Moving into Brooklyn (Syracuse, Prospect: mattress, schools, salary)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Keep your cars, or at least one of them, especially if you can get parking where you find an apartment.
Commuting to SUNY Downstate? The problem is that parking is terrible around there, and you didn't mention whether parking in one of the lots SUNY owns will be an option for you. If it's an option, grab it!
The kinds of hours hospital residents have, I'd be skeptical walking around the neighborhood late at night or in the early morning, whether to take the bus or the train, even though the B44 bus stops at most a block or two away--Nostrand Avenue or New York Avenue.
Putting all that aside, I'm with those who suggest Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay, especially insofar as those neighborhoods are nearby the end of the B44 line.
The number 2/5 trains go along Nostrand Avenue with tops not far away from SUNY Downstate (Winthrop Street or Church Avenue), but if you are going to be a resident with crazy hours, you don't necessarily want to be on those trains. There can be some pretty sketchy people on that line, and especially late at night and early in the morning.
Beyond that, the southbound station at Winthrop isn't staffed, only the northbound side.
Recent news stories about crazies on the train, a few of them took place along the 2/5 line, for example, a recent story about a man being pushed off of a platform at the President Street station, two stops before Winthrop.
Random people panhandling or being a nuisance, that will be typical for most trains in New York City.
If I get a job at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, I will be relocating from Chicago suburbs to Brooklyn, NY. I will be bringing a spouse and two school-aged kids with me. We will be looking for a 2-bedroom apartment within 15 min driving time from the hospital in a safe, family-friendly neighborhood with decent schools. I am willing to sacrifice another 10 to 15 minutes of commute time for a safer area or more affordable housing.
I've heard that people give up their cars in Brooklyn due to difficulties with finding parking spots. I own two cars. Is it going to be a nightmare with two cars in the city? Should I sell the second car?
What should I expect to pay for a 2-bdr apartment in Brooklyn?
What city neighborhoods would you recommend considering the above?
Are buses/subway safe to ride during late night hours?
Does it make sense living in adjacent suburbs if there any or close parts of NJ? Or is it too much for tolls and tie spent in traffic?
Thank you everyone for your input!
This doesn't really exist in most NYC neighborhoods in 2023. Especially the safety part. There's random crime in every neighborhood these days, good and bad. That's the big difference in 2020's crime vs. 1980s/90s crime. Back then you could easily avoid it by staying out of mostly drug ridden crack areas.
As others have posted, you would put your needs as a commuter aside and really focus on your kids/family. Unless you are really well off and can afford high end North Brooklyn apartments, you'll likely have to commute about 45 minutes to an hour to also have good schools/safe area.
I'd highly consider North Eastern Queens (Whitestone, Bayside, North Flushing, Auburndale, Little Neck, Douglaston). I'd also consider going further east to Nassau county (Great Neck, New Hyde Park, Manhasset, Herricks, Mineola or even as far as Garden City).
All of these areas are upscale compared to most of NYC, have great schools, lots of green and parks...and you can probably rent a house in the $3K range. Oh, and have your cars, too. Pretty sure the Long Island Railroad will get you into Brooklyn well under an hour. From there you can walk or take a subway to work.
Can I afford a 2-bdr for $2,500 in Marine Park and Sheepshead Bay?
You mentioned there is no subway in Marine Park, only bus. Does the bus have a stop at the SUNY Downstate?
as follow up to my post. bayside, queens. great area. lots of green. nice house for rent. within the confines of the 111nypd police pct which is the safest in the 5 boroughs. great schools. found it on zillow and there's plenty more when i looked. the area is mostly white (italians/irish/jews) and asian (chinese/korean).
p.s. my brother lives in this area and drives into the place you're gonna be working. it kinda sucks, about an hour, but worth it when you get the hell outta brooklyn at the end of the day and smell the fresh air of outer Queens. your kids will also have lots of sports leagues in this area of queens (soccer, baseball, etc, etc). you're also about 20 minutes from long island beaches in the summer. great spot.
If I get a job at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, I will be relocating from Chicago suburbs to Brooklyn, NY. I will be bringing a spouse and two school-aged kids with me. We will be looking for a 2-bedroom apartment within 15 min driving time from the hospital in a safe, family-friendly neighborhood with decent schools. I am willing to sacrifice another 10 to 15 minutes of commute time for a safer area or more affordable housing.
I've heard that people give up their cars in Brooklyn due to difficulties with finding parking spots. I own two cars. Is it going to be a nightmare with two cars in the city? Should I sell the second car?
What should I expect to pay for a 2-bdr apartment in Brooklyn?
What city neighborhoods would you recommend considering the above?
Are buses/subway safe to ride during late night hours?
Does it make sense living in adjacent suburbs if there any or close parts of NJ? Or is it too much for tolls and tie spent in traffic?
Thank you everyone for your input!
What is the salary bump for this move? What job will your spouse get? (and what would be his/her salary bump or potential salary) Have you ever lived or visited NYC or BK?
Chicago suburbs to BK sounds like a downgrade to me.
Rest of the Brooklyn is a bit of a dump. Especially southern Brooklyn.
^This comment is laughable, and is not accurate at all. It reads like a script from a right wing publication.
With the OPs budget, It is tough to get anything in the better school neighborhoods like Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, etc.
In order to land in these neighborhoods, the budget for a 2 bed would have to go up to a bare minimum of $3500 - 4000-ish. And even then, apartments will be scarce to find. A 2 bed apartment in those neighborhoods are in the 4500-8500 range and up.
I'd suggest south Brooklyn like Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park, Midwood, etc. But I'm not familiar with those districts for school quality.
Go to MTA.info, locate the hospital and study the bus and subway maps. Then investigate the neighborhoods. I agree with the southern Brooklyn suggestions above. Use street view. Southwest Brooklyn is nice too, but the travel to the hospital area is more awkward.
What is the salary bump for this move? What job will your spouse get? (and what would be his/her salary bump or potential salary) Have you ever lived or visited NYC or BK?
Chicago suburbs to BK sounds like a downgrade to me.
Absolutely, it sounds like it. I hope the OP has other options.
From what the OP described, it's SUNY Downstate in Central Brooklyn, its official address is 450 Clarkson Avenue.
The nearest train is the 2/5 line which stops at Winthrop Street on the uptown side or Parkside on the downtown side. Each of those streets is a block or two away from Clarkson. The nearest bus is the B44 which stops at Nostrand and Clarkson or New York Avenue and Clarkson, depending on the direction you are traveling.
The better neighborhoods will be a long commute by train or bus, with the likelihood of having to transfer from one train or bus to another. Commuting by car? It will be a mess trying to find parking.
Is it going to be tough because I can't find a 2-bdr for $2,500?
I am willing to trade-in driving time for safer neighborhood.
I can't go to a different hospital because this is a residency training position.
I used to live in Park Slope. If I were you, I’d ditch one car (if not both) and live as close to the Grand Army Plaza subway stop as possible. I had no car most of the time I lived there, and when I did have a car, used it only for weekend getaways.
I’ve lived in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. Park Slope is just as nice, and closer to the hospital.
Park Slope is also separated from the hospital by a big ass park.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
