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I've recently accepted a summer internship in the Garment District of Manhattan. I was really excited, as I never been to New York, but the apartment search has kind of deflated the enthusiasm I felt only days ago! My boyfriend plans on traveling with me, and we are looking for a Studio/ 1 Bedroom apartment. So far I found Inwood and Upper Manhattan to fit our price range of under $1300/month, but have read that commuting is no easy task. It has been suggested we look at Brooklyn or Queens. Being completely new to the city, this search is extremely overwhelming, especially with the completely negative knowledge we have of the transportation system! Another problem we seem to be finding is the short-term lease. We will only be in the city for 3 months and have found that most places have a minimum of 12+ months. Craigslist hasn't given us much hope yet, since we are trying to plan further in advance to make sure we have a place to live. Any help, input, and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Transportation from Inwood/upper Manhattan to any other part of Manhattan is beyond easy. Same with 3 of the outer-boroughs to "the city" = Manhattan. There are buses that go uptown/downtown (Avenues) and buses that go cross-town - Streets. There are subways and the transportation runs 24 hours a day.
You will have a difficult time finding a 3-month lease. You might do better finding a sublet. Many rentals are listed with realtors, unfortunately - and you pay a hefty fee. I've not had the displeasure of having to find my own apt in NYC so I'm not the best person to advise you on that. But relax on the transportation issues.
Also, you might want to look into some areas of NJ. NYC AND the local counties in NJ have the best transportation systems in the country; so don't listen to people saying that "commuting is no easy task" if you are staying in the immediate vicinity of Manhattan. It'll shock you, surprise you, scare the bejeepers out of you if you are not a city girl, but it's there. Leave you car at home - you not only can't use it, it will cost you a WHOLE LOTTA money to bring it into the city.
I don't get it. If the destination every day is the garment district, the easiest commute is a straight shot up or down the West side and Inwood/Washington Heights/other parts of "upper Manhattan" are in that straight shot. It would be much worse to get there from someplace in Queens or Brooklyn.The only other alternative location( given your price range) might be someplace in The Bronx on the 2 line such as Pelham Parkway.There is a reason why the mass of people who inhabited Pelham Parkway and worked in the garment district in the 30's through 70's and 80's were known as " the Seventh Avenue gang". It's because the 2 serves that neighborhood and runs express up and down the west Side.
You will have to find a sublet wherever you go,no question about that.
Another alternative would be to find a room in someone's apartment that you can share.With a little effort you could probably accomplish this and open up a lot of other neighborhoods.
OP, have you looked at a map of Manhattan (NYC to many people) and the "boroughs" (the REST of NYC)? This is a good one for an overview of the city by areas AND it shows the "river crossings" in red. When trying to find an apt or rental in "the city" keep in mind that most people ARE referring to ONLY Manhattan and not ALL of NYC. NYC is divided into 5 boroughs, Manhattan being one: the rest of the boroughs (4 more) by specific name: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx.
It would be much worse to get there from someplace in Queens or Brooklyn.
Actually, there are several neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens that have a very easy commute to the Garment District, assuming this means somewhere in the vicinity of 39th and 40th Streets between 7th and 8th Ave.
The 7, N, Q, R and W trains goes to Times Square and the A, C, E go to 34th St. Penn Station and 42nd St/8th Ave.
The easiest way to get this info is to start with google maps - if you zoom in on the area and click on the train icons you will see which lines are served by which stations. Then go to the MTA.info site and check the larger system map; follow each line out to see where they go -- if you want to stay on one line for your commute, it should be easy to find a place.
Off the top of my head, I would think that in Queens, Sunnyside, Astoria or Jackson Heights would be good areas (and all affordable). Close-in Brooklyn neighborhoods tend to be more expensive than close-in Queens neighborhoods, but there would certainly be options there as well.
If you chose a sublet in Sunnyside, Queens, that is near the 7 train, you would have about a 15 minute ride on the train and then a few minutes walk (depending on exact location of internship).
There are tons of sublets available on craigslist, esp. in the summer.
Actually, there are several neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens that have a very easy commute to the Garment District, assuming this means somewhere in the vicinity of 39th and 40th Streets between 7th and 8th Ave.
The 7, N, Q, R and W trains goes to Times Square and the A, C, E go to 34th St. Penn Station and 42nd St/8th Ave.
The easiest way to get this info is to start with google maps - if you zoom in on the area and click on the train icons you will see which lines are served by which stations. Then go to the MTA.info site and check the larger system map; follow each line out to see where they go -- if you want to stay on one line for your commute, it should be easy to find a place.
Off the top of my head, I would think that in Queens, Sunnyside, Astoria or Jackson Heights would be good areas (and all affordable). Close-in Brooklyn neighborhoods tend to be more expensive than close-in Queens neighborhoods, but there would certainly be options there as well.
If you chose a sublet in Sunnyside, Queens, that is near the 7 train, you would have about a 15 minute ride on the train and then a few minutes walk (depending on exact location of internship).
There are tons of sublets available on craigslist, esp. in the summer.
Henna,you are absolutely right.I never think of the closer in Queens neighborhoods as affordable but I guess they can be.Also(and ashamed to admit) that I hardly ever use those subway lines and forgot that they go over to Times SQ.I always think of Queens as having great access to the East side but having to switch trains to get to West side locations.I run my life by express trains and stops with no changes if at all possible.
Please forgive.I have to go back and study my subway maps after all these years.
I am really not sure by what you meant that communting is no easy task. You step into a hot crowded subway car or bus and then hold onto to metal pole for 45 minutes. That's all there is to it.
I am really not sure by what you meant that communting is no easy task. You step into a hot crowded subway car or bus and then hold onto to metal pole for 45 minutes. That's all there is to it.
Having lived in places where there was one bus - per day - each way - to the nearest town, taking a subway in NYC is no easy task -- at first. It takes getting used to the rushing, pushing, sardine jamming of NYC in rush hour - and that's just getting in the elevator getting out of one's apartment! LOL Seriously, though, for someone coming from a small town - or even a small city in the middle of our country, it is daunting - and even scary. Now imagine that the someone is a young college woman.
NYers and those who commute here don't know how scary it can be.
It is more than stepping into the hot crowded subway car and holding on. First you have to go down the steps that it seems like everyone else on the planet is coming UP; then you have to wait on the platform and get pushed onto the train before those getting off have a chance to do so; and then, when you finally reach your destination, you have to squeeze your way to the doors, hope to get there before the thing starts to move again, etc. It's definitely an adventure.
As a vertically challenged colleged aged female I have never been "afraid" of the subway. If people are afraid that someone might bump their precious shoulder maybe they should not come here.
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