NY Associates: Where to live? Forum

[rayiner]

To complicate matters a bit: Transfers are a bigger deal at off-hours, IMO, so I'd rather be somewhere convenient to my social life than to work. I would personally rather have a transfer-free ride to the East Village on the F, for instance, and have to transfer to get to work, than vice versa. A transfer will only add 5 minutes or so at rush hour but could easily tack on an extra 20-30 minutes if you're trying to get to a bar at 11 pm on a weekend.

Spoken like someone never stuck waiting for a train and worried about missing a morning conference call...

Or someone whose never tried to go home between 7pm (when rush hour ends) and whenever they qualify for free car service.

"I can either wait 15 minutes for the 7 or bill a couple of more hours so I can get car service..."

[Anonymous User]

Financial District: bro-ish, accessible, high rises (so dollar-value expensive, but lots of amenities)

I've seen the term "bro-ish" used around here to describe firms as well (e.g., Skadden). What on earth does it mean?

[Wholigan]

Financial District: bro-ish, accessible, high rises (so dollar-value expensive, but lots of amenities)

I've seen the term "bro-ish" used around here to describe firms as well (e.g., Skadden). What on earth does it mean?

Just that the culture of the firm in general is fratty.

[Anonymous User]

What do people think of living in Midtown East, like east of Third Ave? I know some associates do this so they can walk to work. Any thoughts on the quality of housing/affordability? From what I've looked at there is nothing "cheap" but there is a modest selection in the two or three thousand a month range. Are the northern areas by Sutton Place a possibility?

[imchuckbass58]

What do people think of living in Midtown East, like east of Third Ave? I know some associates do this so they can walk to work. Any thoughts on the quality of housing/affordability? From what I've looked at there is nothing "cheap" but there is a modest selection in the two or three thousand a month range. Are the northern areas by Sutton Place a possibility?

Convenient if you work in Midtown East, not really convenient if you work anywhere else.

Good amenities, generally, but some people feel the neighborhood is boring/lacks personality.

Pretty good value depending on where you look. Sutton place will be quite expensive, as will anything close to Lex. 1st or 2nd avenue is probably the sweet spot.

The only real drawback is it is massively annoying to get to anywhere on the west side, since it usually involves a crosstown bus. This may or may not matter to you depending on where you work, where you go out, and where your friends live. The one exception is if you live near the F at Lex and 63rd or the NQR at Lex and 59th, in which case it's actually pretty easy to get crosstown. But, prices rise accordingly the closer you get to the subway.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone ever live in Jersey to work in Midtown East? Having a little more square footage is a little more important to me than a slightly shorter commute or easier access to nightlife. If not, any other suggestions besides Jersey as an alternative to living right near work?

[Anonymous User]

To above poster, I do now and will continue once my SA starts. Just make sure you have easy access to the lincoln/holland tunnels or PATH. Its a pretty easy commute actually and if you get a good place, you can save quite a bit of change.

[Anonymous User]

To above poster, I do now and will continue once my SA starts. Just make sure you have easy access to the lincoln/holland tunnels or PATH. Its a pretty easy commute actually and if you get a good place, you can save quite a bit of change.

Thanks. I forgot to ask this the first time, but does anyone know if firms will have the car service take you home if you stay late to Hoboken/JC, or is car service just for within the city?

[imchuckbass58]

Does anyone ever live in Jersey to work in Midtown East? Having a little more square footage is a little more important to me than a slightly shorter commute or easier access to nightlife. If not, any other suggestions besides Jersey as an alternative to living right near work?

You may also want to consider Queens (LIC or Astoria).

[Theheat633]

Where should you live if firm is near Times Square. Easy access to bars/nightlife + proximity to work is most important to me. Willing to pay a premium for that.

[Anonymous User]

Where should you live if firm is near Times Square. Easy access to bars/nightlife + proximity to work is most important to me. Willing to pay a premium for that.

And what about near Times Square but opposite, looking for something a little quieter/more neighborhood-y type feel. UWS?

[Anonymous User]

Convenient if you work in Midtown East, not really convenient if you work anywhere else.

Good amenities, generally, but some people feel the neighborhood is boring/lacks personality.

Pretty good value depending on where you look. Sutton place will be quite expensive, as will anything close to Lex. 1st or 2nd avenue is probably the sweet spot.

The only real drawback is it is massively annoying to get to anywhere on the west side, since it usually involves a crosstown bus. This may or may not matter to you depending on where you work, where you go out, and where your friends live. The one exception is if you live near the F at Lex and 63rd or the NQR at Lex and 59th, in which case it's actually pretty easy to get crosstown. But, prices rise accordingly the closer you get to the subway.

Not necessarily, imo. You can always catch the E at 53rd and Lex, which will take you directly to Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, and the West Village.

[Anonymous User]

Where should you live if firm is near Times Square. Easy access to bars/nightlife + proximity to work is most important to me. Willing to pay a premium for that.

Hell's Kitchen maybe. There are a number of solid restaurants and bars, and since you'd be so close to TS, it'd be fairly easy to get anywhere in the city.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone ever live in Jersey to work in Midtown East? Having a little more square footage is a little more important to me than a slightly shorter commute or easier access to nightlife. If not, any other suggestions besides Jersey as an alternative to living right near work?

The commute is pretty soul-sucking. Exchange Place to GCT is maybe 40 minutes, but that includes 5-10 minutes of fighting through rush hour crowds to get from the PATH station near the WTC site to the 4/5/6. Then the 4/5/6 is insanely crowded.

[irie]

Where should you live if firm is near Times Square. Easy access to bars/nightlife + proximity to work is most important to me. Willing to pay a premium for that.

And what about near Times Square but opposite, looking for something a little quieter/more neighborhood-y type feel. UWS?

live on 9th avenue between 50th and 60th if you want the nightlife/bars--that entire area is irish pubs, sports bars, and thai restaurants. you can also consider "central midtown" just south of central park, but it's a higher price range. definitely dont live south of times sq--penn station area is grungy and the bars suck.

if you want a quieter feel i highly recommend UWS--anything above 65th street on Amsterdam or Columbus or Central park West--just be prepared to be surrounded by a lot of old people and babies. if you want to be able to walk to times sq for work, then look at the new highrises on 10th and 11th avenue between 37th and 42nd street

[imchuckbass58]

Where should you live if firm is near Times Square. Easy access to bars/nightlife + proximity to work is most important to me. Willing to pay a premium for that.

Well, best nightlife is probably in the west village, but that also happens to be the most expensive neighborhood in the city. That's pretty close to work in the sense of being a 10-15 minute subway ride, but not close in the sense of being walking distance.

Your other option is Hell's Kitchen, which has a good amount of bars, but kind of anonymous midtown-ish bars. It's walking distance from times square though.

[imchuckbass58]

Where should you live if firm is near Times Square. Easy access to bars/nightlife + proximity to work is most important to me. Willing to pay a premium for that.

And what about near Times Square but opposite, looking for something a little quieter/more neighborhood-y type feel. UWS?

Yeah, upper west side. It gets quieter the further you are from broadway, but also correspondingly further from the subway. 60s and 70s are a bit more crowded active than 80s and 90s.

[nealric]

3) $160k in NYC = $8,200 per month after taxes; loan payments add up to $2700+ for full freight.

It's likely a lot less than that for first years after health insurance, 401k, and bar advance repayment (if your firm, like most, makes it an advance rather than a signing bonus).

I take home 7,400 a month sans bar advance repayment, but was taking home $6,200 a month during the bar advance repayment. Food for thought when picking an apartment as a first year. If you are living in a $3,000 a month place you might get into some trouble.

Personally, I think Brooklyn is the way to go. Live near the F/Q if working in midtown, or the A/C/R/2/3/4/5 if working downtown and your commute should be pretty easy. My commute to downtown is shorter than the people I know who live in the UES and commute to midtown. Best part is I have a 2 bedroom in a beautiful brownstone for $2,000 a month.

[itbdvorm]

Where should you live if firm is near Times Square. Easy access to bars/nightlife + proximity to work is most important to me. Willing to pay a premium for that.

And what about near Times Square but opposite, looking for something a little quieter/more neighborhood-y type feel. UWS?

Yeah, upper west side. It gets quieter the further you are from broadway, but also correspondingly further from the subway. 60s and 70s are a bit more crowded active than 80s and 90s.

Another good option - the NoMad area. Lots of good buildings on 6th/7th, near B/D/F/M and 1/2/3. Close to work (possibly walkable), up-and-coming restaurants/bars (Ace Hotel, Hill Country, Ainsworth) and not too far from village. Know several folks who lived in one of the new(ish) yuppie luxury buildings, all seemed to like it. A bit more expensive though.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone give me some info on Westchester County? Specifically, is there any location where it might be feasible to rent a duplex/condo/townhome with a little bit of space around and possibly a private entrance instead of a large building, and still be within a reasonable commute to GCT? I would be a short walk to the office from GCT.

Based on my spouse’s salary, we would be working with a total gross income of about $210-220k, and loan freight of ~$165k. Based on the figures I’m coming up with, we should be able to budget up to $4000/month for housing, and still be on pace to pay off the loans in 5 years. Any ideas?

[itbdvorm]

Can anyone give me some info on Westchester County? Specifically, is there any location where it might be feasible to rent a duplex/condo/townhome with a little bit of space around and possibly a private entrance instead of a large building, and still be within a reasonable commute to GCT? I would be a short walk to the office from GCT.

Based on my spouse’s salary, we would be working with a total gross income of about $210-220k, and loan freight of ~$165k. Based on the figures I’m coming up with, we should be able to budget up to $4000/month for housing, and still be on pace to pay off the loans in 5 years. Any ideas?

so guessing that means this is out:
http://www.avaloncommunities.com/avalon ... p?comm=311

but checking very quickly here there seems to be a ton of availabilities
http://www.trulia.com/for_rent/White_Plains,NY/

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone give me some info on Westchester County? Specifically, is there any location where it might be feasible to rent a duplex/condo/townhome with a little bit of space around and possibly a private entrance instead of a large building, and still be within a reasonable commute to GCT? I would be a short walk to the office from GCT.

Based on my spouse’s salary, we would be working with a total gross income of about $210-220k, and loan freight of ~$165k. Based on the figures I’m coming up with, we should be able to budget up to $4000/month for housing, and still be on pace to pay off the loans in 5 years. Any ideas?

so guessing that means this is out:
http://www.avaloncommunities.com/avalon ... p?comm=311

but checking very quickly here there seems to be a ton of availabilities
http://www.trulia.com/for_rent/White_Plains,NY/

Quoted poster here. Wow, that Avalon property seems nice for the money. I did see that there are a lot of possibilities on some of the rental sites, but just wanted to see where someone more familiar with the area recommends w/r/t access to transportation, shopping, quality of neighborhood, safety, etc. (Although I assume most of WC county is pretty safe). I've lived in Jersey, and I'm pretty familiar with North Jersey, and moderately familiar with Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, etc. I’ve just never had much of a reason to get to WC, and now it seems like one of the more feasible alternatives to being right in the city.

[itbdvorm]

Can anyone give me some info on Westchester County? Specifically, is there any location where it might be feasible to rent a duplex/condo/townhome with a little bit of space around and possibly a private entrance instead of a large building, and still be within a reasonable commute to GCT? I would be a short walk to the office from GCT.

Based on my spouse’s salary, we would be working with a total gross income of about $210-220k, and loan freight of ~$165k. Based on the figures I’m coming up with, we should be able to budget up to $4000/month for housing, and still be on pace to pay off the loans in 5 years. Any ideas?

so guessing that means this is out:
http://www.avaloncommunities.com/avalon ... p?comm=311

but checking very quickly here there seems to be a ton of availabilities
http://www.trulia.com/for_rent/White_Plains,NY/

Quoted poster here. Wow, that Avalon property seems nice for the money. I did see that there are a lot of possibilities on some of the rental sites, but just wanted to see where someone more familiar with the area recommends w/r/t access to transportation, shopping, quality of neighborhood, safety, etc. (Although I assume most of WC county is pretty safe). I've lived in Jersey, and I'm pretty familiar with North Jersey, and moderately familiar with Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, etc. I’ve just never had much of a reason to get to WC, and now it seems like one of the more feasible alternatives to being right in the city.

What's the rationale for Westchester other than not the city? Are you planning to have kids soon?

Westchester's nice (especially Scarsdale, Hartsdale, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Chappequa, parts of White Plains), but gets quiet at night. And there are some not great parts (parts of New Roc, White Plains, Yonkers)

[ExAnt3]

.

Thanks. I forgot to ask this the first time, but does anyone know if firms will have the car service take you home if you stay late to Hoboken/JC, or is car service just for within the city?

bumping this. also curious- specifically how this relates to brooklyn/queens/ LI

[Anonymous User]

What's the rationale for Westchester other than not the city? Are you planning to have kids soon?

Westchester's nice (especially Scarsdale, Hartsdale, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Chappequa, parts of White Plains), but gets quiet at night. And there are some not great parts (parts of New Roc, White Plains, Yonkers)

Yeah, we will both be 31 by the time I'm a first-year, we hope to have kids within a couple of years after that, and we also have two dogs that we aren't going to give up and would probably not be as well suited to a high-rise. Access to restaurants and culture are important, but nightlife is probably not as big for us as it will be for the rest of my first-year class. What about Pelham?