student life in new york.

cherry pie

Member
Jan 13, 2007
2,303
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hi ladies, i really need some help. iv been advised to apply for a year long internship at moma starting in september. problem is iv only been to ny once so i dont have a clue about the city. before i apply i want to get an idea about accomodation costs and things.
where is a good area to look? is it possible to find furnished apartments?
moma dont help with accomodation but they do advise and liase (sp?) with student accomodation on behalf of the successful aplicants.

any help is very grateful.
 
it is possible to find furnished apartments or student accomodations.

back when i was a student, i needed to find a place to live after my year of dorming was up... i ended up living in the chelsea hotel from sept-dec and jan-may ... they were furnished apartments/studios..
I am not sure what direction to point you in... but I do know that what you are looking for is there somewhere.

Maybe someone else will have some more specific advice!
Congrats on getting that great internship!
 
cherry pie, congrats!!! MOMA would be a fantastic opportunity and after MOMA, there are so many venues in NYC that you might want to stay forever! The connections made at MOMA are probably something you want to think twice about before giving up.

That said, living in NY is hard. Prices are steep and space is cramped. Walls are thin. Buildings are old and dirty. Yes, it's a warning.

My first suggestion is, DON'T DON'T DON'T pay for an apartment listing service. These "businesses" have listings in all the major newspapers with amazing spaces for really low rent. You inquire about an apartment and they tell you they have a list of many more, if you'd just pay for the list. It might run about $200. In return, you get a fake list. BEWARE!

Lots of ppl find success with Craigslist. There are apartments, and roomies, which you may want to think about. If you consider doing the roomie business, make sure your screening process is great or you have a high tolerance for drama.

As for $... It really depends on where you live. A studio might run you $900 - $3,000+. NYC has a great subway system, so you may consider living in the outer boros for cheaper rent/larger space. In that case, I suggest Brooklyn or Astoria, Queens. Long Island City might be a place to consider too. Astoria and LIC will put you 15 minutes away by train from midtown Manhattan. You might find a studio or 1 bedroom in either place or in Brooklyn for about $850, or a roommate situation for around $750.

Ohhh... one more thing: brush up on your cooking skills. There are plenty of places to dine in NYC, but if you're truly on a student's budget, you may want to save the $ and cook yourself, as it can get VERY expensive to dine out.
 
thanks fatefullotus, you might be hearing from me in the next few days about areas to live.
im searching now just to get an idea of prices but going backwards and forwards between listings and maps is driving me mad.
 
Glad to help, cherry pie. As for areas... as a general rule of thumb, if you're not familiar with Manhattan, I would say stay below 96th Street. There are decent places above 96th, but they really are on a block-by-block basis. Many areas above 96th are, shall we say, "gritty". The area by Columbia University is one of those areas. You may also want to look in reference to the subway stops. Too far west and you'll have to walk loooong blocks to get anywhere -- not too bad when the weather's great. Terrible when it's 3am in the morning, or when it's blizzarding out. Ditto for too far east.

In Brooklyn, Park Slope is great, but as pricey as Manhattan. You may want to try what some ppl call "Windsor Terrace" and "South Slope". Sunset Park, Carnarsie = "gritty". Ditto for DUMBO. I am not too familiar with the artsier, more boho area of Williamsburg. It's hit-or-miss to me, and another area I'd consider on a block-by-block basis.

In Queens, Astoria's great. This may be a good bet. LIC is a little more hit-or-miss.
 
good luck with your internship- but i have to tell you, i would really surprised if you could find ANYTHING in the city proper or the surrounding boroughs in a decent area for under $1000, and i would even say be ready to pay even more if you want to live solo.

park slope, dumbo, williamsburg, long island city - these are all some of the most expensive places to live in ny!!

definately try looking into bushwick and red hook in brooklyn- up and coming neighborhoods that are still kind of dirty, but you could find a good share there.

and if you could pay a little more- i'd look for a share in greenpoint, williamsburg or park slope in brooklyn. good areas for a young, creative person.

good luck!!