Good neighbourhoods in Manhattan

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Livethedream

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I am looking for a safe, affordable neighbourhood in Manhattan that has good transport services. Any suggestions? Chelsea comes highly recommended, as does Greenwich Village.
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LOL! Affordable? Those are both wonderful neighborhoods, but I couldn't afford either of them!
 
Unless you are literally willing to live in a room ... or share a studio with others, the words "affordable" and "Manhattan" are like oil and water.

Most working class people who are employed in Manhattan live in Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and ride the subway into the city.
 
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ah yes...Manhattan is by no means affordable...:(
 
It is an unusual neighborhood, but many younger people, especially students, who want to live in Manhattan are going to Washington Hts. (I think 160's to 190's). Columbia University and Yeshiva University (I think part of CUNY is also there) are pumping a great deal of money there to help revive things.

Of course the coolest place is Queens. Not everyone can last in Queens. John Gotti didn't make it and Jam Master Jay didn't make it but the Mets are here to stay! M-E-T-S! Mets, Mets, Mets!!!:hardy: Also, the alien ships on the old World's Fair grounds which Will Smith pointed out in Men In Black!:laugh: "Why elese would the World's Fair be in Queens.":laugh:
 
I apologize for my foolish comment!:oops: I'm from Ireland so I have a very limited knowledge on New York!
 
Livethedream said:
I apologize for my foolish comment!:oops: I'm from Ireland so I have a very limited knowledge on New York!
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No worries. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea of where to live in Dublin.

Anyway, I just thought I'd suggest also looking into living in one of the New Jersey suburbs and taking the commuter train into Penn Station. To live around New York City is to try to balance desirable location with square footage of living space.
 
My friends who have moved to NY after college seem to be in Brooklyn. Manhattan is for the 20-something who work in investment banking or other financial positions where they are making good money. I'm not sure that a grad student stipend could do it.
 
My friends who have moved to NY after college seem to be in Brooklyn. Manhattan is for the 20-something who work in investment banking or other financial positions where they are making good money. I'm not sure that a grad student stipend could do it.

However, your Euros will go very far here!
 
I live in Astoria and I love it! The rent is so cheap compared to Manhattan, and it takes me 15 minutes tops to get to midtown. I used to live on the upper east side and I paid twice as much for a tiny apartment over a garbage truck depot! I now live in an elevator builing with laundry rooms on every other floor and a gym in the basement. TOTALLY worth the move! Also, I work in Soho and it takes me roughly 40 minutes to get to work. If you do look in Astoria, I would recommend the Broadway stop.
Good luck!! Feel free to PM me with any additional questions. I was born and raised in NYC, and live here now, so I would be happy to help! :)
 
I would also look into suburbs in New Jersey (Try various towns in Hudson County). They usually have very accessible and affordable transportation to NY and its (for the most part) cheaper than living in Manhattan.
 
Where will you be attending school? I live in the East Village, and although it's gentrifying by the minute, it's still more affordable than the West Village & Chelsea. And actually, many 20somethings live on the Upper East Side. I know people immediately think of fancy Park Avenue apartments, but the 70s--90s, around 1st & 2nd Avenue or so, are very decent & can be more affordable. Many young professionals also live in Murray Hill & Midtown East, although of course, everywhere you look is getting "hotter" very quickly.
NYC has a great public transportation system, so wherever you are, you'll probably be able to easily get to a bus or subway, and there are many connections available. :) Good luck!
 
Ella_Mental said:
Washington Heights is pretty young and inexpensive but also, IMO, somewhat dangerous. My advice: spend your money elsewhere. Try the other 3 boroughs...my suggestions are Red Hook(BK), Astoria (QN), Bayridge (BK), Bayside (QN) Old Town (SI), Jackson Heights (QN)...and stay outta' the last burough (The Bronx).

*Ella

=)
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These suggestions are good (although I had no idea people were choosing to live in Staten Island these days!). I would add Williamsburg (BK-getting expensive, though), Park Slope (BK), Cobble Hill (BK), Long Island City (QN), and Hoboken (NJ). It definitely depends where you'll be going to school-- check out the subway routes and find out if the lines you'd have to take are reliable.

There was an article in (i think) the New Yorker a while back about how the half-life of NYC hipster neighborhoods is getting shorter and shorter-- quickly going from 1) being run down to 2) being full of artists and musicians to 3) being gentrified, too expensive, and full of Pottery Barns.
 
Ella_Mental said:
IHoboken is an INSANELY FUN place to live and great place to party!
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Yes.....still expensive, but less than mid-town, etc. If you dont' want to live IN the city, Hoboken would be a nice alternative. They are doing a lot to refurb some of the houses and it really is up and coming.

-t
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
Yes.....still expensive, but less than mid-town, etc. If you dont' want to live IN the city, Hoboken would be a nice alternative. They are doing a lot to refurb some of the houses and it really is up and coming.

-t
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Hoboken isn't exactly what I'd call up and coming, its already there haha. I think you'd be hard pressed to find an affordable apt on a stipend unless you had a roommate. Downtown Jersey City is the same way - kind of becoming an offshoot of Hoboken and with the waterfront/skyline views = very pricey. If you're willing to live a little further in Jersey City, you can find affordable apts but you just want to make sure aboutthe neighborhood (feel free to PM me if you have any questions about places in JC). I'd also try Bayonne, NJ if you're willing to live outside the city.
 
On a side-note, livethedream, I lived in Galway for about 6 months :)
 
NYCPsych said:
Where will you be attending school? I live in the East Village, and although it's gentrifying by the minute, it's still more affordable than the West Village & Chelsea. And actually, many 20somethings live on the Upper East Side. I know people immediately think of fancy Park Avenue apartments, but the 70s--90s, around 1st & 2nd Avenue or so, are very decent & can be more affordable. Many young professionals also live in Murray Hill & Midtown East, although of course, everywhere you look is getting "hotter" very quickly.
NYC has a great public transportation system, so wherever you are, you'll probably be able to easily get to a bus or subway, and there are many connections available. :) Good luck!
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Like NYCPsych, I'm a born-and-raised New Yorker, and I agree with everything she/he said about the east village (though unfortunately it's definitely getting more $$$!), the upper east side, and Murray Hill. In fact, I was going to suggest those very neighborhoods and then saw they'd already been mentioned! Hell's Kitchen (just north of Chelsea) is affordable as well, but not particularly scenic. It's very convenient to transportation (near Penn Station and Port Authority).

Astoria is also a great choice, as someone else mentioned. Brooklyn is wonderful (I live there now), but 1) it's not necessarily cheap, and 2) as others have pointed out, it could be a long commute for you depending on where your school is located.

One thing to keep in mind about some areas in Brooklyn that have been recommended is transportation options nearby. Red Hook, for example, is a transportation nightmare, in my opinion, unless you have a car. There really isn't a subway stop within a reasonable walking distance--you'd have to take a bus to the subway. Some people do bike to the subway, but then there's the issue of what to do with the bike... Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens are 2 of my favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods, but are plagued by what I consider somewhat crappy subway service: The F line, which is very slow (all local stops, no express) and often has long waits between trains, and the G line, which only provides transportation between Brooklyn and Queens (no Manhattan or Bronx service).

Hope that helps! PM me if you want more info.
 
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