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Want to Move to New York City?
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I probaby don't need to tell you that NYC / Manhattan is one of the most desirable cities in the world to live in. But not for the "clean air and quality of life". Well...certainly not for the clean air...but depending on your financial circumstances, you can have quality in your life. Most people desire to live here because it is The Culture Capital of the World, as well as the Fashion Capital (or you need lots of capital to get the fashions)...and because of the incredible diversity. (Although you'd never know it from our "lacking" millenium celebration, with only a ball dropping. True it was designed special and Waterford crystal and all, but one really couldn't tell the difference, and it looked like a disco ball.) Some people are afraid to come to NYC
because this city gets a bad rap as "Sin City", etc.
Supposedly, all the people here are very
rushed, impolite, or nasty thieves who are downright
mean. NYC is one the most expensive city in the USA to live, next to San Francisco. Expensive, not just because of the highest sales tax rate in the country, but because of supply and demand. So many people want to live here, and there isn't enough affordable housing to go around. Because it is so desirable, most landlords are greedy and feel they can charge what the market will bear for barely substantial living spaces. So young people generally have to "pair up" with a friend or two in order to afford a place. Many musicians, fashion designers, fine
artists,photographers, and other performing artists are
drawn to the City Lights of Manhattan because of all
the artistic opportunities here. As far as employment, NYC
has better paying jobs than most other cities -- except for
the NYC Board of Education-well, they did get better this
year--39K to start as opposed to 30K(what it was). Then
again, you can end up spending so much in rent, that you may
as well be a hick and live in the sticks with a poor paying
job. Hey, and let's not forget the restaurants here. With literally thousands of restaurants and cafe's, most dining establishments keep competitiveness in mind when it comes to prices on their menu. In fact, I find many NYC restaurants less expensive than in New Jersey and CT, for the most part. It's hard to look for an apartment by going through listings in the newspapers. When you answer one of those ads, you will generally see a line of 50+ people who have shown up to look at the apartment too. The best way is to ask people you know or who you network with. Another way is to just walk around the neighborhood you are thinking of moving to, as many buildings have a sign taped to the door that reads, "apartment for rent-no fee- contact owner" / with a phone number to call. Be aware of "wording" in apartment ads listed in the papers. For instance, a realtor or landlord may advertise a 1 BR apt, but it may just be a tiny 2 room studio. If they use wording such as "quaint" or "cozy", that means it's "really small". Also fully renovated places...while they may have freshly sanded floors and all new appliances, the landlord cut the previous apartment into 2 or more sections, and he/she will charge you just as much or more for the smaller space, as well as the new appliances. Back in the 80's, The Village Voice newpaper had a cool artist draw small, conceptual, single-frame cartoons in the middle of it's back page bulletin board area. It was called, "Walter Gurbo's Drawing Room". One of his cartoons which I recall most was entitled, "Crawl Condo", and showed a man crawling into a box-like space. Last year, my cousin told me it is really that way in some Japan apartments, because of the lack of space. There are also certain buildings that have reduced rents and are subsized by NY state or NYC. The rent charged is generally based on your monthly salary...say, if you make $2K per mo., your rent will be $500.00 per mo. But lately some of the Mitchell-Lama Buildings have decided to up their rents 3 times when a person's lease is up. While these reduced rent buildings are nice, you don't really know when someone in management is just going to decide to pull the rug out from under you. Your needs will govern what kind of space you get in these reduced rent buildings. If you are single with no children, they won't allow you to rent a 2 or 3 BR. If you're a couple with 2 girl children, you will only be able to get a 2 BR, as they will tell you that 2 girls can share a room (not unless there are special needs for one of the girls such as being physically challenged). But if you're a couple or single parent with a boy and a girl, you will be able to get the 3 BR. Reduced rent buildings such as Phipps Buildings are is located in the East 20's along 2nd Ave. Though recently, I think I learned they went under new management and aren't as affordable as they were. There may be other Phipps complexes around NYC-I just do not know where all of them are. HUD Buildings- around 49th-55th st , along 10th or 11th Avennues.There may be other HUD complexes around NYC-I just do not know where all of them are. Manhattan Plaza, located in midtown Manhattan is specifically for people who work in theater and the performing arts. Manhattan Plaza bills you monthly at 1/3rd your gross rent. For those of you who aren't good at math, if you gross $2400.00 per month, your monthly rent will be $800.00. That's still pretty good for NYC standards. The tenants there are people who work in theater and performing arts fields. The apartments are fairly modern(the complexes were built in the mid 70's). They have a lovely health club on the roof(which I would imagine costs extra in this day and age). However, it is located across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Lincoln Tunnel. If you have any kind of respiratory problems, I think it will indeed get worse living near all that pollution from buses coming and going from the P.A, along with the cars and trucks. Most of these places have a 10 year waiting list, and you can't sign up anytime you want. You have to wait till the list opens and you may not know or read the the paper at the time they announce it publicly. Your best bet would be to contact the managing offices of these buildings and find out when and where they usually announce the list opening, so you can be ready when it occurs. Please do not feel totally disheartened...I knew a part time usher/actor who placed her name on the supposed 10 year waiting list at Manhattan Plaza, and it only took 2 years for them to call her with an apartment available! Another building I know of is on 57th St & 10th Ave. You need to belong to some kind of actors union like Screen Actors Guild/SAG, and/or have a disability. My friends-one had polio as a child and walks with crutches all the time and the other friend is HIV+. You cannot get an apartment all to yourself here, you must have a roomate. My 2 friends have 2 bedroom apartment they pay $1100.00 for. Split its $550.00/month. (I think it includes electric). Politics can effect rent, like in '97, when officials in NY State were going to end rent stablization in June 1997. Senator Bruno in Albany is lobbying with the NY state landlords to *end rent control & rent stablilization forever*. The public didn't even hear about it till about a month or 2 prior to the pending decision. There was only one or two phone numbers that Mayor Guiliani had set up for concerned people to call (which were always busy). Everyone who had a rent stabilized apartment was nearly having a nervous breakdown. Millions of people would've become homeless and would've had to have moved out of NYC altogether. People who lived in houses, co-ops, etc., said, "Well, it doesn't effect me, so I don't care". The way it was handled...and the way the media handled it with a minute / second countdown till the deadline in the bottom of the TV screen was really offensive. Millions of people were dangled by a literal thread as to what their fates were going to be. Luckily, at the very last minute, rent stabilization was extended for another 6 years. However, every year the landlords try to get the rent percentage increases put into effect, as landlords are always crying poverty. Anyway, rent stabilization laws were extended till June 2003...and hopefully dearest Sheldon Silver in Albany will make certain that it is extended for another 6 years! For lower rent, consider moving to Brooklyn or Queens (just outside Manhattan)...or Hoboken or Jersey City (just a short trip on the Path Train in New Jersey. However, if you work in Manhattan and live in NJ, your paycheck may be taxed by both states. My friend Alan and his girlfriend, (and now wife), Stacy, got a 3 BR in a 2 family house in Astoria (Queens), for about $800.00 a month. They are also a 10 block walk (12 minute brisk walk) from the subway / the G train. Still. Considering studios here in Manhattan are rip offs at over $1,000.00 per month, you may want to make the sacrifice and go a little further out in order to have more living space. A few years ago, when I first wrote about
East Harlem, it was still rather inexpensive. East Harlem
and West Harlem are now considered 'middle-class'. Why?
Well, there wasn't really any place else to go so people
began to move in. Also when our former President Clinton
decided to have his office on West 125th St., (well, what
can I say...the landlords of the area feel that their ship
has finally come in!) This is good news and bad news. It is
good news as all people will be bringing their money and
spending it in that community. The bad thing is, the mom
& pop stores and shops that were paying $900.00 a month
rent for their places of business-will soon have their rents
quadrupled...and how will minorities keep their businesses
when they get astronomical rent increases?! So places like
the Gap and Starbucks will move in and the minority business
people won't be able to do their businesses in their
neighborhood anymore. And that is a dirty/rotten shame! Yes, so quite recently, Harlem is going through some major community renewal. A lot of brand new housing is being built along 5th Ave & Madison Ave, between East 117th St. and East 122 St. East Harlem is mostly hispanic and West Harlem is mostly African American, but there is a mix in both areas. In the past it was considered a 'rougher' neighborhood. I sometimes teach there and never had any problems. I also know caucasions who live there (both male and female), who are quite pleased with the neighborhood and it's accomodations. I have noticed by walking around East Harlem, near East 120 St and around that area are "The Projects". There's the UPACA--non profit housing development fund. 101-09 East 119th St., 212-427-5550. I do not know what UPACA stands for, but it is for low income residents. It not only seems to subsidize buildings the size of 'project buildings', but subsidizes individual buildings as well. Other Housing Authority Developments in Manhattan: Amsterdam Additions, Amsterdam Houses, Audubon Apts, Baruch Houses, Bethune Gardens, Braceti Plaza, Carver Houses, Chelsea Houses, Clinton Houses, Douglass Houses, Drew Hamilton Houses, Dyckman Houses, East River Houses, Elliot Houses, F.E. Samuels Apts., First Houses, Fort Washington Houses, Fulton Houses, Gompers Houses, Grampion Apts., Grant Houses, Harbourview Terrrace, Harlem River Houses, Hernandez Houses, Holmes-Isaacs Houses, Ira S. Robbins Plaza, Jackie Robinson Houses, Johnson Houses, LaGuardia Houses, Lehman Village, Lexington Houses, Lincoln Houses, Manhattanville Houses, Martin Luther King Jr. Towers, Meltzer Apts., Metro North Houses, Mt. Morris Park Houses, P.A. Randolph Houses, Polo Grounds Towers, Ralph J. Rangel Houses, Riis Houses, Rutgers Houses, Smith Houses, Straus Houses, St. Nicholas Houses, Taft Houses, Two Bridges Houses, Vladeck Houses, Wagner Houses, Wald Houses, Washington Houses, White Houses, Wilson Houses, Wise Towers. Also, because people are running out of places to go, people are moving back to The Bronx. I don't know what to say about The Bronx--only that it is the section of NYC that has the word 'the' preceeding it. We never say, 'The Brooklyn' or 'The Staten Island'. Oh, yes, there's Staten Island. I can't tell ya too much about that either other than you have to take a ferry to go back and forth from Manhattan. The number for Ferry info is: 212-225-5368. Rooms can be rented at the YMCA's and residences specifically for men and for women. I know of 3-4 places for women. The Webster on West 34th St. The Parkside Evangeline on East 20th St, right across the street from Gramercy Park. St. Mary's Residence (where many Hunter College female students live) on East 72nd St. between 2nd and 3rd Aves. I don't know if it is still open, but I recall that the Martha Washington Hotel was also for women in Midtown. Depending how long your stay and what you can afford, you can always reside for a while at a hotel. There are some Youth Hostels around the city, if your stay is short. If you are US veteran looking for a short stay, you can get really good deals staying at The Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen's Club, 283 Lexington Ave. (Between 36th & 37th St.) in Manhattan. Other folks cannot stay here, only current & veteran Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen. This is a hotel, I do not think it is for living year round. Since 9/11/01, many residential buildings in the area of lower Manhattan are not so occupied and buyers as well as renters can get a lower rent as well as other discounts. When you're in NYC, you can call 311 and find out what apartment lotteries are available and the deadlines or go to this web page: nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/apartment/lotteries.shtml Some NYC /Housing info Anyway...happy apartment hunting! Wendy Ballard P.S. To find out about NYC Tenant's
rights, laws, etc., visit P.S. S. Check out "How the Other Half Lives" by Jacob A.Riis. ©1890. Text and Illustrations. |
©W. Ballard / 594, 1997-2004. All Rights Reserved.