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My girlfriend and I are in our early 30's (31 and 33) and are looking to possibly move to Queens. I currently reside in LI (Eastern nassau, Plainview area) and she currently resides in Manhattan in the UWS. We are looking to move and meet at a common point in the middle of both LI and Manhattan.
I noticed the Astoria vs Forest Hills thread below, which was very helpful, but I will throw another area into the mix: What about Bayside? I know the Bell Boulevard area is hip and has a lot of bars and restaurants too, doesn't it? And while it doesnt have a subway line it has an LIRR station that gets you to Penn in 25 minutes.
I like Astoria but it is a bit too noisy and expensive for my tastes (maybe if I was 25) and I read that Forest Hills is more family oriented, with less bars and restaurants.
Can anyone recommend or give an opinion on how they think Bayside is for a young couple who still goes out but doesn't want the craziness of Astoria with all the young 20 somethings running around until 4am?? Haha.....
I wouldn't stay Astoria as a whole is noisy thats like saying all of NYC is noisy.
I lived in Astoria for 2 years on a very quite residential street. My neighborhoody.
It's just there are a lot of places to go, see, shop, etc in the area so you are walking distance to a lot.
Now your GF is coming from Manhattan I can not image her being ok with living in an area without the subway like Bayside. You may be a suburban guy but she isn't. I suggest you find an area that has things to do as well as a subway.
But would you guys say Bayside also has a nightlife like Astoria or Forest hills? Where you can walk to bars and restaurants on the strip of Bell Boulevard? I heard it's a pretty hoppin place on the weekends.
And yes, my gf is coming from Manhattan and while Bayside has no subway line there is an LIRR stop that gets you to Penn in less than 30 minutes. A big plus is that she does drive and has a car, so she wouldn't be totally doomed without the subway.
I don think I would mind Astoria but its very pricey, and I know the parking can be atrocious there, and we both have cars we would need to park. I feel like Astoria is too far west and I would be really far from all of my friends and family who are still out in LI, in both nassau and suffolk counties.
But would you guys say Bayside also has a nightlife like Astoria or Forest hills? Where you can walk to bars and restaurants on the strip of Bell Boulevard? I heard it's a pretty hoppin place on the weekends.
And yes, my gf is coming from Manhattan and while Bayside has no subway line there is an LIRR stop that gets you to Penn in less than 30 minutes. A big plus is that she does drive and has a car, so she wouldn't be totally doomed without the subway.
I don think I would mind Astoria but its very pricey, and I know the parking can be atrocious there, and we both have cars we would need to park. I feel like Astoria is too far west and I would be really far from all of my friends and family who are still out in LI, in both nassau and suffolk counties.
Neither Bayside nor Forest Hills are cheap, though. And unless you're looking at "luxury" rentals, if you can afford bayside, you should be able to afford Astoria. Albeit, you'll probably get a smaller place and parking would be nightmare.
That being said, I have been to bayside, and while the night life is respectable on the weekends, it's not "hopping" per say. What you will find is crowded restaurants and bars full of locals or families. Many of these locals have grown up around each other all their lives, so it's quite a different than the night scene in Astoria. If you're not big on going out but would like having some decent bars and restaurants nearby for the occasional night out, Bayside isn't too bad. Just don't expect it to be more urban than it is. Also, unless you're girlfriend works near Penn, her commute won't be too pleasant. And be aware that you will be driving everywhere that isn't Manhattan.
But would you guys say Bayside also has a nightlife like Astoria or Forest hills? Where you can walk to bars and restaurants on the strip of Bell Boulevard? I heard it's a pretty hoppin place on the weekends.
And yes, my gf is coming from Manhattan and while Bayside has no subway line there is an LIRR stop that gets you to Penn in less than 30 minutes. A big plus is that she does drive and has a car, so she wouldn't be totally doomed without the subway.
I don think I would mind Astoria but its very pricey, and I know the parking can be atrocious there, and we both have cars we would need to park. I feel like Astoria is too far west and I would be really far from all of my friends and family who are still out in LI, in both nassau and suffolk counties.
Like the other poster said the nightlife is different in Astoria compared to Bayside. In Bayside the crowd is the locals plus others that drive there from the surrounding areas of Queens and LI since it has by far the best selection of restaurants and bars in the greater area. In Astoria it's mostly young transient locals plus people from the surrounding areas of Western Queens. That said there are pretty decent restaurants in Bayside where you'll find everything from aged steaks, french bistros, brunch places, modern Indian, Greek, Italian, plus some chains like Apple Bee's and Outback. Also if you like Asian food, Korean in particular, there's tons of them nearby that are opened 24/7. In fact I would even say that there's more 24/7 restaurants nearby than the rest of NYC combined.
In general the neighborhood is clean, suburban-like, and for the most part well maintained with many people spending hundreds of dollars a month on landscaping. It's very different than Western Queens. You'll have to note that the Bayside and Douglaston area plus some sections of Forest Hills/Whitestone/Jamaica Estates, was where many people that had money in Queens went 15-20 years ago so the neighborhood doesn't have many run down looking places like other neighborhoods. Whether the neighborhood is right for you largely depends on what you're looking for. To me it's the perfect blend of the city and suburbs. Also it probably doesn't matter in your case, but it also has the top public schools in NYC.
To take full advantage of the area you'll definitely need a car, but depending on where you reside in Bayside the parking is usually decent. If you drive shopping is a breeze since many places nearby have parking lots. For food there's the normal chain supermarkets or if you want something a bit better there's Fairway in Douglaston, or WholeFoods in Manhasset which is a 10 min drive. For me personally the part I enjoyed most was the biking and jogging I use to do along the water. I use to bike to this place called Fort Totten and would just sit near the water and eat my little snack all by myself with the occasionally passersby. So it's definitely not the city nor is it the suburbs.
Last edited by bumblebyz; 09-28-2015 at 08:37 PM..
Thanks for the replies so far. I don't think I would mind Astoria per say, but parking would be a nightmare (we would have 2 cars to park) but maybe we could get rid of 1 car and just have 1 and share it. But I feel it just may too crowded and congested and "urban" for me, being a Long island suburban guy whose used to half acre lots for houses, and free parking. I could see myself not liking it. And it might be a little too far "west" towards the city for my tastes, since all of my friends and family are out in Long island. I think Bayside or Forest hills would be a better compromise, no?
Thanks for the replies so far. I don't think I would mind Astoria per say, but parking would be a nightmare (we would have 2 cars to park) but maybe we could get rid of 1 car and just have 1 and share it. But I feel it just may too crowded and congested and "urban" for me, being a Long island suburban guy whose used to half acre lots for houses, and free parking. I could see myself not liking it. And it might be a little too far "west" towards the city for my tastes, since all of my friends and family are out in Long island. I think Bayside or Forest hills would be a better compromise, no?
But of course my gf likes Astoria lol.....
Forest Hills is def better for commuting, but parking is horrible unless you rent a space. I would drive and walk around the neighborhoods before deciding. And if ur gf atill insist on Astoria I would just go there. I'm a firm beliver in the phrase "A happy wife(gf) is a happy life". Though it seems like you would probably be happier in Bayside due to it's blend of urban and suburban attributes which makes it perfect for people looking to move to the suburbs, but don't want to compromise all the convenience of living in Manhattan.
Yea, the reason she likes Astoria of course is bc all of her friends and family reside in either Manhattan or western queens, so it wouldn't really be that too much of a change or culture shock for her. She also works in Manhattan so for her the commute from Astoria would be a piece of cake, I work in western Nassau (Garden city) so for me the commute from Astoria would be a bit hairy. At least an hour, if not more with traffic. And I would be a lot farther from all of my friends and family out in LI than she would. I feel like I would be the one doing all the compromising in a way.
I am from LI so for me, I feel I would like Bayside or Forest hills ( or even Kew Gardens) a lot more because those areas are kind of a mix between the urban and suburban landscapes. Bayside hills is very suburban, almost like Long island, same for Forest hills and Forest hills gardens....very suburban but yet still in the city, which is what I like.
Astoria really has no "suburban" parts to it. Yes, it has residential areas, but they are more urban than suburban.
Yea, the reason she likes Astoria of course is bc all of her friends and family reside in either Manhattan or western queens, so it wouldn't really be that too much of a change or culture shock for her. She also works in Manhattan so for her the commute from Astoria would be a piece of cake, I work in western Nassau (Garden city) so for me the commute from Astoria would be a bit hairy. At least an hour, if not more with traffic. And I would be a lot farther from all of my friends and family out in LI than she would. I feel like I would be the one doing all the compromising in a way.
I am from LI so for me, I feel I would like Bayside or Forest hills ( or even Kew Gardens) a lot more because those areas are kind of a mix between the urban and suburban landscapes. Bayside hills is very suburban, almost like Long island, same for Forest hills and Forest hills gardens....very suburban but yet still in the city, which is what I like.
Astoria really has no "suburban" parts to it. Yes, it has residential areas, but they are more urban than suburban.
Relationship are all about give and take and I think you both need to do that with each other as you both seem to want different types of environments to live in.
However your girl is leaving Manhattan for you to live in Queens. That is a big compromise to many so I wouldn't say you are doing all the compromising. Also if she has a good apartment deal in the city and is giving that up for you....You may just be a suburban guy and she a city girl and if thats the case it will make things quite difficult in the long run.
Last edited by livingsinglenyc; 09-29-2015 at 12:05 PM..
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