Hello everybody:

I have a very general question, but one that is difficult for me to find an answer to. I would like to move to NYC for my PhD studies, move from Europe, that is, and I don't know where to look for a place to live... I have gathered that Manhattan is way too expensive, and the rest of the neighborhoods are veiled in a number of myths about dangerous or peculiar they are. Nonetheless, I am sure that there are people that live in NYC that are not criminals, tough police officers or super rich savage business people.

So, a shout to all you "regular" people in NYC: where do you live?

Thanx,

Marie

There are a few things you have to remember about the whole NYC real estate thing: up until about 1997, things were VERY different. The whole city was much more affordable, and more dangerous. Over the past 10 years, one bad thing and one good thing happened. The bad thing is that Manhattan became tremendously expensive. The good thing is that the city became, for the US, relatively safe as a whole.

This is just to explain that there are plenty of people who aren't rich who live in Manhattan, even though -you- won't be able to. They've just lived there SINCE BEFORE 1997. Oracle, for instance. Or my parents. Or my friend Alison. Alison inherited her apartment from her mother, who bought it 30 years ago when it was very cheap. On the Upper West Side, where one bedroom apartments rent -right now- for $2500/month, there are plenty of old people and families living there ... who have been living there since the 1970s, or 1980s, or even early 1990s.

Meanwhile, many of the rest of us now live in neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens or even the Bronx that were considered more "peculiar" 20 years ago, but now that Manhattan is unaffordable, are very, very popular. I live in Astoria, where a lot of Czech people live! Also in Queens there's Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Long Island City, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills ... and in Brooklyn there's Greenpoint, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Sunset Park, Red Hook, and even further out neighborhoods like Midwood, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Brighton Beach. (They're safe, but the commute is long.)

Many working class people also live on Staten Island, but the commute from there is TRULY awful.

Agreed, most of Manhattan is unaffordable, but then if you have a roommate, it's a totally different story. I live in a one-bedroom apt. in a walk-up bldg. on the UES, and have been here for quite a while. My building has 20 apts., half are studios (one room, kitchenette and bathroom) and half are one bedrooms, like mine. When I moved in, all the studios and most of the 1BR apts. were occupied by singles. These days, nearly every 1BR and most of the studios are shares. Because there's such a large stock of similar buildings in the neighborhood, it has made the population quadruple (by my own estimate), yet mass transit hasn't improved a bit. So the UES -- and I don't mean the "gold coast" of 5th-Madison-Park Aves. -- has become the cheapest place to rent in Manhattan. It's also made my commute on the #6 pure hell.

The best advice I can offer is to get a sublet via the NY Times or craigslist.com so you'll have a base from which to explore. Plus, it's nearly impossible to rent an apt. long distance. And check out the neighborhoods. You know, many Queens and some Brooklyn locations are closer to midtown Manhattan than are some way uptown, in Washington Heights, Inwood, etc.

Red & Oracle you two are a fountain of information and I love all the little stories with your answers. Oracle, I always wondered is the bus that much slower than the 6 to your place? I thought you brought up a good point about transportation not keeping up with the population. Since your Mayor takes the same line I am surprised he has not brought it up himself.

Marie, take Oracle's advice - sublet first. Good luck to you.

Oracle makes a very good point about people living together. I have friends in an $1800 1-bedroom on the upper east side - they're married, they both work, so they essentially pay $900 each, which isn't all THAT bad.

Hello all, I am in the process of looking for a place to rent in NYC. I have recently began looking in Bay Ridge brooklyn. I know nothing about it however. I am looking for a safe neighborhood, with easy access to the manhattan area. Is there something that jumps out to anyone that may help me direct my search?