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Why do people like Williamsburg so much. Its gritty, and still the hood. You hipsters basically can't afford manhattan so go to brooklyn and try to hype up an area that isnt anywhere as great as soho.
Ugh, are you kidding me? I'm priced out and considered living in Bushwick/Bed-Stuy, and you think Williamsburg is "hood"? You're right, lots of artist types (I have nothing to say about 'trust fund hipsters') can't afford to live in Manhattan because NYC has next to no rent control and has become a playground for the international rich, despite neighborhoods like the Village being historically bohemian, or the East Village with it's previous punk characteristics. I think a lot of people forget that some so called "hipsters" (not the rich ones overly concerned with fashion, parties and being trendy) are actually just working-class artists who are priced out, but still want to live in neighborhoods that have a music and arts scene. It's funny how people trash ''hipsters'' for ruining the character of neighborhoods when really it's the upper class people who move in afterwards to benefit from the gentrification that happened... maybe instead of blaming the creative class (who are economically forced to live in cheaper neighborhoods, which usually translates to ethnic) people should start to blame landlords for raising money and the rich people/wannabes who come along after young, creative people made it "happening".
As for that pic posted, which adds nothing to the discussion... I really don't get the point of this. Besides wearing tight clothes (which, btw, hipsters totally appropriated from gay culture, which I do identify with more) I have nothing in common with someone like that. Most of the bohemian types that I know don't really dress or attain that image and the attitude that comes with it. To me that is sort of a caricature of certain styles, mish-mashed together and taken to the extreme (basically the point in the infamous Adbusters article "Hipsters: the dead end of western civilization"). Being into indie media, being culturally to the (sometimes radical) left, and involved in the arts does not = that caricature. If you're suggesting that the majority of people in Williamsburg are more of that ironic, apathetic, too-cool for you type, that is something I'll take into consideration for sure - but please be aware that some of the people you might associate with aspects of that look or lifestyle are actually just authentic musicians, punks, queers, artists, radicals, etc. who are actually just as priced out as the next guy.
The problem is, he is looking for a "cheap" share to be $500, not $750. From what I know of Greenpoint, most shares are going to be at least $750, just like Williamsburg. I do agree it's a good neighborhood for OP with exception of the price point.
Ditmas Park and Kensington etc. in Brooklyn are usually good areas to suggest, but if the issue is trying to be close to Williamsburg and LES, then they fail in that regard.
Queens is clearly also not near Williamburg, although Sunnyside is pretty close by bus (I think). It might possibly be a good option if there are still cheap shares available, but I think generally they are $750 or up these days. Woodside and Jackson Heights might be a little cheaper than Sunnyside (maybe) and Jackson Heights would have the added benefit of having some SLIGHTLY more hip places than Elmhurst (check Espresso77, Terraza 7 Train Cafe, Table Wine, Jackson Heights Greenmarket) but the problem is still the train home from Williamsburg at 3am is not much better than to Elmhurst.
One additional thing for OP to think about is besides the added expense for rent to pay in the Williamsburg apartment, how much additional expense will there be in living in an area that is consumer-driven like Williamsburg, near all the friends who make more money? There would be constant temptation and opportunity to spend money on entertainment and eating out.
I still think taking the Elmhurst place for a few months to see how it goes can't be that bad an idea.
Thanks for the intelligent response, and ideas. Yeah, it sounds like Williamsburg might be a very extreme version of what I'm looking for - it's a shame there is no middle ground.
Thanks for the intelligent response, and ideas. Yeah, it sounds like Williamsburg might be a very extreme version of what I'm looking for - it's a shame there is no middle ground.
The problem is that what you're looking for comes with higher rent than you can pay. There is actually "middle ground" but the middle ground is out further than Williamsburg and you are trying to avoid living in a place that's going to be inconvenient for you to travel home to from nights out.
$500 a month for a room is dirt cheap in this city. Often people would assume if that's all you can pay, you will live in a ****ty or dangerous area. Elmhurst is actually not a bad option for someone with a $500 budget for a room. It's safe enough, has plenty of good shopping and is very near quite good subway lines to get you into the city quickly.
$750 opens your options to most "middle ground" neighborhoods, and I guess it also opens you to Williamsburg if you don't mind living with 4 other roommates.
The problem is that what you're looking for comes with higher rent than you can pay. There is actually "middle ground" but the middle ground is out further than Williamsburg and you are trying to avoid living in a place that's going to be inconvenient for you to travel home to from nights out.
$500 a month for a room is dirt cheap in this city. Often people would assume if that's all you can pay, you will live in a ****ty or dangerous area. Elmhurst is actually not a bad option for someone with a $500 budget for a room. It's safe enough, has plenty of good shopping and is very near quite good subway lines to get you into the city quickly.
$750 opens your options to most "middle ground" neighborhoods, and I guess it also opens you to Williamsburg if you don't mind living with 4 other roommates.
The $500 room in Elmhurst is because I got lucky and am in contact with people in a 3 bedroom, but two of the people are a couple in 1 bedroom, but we're all still splitting it evenly. Something like that anyways. I never actually expected to find anything for 500 - my search was set at 650 as a "maximum" I'd be able to pay. 600 was kind of what I anticipated.
Do you think the other BK neighborhoods you mentioned would be any better of a trek back at night than it would be to Elmhurst? I'd be willing to live deeper into BK for 600ish/m if the travel to other neighborhoods (and Manhattan) was better than the place in queens.
What pisses me off is that it's 750/m to live with 4 other people, but another friend, in the same neighborhood, offered me a room in his 2 bedroom for, again, 750/m. Another friend - called his place a "dump" (which it is so, so not - it's a NORMAL nyc apt, small) and offered me a place in HIS 2br, closer to gentrified bushwick, for ****ing 775 a month and it looks like a mini mansion. I mean it looks right out a ****ing Ikea ad, no, better... I would not even *want* to live there if I could afford it because I am 24, not 35 and married, settled down - I do not need a ritzy, super chic apt like that. It's stuff like that - pushing further out and buying these luxurious apartments - that makes not only that hood unaffordable, but keeps even my friends 2br in Williamsburg relatively pricey. We have gentrification in Montreal, too, but due to the lack of violence, going out into a "poorer" neighborhood isn't dangerous, it just means you are paying less and renting less renovated apartments - the realtors don't swoop in and turn everything into an unaffordable, recently renovated condo right away. For some reason it makes me think a bit more of the situation in LIC. (Edit: on 2nd thought maybe this isn't accurate cause I guess there are a lot of condos going up there).
Last edited by nickcommie; 06-16-2012 at 10:08 PM..
Maybe try Ridgewood. I don't know much about it, but in terms of public transportation, it's closer to Williamsburg than many of the other neighborhoods that have been suggested. I believe some parts of it may be nicer than Bushwick. You can search the boards for info.
Clinton Hill MAY fit your budget and is a short G train ride away from Williamsburg. The problem is that the G train is the main transportation option for that area and it doesn't serve Manhattan directly. The reason why Clinton Hill is cheaper is due to lack of subway service but it's a very nice neighborhood.
Ugh, are you kidding me? I'm priced out and considered living in Bushwick/Bed-Stuy, and you think Williamsburg is "hood"? You're right, lots of artist types (I have nothing to say about 'trust fund hipsters') can't afford to live in Manhattan because NYC has next to no rent control and has become a playground for the international rich, despite neighborhoods like the Village being historically bohemian, or the East Village with it's previous punk characteristics. I think a lot of people forget that some so called "hipsters" (not the rich ones overly concerned with fashion, parties and being trendy) are actually just working-class artists who are priced out, but still want to live in neighborhoods that have a music and arts scene. It's funny how people trash ''hipsters'' for ruining the character of neighborhoods when really it's the upper class people who move in afterwards to benefit from the gentrification that happened... maybe instead of blaming the creative class (who are economically forced to live in cheaper neighborhoods, which usually translates to ethnic) people should start to blame landlords for raising money and the rich people/wannabes who come along after young, creative people made it "happening".
I agree with this and I'd say that's usually the progression- real starving artists move into a neighborhood for much of the same reasons those "ethnic" people live there: it's cheap and they can't really afford the more expensive nabes. Once the artists settle in, the real gentrifiers (people with money) start moving and then rents go up. Rents have risen in Bed-Stuy so much over the past couple of months that an average one bedroom is now more than the average one bedroom in Bay Ridge. Some dude in my building just rented his 2 bedroom for nearly $3K/month . Provided, the building and the apartment are top notch, and I know the area is on the up, but damn, three thousand?
I have a friend that's been living in Williamsburg for the past 9 years so she came in when Williamsburg was not the overpriced [fully] gentrified mecca of today. What's interesting is that she was telling me when she moved into her place, it really was indeed a true "artists loft" and the area had next to nothing in terms of amenities and now they are getting a Whole Foods LOL! What's even more interesting is that since she's been there for a while, she's under the protection of some Loft Law (never heard of this) so she and other tenants can't be kicked out and the building turned into condos (or something like that???).
To the OPs original question, I think you should check Williamsburg off the list and go with an area that is more within your price range- simply put, I don't think it's worth it.
You mentioned Bed-Stuy being on the "beginning" stages of gentrification - I heard the more Western half of it is not that hood. Should I reconsider it? It's within my price range but I'm not set out to be an "artist pioneer" and go to a slummy neighborhood just for it's access to other hoods and risk being a target.
I'll be going to the New School (for 18k a year... -___-), to answer the previous poster.
Maybe I just need to suck it up and accept that I'll have to start working part time before I planned. I have professional office experience but usually they won't hire people for 20 hours a week. I could probably find a 20 hour a week busboy job at a french bistro and play up my french speaking skills - but I'm not sure how much that would provide monthly. I'm also considering looking for a bartending job (but I don't have experience), or coat check, since I have a lot of contacts in the whole gay nightlife world. Again, just don't want to move into a 750/m situation assuming I'll find a nice gig and then end up being wrong, since I don't know how much those sort of things provide monthly.
I'm also looking into Ditmas Park - quick access to Manhattan and still in BK so getting to Williamsburg can't be that hard. From what I've read it still has a little creative community but just hasn't been totally capitalized on yet, which is great.
Clinton Hill or the area of Bed-Stuy that they pretend to call Clinton Hill might be a good area for you to look in, as well as the northwestern part of Crown Heights. The down side with the Clinton Hill area is the poor subway connections, it will definitely make you want to stay in your own neighborhood if you aren't up for a hike to a better station.
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. Provided, the building and the apartment are top notch, and I know the area is on the up, but damn, three thousand?
