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I am moving to NYC and I am trying to decide on where to rent a studio/1br apartment ($1700-2000). I will be working downtown.
I want to be in an area with a good amount of other young unmarried professionals, that is livable (grocery stores, transportation, night life, gym, etc.). From what I have read, Park Slope and Hells Kitchen would probably be in my price range and somewhat fit that description. I was just wondering whether anyone had any personal experience with living in these areas, and whether you would recommend one over the other... or an entirely different area.
A little bit about me... I usually cook my own food, I go to the gym and run regularly, I am single and won't have any friends in the area, prefer an area with an lgbt presence, I enjoy wandering around interesting areas, I am a professional, I am pretty laid back and usually prefer dive bars to clubs (but I don't want to be in a secluded area).
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Park Slope is much, much more family-oriented than Hells Kitchen. Its one of the neighborhoods where Yuppies go to breed. So there is much random discussion in stores, restuarants, sidewalks and stoops, about schools, daycare, summer camps, and the like. Lots of strollers and lots of kids. But it is very gay-friendly and not a few of those parents will be gay or lesbian. Not everyone there is fighting the zoning battles around PS 321 -- there are certainly young singles and DINKS in the neighborhood with all sorts of interests -- but that sort of stuff dominates local civic discussion. Whether you're comfortable with that or not is your call.
Aside from that yes, there are ample opportunites for foodies, Prospect Park is next door, the architecture is beautiful, and it is a liberal, tolerant, upscale neighborhood, mostly low-rise, less dense, and less frenetic than Midtown, with good shopping, amenities, and access to downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The vibe in HK is very different, of course, far more people on the street, more frenetic, and yes, more to do in terms of nightlife, bars, restaurants, and other opportunities to meetup. The traffic in the streets can be quite noisy, but living on a high floor, a back apartment, or closer to the Hudson, would mitigate that. Tourists can overrun certain parts of the area near Eighth Avenue, clogging the streets, taking pictues, walking six abreast on the sidewalk and the like.There are lots of cool little inexpensive restaurants on Ninth. Depending on where you live, you can run either in Central Park or along the Hudson. And like the Slope, being gay is just not an issue. Hell's Kitchen is bright lights, big city New York IMO at its most intense. This is something you either thrive on or tire of very quickly.
Last edited by citylove101; 04-24-2013 at 11:58 AM..
If you are single DO NOT MOVE TO PARK SLOPE !!!!!!
My children are all grown, last weekend we were out and about along 5th Ave and Union Street, OMG It was like kiddie city, women with strollers EVERYWHERE, freaking kids all over the place. Annoying. I raised my kids, so I am not interested in anyone else's....
Ugh, do not, I can't street it enough, move here. It is the number one family area in all of Brooklyn, need I say more. Also, FWIW, these are not native Brooklynites, they are almost all transplants......and if your a native, you will get why I said that.
I will stick to Carroll Gardens it is less kids than PS.
Actually you should try Carroll Gardens, it isn't that far from PS and has bars everywhere along Smith and Court Streets along with all the other amenities you are looking for. The F & G train run along Smith and you will be in the City downtown faster than if you lived in PS. Smith Street has all restaurants you could ever want.....
Carroll Gardens has a more younger single vibe than PS, do some research in it and you will see what I mean.
Plus it is flat you dont have that freaking hill to schlep up everyday.
Brooklyn Bridge park is a lot closer and on Thursday nights they have free movie night on the lawn facing lower manhattan, totally awesome.
I am moving to NYC and I am trying to decide on where to rent a studio/1br apartment ($1700-2000). I will be working downtown.
I want to be in an area with a good amount of other young unmarried professionals, that is livable (grocery stores, transportation, night life, gym, etc.). From what I have read, Park Slope and Hells Kitchen would probably be in my price range and somewhat fit that description. I was just wondering whether anyone had any personal experience with living in these areas, and whether you would recommend one over the other... or an entirely different area.
A little bit about me... I usually cook my own food, I go to the gym and run regularly, I am single and won't have any friends in the area, prefer an area with an lgbt presence, I enjoy wandering around interesting areas, I am a professional, I am pretty laid back and usually prefer dive bars to clubs (but I don't want to be in a secluded area).
Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
If I recall correctly, Hells Kitchen is very expensive and very hot right now. If you can find a studio for 1700-2000 in hells kitchen...go for it. Get it immediately because it's going to be either a steal or very, very tiny apartment. Hells Kitchen studio average price was like 1900 for a studio in 2011...
Park Slope is very cool place but probably not for 25 year old single individual. You'd probably end up in city (manhattan) or areas like carroll garden/cobbil hill/red hook for bar diving and clubs. Not Park Slope. Park Slope is more family orientated.
If I recall correctly, Hells Kitchen is very expensive and very hot right now. If you can find a studio for 1700-2000 in hells kitchen...go for it. Get it immediately because it's going to be either a steal or very, very tiny apartment. Hells Kitchen studio average price was like 1900 for a studio in 2011...
Park Slope is very cool place but probably not for 25 year old single individual. You'd probably end up in city (manhattan) or areas like carroll garden/cobbil hill/red hook for bar diving and clubs. Not Park Slope. Park Slope is more family orientated.
Thank you so much for this information! This entirely changed my plans for apartment hunting this weekend (I guess I am eliminating PS). As for the Hoboken suggestion, thanks but I am definitely confining myself to either Manhattan and Brooklyn.
A few more questions if you don't mind...
1. Any other areas in Manhattan (aside from HK) worth looking into, I was also considering East Village?
2. Any more information about Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Red Hook would greatly appreciated.
3. Is it worth using a broker or should I just look for no fee apartments and try my luck, and if I do use a broker, how and when do you negotiate their fee.
East Village or the Lower East Side might be worth a look, though I don't thinik your budget would get you a 1 bdrm, probably only a studio. So you would have to be willing to give up on space. And most of the buildings in these neighborhoods are old and/or walk ups w/o on-premise laundry facilities, although the apartments themselves may have been renovated. (And I emphasize may because the areas are so trendy now landlords don't neccessarily have to renovate a place before its re-rented.) They will have almost everything else you're looking for, though I don't know where runners go in these neighborhoods.
LES and E Village are also not particularly quiet neighborhoods either. Lots of people on the streets, especially on weekends, and many are sort of rowdy and/or drunk youngsters and clubgoers. Its a combination of being trendy, young, expensive, and poor -- despite the trendiness there are still LOTS of poor people in area tenements and public housing. And while its not a major drawback, transportation from these areas to downtown or Midtown might be problematic. Depending exactly on where you work and live it can be schlepp to the right bus or train.
Where are you moving from? If you've had little or no experience with big cities these neighborhoods might prove something of a culture shock -- either negatively or positively.
Where are you moving from? If you've had little or no experience with big cities these neighborhoods might prove something of a culture shock -- either negatively or positively.
Thanks for the response. I will be moving from Long Island. I am not worried about it being a culture shock... I have previously worked in the city (commuting on the LIRR), however, I never really got to explore and get a sense/feel for the different neighborhoods or daily living (i.e. I was commuting for 4 hrs every day from home to office).
I basically don't want to end up in an area where I find it difficult to meet people (at a similar stage in their life), or far from the tings I enjoy doing regularly. I pretty much expect that I will end up in a small studio, which I am fine with as long as its in a good location, and not too grimy haha.
First, do not put off Hoboken, it is the place you are looking for. It is everything you asked for. There is easy access to Wall Street, Greenwhich Village, Chelsea and Penn Station by PATH train. There is also many busses which take you into Port Authority (Times Square).
Lots of young people not long out of college. Gay isn't an issue. All the shops, bars, and restaurants, you desire.
Hoboken, HK, PS, are all popular areas, so are not cheap. Your budget is at the bottom end of the market. So, bear that in mind. Quality will be lowest for your budget in HK. PS and Hoboken near equal. The housing type is similar, but Hoboken has more newly built towers, which will be above your budget.
Second, take nightcrawler's comments with a grain of salt. Park Slope is, indeed, family oriented, BUT it is not overrun with baby stollers! Though, he is not the only one to think as he does. Personally, I've never felt overwhelmed with mommies. As a native NYer, I do feel the place has been taken over by Transplants, whiich is not a good thing, but anyway....
Park Slope is a NEIGHBORHOOD, a NY liberal neighborhood with a cornocopia of many things. Families, singles, and gays, young and middle aged. It is not a place for hipsters, not a hot nightlife spot like the East Village nor Williamsburg. It is not a place overtaken by the post college crowd, if that is what you want try elsewhere.
It is a place to *grow*, meet interesting *adults*, live as a young person, marry, buy a home, and raise a family. The full spectrum of life. There used to be a large fairly decent Lesbian scene with a couple of bars, but I get the feeling that has abated a bit. I'm not gay, so knowledge is limited.
As far as a broker or not, if you are time limited, then use a broker! Cost more, but saves time. Better places always use a broker anyway.
One thing, your budget will go furthest in a place like Astoria in Queens. There you can find a newly built apartment, as opposed to a crusty worn place. Your budget puts you near the top of the market. It is a very good *starter* neighborhood.
Thank you so much for this information! This entirely changed my plans for apartment hunting this weekend (I guess I am eliminating PS). As for the Hoboken suggestion, thanks but I am definitely confining myself to either Manhattan and Brooklyn.
A few more questions if you don't mind...
1. Any other areas in Manhattan (aside from HK) worth looking into, I was also considering East Village?
2. Any more information about Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Red Hook would greatly appreciated.
3. Is it worth using a broker or should I just look for no fee apartments and try my luck, and if I do use a broker, how and when do you negotiate their fee.
Thanks again everyone!
1. There are plenty of neighborhood in city to live at as a single. All of it is going to do with your budget. 1700-2000 is decent budget for a studio but not 1 bedroom. UES is usually cheaper and get more space for your dollar but probably not the scene you are looking for. Another option is that if you don't mind getting a roommie. 1700-2000 per person, can get can you into good locations.
Also note that some parts of Brooklyn (such as Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, North Williamsburg) are more expensive than city so don't be shocked. You ruled out Hoboken but Hoboken does have good bar scene (college bar scene type tho). Hoboken has most bar per area or something like that. Not to mention if you live in Hoboken. You won't pay NYC income tax which is 2-4%.
2. Carrol Garden, Cobble Hill, Red Hook are all part of Brooklyn but there's big difference between Red hook and other two. Red Hook does not have a good mass transportation to city and because of that, it's cheap to rent there and less crowded. In return Red Hook has longer commute to city. But because it's cheaper there, commercial rent is cheaper and there are some cool bars and good music scene there. And in my opinion, the best fairway.
Carroll Garden and Cobble Hill are south of Brooklyn Height/Downtown Brooklyn area and are nice. They have pretty good transportation into city. Both are mix of family/single friendly. I think it's turning into more young family friendly but don't think it'll change the bar scene and so forth. North Williamsburg is nice area too.
3. Do both. I'd suggest that you look into no fee units yourself first and sort of exhaust that so you know what you can get on your own. Then I'd move onto using brokers because some units are only available through brokers and sometimes, best deals you can get are through brokers. As for negotiating fee, that you'll need to figure out on your own but 1 month is pretty norm and it takes a lot of effort and time on their part. I'd push the broker to nego with owner of unit to get you something rather than negotiating fee with broker. Let's put it this way, if you were a broker and one of your customer is trying to negotiate your pay with you. Are you going to put in much effort to that customer, or to another who is paying full but is asking for you to negotiate with owner for say new carpet to be installed.
Please note though starting May is start of busy season, especially for rental brokers so if you want to use a broker. You will want to get a jump on it. Lastly, busy season is when there is most inventory available but price is also higher. If you have an option on when to move. Moving during off busy season gets you best deals but not the access to best inventory. I swear that best deals are around holidays like around Christmas and Thanksgiving. Owners just want to move those units and go on holidays themselves
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