I wan't easy access to grocery/supermarket (if possible 24/7)
--- I don't want to walk too much and prefer very very close to work.

--- What is the rent i should be looking at and what place should i look for apartments?
--- I would prefer a more quiet place/ghostown/nature view type, if possible.


Another question:
- I have long hair and little long beard and prefer to wear jeans and shirt to work.
Is this OK in the IT field when working at 55 broad street? (not so much concerned about what others think, but more in the company i would be working for - telecommunication provider like Level3).


Your help is appreciated.

-Oliver

[LegalDiva]

I used to work on Wall street a few years ago which is right next to Broad street. That area is the financial capital of NYC, you may find studio apartments there but expect to pay a lot of $$$$$ and the area isn't conducive to residents (most delis and restaurants close on weekends and are closed by 6 or 7 pm weekdays). Your best bet is the area around Battery Park city, this has many residential buildings, a movie theater, and some small markets for the locals..it's about a 20 min walk to Broad Street (maybe more or less depending on specific route or street you use). Another option is the area near South Street Seaport but I think there were mostly low income housing there (from what I remember when I searched for housing near Wall St).

There are 1 or 2 residential buildings right ON Wall St but like I said, they are super expensive and if you plan to go grocery shopping on weekends, you would have to take the subway uptown. By expensive I mean, monthly rent is easily $2500-3,000 and up for a studio.

As far as business attire, I would dress conservatively, but the dress code will vary depending on your company. At my old firm, the IT guys would wear polo shirts and khaki pants. You want to look neat but not "too" casual (ie jeans and sneakers not recommended). Of course, if your employer is a small organization with only 10 Employees, you may be able to wear jeans.

[urbanintllctl]

There are lots of nice residential buildings in the Financial District. For instance, I used to stay at 25 Broad, whenever my friends would go away on holiday. In those days, there weren't all that many stores in the area, but it has since steadily become more residential. If you can afford to rent a place there, the apartments are nice and have very good facilities.