Moving to NYC in mid-to-late 2008

[BornAndBredInNYC]

Hi---I agree with Henna that Astoria will be around your price range. I've lived here for about 16 years and although the area has changed somewhat, it is still a relatively safe area to live. Depending on the area of Astoria that you're in, you'll more than likely be near a subway or a bus line. Its only about 25 minutes travel time to Midtown Manhattan (lower Manhattan is about 35-40 minutes depending on when you're traveling). The areas around Steinway Street are chock full of bars, outdoor cafes, and the area is very diverse culturally. Lots of shopping, grocery stores, laundromats, etc... The only area here that I wouldn't recommend is the Ditmars Blvd area.. the closer yoser you get to Astoria Park the more isolated it is...not good. The area is mostly Greek- some Indian, some Mexican, some Irish....so on. Feel free to e-mail me privately if you want---and good luck in NY !!!!

[Henna]

Originally Posted by SectumSempra

Thanks for that advice. I had actually read that the "good-paying" IIT jobs are definitely downtown. Because of that, I was looking more towards Brooklyn. I think I want a place close to an AC train stop (preferably Nostrand or Utica since those are express stops). WHat is the surrounding neighborhood like around these stops?

Of course I'll take other suggestions also....

What map are you using to tell you where the brooklyn neighborhoods are?

Those two stops are both in Bed Stuy, an area you said you wanted to avoid.

here's a photo of the area around the nostrand st. stop, which you can see across the street. http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilygeoff/1952521943/ (broken link)

[SectumSempra]

Originally Posted by Henna

What map are you using to tell you where the brooklyn neighborhoods are?

Those two stops are both in Bed Stuy, an area you said you wanted to avoid.

here's a photo of the area around the nostrand st. stop, which you can see across the street. http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilygeoff/1952521943/ (broken link)

Oh wow.... I had gotten the impression that that part of Brooklyn was getting cleaned up somewhat. What about Crown Heights, pr the southern parts of Brooklyn?