$3,000 a month in Houston will get you about a $350,000-$400,000 home. For the last 3 years, my wife has primarily handled relocation clients from out of state. She said that people are always amazed when they get here after finding out what they can get for their $, as far as homes go. Apparently, real estate here is dirt cheap compared to the rest of the country.
I'm an Uptown person...you got the Park and a good mix of diff ppl. Gramercy park and the meat-packing district are good places further downtown, imo. Also you should decide what kind of apt you want - a modern bldg, 100yr old brownstone bldg, or pre-war bldg (built in the '20s - '30s). I would stay away from post-war bldgs (built in the '50s - '70s) as their construction is generally not too great and you'll likely end up w/ noise + bad insulation. The modern bldgs are usually the most convenient, ameneties-wise and have the best views. Battery Park city is all modern bldgs. The pre-wars are usually the most charming and prestigious. And the brownstones are typically in some of the best downtown locations, like desirable blocks of the Village and Gramercy Park. You should take a couple days to see as many neighborhoods as possible and different types of bldgs. Every block in Manhattan is different so you will have to consider many variables (street noise, proximity to grocery/dry cleaning/subway/bars/restaurants/gyms, sun/views, etc) before making your choice.
Cha-Ching! you shouldn't have any problems finding a doorman apartment if your company is helping. it isn't impossible to find a good deal in the city. crap, my budget is $600 to $1000 and i found a pad on the upper east side with no broker fee and first and security up front, no last month required. this is a steal in manhattan, granted i live in a shoe box. MATEO, have you considered Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village? it is on the edge of the East village, from ist avenue to Avenue C strecthing from 14th street to 23rd. it is right up your alley: spacious aprtments, renovated, woodfloors, a decent private community. i lived there when i first got to new york and a friend let me share his room while i got on my feet. i really think you would dig Stuy Town alot now that i think about it. http://www.pcvst.com/home.asp good luck and welcome to NYC!
what's wrong with Stuy Town? the fact that they are no longer rent stabilized? to further explain, Stuy Town now rents out newer aprtments at market value(which happens to be the market mateo is in). i don't see any disadvantages to living in Stuy: you are close to the River, you are close to the subways(the L line and a ten minute walk to Union Square, you are a walk away from the East Village(great bar scene), and like i said before, HUGE apartments compared to the shanty tenement houses you will find on craigslist. oh yeah, you do know about craigslist, right? a plethora of resources and classifieds http://newyork.craigslist.org how long before mateo becomes a jaded New Yorker?
Many many yrs ago i dated this chick who lived in Stuy town......the whole place just used to depress me....the place looks like the same PJs that JJ and Thelma Evans used to live in. Anyways, i have heard that the area has cleaned up a bit since and the Lower East Side does have a ton of great restaurants/bars now. But i'd still say Mateo would prefer someplace more central like Gramercy or the Village since he wants to be in the heart of the action he says. Another poster also mentioned Hells Kitchen....that may not be a bad idea either. Midtown is really an awesome place 7 nites a week.
beggars can't be choosers! yeah, this place has been bought out by a private company and has been completely renovated, re-landscaped, did I mention private basketball courts, biking paths, and playgrounds galore for families? this place is far from the projects, its freaking Manhattan people! (I am obvious;y partial to Stuy TOwn, but we don't want mateo to think this is the ghetto, it is anything but) anywhere in manhattan below 125th street is probably going to be fine, it is very difficult to narrow down one neighborhood, however, consider Upper East, Upper West, Greenwich Village, Hells Kitchen, TriBeCa
Whats weird is that in the 50's, my grandfather was the head electrician for Stuy Town. He rode from building to building on a bicycle. They were dirt poor but got a fairly decent apartment since he was an employee.
This is true....whatever neighborhood he decides, as long as it is Manhattan it will be great. I would strongly advise against living in an outer borough like Brooklyn, especially if he wants to be in heart of the action. But like you say, anyplace in Manhattan you can't really go wrong. Each neighborhood has its own pluses and character.
Hey, be nice about ST. It's changed a great deal since the renovations, and space wise it's about the greatest value you can get for the dollar in manhattan. Hell, I buy clothes just to fill up my extra closet space now!
lots of families have passed along their apartments in Stuy Town for generations. poeple die in Stuy Town before they get rid of their apartment. i guess your family didn't hold on to the space?
Last time I was in NY, we were hanging out at this place called Lansky Lounge on Lansky St. So it's like 4AM, and we're ready to leave, but my buddy was still out on the dance floor with some ghetto looking girl. As we're walking out someone says, hey, what about Rajal? I then replied, "it's okay, we'll pick him up from Stuyvesant in the morning." Since then, the Stuy town has been an ongoing joke among my circle of friends.
Bedford-Stuyvessant ("Bed-Stuy")is a bad (though improving) neighborhood way out in central/eastern Brooklyn. Peter Cooper Village - Stuyvesant Town ("Stuy Town") is a private developement in the East Village in Manhattan. (so named for being near Stuyvesant Square park, which is also I believe is near or around the site Peter Stuyvesant retired back in the 17th century after the British took over New Amsterdam). Two completely different things
I didn't find that out until the next day. Up until then, I had figured the huge homogenous red brick towers on the river (Stuy Town) were rent controlled. I later discovered that Bed-Stuy was the neighborhood that I was thinking of.
Really? I still get hassled by the NY Knicks to buy season and half-season ticket plans, because I used Ticketmaster.com (had to put a home number there) to buy a couple of tickets. And of course the only games I go to are my annual Rockets-Knicks games. This year unfortunately I won't be able to go though, so I guess things might have changed... Oh and about apartments, find one close to a major subway line if you are on the Upper East or West side. I live on the Upper East Side - waaaay on the East side, and it is somewhat of a pain to go anywhere downtown by train due to my 15 minute hike to the subway station.
Welcome to New York, mateo. Recommending a New York neighborhood is like recommending what kind of girl you should date. Long-haired? Lithe? Curvy? Sorority-girl-lookin', or something more exotic? My point is, without knowing you really well, it's tough to suggest the perfect spot. But here's my experience. (I've lived in NYC for the past few years, San Francsico before that, and before that, Austin and Houston). The Upper East Side gets a bad rap. It's notorious for yuppie-dom, but the truth is there's plenty of diversity, shopping, nightlife, etc., and as far as amenities and convenience, it's tough to beat. Your commute will probably be a 30-minute subway ride. You'll be able to get a sweet pad in a highrise building with a jaw-dropping view of downtown. (I had a room in one of these buildings, and I only paid $900 a month. Granted, it's just a room, but still.) Specifically, check out the Highate building, on 94th St. and 3rd Ave. Or across the street at Normandy courts. These are fairly posh highrises that are fairly reasonable. (You can contact the Highate at 212.410.4269) From what you've said about your family, age, income, etc., Gramcery could be of interest. The neighborhood is tree-lined, clean, and gorgeous, and the location is right in the middle of things. It's pricey, but given your budget you should be okay. I used to date a girl who lives there and she loved it. I currently live in Brooklyn, and I love it, but I'm also really glad that I lived in Manhattan first. If you're moving all the way from Texas, you might as well at least try the island for a while. That being said, if you do decide to go with Brooklyn, I have a lot of friends who LOVE Park Slope and Carrol Gardens. I live in Williamsburg but that's more an artist/hipster scene. Here's the one piece of advice that won't steer you wrong. Absolutely, definitely, pickup this book. If nothing else, it gives excellent overviews of each neighborhood: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/192937707X/qid=1094149257/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-4711067-6811942?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Good luck!
I lived on the Upper East side. It was ok, but certainly not as youthful and vibrant as the Village. I'd probably live there if I had it to do over again. Of course, I had a town car taking me home from work every day, so the commute to/from Wall Street was only bad in the mornings (when I took a van service). I liked being close to the Park, Yankee Stadium, and good restaurants, but didn't like being a good distance from reasonably priced shopping or the young bar scene. Praise the Lord I don't have to live in that vile place anymore. Ugh. I'm convinced that the only people that live in the Northeast are those that are unfamiliar with how well people have it in Texas. btw -- I've also been to Lansky Lounge. Strange place.
