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I have searched, and lurked on this website for about a month, and I am hoping to get some advice concerning where my wife and I should move to within New York, or at least a few areas where we should focus our search. We are late 20's, no kids (yet), but would want a 2-bedroom or at least a one bedroom with an office/den. We dont go out too much, but we will probably be going out for drinks, etc... 1x a week, and out to dinner about 2-3x a week. I will be working in midtown, and she will be a nurse practitioner probably working in one of the hospitals on the upper east side. She wants an updated apartment, and we have a 90lb dog and a cat so we would need at least a balcony in a pet-friendly building. Combined we will be making about 250k annually, pre-tax, but we will be making student loan payments of about 3k/month.
My ideal budget for an apartment would be about 4k/month. Is it possible to get a good, updated, pet-friendly, 2-bedroom apartment on the upper east side without being on 1st avenue? I have perused the ads, and most of them seem like B.S.
We are considering Astoria, Hoboken, Park Slope, Upper East and West sides. Our priorities are safety and proximity to a park (for dog walking), an updated interior, outdoor space, proximity to midtown, proximity to good restaurants, and being in more of a neighborhood without too much street noise. Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
Yes, there are new construction luxury condo's on the Upper East Side and 1 and 2 bedrooms in your price range. I don't know about the pet situation though.
Go to NY Bits - New York apartments, buildings and neighborhoods (http://www.nybits.com - broken link)
If your wife will be working in one of the UES hospitals have her look into some of the housing they may provide. I know NY Hosp and a couple of the others own buildings and lease the apartments at a decent price. I am sure there is a waiting list but have her get on it ASAP.
Why, with a cat, do you want a balcony? In high school I used to work summers at the Animal Medical Center (Cornell's teaching hospital in NYC) and ALL the cats coming in half dead did so because they fell from balconies. That's the LAST thing I'd want with a cat! It's not like you can do much on a balcony: it's illegal to barbecue, your dog won't be safe, either because he can hurl himself over the barrier if he's that big. And they're unspeakably filthy. No matter how much you clean, they're always filthy.
Midtown East (east 50s, low 60s) and UES are your best bet. Most hospital housing (at least NY Hospital housing when I was a house officer there) didn't allow pets. And there are waiting lists for hospital housing, as well.
I don't see why everyone is questioning his desire for a blacony. I would kill for even a little 4 foot by 6 foot patch of outdoor space. Obviously you would need to be careful with the cat out there but I'm sure that would not be a problem.
Between the Upper East and West Sides I would choose the West Side. I think there is a bit more around there and I think it looks a little bit nicer. The UES has a reputation of being a bit boring but I have never really understood that. It certainly isn't the most "hip" area of the city but you would have everything you need within walking distance. I would focus on the UES because if your wife is going to be working there the commute from the UWS to the UES can be a hassle even though it is only a mile or so apart. Also, the UES is a bit more inexpensive than the UWS.
You would be able to find an apartment that meets all of your criteria there, including outdoor space and a short walk to Central Park for under $4k/month. I would also consider the Gramercy Park area around the East 20's. I think there are some better restaurants in the area and you are closer to downtown for going out and shopping and all that. You also would have a fairly easy walk to some other subway lines (N,R,W at 23rd st.) as well as the 6 train to take your wife to the UES for work. It may be a bit more expensive than the UES and you may not have as many highrise options as you would on the UES so that is something to consider.
All said I guess I would still pick the UES. With the exception of only one subway line that is jam packed at rush hour it is a nice and safe area that is still relatively inexpensive compared to other areas with similar amenities. Try to stay between Madison and 2nd ave. to keep your walk to the subway short (althought a ten minute walk to the subway never bothered me much).
EDIT: Realized in my rereading that I was contradicting myself. To clarify on UWS vs. UES: I would choose the UWS with all else being equal between the two BUT with your wife's commute taken into account I would go for the UES. Also, a quick craigslist search for two bedrooms under $4000 with balcony and pet allowed turned up plenty of options.
I wouldnt let the cat onto the balcony. Ideally it would be a private terrace, but that is alot to ask. I dont want to live as far east as first ave because I dont want a long walk to the subway.
Thank you Jeffcon. The UES would probably be more convenient for me and my wife. I will be working on the east side of midtown, just off of the 6 line. We had not considered gramercy, but it sounds like a very good option also. Does anyone have any input about the reliability, or lack thereof, of brokers and the apartments that they advertise? Many of the ads seem too good to be true. For instance, are the advertised apartments on the sites such as citi-habitats apartments that are currently for rent, apartments that they rented previously for that price but are no longer available, or apartments that were never rented for the listed price? I dont want to waste my time screwing around with a bad broker, or having them try and pull a bait and switch. Any advice on broker selection or rent-direct, etc...?
I don't like balconies because 1) I've seen real animal tragedies happen and 2) I have one and it's constantly filthy. It's impossible to even sit out there - clean it in the morning and it's covered with soot and grime by the afternoon. And I don't live over a major thoroughfare - I overlook gardens in the back of my building and would LIKE to use my balcony. So it's paying for something that's not usable space!
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