Hi All
My son has just been accepted at the New York Film Academy, and will be moving to New York in September. The School is at Union Square.
I don't really know much about the area at this time. We are going with him in July to look for a place to live. My question to anyone with knowledge of the area is... Any suggestions?
Is there anything reasonable in that area, (don't laugh,,, I know, that is probably a pretty dumb question) or would he be better off somewhere else, and riding the subway.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Dave

 

I went to Baruch College (23rd and Lexington) but lived at home in Brooklyn and took the subway.

My daughter is looking at Fordham, NYU and Pace. If she goes to any of these she will live in a dorm.

If they have a dorm I would sugg. you use that.

Housing in Manhattan is very high. I don't live or work in the city any longer, but some of this board do. You may want to email Sunchild (He works in the city).

Jim

 

Agree, if there is a dorm available pick it. Otherwise it all depends on your idea of affordable. I lived in the uptown area (Harlem) for awhile. I had roommates to share the rent which was still pretty high for a college student. Also it wasn't that great of a neighborhood. Seriously, there were many nights where the fine men of the NYPD came knocking. So many drug raids in that building it was scary.

[Edited by turbo_pwr on 02-18-2001 at 07:06 PM]

 

There's alot of people at Union Square Park selling drugs, even tho there's a Police Station there...lolz.

 

Well, there isn't a dorm available, so that isn't an option. It definately would have been our first choice.

Dave

[Edited by Fireslayer on 02-19-2001 at 06:56 AM]

 

Fireslayer,

A couple of things to consider:

1) Can the admissions office give you a hand by giving you some info? What do the other students do? Is there a support org. to help find housing? Do they rec. certain real estate agencies?

2) The most expensive housing will be in Manhattan. Even Harlem is going thru a rebirth and rents are rising.

3) You can look in the outer areas, understanding that 2 factors will come into play. Generally the closer to Manhattan the more expensive housing is and the safer the area the more expensive. I grew up in an area of Brooklyn called Marine Park (all one and two family houses) which was more like the suburbs, but I had an hour commute each way to get to school. Park Slope in Brooklyn is near the city but very expensive.

I would sugg. that you contact the school to see what others do and then make sure you have a good plan when you get here. The area is very large with very different atmospheres. You may want to contact some of the members of this board when you come down to ask them about different places you see when you are here.

I know the above sounds negative, but I actually like the city. It is just that given the amount of time you have is not alot to learn about this area.

I don't know alot about Jersey but again, there are alot of members from there and they may be able to give you some advice (or at least an opinion).

Best of Luck,

Jim

 

Thanks Jim (and others). Some great points to ponder. I'll get ahold of the school, and see what they have to offer.
If you think of anything else, please toss it my way.

Dave

 

Have you considered living in New Jersey? The rent will be less expensive and considering where you might want to live in NYC the commute could be shorter than living in NYC. Hoboken is a 10-15minute train ride to NYC. Also the exchange place area of Jersey City is being totally renovated with big business and apartment high rises to accommodate the business people and that is a 10min ride to NYC. Other than that i would say check out local new york papers, contact the school to see if they offer any help, and check online. Obviously living in Manhattan will set you back the most. If it's any help, I'll check on my companies message board and see if anyone is trying to get a renter for an apt or is looking to move out and is looking for someone to take the apt they currently live in.

 

Sorry to tune in so late on this one.

First, don't worry about Union Square -- it's safe. All of downtown Manhattan is safe these days.

1) Rent. As for getting a place, expect rents in the union square area (gramercy park neighboorhood) to be in the 1500-2500 range for a one bedroom or studio. 1500 is a really small place (~400 sq ft at most).

2) Brokers. You will really need to hustle unless you are willing to pay a broker 15% of the year's rent to show you around. This is because the turnaround time on no-fee (i.e., non-broker) apartments is something like less than an hour after they are listed (if you can beleive it). This means you have to check villagevoice.com and nyt.com often and call immediately to arrange a race-pace appointment ASAP.

There are good reasons to pay brokers, not the least of which are that the best apartments are found quickly and easily through brokers. If you do use a broker, keep in mind that they will show you two or so crummy
places first before you get to the good stuff. Usually you will see their exclusive buildings or buildings that are under construction and have overly optimistic completion dates that can ruin your life. Beware! Stick with it though, and make that son of a bitch earn the (in my case) $5400 they make in just an hour. (But keep in mind that their agency gets most of that money.)

3) Other stuff. Ask about construction in the area. Check water pressure. Try to get an elevator and a doorman. It may seem extravagant, but it's just normal life in NYC. The best option for students, in my opinion, is the new buildings in the east village or downtown in the wall street area. Expect to pay around 1900/month for a nice, new, small, secure, happy place for your kid to live. If you really want to make his day, get a place in my old building at 190 E. 7th Street, NYC, NY 10009 (called Tompkins Square Plaza). Tons of models apartments in that building, so the lobby is like a goddamn runway!

 

Thanks for your reply Sunchild

I showed your post to my son. He just shook his head in agreement. He knows more about what he is getting into than I do.
He hopes to share a place with his cousin. She is going to a Fashion school in the Village area, so she will be in the same boat. Fortunately her mom lives in PA., and can stop by on occasion to fill the cupboards with chow.
I can't imagine having to pay out the nose for some clown to find a place to live. Just seems weird!

Thanks again for your thoughts

Dave