So help me out WCers. Back story here is that I was approached a couple weeks ago by a large firm about a new job opportunity that I happen to be particularly interested in and well suited for. Started talking to them last week and should have my next call in a day or two.But this isn’t about the job, this is about where to live. The company is located in the Greenwich/Stamford area, but I feel as a 20 something single guy, why would I want to live in the burbs?
Assuming a commute from the city to Stamford, what part of the city is off limits? I’m guessing Brooklyn, or anything non-manhattan would mean too long of a commute to connect to the Metro North.
What parts of the city do other 20 something AFers live in? Based off my limited searching it seems like something on the east side would be best from a commute perspective, and also seeing a lot cheaper options for studios in that part of the city vs. south of the park.
Anywhere MetroNorth will suffice. The express train from grand central will get you to stamford/greenwhich within 30 minutes, so i’d look for places that are near the 456 to get you to grand central and from there you’ll be ok.
I wouldnt necessarily discount stamford, i’ve lived there before and its a fun place for a young prof. South Norwalk (sono) is pretty fun too and will provide you more bang for your buck.
What neighborhood you like depends on your taste/lifestyle. It’s true that the UES is a bit cheaper than downtown, but it’s a PITA to get to GC from there especially when you consider the more reasonably priced apts in the UES are a few avenues over from the train. Commute wise I’d say take a look at the East Village / Union Square area, may be a little more $ than UES but it’s a much better commute up to GC.
I would look for something within the walking distance to GC. This way you don’t have to pay for both subway and Metro North and will avoid 4/5 trains in a rush hour which can be miserable. Your best bet is Murray Hill/Turtle Bay – very young (douchy but whatever) and lively. It’s also fairly close to East village to go out on the weekends. Try high 30s low 40s street and Third/Second (even First) Ave, there are still deals there to be found.
Commuting from Brooklyn to CT would be pretty bad i would imagine. I wouldnt pay to live in NYC and commute to CT but you could live in Midtown east or Long Island City as they are close to grand central. Could do Harlem near 125th thats pretty safe as well
It probably doesn’t matter until they give you an offer, but I guess it’s good to plan ahead.
Anyway, you should probably visit the city to get an impression of the different neighborhoods. Most young people choose first among East/West village, maybe Chelsea sort of areas, or any area south of that (but north of financial district) where there is a higher concentration of similar demographics. You will find that millennial-priced restaurants, trendy bars, and other establishments (cross fit gyms?) that cater to such people.
It is true that midtown areas like Murray Hill are cheaper than other areas and could be more convenient for commute. However, there isn’t much young people activity around there compared to in other neighborhoods. There’s also a lot of bridge traffic on certain streets. You might have to see it yourself to determine if the cost tradeoff is worthwhile.
Proper Midtown is close to a lot of offices, but tends to be quiet at night. Not sure if that is your thing.
Upper East Side (let’s say 60st+) are more for families, since the schools are good up there and it’s close to the park. There are a lot of hot stroller moms there if you’re into that.
True, it doesn’t really matter until that point, but I wanted to get thoughts from the people here since I really only know a few people IRL that live in NYC. One of my friends just moved up there, but since he has a wife and kids, bought a house in CT.
This is good stuff so far. East Harlem? Where’s CvM when we need him… The last few times I’ve been up in the city I’ve stayed in an Airbnb out in Jackson Heights, hotels in Midtown East, and with friends on the UES as well as Garment District so I’ve got a bit of a feel for different areas.
The prices are still mildly mind boggling to me relative to Houston, though the biggest adjustment for me would be the lack of space more than price.
I wonder if IHIHM would rent me one of the 15 bedrooms he has spread across the penthouse apartment and the country estate to supplement his muni income.
You could get an apartment in stamford, living by yourself, for $1500 walking distance to downtown. This is what you will pay in nyc with a roommate (or, potentially much more). Harlem would be cheaper.
Metro northhas a stop at 125th st , tracks basically follow lex avenue all the way down to 42nd on the east side.
hells kitchen is a possibility with a 15-20 min walk,
east village you would have to take 6 to 4/5 which is a nightmare during rush hour and rent is quite high now. (Stuyvesant town is popular)
upper east would work too but the subway has bad work up there which led to lower rents but LOUD construction in a lot of areas.
murray hill works, but then, you live in murray hill.
lower east side is like the wild west now with all the bars, and the subway isnt the greatest down there either.
I recommend living in downtown Stamford and heading into the city for the weekends, saving 2 hrs of commute each day. Lots of nice beaches east of there when it’s summer.
2 hrs a day is a lot of commute time, though it could at least be somewhat productive with internet access. Also worth considering the cost of the monthly pass for the metro north is $300 something and the fact that NY state/city income taxes would be higher than CT tax based off my calculations. I just feel like I’d be missing a lot of the experience of living up there if I were to live in CT.
Anyway I had my 2nd call with the head of recruitment today and it seemed to go well. Talking to the MD later this week.
Stamford is fun and, as already said, you can go to the city on the weekends if you still have energy. I’d try that first and perhaps move to NYC if you dont like it. Check out Alive@five, good times.
Not a bad idea. Being close to the office might make getting settled a fair bit easier, not to mention from my searching and from what was mentioned above, you can get much more for your money housing wise in Stamford than NYC.
As a guy who does a 2.5hr commute daily, I would really dissuade you from doing so unless financially constrained. They are pretty awful even with internet/movies/etc and severely reduce your social life and de-compression time at home.