Difficulty in moving to another City

[DavidGartner]

Hey, Im thinkin of moving to New York City sometime next year when my lease runs out. I love the city , the vibe, atmosphere, its jus great. But, uhh, I hear its almost impossible to find a place, where would i go? what part? and what is rent like? this is for the New Yorkers jus something simple 1 bed 1 bath no roommaate.. (not a roommate person) thanks David Gartner

[arthur]

You're right both about New York being a great place to live, but also very difficult to find an affordable apartment. I would imagine you'll have to pay a lot more than what you're paying now. Check out the NY Times website especially on Sundays to get a better feel for what apartment rents are. You might have to resign yourself to living in one of the outer boroughs at least for a while. I personally like the Astoria section of Queens which is relatively reasonable compared to Manhattan but is still very close--right across the East River. But there are other nice neighborhoods as well. Once you're here, there's nothing to stop you from continuing your efforts to upgrade your living arrangements. Good luck.

ag

[+ deej]

You already live in the only area that makes NYC look reasonable. LA is a bargain by comparison!

 

If you want to be in Manhattan (and with your lifestyle you do) you're looking at $2K/month as entry level. If you're lucky.

 

If you want it to be _comfortable_ up the ante. Secure? Oooh ... gotta pay for that humpy (or not) doorman.

 

NYC is the greatest city on earth and I love it every minute that I visit. It's also the most overpriced place to live I've ever seen and I wouldn't live there if my life depended on it.

 

Of course I said that about LA too, and here I am.

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. (Oh wait! That's been used! Errr......)

 

:+

[Flower]

>Of course I said that about LA too, and here I am.

>

>That's my story and I'm sticking to it. (Oh wait! That's been

>used! Errr......)

>

>:+

-- ....and dont' forget it!!!!!!!! !:7

[Guest JackLA]

I have lived in both New York and LA (several times) and from my experience there is nothing tougher than finding a decent apartment in Manhattan. You almost have to approach it like looking for a job.

 

Also can't imagine living anywhere other than Manhattan if I was to go back there even though I know many people are happy in the outer boroughs like Brooklyn or Queens. That would never be for me, and I doubt you would like it either.

 

Last time I lived in NYC a few years back I had to look at over 60 apartments before I found one that was tolerable. Everything is extremely expensive, spaces are small, and amenities are minimal compared to other cities (especially LA). Remember at the time I thought I was going to have to settle for something I wouldn't have lived in while I was in college even though I had a great job and was doing very well. Was particularly discouraged one day when I looked at a very small one bedroom fourth floor walkup on West 10th street with a $3500 price tag. FINALLY I found an OK one bedroom on lower Fifth Avenue for $2400 a month and grabbed it. Recall the kitchen was half the size of the walk-in closet I had in LA.

 

Nothing is better than word of mouth and getting a tip off about an apartment that is coming up in NYC from a friend. Failing that, one trick is to pick up an early edition of the New York Times at 10:30 on a Saturday night and then hit the pavement with checkbook in hand at 7 AM on Sunday morning. And be prepared to make an instant decision if you see something you like. There will be MANY people in line behind you.

 

Another choice is going to a rental agency and paying a fee. Many people end up having to do this, and you may too. This is a big extra chunk of money but you may need to budget for it. Thats what I ended up doing.

 

And as much as I love New York with all the energy, excitement, and nightlife, I am happy to be back in LA in a two bedroom two bath apartment that is twice the size of what I had in Manhttan at half the price of what I paid there, and in a great neighborhood to boot. For most people the idea of having a guest room or an extra room (which I now have) for an office/den/guestroom in Manhattan is about as likely as winning the lottery.

 

Nothing negative meant here about NYC. One of my favorite places on the planet. You just need a lot of cash.

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Left Coast

 

>And as much as I love New York with all the energy,

>excitement, and nightlife, I am happy to be back in LA in a

>two bedroom two bath apartment that is twice the size of what

>I had in Manhttan at half the price of what I paid there, and

>in a great neighborhood to boot. For most people the idea of

>having a guest room or an extra room (which I now have) for an

>office/den/guestroom in Manhattan is about as likely as

>winning the lottery.

>

>Nothing negative meant here about NYC. One of my favorite

>places on the planet. You just need a lot of cash.

 

 

For me, the other consideration is simply weather. Cold and rain followed me from Chicago to D.C. and then to New York, except for 1.5 days. I do not do very well in cold or snow and given the choice, prefer 110 degrees desert heat that a thunderstorm or snow. I also would miss the ocean and while Manhattan is an island, a trip to the ocean or the beach is a complete production, not just something you wake up and do, as we often did, on bikes, no less in San Francisco, or have done here in Los Angeles.