Greetings, New Yorkers -

I am planning to move to NYC, and have these questions:

1) I'm assuming that I'll need at least $10K for a cross-country move, plus first, last, and deposit on an apartment in NYC. Does that sound right to you?

2) I'd like to wind up living in the East 60s - preferably, E 60th between 2nd and 3rd, or somewhere very close to that. How safe is this area considered to be, for a single woman living alone? And is there a "best" way to go about finding an apartment in this region (an agent, for example?)

3) I've seen the corner markets in NYC, but what do people who love to cook do? Often, the ingredients required are more than these corner markets offer. Where do you go for a wide variety of great, fresh produce, herbs, fish, etc?

4) Where in NYC can you find a great crumpet (a round, buttermilk English muffin type thing with a tough top, tough bottom, and fluffy middle?)

Thank you in advance!

1) my sister just moved from NYC to LA and the move itself cost $5000...moving her stuff. So yes, I think $10K is a good estimate to move plus have the security deposit, first, and last month's rent.

2) very safe. Probably very expensive as well.

3) there are many many "real" grocery stores, don't worry. Lots of farmers markets as well.

4) ???

Kate:

Hi!

To help you answer the last question, on my last trip to NYC (by myself) there was a small fish and chips place in the East Village that I stumbled upon. It was called "A Salt and Battery." It had great fish and chips, plus a few meat pies and English sodas.

You might inquire there to see if either they make them there or they may know where to get the best.

Good Luck!!!

Kate:

I have the address and phone number for A Salt and Battery.

It is:

A Salt and Battery (original location)
112 Greenwich Avenue |
Manhattan, NY 10011-7704
212-691-2713




A Salt & Battery (second location)
80 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003
between 4th and 5th Sts.
212-254-6610

GL,

Rick



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2006 09:37PM by (n/a).

YUCHHH! Crumpets are horrible...when all the butter melts through them they go all soggy and sickly!

Kate
i have live for years on E6Oth bween Park & Lex. it is very safe & being mainly a commercial area you wont' find many grocery stores: the Food Emporium on 3rd av is good and also Garage Gourmet a little further east. The best in the area is Grace's Market on 70th st. i wish i was still living in nyc...enjoy it all

There's also Whole Foods at Columbus Circle.

I used to live around that area. While it was convenient for subway, shopping etc, I found it too commercial and noisy and lacking character.

If you are going to use an agent, the fee could be anything between one month's rent to 15% of the annual rent. This is also one of the most expensive areas of Manhattan.

My dad is a doorman on E.60 & the apts are all coops. Studios start WELL over 500k........not to mention maintenance of over 1000 a month.

A Salt and Battery serves fish & chips. The crumpets are at Tea & Sympathy, the traditional English tea house run by the same people. It's at Greenwich Avenue and Jane Street in the village. If you want packaged British goods, there's a British specialty grocery store called Myers of Keswick also in that neighborhood.

There's a huge, new Food Emporium in the Bridgemarket complex at 59th Street and 1st Avenue. But I find the products - especially the produce - in "mainstream" Manhattan grocery stores to be pretty limp. The best alternatives in my mind are either to hit the *huge* Union Square open air greenmarket or to order online from Fresh Direct, which has a lot of very lovely ingredients. For very high quality meat and fish, there's Fresh Direct, there's a mini-chain called Citarella and there's also an interesting specialty market in a side hall of Grand Central.

You'll love freshdirect.com -- just browse their web site. If you're really into fresh ingredients, there are lots of greenmarkets. I just returned from the Union Square market (four days a week, with the biggest market on Saturday), with gorgeous local produce.