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The West Village and Chelsea are Manhattan's gay hotspots. I'm straight so I'm not the source on this, but I see a lot of black gay guys in the West Village, especially right around the PATH train on Christopher Street (in fact, is that a gay black club right next to the station entrance?)... so I'm not sure if they're coming in from Jersey City or what? Might be an option, although I don't know of much of a gay scene in Jersey.
From 125th to West 4th (Harlem to the Village) on the A or D express trains is about a 15 to 20 minute ride, so not so bad. I don't know if I agree that 125th/7th area is louder than other parts of Harlem at night.... once the sun goes down everything on 125th closes. It's really busy during the day but it's pretty dead after dark.
At first I thought that apt. looked nice, but then I realized that each room is only about 7 feet wide. A 7 foot wide bedroom and a 7 foot wide living room? Kind of narrow. Sounds more like a studio than a one-bedroom.
(I calculated based on knowing that the height of the window is about 7 feet, which means it's about 3.5 feet wide, and the space on the sides of the windows looks approx. equivalent to the width of window.)
As someone (straight) who lives in the W.Village, I can assure you there is no shortage of black gay men walking around. And to reinforce what others have said, there are no shortage of train lines that run to here, so you'll have no trouble getting here even if you don't live here.
Just for the love of god, please try to remember at 4AM when the bars kick you out...some people actually live in all those buildings that aren't Mod cut: languageNYU bars...
From 125th to West 4th (Harlem to the Village) on the A or D express trains is about a 15 to 20 minute ride, so not so bad. I don't know if I agree that 125th/7th area is louder than other parts of Harlem at night.... once the sun goes down everything on 125th closes. It's really busy during the day but it's pretty dead after dark.
There aren't any apartments on 125th and 7th Avenue. I was just including it in the range up to 145th. If there were, I personally wouldn't live there because the front of Ennis Francis tends to get crowded during the summer, the White Castle draws crowds sometimes and there is the occasional event in front of the state building. The cross street doesn't become dead until well into the evening, especially on the weekends and when the weather is warmer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Henna
At first I thought that apt. looked nice, but then I realized that each room is only about 7 feet wide. A 7 foot wide bedroom and a 7 foot wide living room? Kind of narrow. Sounds more like a studio than a one-bedroom.
(I calculated based on knowing that the height of the window is about 7 feet, which means it's about 3.5 feet wide, and the space on the sides of the windows looks approx. equivalent to the width of window.)
The unit is definitely small, but, as a grown man, I'd take it over sharing any day of the week. The photographs do leave a lot to be desired. Whenever obvious photographs are missing (i.e., the kitchen, bathroom, etc.), I question whether there is something the owner is trying to hide or whether the owner doesn't know how to market the product correctly. So much time could be saved on both ends if a variety of accurate photographs were included in these listings.
Between 110th and 125th, the safest avenues are 8th (Frederick Douglas), Manhattan and Morningside. Between 110th and 120th, Columbus and Broadway are safe also, but the rents may be higher since the neighborhood demographic changes (Columbia University is located here).
I misspoke when I said Columbus, here. Instead of Columbus, I mean Amsterdam.
You should have no problems living in either Manhattan or Brooklyn. Most gay black women do not have issues in the neighborhoods that have been mentioned. One thing to keep in mind, and I may be wrong, is that there is no specific area where gay black women hang out. Chelsea would not seem to be a place where you would hang out at since it tends to cater to men. The West Village is easy to get to and it may be the one of the better hang out spots but a lot of straight places around the city tend to have a good number of gay women that hang out there.
I don't see the safety of the previously mentioned neighborhoods significantly changing in the next couple of months. The right broker is worth their weight in gold. A broker will often have apartments that aren't readily accessible on the open market. The downside to using one is, of course, cost.
I think the key to successfully finding a deal is treating your apartment search with the same intensity that you would if you were looking for employment. When I was searching for an apartment, I found a studio in a modern brownstone, on a very quiet street, for $700. I was at home on the computer and checking the listings every hour or so. A little before midnight, an apartment was placed on Craigslist and I e-mailed the owner since there wasn't a contact number. When I woke up in the morning, the owner contacted me and I went to view the apartment an hour or two later. I liked what I saw and the apartment was removed from Craigslist shortly thereafter.
I just did a quick search on Craigslist and I believe you'd be able to find an apartment without a broker, in a decent neighborhood, for a fair price. As an example, I've attached a listing I came across.
Thanks again! your like a little walking NYC encyclopedia lol. So since i dont want to move until May is it to early to really start searching now? im doing it now cause its Christmas break at my school so i have a lot of time on my hands. should i start in April? I have a slew of websites saved in my favorites on my computer and craigslist is there!
Most people in the city dont really care if you're gay or straight so you can live anywhere and I would think you'd feel comfortable. The gay people I know in Latino and African American families dont seem to experience any different reactions than gay people in white families. Maybe things are a bit more laid back here than down south.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 12-27-2008 at 07:24 PM..
Reason: Edited for tone, and took out comment about the South .....
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