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I am a physician, I have been offered a position as a postdoc fellow at Columbia medical center for 2 years starting July 2013. I am from California, never lived in NYC (just visited a couple times), will be living far away from husband and my kid for 2 years and visiting them as often as I can.
I have an option of living comfortably with a relative in Tenafly NJ (8 miles away from work), or rent a studio at Washington Heights for $1600-1700 (0.9 miles from work). I need to save money to be able to travel (I will have a meager salary!). Does anybody know how the commute is from Tenafly to Columbia Presbyterian? Is it worth living so far to same money for airplane tickets? I heard it might take me upto 4 hours to travel back and forth.
My work hours are essentially from 8-6 almost all the time, except for a few busy weeks.
I would appreciate any input.
-Confused.
Last edited by ILDVM-2012; 11-27-2012 at 04:51 PM..
4 hours ? By car ? That's ridiculous.Probably 30 or so minutes each way if traveling at peak times.If you can manage an off peak schedule you can probably do it in 1/2 that time .
If you won't have a car and have to rely on public transportation I'd say look for an apartment near Columbia.
Try carpooling from NJ. There's a website called carpool world. It's legit as i use it. I carpool in the AM to get to work and i live in Washington Heights and work in SoHo. I get to work in under 30 mins as oppose to 40 mins to 45 mins on the A train and i always get a seat.
I live in Washington Heights and I think the prices you quoted for a studio are a bit on the high side. I have a one bedroom that is less than $1500 (renovated, nice building, right on the A line). I say stay in Manhattan if you can. You can also look to Inwood for cheaper apartments. Stay west of Broadway and you'll find nicer areas. I might get flak for that comment, but it's true. Travelling to and from New Jersey means going over a bridge (GWB?) which is hell on a commute. Either way, good luck.
@mrk321 - Thank you for the reply! The cost for the studio is actually $1350 (is that a good price?). I might have to look around and see there's anything cheaper.
That's a decent price for a studio, but it depends on the total package (location, condition, etc.). Nice streets up near me are Bennett Ave, Ft. Washington, Cabrini, Pinehurst....the area known as Hudson Heights. Also, check out Inwood. Try to stay close to the "A" line subway stations. Dykman St. can be noisy, but it's kind of a cool place to be near and north of there. Like I said, just stay west of Broadway.
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