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First of all, I really appreciate all of the info.
Car
At this point, I am strongly leaning towards leaving the car behind. My mother who lives in Houston could use a nice car. It seems a waste to have the car sit in expensive parking lot in NY when she can actually use it to get around Houston. I never enjoyed driving in a city anyway. Another reason, I want to move to NYC.
Commuting
I realize that commute time length is important, but the number of transfers is also important. In fact, I would take longer commute with fewer transfers over shorter commute with more transfers (within a reason of course). From my experience, more transfers usually means that more things can go wrong. More importantly, fewer transfers on long commute means that I can actually sit down and work, sleep, read, play video-games etc while I am commuting.
On subway vs buses
From my experience, subway is much more reliable and faster option than buses. Buses are much more likely to be late due to traffic, roadwork etc. They also usually do not run as frequently. Hence, I strongly prefer to stick to subway if I can especially for work commute.
I went to LIRR website and run through some numbers. I selected arrive by 8:45 am for all selections to make results comparable.
Here are the results from their website.
Woodside - (LIRR: 36 to Port Washington; 11 min to Manhattan)
Flushing Main Street - (LIRR: 27 to Port Washington; 19 min to Manhattan)
Murray Hill - (LIRR: 25 min to Port Washington; 21 min to Manhattan)
Broadway - (LIRR: 23 min to Port Washington; 23 min to Manhattan)
Auburndale - (LIRR: 21 min to Port Washington; 25 min to Manhattan)
Bayside - (LIRR: 18 min to Port Washington; 28 min to Manhattan)
Douglason - (LIRR: 15 min to Port Washington; 31 min to Manhattan)
Little neck - (LIRR: 13 min to Port Washington; 33 min to Manhattan)
For Port Washington commute, I will have to add 10 minutes to the times above for the shuttle service from Port Washington station to the company.
Woodside - I assume that this is fairly urban since it is close to Manhattan. It seems like a nice diverse neighborhood with easy access to subway. I am assuming that the commute to Port Washington should be around 50-60 minutes door to door. It is definitely doable but it is longer than I would prefer. On the upside, I can work, sleep, read etc while I am on the train. As of right now, this is the number one pick.
Flushing Main Street - From the posted link, it still looks pretty urban to me. There are definitely a lot of Chinese businesses. I really do not care if it is predominantly Chinese neighborhood, but some diversity in terms of grocery shopping and restaurants would be nice. New York is about variety and diversity for me. Staying in Chinatown defeats that. Still, it has access to Subway, and the commute to Port Washington should be around 40-50 minutes door to door. It is still close to Manhattan (about 20-30 minutes). If it was not so predominantly Chinese, this is the neighborhood that I would pick.
Murray Hill and Broadway - There is no subway but the subway station at Flushing Main Street is 2-5 minutes away by train, so it is not a big deal. The commute to Port Washington should be around 35-45 minutes door to door, which is pretty good. Manhattan is still pretty close at 25-35 minutes.
Do you have any thoughts on these two neighborhoods?
Are these sill fairly urban like Flushing Main Street or more suburban like Bayside?
Are these still predominantly Chinese or is there more diversity?
I would definitely consider these if they are still urban and have more diversity.
Auburndale - I assume that it is similar to Bayside, which makes it a no go for me (see below)
Bayside - it seems like a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood. From the link, it looks more like small town downtown than a city. Like you guys said, commute times are in the middle with about 30-40 minutes each way. Subway is about 10 minutes away via LIRR. I get why many like it. You get peaceful neighborhood, and hustle and bustle of NYC is 30-40 minutes away, but it is too suburban for me.
Douglason - some said that it is even more suburban than Bayside, which makes it a no go for me. Plus, I am getting farther and farther away from Manhattan.
Little neck - like Douglason, it is probably too suburban for me to enjoy.
Regarding Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, Rego Park, Forrest Hills - I assume that these will be comparable to Woodside in terms of commute time if not longer since I will have to take subway towards Flushing - Main street, and there is only 10 minutes of travel difference between Woodside and Flushing Main Street when using LIRR. Add an additional hustle due to transferring from subway to LIRR and being even farther from Manhattan. Woodside seems like a better option at this point.
Any thoughts? At this point I am seriously thinking Woodside even with its longer commute.
Last edited by SwiftSweeper; 07-15-2017 at 11:35 PM..
First of all, I really appreciate all of the info.
Car
At this point, I am strongly leaning towards leaving the car behind. My mother who lives in Houston could use a nice car. It seems a waste to have the car sit in expensive parking lot in NY when she can actually use it to get around Houston. I never enjoyed driving in a city anyway. Another reason, I want to move to NYC.
Commuting
I realize that commute time length is important, but the number of transfers is also important. In fact, I would take longer commute with fewer transfers over shorter commute with more transfers (within a reason of course). From my experience, more transfers usually means that more things can go wrong. More importantly, fewer transfers on long commute means that I can actually sit down and work, sleep, read, play video-games etc while I am commuting.
On subway vs buses
From my experience, subway is much more reliable and faster option than buses. Buses are much more likely to be late due to traffic, roadwork etc. They also usually do not run as frequently. Hence, I strongly prefer to stick to subway if I can especially for work commute.
I went to LIRR website and run through some numbers. I selected arrive by 8:45 am for all selections to make results comparable.
Here are the results from their website.
Woodside - (LIRR: 36 to Port Washington; 11 min to Manhattan)
Flushing Main Street - (LIRR: 27 to Port Washington; 19 min to Manhattan)
Murray Hill - (LIRR: 25 min to Port Washington; 21 min to Manhattan)
Broadway - (LIRR: 23 min to Port Washington; 23 min to Manhattan)
Auburndale - (LIRR: 21 min to Port Washington; 25 min to Manhattan)
Bayside - (LIRR: 18 min to Port Washington; 28 min to Manhattan)
Douglason - (LIRR: 15 min to Port Washington; 31 min to Manhattan)
Little neck - (LIRR: 13 min to Port Washington; 33 min to Manhattan)
For Port Washington commute, I will have to add 10 minutes to the times above for the shuttle service from Port Washington station to the company.
Woodside - I assume that this is fairly urban since it is close to Manhattan. It seems like a nice diverse neighborhood with easy access to subway. I am assuming that the commute to Port Washington should be around 50-60 minutes door to door. It is definitely doable but it is longer than I would prefer. On the upside, I can work, sleep, read etc while I am on the train. As of right now, this is the number one pick.
Flushing Main Street - From the posted link, it still looks pretty urban to me. There are definitely a lot of Chinese businesses. I really do not care if it is predominantly Chinese neighborhood, but some diversity in terms of grocery shopping and restaurants would be nice. New York is about variety and diversity for me. Staying in Chinatown defeats that. Still, it has access to Subway, and the commute to Port Washington should be around 40-50 minutes door to door. It is still close to Manhattan (about 20-30 minutes). If it was not so predominantly Chinese, this is the neighborhood that I would pick.
Murray Hill and Broadway - There is no subway but the subway station at Flushing Main Street is 2-5 minutes away by train, so it is not a big deal. The commute to Port Washington should be around 35-45 minutes door to door, which is pretty good. Manhattan is still pretty close at 25-35 minutes.
Do you have any thoughts on these two neighborhoods?
Are these sill fairly urban like Flushing Main Street or more suburban like Bayside?
Are these still predominantly Chinese or is there more diversity?
I would definitely consider these if they are still urban and have more diversity.
Auburndale - I assume that it is similar to Bayside, which makes it a no go for me (see below)
Bayside - it seems like a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood. From the link, it looks more like small town downtown than a city. Like you guys said, commute times are in the middle with about 30-40 minutes each way. Subway is about 10 minutes away via LIRR. I get why many like it. You get peaceful neighborhood, and hustle and bustle of NYC is 30-40 minutes away, but it is too suburban for me.
Douglason - some said that it is even more suburban than Bayside, which makes it a no go for me. Plus, I am getting farther and farther away from Manhattan.
Little neck - like Douglason, it is probably too suburban for me to enjoy.
Regarding Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, Rego Park, Forrest Hills - I assume that these will be comparable to Woodside in terms of commute time if not longer since I will have to take subway towards Flushing - Main street, and there is only 10 minutes of travel difference between Woodside and Flushing Main Street when using LIRR. Add an additional hustle due to transferring from subway to LIRR and being even farther from Manhattan. Woodside seems like a better option at this point.
Any thoughts? At this point I am seriously thinking Woodside even with its longer commute.
I think your above post is a pretty good take on the pros and cons of each neighborhood. I wouldn't bother looking at Elmhurst, Corona, Rego Park, Forest Hills. Elmhurst and Corona are mostly immigrant neighborhoods so probably not diverse enough for you. And Rego Park and Forest Hills are much worse commute-wise since they're not even on the 7 subway line that connects to the Woodside LIRR station. I think someone else mentioned Forest Hills (nice area with many bars and restaurants) because there is a LIRR station there and he thought you could transfer easily in Jamaica to get to Port Washington. But you can't...it's on a completely different LIRR line.
I believe the areas between Flushing and Bayside are pretty Asian (I think more Korean than Chinese) so Broadway and Murray Hill are probably not good fits for you.
Bayside may actually be better than you think. It has some suburban qualities but the area near the train station has a good commercial strip with bars and restaurants (on Bell Blvd). It's a dense enough area that I wouldn't describe it as small town downtown but it really depends on your reference point. I'm not sure about the nightlife though.
Woodside may indeed be the best option for you. The neighborhood overall is mostly Asian and Hispanic, but around the LIRR station, there are pubs and other dining options (Woodside used to be mostly Irish). The subway access is a pro since you don't have to worry about relying on the LIRR schedule to get into Manhattan. It's also possible to keep a car here since street parking is manageable.
Finally, have you considered actually living in Manhattan? If you lived walking distance to Penn Station, the commute wouldn't be that bad. Just one train ride to Port Washington and that's it. This area around Penn is not the prettiest but very convenient obviously to the rest of the city. You would probably have to live with roommates on your budget but I think you said you didn't mind. No way to keep a car here unless you pay for an expensive garage.
I like the Manhattan suggestion above, if you can afford it. If city living is what you are looking for, then why not be right in the middle of it.
Second, I think Woodside would be a decent choice. But if you are ok with walking a bit included within your commute, don't rule out Jackson Heights and Sunnyside. I Google mapped walking directions from Espresso 77, which is on one of the nicest streets in Jackson Heights, and it's a 20 minute walk to the Woodside LIRR station. (Also btw, if you were to live in Jackson Heights and take the subway to LIRR, you would actually probably just take the 7 train to Woodside, not Flushing.) Walking directions from Espresso77 in Jackson Heights to Woodside LIRR
Another nice neighborhood (nicer than Woodside IMO) is Sunnyside. You would have the same issue with Sunnyside in that there would be a long-ish walk to the Woodside LIRR but it's doable and a little quicker than the one from Jackson Heights. Here is the walk from 49th St and Skillman Ave. (an area that has some cute cafes and housing stock). 49th and Skillman to Woodside LIRR Also if you need a gym, there is a NYSC in Sunnyside. Also there are buses to Greenpoint in Brooklyn where it's possible you might want to spend some time vs Manhattan if you're looking for Brooklyn art events and that sort of thing.
P.S. It's unclear to me where the borders are between Sunnyside and Woodside. I always thought of 49th and Skillman as Sunnyside but Google maps is saying it's Woodside.
I think your above post is a pretty good take on the pros and cons of each neighborhood. I wouldn't bother looking at Elmhurst, Corona, Rego Park, Forest Hills. Elmhurst and Corona are mostly immigrant neighborhoods so probably not diverse enough for you. And Rego Park and Forest Hills are much worse commute-wise since they're not even on the 7 subway line that connects to the Woodside LIRR station. I think someone else mentioned Forest Hills (nice area with many bars and restaurants) because there is a LIRR station there and he thought you could transfer easily in Jamaica to get to Port Washington. But you can't...it's on a completely different LIRR line.
I believe the areas between Flushing and Bayside are pretty Asian (I think more Korean than Chinese) so Broadway and Murray Hill are probably not good fits for you.
Bayside may actually be better than you think. It has some suburban qualities but the area near the train station has a good commercial strip with bars and restaurants (on Bell Blvd). It's a dense enough area that I wouldn't describe it as small town downtown but it really depends on your reference point. I'm not sure about the nightlife though.
Woodside may indeed be the best option for you. The neighborhood overall is mostly Asian and Hispanic, but around the LIRR station, there are pubs and other dining options (Woodside used to be mostly Irish). The subway access is a pro since you don't have to worry about relying on the LIRR schedule to get into Manhattan. It's also possible to keep a car here since street parking is manageable.
Finally, have you considered actually living in Manhattan? If you lived walking distance to Penn Station, the commute wouldn't be that bad. Just one train ride to Port Washington and that's it. This area around Penn is not the prettiest but very convenient obviously to the rest of the city. You would probably have to live with roommates on your budget but I think you said you didn't mind. No way to keep a car here unless you pay for an expensive garage.
Manhattan is very tempting. I love going to bars/clubs. I also love museums and good food. Plus, I am an avid outside jogger, so an access to Central Park would be great! Yeah, roommates are fine. The commute will be longer than Woodside but not by much if I live within walking distance from Penn. Another benefit is that it is the last stop for LIRR, so I can get a nice seat right away and do not need to wait for the train to arrive, which will be even better during the winter.
I realize that the rent and restaurants/bars will be more expensive in Manhattan than Woodside. What about groceries? Are they also more expensive in Manhattan than Woodside?
How do people shop for groceries in urban areas of NYC in general?
Are there corner grocery stores everywhere? On thing that I like about owning a car is easy grocery shopping.
Are there good neighborhoods within walking distance from Penn Station? My rental budget is $1900.
Five minutes and under walking distance would be ideal, but I can go up to 10 min walking distance.
Last edited by SwiftSweeper; 07-16-2017 at 07:44 PM..
I like the Manhattan suggestion above, if you can afford it. If city living is what you are looking for, then why not be right in the middle of it.
Second, I think Woodside would be a decent choice. But if you are ok with walking a bit included within your commute, don't rule out Jackson Heights and Sunnyside. I Google mapped walking directions from Espresso 77, which is on one of the nicest streets in Jackson Heights, and it's a 20 minute walk to the Woodside LIRR station. (Also btw, if you were to live in Jackson Heights and take the subway to LIRR, you would actually probably just take the 7 train to Woodside, not Flushing.) Walking directions from Espresso77 in Jackson Heights to Woodside LIRR
Another nice neighborhood (nicer than Woodside IMO) is Sunnyside. You would have the same issue with Sunnyside in that there would be a long-ish walk to the Woodside LIRR but it's doable and a little quicker than the one from Jackson Heights. Here is the walk from 49th St and Skillman Ave. (an area that has some cute cafes and housing stock). 49th and Skillman to Woodside LIRR Also if you need a gym, there is a NYSC in Sunnyside. Also there are buses to Greenpoint in Brooklyn where it's possible you might want to spend some time vs Manhattan if you're looking for Brooklyn art events and that sort of thing.
P.S. It's unclear to me where the borders are between Sunnyside and Woodside. I always thought of 49th and Skillman as Sunnyside but Google maps is saying it's Woodside.
Good luck!
Thank you for the suggestions! I do love to walk, and I am fit. I walk about 15 min per mile without an issue, but that is in a park. I assume that it will take me longer in the city due to traffic stops etc. However, I really do not want to add another 15-20 minutes to already long commute. Ideally, I want to keep walking to 5 minutes or under if it is possible. Ten minutes walking distance would be okay. I will definitely check these neighborhoods out on weekend/after work if I end up staying in Woodside. An access to good GYM would be great as well.
I am definitely interested in other boroughs like Brooklyn and Queens. I have heard that some areas of Bronx are also quite nice. I basically just want explore the city.
As far as moving process, I am planning to use Uhaul truck. I only have one room worth of stuff, and Uhaul gives one month of free storage, so it should not be too bad.
I will leave for NY on Monday 24th and arrive on Tuesday 25th at a hotel. This gives me about 6 days to find a place since I have to report to work on August 1st. I know that I will not get the best deal/location in such short timeframe, but I think that I should be able to find something.
Ideally, I want to have a few places lined up before I leave.
What are good websites for apartment hunting in NYC? I do not want to pay a broker fee. I know about Naked Apartments and Street Easy. Any others?
What are good websites for finding roommates? I know that there is Craigslist, but I am hoping for better options.
As far as moving process, I am planning to use Uhaul truck. I only have one room worth of stuff, and Uhaul gives one month of free storage, so it should not be too bad.
I will leave for NY on Monday 24th and arrive on Tuesday 25th at a hotel. This gives me about 6 days to find a place since I have to report to work on August 1st. I know that I will not get the best deal/location in such short timeframe, but I think that I should be able to find something.
Ideally, I want to have a few places lined up before I leave.
What are good websites for apartment hunting in NYC? I do not want to pay a broker fee. I know about Naked Apartments and Street Easy. Any others?
What are good websites for finding roommates? I know that there is Craigslist, but I am hoping for better options.
You expect to be in a place by August 1st??!?? Uhhh... Am thinking you better start looking *NOW* and telling the brokers your situation. It usually takes a while for them to review all of your paperwork and that is generally *NOT* done in 6 days. You also have your work cut out for you with all of these requirements. Just hire a broker and stop being cheap. You don't have time to be so picky. NYC is not like other places. It's a rat race to find places, and landlords can and will be picky because evicting tenants takes so long (NYC is tenant friendly), so you either take the place or someone else will. That's another reason it takes a while before you're approved for the place. If I were you, I would confirm your price range and neighborhood, then select three places you feel you really like and go for one of them out of the three, keeping your commute in mind.
You expect to be in a place by August 1st??!?? Uhhh... Am thinking you better start looking *NOW* and telling the brokers your situation. It usually takes a while for them to review all of your paperwork and that is generally *NOT* done in 6 days.
Yeah, I am planning to start making calls tomorrow. I would like to avoid brokers if possible though.
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Uhhh... Am thinking you better start looking *NOW* and telling the brokers your situation. It usually takes a while for them to review all of your paperwork and that is generally *NOT* done in 6 days. You also have your work cut out for you with all of these requirements. Just hire a broker and stop being cheap. You don't have time to be so picky. NYC is not like other places. It's a rat race to find places, and landlords can and will be picky because evicting tenants takes so long (NYC is tenant friendly), so you either take the place or someone else will. That's another reason it takes a while before you're approved for the place. If I were you, I would confirm your price range and neighborhood, then select three places you feel you really like and go for one of them out of the three, keeping your commute in mind.
