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esmith, 1k / mo in NYC is roomate territory. Kensington Brooklyn is a mostly Hasidic area which borders some sketchy parts of BK. Jersey City can be very scary and nicer parts of close-in NJ like hoboken are way outside your range.
You should consider commuter rails vs. subway, i.e. PATH train from NJ or a few LIRR stops can be faster than the subway.
Google Robert Hill, he usually has a lot of efficiency apartments in the sub-2k/mo range in UES neighborhoods like Yorkville. There are a lot of entry-level I-bankers and similar in that area.
One thing to remember about NYC is that "slightly sketchy" is 100x worse than the worst San Diego neighborhood, knowing how you feel about most of San Diego (i.e. I remember you thought Hillcrest was an unsafe area) you will probably not feel safe in most of NYC, especially outer boros and especially the low-rent areas like Harlem, Jersey City, etc.
I would look at Astoria Queens and Bay Ridge, if you can accept 45 minutes or so. Really even from almost anywhere in Manhattan to Wall Street can take 20 minutes door-to-door, trains can get full, etc.
Originally posted by Sassberto--> One thing to remember about NYC is that "slightly sketchy" is 100x worse than the worst San Diego neighborhood
This line stopped me dead in my tracks. Elaborate, please.
Regarding the portion of Manhattan from the Upper East and West Sides to downtown, how would you describe general safety in this area? Where are the problem patches in this swath?
I fear that you're going to say that much of Manhattan is "slightly sketchy," meaning that much of Manhattan is 100x worse than the Barrio and City Heights. And that the rest of Manhattan is merely 50x worse than the likes of Hillcrest and Pacific Beach. Yikes!
Regarding the portion of Manhattan from the Upper East and West Sides to downtown, how would you describe general safety in this area? Where are the problem patches in this swath?
I fear that you're going to say that much of Manhattan is "slightly sketchy," meaning that much of Manhattan is 100x worse than the likes of Hillcrest, North Park, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, etc. And that the rest of Manhattan is merely 50x worse than Diego! Yikes.
Much of Manhattan is very nice and relatively speaking, very safe. However it is certainly no "safer" than Hillcrest or North Park! In fact I would say that the general safety level in NYC is about the same as mid-city San Diego. The reality is that very little actual crime happens in most of San Diego and NYC is a much bigger city. There are many sketchy areas in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, that have no analog in San Diego... more murders occur in some individual neighborhoods than occur citywide in San Diego! Does that mean you should fear for your life? No. But be realistic, people get beaten, mugged and robbed all the time in NYC, just like they do in San Diego.
NY'ers are much more street-smart than San Diegans and have a much higher tolerance for grit than San Diegans. That means that most NY'ers would not consider Hillcrest or North Park to be "dangerous" neighborhoods, in fact they would probably laugh if they heard that. Kensington or PLG or Prospect Heights is the perfect example - most San Diegans would run away in fear for their lives in those areas, even though while slightly sketchy, they are nowhere near as bad as the truly bad areas they are close to.
esmith, 1k / mo in NYC is roomate territory. Kensington Brooklyn is a mostly Hasidic area which borders some sketchy parts of BK.
Actually, Kensington is an extremely diverse area. I wouldn't call it "mostly" anything. It is less than 50% white. All City New York: Little Bangledesh
I live in Astoria and work in the FiDi. My commute is about an hour door to door and I don't mind it at all. I can take the R right outside of my house and get off at Rector street. Sometimes its better to have a longer commute if you just have to take one train rather than a shorter commute where you have to transfer a lot and go up and down long flights of stairs, wait for a new train, wait for another empty seat etc. If I was in your position I would think about taking a commuter bus or the regular bus to a share in Yorkville or look for a share in Brooklyn Heights. I just hate when the trains get overcrowded in the morning and prefer getting around the city by bus if possible.
If I were to get a job in Manhattan, let's say Downtown, somewhere around WTC ... would it be possible to rent a studio apartment in a reasonably safe area, where I won't be in danger of getting robbed on my way home in the evening, for $1000/month within a 20 min. commute?
Jersey City, near the Journal Square stop on the Path Train. You can get a real 1BR for around that price. You will not get robbed on your way home in the evening, but you will pass sketchy-looking people that will mostly leave you alone. If you are coming back from manhattan late at night, then you will pass a lot of sketchy activity, but twenty-three year old white yuppie girls that were raised in the burbs do the walk, so whatever.
I don't need to live in that exact area, a 20 minute commute would do. Let's say midtown or Brooklyn. Can that be done for $1000 .. 1200?
Yikes! 45-60 min. is out of the question. How much am I looking at within 20 min?
Yes, you can find something in that range for a studio. A friend of mine had a studio in the Upper West Side (in the high 80s), walking distance to Central Park, and just a few blocks from the train for $1100. And that's a 20 min or less trip. I travelled from Harlem and got to Union Square in about 20 minutes, and that's even further apart.
Just go through a craig's list search and you'll find something.
Astoria also isn't that nice. I don't care for it...but it isn't the ghetto or anything. It's simply just "ok".
And I hate to burst your bubble, but it isn't exactly easy to get jobs in Manhattan these days. Definitely do not move until you have a job lined up for sure. I have been looking for a new job for a year and a half already and I have 2 degrees and 5 years working experience under my belt.
Best of luck to you.
I am sorry about your job situation and I hope you will find the right job soon. I have to tell you that You make me feel better As a non US citizen with a masters degree from a top American school, I have been looking for a job in my field for more than 2 years with no luck. I felt so bad at that time. Now, I work but it is not related to what I studied for my master.
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As a non US citizen with a masters degree from a top American school, I have been looking for a job in my field for more than 2 years with no luck. I felt so bad at that time. Now, I work but it is not related to what I studied for my master.
