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One more thread to clog up the forum about moving but I need help! Here are the details:
Family of 6 currently living in Alpharetta, GA. Thought we were headed to Chicago next summer and just found out it's going to be New York instead. Big change! All my research and traveling has been to Chicago and now I need to switch gears.
My husband will be working on the 700 block of 3rd Avenue. He's the one who would have to make any commute into the city if we lived outside of it. Salary a year is 270k and we have four children three of which who are still school age. (second, 8th and 9th grade next year, one going to college). I'm assuming private is the way we'll have to go like Chicago.
We're both almost 38 and are both originally from CA and lived there until 4.5 years ago. We consider ourselves, young, hip and want to be around the life of the city. We've been in the suburbs the last 4.5 years and can't stand it. We like taking our kids to museums, eating different cuisines, etc.
We don't mind apartment living and are more concerned with the following. We want to be CLOSE to the city - no more than 20 minutes out. We want nice living arrangements and by nice I mean the obvious. Modern, newer amenities, safe obviously, it doesn't have to be super upscale, we really prefer to be in the "nitty gritty" aspects of life. I don't want a doorman and all that kind of stuff (nor do I think we could afford it anyway). We plan to only keep one car and use public transportation the majority of the time.
I want a place that's close enough for my husband to get to work and home quickly and not spend an hour commuting and close enough for me to get into the city when my kids are in school. With 270k a year I'm assuming this is possible but I have absolutely no idea where to start looking. We're going to have to factor in private schools in addition to rent. I'm assuming from the bit of looking around I've done we'll have to pay $5000 a month in rent at least for the size we'll need (which is 4 bedrooms and 2 baths at least).
Did I leave anything out? I'm trying to be as thorough as possible without leaving my social security number
Thanks in advance - I guess I really just want someone to point me in a few directions and let me research it further because I have no idea where to begin.
unless you lived in manhattan itself, you would probably live more than 20 minutes away from the office. i don't know where the 700 blocks on 3rd are, but it could easily take 20 minutes just to get on to manhattan island, then there's commuting by car, train etc that adds to the time.
across from manhattan on the w side you have NJ, east of manhattan you have brooklyn and queens; north/east of it you have the bronx
unless you are interested in living in one of the boros or right at the edge of brooklyn, queens or nj it will probably be more than 20 minutes to get there
bTW, i live in nyc, my brother lives in roswell and works in alpharetta, my parents live in woodstock, i'm visiting woodstock from 11/24-12/2
i live in Riverdale in the bronx, the commute from here is about 45 minutes to midtown by subway
"700 block" is not a phrase usually used around here but I assume you mean street numbers in the 700s which would put you on Third Avenue in the mid-40s cross streets, or a few blocks from Grand Central Station.
In Manhattan, there are not a lot of 4 bedroom apartments, and not likely for $5,000. You might find something in Queens or Brooklyn in that range, with a reasonable commute (30 minutes or less). Long Island City or Astoria in Queens, or Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, or Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn.
While I understand your desire for urban living, you may want to look at renting in a nearby suburb in Westchester or Long Island. In places like Larchmont in Westchester or Manhassett on Long Island you can be a 30 minute train ride to Grand Central, have more room, and great public schools. Private schools in NYC are insanely expensive -- as much as a good private university.
Live along the 7 train within four stops of Manhattan or along metro north, that's probably the only way to get there in 20 minutes... I dunno how long it takes to get from the bottom of Westchester to Grand Central, but it takes 20 minutes to get from the first eastern suburb (Great Neck) to Penn, so my assumption is it would be similar. Long Island, Brooklyn and 99% of Queens are out of the question unless you're willing for a longer commute.
Your husband's office is very close to Grand Central. In which case the easiest and fastest option would be somewhere serviced by MetroNorth (MTA Metro-North). This would mean the Bronx or Westchester County. You could go to Fairfield county in Connecticut, but the train ride is longer.
I live in the East Village and it takes me about 20 minutes to get from my apartment to my office near Grand Central. If I were a crow the my flight would be about 2 miles. Unfortunately I'm not a crow and going even short distances in the city can take a while depending upon where you are in relation to the train.
A note about private school tuition. In the city, tuition averages around $20,000 a year (and sometimes quite a bit more). If you're spending $60,000 a year in rent and $60,000 a year in tuition (in after-tax dollars), you're not going to have a lot leftover. Westchester is expensive, but you have the added benefit of better public schools, depending upon the town.
A note about private school tuition. In the city, tuition averages around $20,000 a year (and sometimes quite a bit more). If you're spending $60,000 a year in rent and $60,000 a year in tuition (in after-tax dollars), you're not going to have a lot leftover. Westchester is expensive, but you have the added benefit of better public schools, depending upon the town.
Good point! I'll add that private schools are often very competitive and spaces may be limited. It might be difficult finding spots for all three kids. While living in the burbs may not be ideal, it could end up being the most practical solution.
I'd suggest looking at Williamsburg/Greenpoint, in Brooklyn. Located right along the East River--Williamsburg has the L train, which gets you right into 14th St in Union Square. From there, your husband could take the 4/5/6 up the east side to work. Pretty quick commute--probably 20 minutes. Door-to-door--add another 10-15, depending on how close you get to the subway.
Prices are dropping on apartments all over the city, as well as the boroughs. Williamsburg has some of the best up-and-coming restaurants, has amazing bars, cool boutiques, tons of "hip" stuff everywhere, and is super kid friendly. As for private schools, you'll have to research that--I'm just not aware of any.
An option may be Long Island City or Astoria in Queens. They are both "hip", family-friendly, and close to the city with an easy subway commute.
I went to middle school and high school in Alpharetta and currently live in Brooklyn. First of all, I'm not sure how familiar you are with the New York area, but rest assured that if you live in, say, Westchester, it will truly be nothing like the suburbs of Atlanta. Most of the close-in suburbs of New York, and the farthest reaches of the outer boroughs, are still much more urban than almost anywhere in the city of Atlanta. There are lots of relatively dense suburbs where you'd have a single-family house but could pretty easily walk to a lot of stores or even the train into the city, and you'd likely find it a lot more cultured than Alpharetta. The Atlanta suburbs are just about the worst place in the world in my opinion.
That said.. you may want to consider Brooklyn. Specifically, I'm thinking of the areas around Ditmas Park or Kensington, south of Prospect Park. They're a good bit cheaper than Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, etc., which are great neighborhoods but places where I think your budget may not go very far. Ditmas Park in particular is made up of a lot of big beautiful Victorian houses, some of which are available to rent. It's a little quieter and strikes me as a great place to raise a family, but you still have some good restaurants nearby as well as all of the necessities, and you're less than 10 minutes from some of the more upscale stuff in Park Slope and probably about 30 minutes from Manhattan. Your husbands commute would probably be about 35-45 minutes, however, taking the Q train to Union Square and changing to the 4/5.
As others have said, do not eliminate Westchester from your search. And for artsy and hip, consider the river towns like Dobbs Ferry. These town are a quick 20-30 minute train ride to Grand Central, giving easy access not just for work, but also for leisure. Schools are better, so private schools are not a necessity. You will have a much easier time finding a decent home in your budget. And Westchester itself, has arts, cuisine and culture rivalling even medium sized cities.
If you are intent on being in the 5 boros, you could consider Riverdale in the Bronx and parts of Brooklyn, but the commute would be similar to Westchester.
Location-wise, the upper East side would be ideal, but prices are astronomical.
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