OT: Moving to New York--Advice Wanted!
Question:
So, it seems my newly minted Master's degree is worth something after all--I've just accepted a job as a programmer with an outfit in Uniondale, Long Island. Now I need to find somewhere to live. My primary goal is something convenient to mass transit, both east- and west-bound, so that I can get to my job or to Manhattan as easily as possible, and still not have to own a car. (I'm looking for a one-bedroom in the $1000 neighborhood.) I've been looking at living in Queens, possibly in the Jamaica section, which seems centrally located and convenient to both the LIRR (for work) and the MTA (for the city). I am therefore seeking the advice of any New Yorkers here, on several questions: is Jamaica a decent place to live? Would there be somewhere better suited to my goals? What is the apartment rental process like in the city--should I be talking to a real estate agent, or looking through classifieds like the Voice and Craig's List? Perhaps most importantly, I'm looking for advice on the logistics of finding an apartment. I'm currently in Louisville, KY, and not entirely sure how best to manage the process--do I spend a lot of time here researching things and making appointments, and then fly up to check out places I've already found, or do I fly up now, crash with friends, and spend a week doing the research "on site"? How long does the typical apartment (in the boroughs) stay available--a day, a week, a month? Any advice
Answer:
_Generally speaking, absolutely not! Geez! Some of the surrounding
neighborhoods are okay, if you like quasi-suburban places, but then you'd
have to, for example, take buses to the subway or to the LIRR, which,
trust me, can be a hassle, and you'd quickly find you'd wish you had a
car. If you're under the impression that eastern Queens is adequately
served by public transportation -- well, it is, but only by comparison to
a place like Seattle. Not sure. One possibility would be to give up on this goal of not having
a car. I mean, it's Long Island. Then you could live in a variety of
places, including various Long Island suburbs. You'd still have access
to the LIRR to get to Manhattan. But then you'd be a suburbanite.
Are you even sure that the relevant LIRR station is walkable to your place
of employment? There's the unreliable Nassau County bus system to
consider too.If the LIRR is actually something you can take to work, consider living
somewhat further west in Queens. If I'm right about what the relevant
LIRR line would be, there are LIRR stations at Forest Hills
and Kew Gardens, I believe, which aren't too far from Jamaica, aren't
unreasonably far from Manhattan by subway, and are more or less habitable
quasi-urban neighborhoods, if somewhat depressing. Even further west is
Woodside, the first stop after Penn Station for what I think the relevant
LIRR lines are, and that's very close to Manhattan.
I'm not sure that $1000 for a one-bedroom apartment in any of these places
is realistic, though it might be. In Manhattan, FAPP, studio apartments
are now renting for over $2000. Check the New York Times. I wouldn't think you'd need to go with a rental agent for non-Manhattan
apartments, but times may have changed.
I'm not sure how useful Craigslist would be for the New York area. I'd
check the New York Times first.
_I don't think you should even consider living within the city limits
of NYC. With a job in Uniondale you should be looking for an
apartment nearby. I would check East Meadow first - and you do need a
car! No one on Long Island goes without a car except some welfare
clients.
Staying out of Queens means you won't have to pay NYC income tax so
that's a saving right there. Owning a car in Queens will saddle you
with onerous insurance costs, but I can't vouch for the rates in
Nassau. You would do well to buy a car in KY and drive it up. Keep
your KY plates as long as you can and then switch when you feel
established. By bringing the car in you may avoid sales tax in New
York. (On any car, used or new, you buy in NY they ask for a bill of
sale at registration and then hit you with the sales tax. The same
goes for out-of-state purchases but you would be a KY resident moving
to NY with an owned vehicle).
You should be thinking in terms of living close to your job and then
when you have some experience and know the lay of the land you can
then find something else. Newsday has some listings on line at
http://www.newsday.com/ and it looks like studios are going for $1000
to $1200
If you have friends in the area they should be checking apartments for
you now, and scoping out neighborhoods also.
_Since I've never even seen New York or Long Island I thought I'd add my
advice.
I think you're probably in the wrong website here. I would suggest
that misc.transport.urban-transit is a more appropriate place to post.
People in this website will stalk and kill a past participle; people in
misc.transport.urban-transit will have memorized the second by second
timetables for every New York subway line and the LIRR :)
If you don't want to own a car, (Well done that man) you might want to
consider a bicycle in combination with transit for commuting. In
particular, a folding bicycle, such as the Brompton, the Bike Friday or
the Dahon. These bikes can be taken on transit with no problem and make
"ride and bike' a handy way to get around when distances may be a bit
much for daily cycling yet transit is just not as convenient as one
might like. Have a look at
http://www.transalt.org/features/foldingbike.html for a New York site
that discusses
Submit Your Comments and Answers
