Reverse Commuting to Upper Nyack from Manhattan (New York, Inwood: apartments, rental)
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Hi. I will be moving to New York next month, because of a new job in Upper Nyack that pays 55k a year. I'm 28 years old and live with my wife. We have no children. As we both love New York City, we are thinking of renting an apartment in Manhattan, probably Upper West, and I would commute to Upper Nyack everyday. Does that sound reasonable? Does anyone know how would that be if I use public transport? Would it be possible to drive, assuming that I would be required to rent a parking space near home? THANKS!
Public transportation is a no-go. I wouldn't go that route at all. Remember that you're going to have to show that you earn 40X your monthly rent annually, so your top rent would be $1375, which won't get you much, if anything, in terms of apartments, in Manhattan. And don't forget to factor in NYC income tax. AND parking is going to cost at LEAST $400/month.
Your best bet would be to live more locally to your work and come in to the city now and then.
Going to Rockland county from Manhattan is difficult, even if there's no traffic, due to the river crossing. The George Washington Bridge will be a bear to cross twice a day during rush hour.
What part of Manhattan were you planning on moving to? If you absolutely must live in Manhattan, it'd be a good idea to live somewhere close to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal like Washington Heights or Inwood, and catching the N. Nyack bus from there. Although crossing the bridge will be a pain, but at least it wouldn't take much time to get home or to the terminal on the Manhattan side.
Have you considered moving to northern New Jersey? The daily commute to N. Nyack and getting into Manhattan for entertainment during non-rush-hour times would make your life a lot easier. Also, you'll find NJ's cheaper rents more affordable on your budget. Another bonus is that in NJ you're likely to get free or cheap parking where you live.
Good luck.
Last edited by Pivot Point; 03-03-2009 at 07:15 AM..
Thanks for your replies! I'm aware that living in Manhattan might be too expensive and a pain because of daily travel to Upper Nyack. One of the reasons why I thought of Manhattan is that my wife won't be able to work, as we are Chileans and she does not have a working visa. We'll be in the US for 2 or 3 years only. For that reason, I want to live somewhere she can easily find entertainment, go out walking, visit museums, see people, etc... I would certainly consider northern NJ, as long as it's easy to come into the city by public transport, and a reasonable commute to Nyack. Which cities, towns would you recommend? THANKS!
I agree with Marie1249's suggestion of NNJ, since it's less expensive, offers a relatively easy commute to Nyack, and offers an easy commute to NYC for entertainment pursuits. In Manhattan, your budget would be stretched thin to keep a car, even factoring the high New Jersey insurance rates. On the UWS, you would be looking at a tiny studio for your rental range.
Another option would be to live in a place like Nyack or Piermont, since during off-peak times it's much easier to get to Manhattan for entertainment pursuits. That way, you'd have a very easy daily work commute, and they are close enough that it would be feasible to go downtown several times a week if you so desired.
In either area, you would avoid paying city income taxes as well.
If you want to stay in the city, however, and commute to Nyack, I would recommend looking into parts of The Bronx, particularly Riverdale as it's on the Hudson shore. Rents are not going to be as inexpensive as parts of NNJ in this area, however, it's a great neighborhood and has easy access to Manhattan. You could definitely find a 1BR in range, and sometimes some smaller 2BR apartments in parts of the neighborhood would be in range, though likely not in a full amenity building, and bedroom two would be small.
Riverdale is a much easier drive to Nyack than from Manhattan because you avoid much of the city congestion, having direct access to the Henry Hudson Parkway. And, it's also easy to own a vehicle as many people do in the area. In parts of the neighborhood you can find street parking if your apartment does not offer it, especially since you're a daily commuter and would likely move prior to the alternate side regulations that come into play on some streets. Some do not have these regulations, but they are generally where there are single family homes, not where there are multi-unit buildings.
Street parking depends upon vehicle, however, since there are some that I would not leave on the street on a daily basis, but friends of mine used to leave their second vehicle, a Hyundai SUV, on the street and nothing happened to it, but garaged their ML so as not to tempt fate (at a much lower rate than they were paying for the same vehicle on the UES previously). And, if you're on a stair street, there can be issues on the fringes of the neighborhood if it's a first stair street, sicne they are used by miscreants to exact property crimes against vehicles. It's not usually a problem with a second or third staircase on such streets, though.
New Jersey towns to consider include Fort Lee, Englewood, Teaneck, Leonia, Oradell, Edgewater, Palisades Park, and Cliffside Park. They are all very close to the GW Bridge and a straight line to N. Nyack.
Public transportation is a no-go. I wouldn't go that route at all. Remember that you're going to have to show that you earn 40X your monthly rent annually, so your top rent would be $1375, which won't get you much, if anything, in terms of apartments, in Manhattan. And don't forget to factor in NYC income tax. AND parking is going to cost at LEAST $400/month.
Your best bet would be to live more locally to your work and come in to the city now and then.
While I agree it seems like a hassle to commute upstate every day, if you're coming here to experience the city, then I can see why you may be prepared to do the drive.
There is no reason why you need to park in a garage and pay $400 per month. Since you will leave every day during the week during the street cleaning rules, when you are not permitted to park on a certain side of the street for about 3 hours, then there will be ample parking when you arrive home. Most of the difficulty comes when you take the train to work and leave your car on the street, in which event it cannot be on the side that has the street cleaning for the day. So people fight for the other side the night before, while the side to be cleaned the following day is far easier to get parking.
Dont believe the hype, not everyone has the same high standards and needs (such as doorman buildings or "white" neighborhoods) so yes, there are apartments to be had in your price range but they may be fairly grungy. Again, if you want an EASIER life then definitely rent in Nyack or in the surrounding towns, but if you dont mind dealing with a little grit in the city, then perhaps for your temporary purposes its worth it.
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