450 Square Feet

New York! What a whirlwind. It is now mid June and the city is in full bloom. In 6 days, Rob and I will celebrate (because we need an excuse now and then) our 2 month anniversary of city love.

Last post, I promised a recap of our apartment hunting. For anyone moving to the city, read this blog if you read no other of mine as it will save you so much trouble! Like I said, we scheduled an appointment with an apartment broker with "Patrick" from Citi-Habitats. I wasn't too keen on using a broker as we knew about the dreaded broker's fee, which is usually, at the least, one month’s rent, or more than likely, 15% of the entire year's rent! It’s absolutely absurd to hand over that kind of money, simply for someone touring you around Manhattan to apartments you've done the work to pick out yourself online. However, we were on a time crunch and I wasn't finding a lot of luck elsewhere.

As a guide for you, the top three best search sites for apartments that I found to be most helpful were:

· Citi-Habitats

· Naked Apartments

· Craigslist

I found Citi-Habitats has the most legitimate listings, however, all come with a broker. Naked Apartments was my tool to learn the ins and outs of New York apartments: where to live, what to expect for your money, and what amenities are must haves. Naked Apartments is awesome because you can subscribe to a daily e-mail alert with the criteria you want in an apartment, and they will send you new listings every day. I became addicted to browsing... even 6 months before the move. Though you really can't even begin to get serious about a place that early in New York, it was the best tool to "do my homework" and learn the rental landscape of the city. I highly recommend signing up at least a couple months in advance to figure out what you want, and align your expectations with what is really out there, and what you can afford. That way, you won't be heartbroken to learn that $2500 will only get you 300 square feet in some neighborhoods, and no dish washer to boot.

 Be wary with Craigslist. Although there is sometimes a diamond in the rough, there are also a lot of fake apartments to reel you in to look at other, more realistic (and dowdy/expensive) units. This really goes for all of the listing sites though. Sometimes they will list an awesome, "no-broker fee" apartment, only to tell you it’s already gone, but they have some other listings with fees to show you. It really is such a snaring scam out there with these damned brokers.

But back to my experience. With the time crunch, we decided we could compromise and use a broker to find a place, despite the abhorrent fees. And yes, Patrick was very nice, though he showed up 20 minutes late and scared me to death with our first showing. It was a studio right off West 72nd, a pretty desirable location on the Upper West Side, near great shopping and the express subway stop downtown. The building was gorgeous, but as we opened the door to the studio, my mouth dropped. We had just walked into a closet... it had to have been. But no. The entire studio was 250 square feet. Large enough for (maybe) a full bed and a dresser. Is this really what you get for $2,500? I started doubting that all the research I had done prior was all phony, and this was really what you could get for your money in New York. He ended up redeeming himself the next studio... a beautiful brownstone with a fireplace, remolded bathroom, private balcony and exposed brick wall. It was nice and in our budget but... still rather small for what we were bringing with us. He had one more place on the agenda right off Central Park West in the 100s. I liked the area quite a bit, but wasn't sure that for $2200, we would be getting much space for our money. I was surprised when we walked in... it was a gorgeous alcove studio, in decent shape, and with a large window, an enormous (for NY standards) walk-in closet, and views of Central Park! Rob and I thought we found it! I'll admit, it wasn't what I had been dreaming of, but I wasn't sure we'd find much better and we didn't have much time.

By Friday, we received the paper work for the place, and I kid you not... it was nearly 60 pages of documentation. This is one more crucial step before you begin looking for your place. GET YOUR PAPER WORK TOGETHER IN ADVANCE! They will ask you for every shred of financial history you have. You will most likely need:

· Identification

· Rental History

· Proof of Employment

· Last two to four months pay stubs

· Credit Score

· Tax Return

· Letters of recommendation

And if you plan to use a co-signer or have any pets... good luck. As we did our paper work, Rob and I discovered more and more fees... there were nearly $500 dollars wrapped up in the application fees, background check, credit score check, move in fee and more. This was on top of the nearly $4,000 we would be paying to Patrick should we get the place in broker's fees alone. It was starting to feel overwhelming.

 That weekend as our paper work and $500 deposit was submitted for processing (with a ten day approval process), we went to Rob's Columbia Admit event, gathering together his future classmates for seminars and what not. We sat in on one of the "Housing Sessions," although Rob and I sat there rather arrogantly, thinking, we've already done this, we are experts and might as well give this lecture ourselves. But, as one current student talked about her experience, my ears perked up. She had gone door to door to some apartment high rises and just randomly asked about apartment availabilities... and they had no broker's fee. I was reminded of a couple of places I had read about before online in the neighborhood we were moving to, and thought, what the heck, I'll give it a shot.

The next day, I walked into the Stonehenge Apartment complex on the UWS, and what do you know: They had a studio available immediately for $2300, right in our price range. The application fee was only $30 for the both of us, and no move in fee, a one day approval process, and best of all, no broker's fee. I asked the manager to take me up to see it and I knew immediately it was right for us. A spacious 450 square feet (ever heard anyone say that?) with hard wood floors, entirely renovated, dishwasher and balcony! And, the building had a doorman onsite laundry and a mail room, which are luxuries in New York. I went to Rob and we talked it over... the Central Park West location was pretty stellar, we'd have views of the park and be close to some great shopping. However, we'd save $5,000 in move in fees, and wouldn't need to wait more than a day to be approved... We decided to move it. We swallowed the thought that our $500 deposit fee would go down the drain, but in the end, it was worth it. One uncomfortable call to our broker later, and we had a new apartment.

 We didn't know it then, but the location turned out even better. We are one block from the express subway, so the commute to work is a breeze. And, we really are just two blocks to Central Park, although, yes, I'll admit, it would have been nice to see if from my window. And the shopping location I thought I was missing out on? Its actually still right around the corner.

Rob was also able to get the movers to come in the very next week, so we only have the place for a day without any furniture. It truly worked out perfectly. By Thursday, April 26 at 4 p.m., the boxes arrived. And by Friday, April 27 at 12:30 a.m., the boxes were unpacked, and our studio became our home.

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made of

Well, taking a look at the time stamp on this blog, you’ll notice it’s already May, 2012. And yes, that means Rob and I are officially living in NYC! I had planned to write this blog as a guide to moving, but life went by so quickly that I wasn’t able to keep up. As soon as we got here, we moved non-stop, as I suppose the city will do to you.

So let’s recap. Since my last post, I was still at my old job, not necessarily happy with life or believing I was in the right field (there’s more to it than that, but let’s leave the past in the past). My biggest concern about moving to New York was finding a job, and just as important, finding a job I LOVED. I was tired of working long hours, little pay, and constant, unbearable stress that was affecting me emotionally and physically. So when the long-awaited (can I emphasis long-awaited? LONG OVERDUE) day of Feb. 23 came, my last day at my old job, I had the freedom for exactly two months to do what I wanted to do and take a much needed mental reprieve.  This time was filled with lots of yoga, hikes, bar hops, bike rides, fish tacos and friends. It was beautiful.

I also took that time to do some job research and came across a job posting online that seemed like a match made in heaven. The odds were against me of course. It was mid-March, I wouldn’t be moving to NYC till late April, the posting was weeks old, and I was unable to interview for it in person. I sent in my cover letter and resume anyway and was almost overlooked until I told the recruiter to look over my experience again. Surprisingly, I earned a first interview, which turned into a second and a third, followed by six online tests, an interview with the NY office team mates, and finally the CEO… and what do you know. On April 3, they offered me the job, and I was to begin 20 days later! I couldn’t believe it, but more so, I believe the stars aligned. It was such a specific field and exactly what I wanted… a low stress but active, hands on job, and best of all, better pay and fewer hours. The office is even located right off Wall Street. I feel like I scored a jackpot. Or that God was smiling down on me. Maybe New York is where I’m meant to be after all.

Landing my dream job before the move squelched a lot of my concerns and made the move considerably easier. With my dad off my back financially, and the job hunt over (although I wouldn’t call it a hunt considering I scored the first job I applied for) the move seemed so much more… simplified. I had to get through packing up my house, selling my things to unreliable craigslisters, and manually driving boxes to Rob’s place for the movers to claim; I had to suffer some roommate concerns; I had to survive a family vacation with a severe cold in the snowy mountains of Mammoth; and I had to endure Rob’s final partying debaucheries… none of it easy and far from stress free. So when April 19^th rolled around, I was more than ready to leave behind my old worries and create a new life, void of everything that used to keep me down.

Except for the fact that the morning of April 19^th, we arrived at the Palm Springs airport realizing we missed our flight. I’ll take the fall for that one. I was an hour off. After a few tears on my part (I was a little stressed that week) and Rob’s gracious patience to the Alaskan Air employees, we were able to book another flight that day (with just a five hour wait in the airport) without extra fees or baggage fees. It was a miracle! Thanks for the military appreciation! Once Rob and I boarded the plane with our one-way tickets, we sat next to each other wide-eyed, saying, “This is it,” over and over. Flying over the city in the dark was unreal. So much was awaiting us that we couldn’t even fathom.

Unfortunately, some more bad luck awaited us that we hadn’t fathomed either. After a long taxi-ride to our Brooklyn hotel, at about 11:30 p.m. I get an unknown call on my cell phone. It seems we picked up a Mr. Reid’s suit bag instead of our own (Rob had just bought a new one days before and didn’t happen to double check). So an angry Mr. Reid urged us to meet him in the Upper East Side immediately (for those familiar with NYC, Brooklyn to the UES is not immediate) and give him back his bag. Fortunately, he was willing to bring ours to swap. So just a walk through rat infested streets in the ghetto section of Brooklyn to the subway, to a route change, to believing I was being shot at due to construction echoes in the station, to getting lost, to a taxi ride, we finally found the right street corner and the right frustrated man. After the odd midnight exchange, we made it back to our hotel room just after one a.m., and exhausted, climbed into bed…

What seemed like a short 6 hours of sleep later, we awoke to our alarms. Apartment-hunting day. This topic is a blog unto itself and is to be continued. But trust me. For anyone planning the move, my experiences will be worth the read.

More Saving, More Doing. That's the Power...

It has been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened since then. I flew to NYC for a visit and explored the city, I put in my notice at work, I built furniture for the apartment. Yes, furniture. And THAT is what this post will revolve around because I'm so very proud of it.

Last weekend, I drove to Rob's place in Twentynine Palms to celebrate both his birthday and Valentine's Day a little early. We had been researching some blogs here and there to get ideas on  how we'd like to decorate our place, and both of us love the look of reclaimed wood. We started looking into buying some furniture, and WHOA! The prices were unreal. So we thought, what if we built it ourselves and found some reclaimed wood from a vendor in San Diego? Even then, the wood itself was somewhat pricey. So Rob dug a little deeper and found a few great blogs (shout out to Shanty-2-Chic) that showed you how to make your own new wood look reclaimed. Perfect. And within the budget. :)

Rob got the technique down and soared ahead with making a beautiful headboard before I even made it up for the weekend. Once I got there, I got started on the work for our coffee table, sanding the edges down, beating up the wood, and applying a staining technique to make the wood look weathered and worn. Once that was done, Rob constructed the table (taking a break from the bed frame he was then getting to work on), and I put a coat of finish on it.

We then took a trip to Home Depot for some hardware... what, oh what to make the legs out of? There's a bar here in Encinitas, Union Kitchen & Tap, that I had fallen in love with the look of creating a contrast of old wood with industrial items. So, we found some steel plumbing pipes, and with a couple caps, were able to fix the pipes to the coffee table.

And wallah. After two full days of sawing, drilling, sanding, beating, staining and priming. We have our finished products. I can't begin to describe how proud I am of our work. Once the finish dried, we moved the furniture inside, and seriously stood back in awe. It looks amazing and fits our taste perfectly. I'm in love with these projects and grateful to have a partner who is on board with the do-it-yourself movement. He is amazing and we love our work even more knowing it came out of our own two hands.

So take a look, what do you think? Now we just need to find an apartment that fits our massive coffee table!

What You Should Know

I called in sick today as I was feeling... well... sick, and between checking work e-mails and blowing my nose, I decided I might randomly Google some topics about NYC.

One of my favorite search results was a Yelp feed on "Things You Should Have Been Told Before You Moved to NYC." Although most of the posts are negative, scary or down right revolting, I also found them to be humorous and am a little grateful for the warning.

I pulled together the top 55 tips/warnings. You can read the rest of the post here.

1. I have more junk caught up in my nose than I did pre-Manhattan
2. That isn't mud on your shoe.  Ever.
3. NYC apartments are very dry in the winter.  Like CRAZY dry.  I keep three humidifiers running in mine all winter
4. Everything is under construction always
5. Cabs -- when the number on top is lit up - it's empty, when it's not - someone is in there, and when the whole thing is on - it's off duty
6. When a subway car is significantly emptier during rush hour than all the others, it's for one of two reasons: there is a smelly bum stinking up the place, or the AC is broken
7. People will molest you if you fall asleep on the train - and sometimes even if you don't fall asleep
8. The gutters have a slight green slime known as garbage juice.  It's from stores and restaurants putting their trashbags on the curbs late at night (there are no back alleys for trash pickup).
9. RATS: there are lots of them - they might be in your new apartment
10. BEDBUGS are a problem - if you get them you'll be screwed!
11. The subway lines are repaired on the weekend, so there are often long delays and sometimes whole lines are shut down (midnight to 5 am)
12. You can know what part of the corner you are standing on and what direction you exit the subway from, if you pay attention to the SW-NW-SE-NE directional signs near the exits.
13. The even numbered streets go east, the odd numbered ones go west.
14. Avenue blocks are longer than street blocks.
15. Don't feel guilty about totally ignoring the people trying to shove a leaflet into your hand as you pass them on the sidewalk.
16. That there are plenty of parks and places to exercise and bike and run outside.  That though manhattan is an island, it's large enough that you won't notice and won't feel claustrophobic.
17. you will think it's totally normal to make plans to meet someone somewhere at 1 am, "just when it's starting to get a little busy"
18. you will think it's totally normally to have to visit your storage locker every two weeks to get that outfit you stored there, or the other vacuum cleaner, or your good hiking shoes
19. Don't expect the same prices for groceries as you'd find outside of the city... $10 for a baby watermelon!?!? Are you kidding me!?
20. you will see something very very terrible and sad - possibly about once a week (daily?) - which will shake you
21. do NOT economize on rent. you're not smart. you will get mugged. i personally know 3 people who were mugged. now they pay 200-300 dollars more
22. Try to be early rather than "on time" - there WILL be a problem with the trains.
23. People you don't want to talk to you won't if you don't look at them.
24. Bring something to read or look at while you're on the train.
25. Let the people off the train before you go running inside.
26. Do NOT wear flip flops beach shoes in the city far from home base. it WILL rain, you will slip on the slippery sidewalks, your feet will be NASTY when you get home.  the rain is relaxing, therapeutic in other cities. in nyc it's disgusting.
27. There are really only two places where you can get a full meal (like with a drink, etc.) for under $10: on the street and in Chinatown (exceptions include Mamouns and Grey's Papaya).
28. People here care more about how you look in your clothes than out of them (as opposed to L.A. or Miami).  Dress to impress, baby!
29. Stand on the right, MOVE on the left
30. You pay for what neighborhood you live in, not what kind of apartment you live in.
34. All of the awesome free events, movies in the park, concerts in the park, etc...
35. Getting used to "To stay." versus "For here" at a fast food joint.  Makes sense.
36. DO NOT TURN RIGHT ON RED. For that matter, do not bring your car.  All you'll need is a metrocard and maybe a bicycle.
37. If it's less than two subways stops, you should walk.
38. Paying the premium to live in a neighborhood where you feel safe at any time of the day/night is unbelievably worth it.
39. If you wear stilettos to the Meatpacking District, prepare to get laughed at as you teeter around in the cobblestone streets.  You'll get laughed at by chicks like me who wore flats.
40. Get the most out of your neighborhood.  Try every restaurant and bar, even if you end up splurging a bit, because you never know when you'll find a new favorite, or when that place you've always wanted to go to will lose its lease.
41. If you're moving to NY soon, start reading Gothamist, Curbed, Eater, and the NYMag blogs NOW, even though you will at first have no idea what they are talking about.  Once you get here, you'll start finding niches of local blogs to diversify your office procrastination time that fit your interests/neighborhood
42. Have a good idea of how to get where you're going when you hop in a cab. They will fuck you.
43. Nothing in life is ever free. Craiglist is full of scammers. Expect to find brokers posting on the no-broker, no fee part of teh apartment site
44. Be assertive (not bitchy, just assertive) and you will usually get better service at the crowded deli for lunch. 
45. You're not the smartest, funniest, prettiest, coolest, or greatest one here - that's what motivates you.
46. If you're a good-looking, decently-dressed guy (business casual counts) who works out, you'll get hit on by men and you'll just have to deal with it.
47. New York City is the only city where, when it rains, it makes it's own gravy.
48. No one takes credit cards and 2 -  there are no public bathrooms anywhere
49. You can report Cabbies for not stopping
50. IT IS ILLEGAL FOR CABS TO NOT ACCEPT C.C. if they have the machine!!!!! You can refuse to pay and leave the cab if they do not accept it - tell a cop and they will get a ticket.
51. After living in the city for over a year you will want kill every person you hear say, "the big apple" :)
52. If you are waiting for a train late night or on weekends, you'll most likely get screwed.
53. It takes at least 20 mins to get anywhere in the city. Even if you live right around the corner from your destination, you are still at least 20 mins away.
54. Develop a longer patience because there are tourists, crazy traffic, crammed train, and dirty floors - but that's almost every other city in the world.
55. Realize that something horrendous and reprehensible happens in New York everyday. You have to learn to accept everything and that you can't change everything. Don't wallow in your disappointment - it just gets everyone else down.

And, one post with positives that makes me hopeful:

Street fairs and green markets - lovely.
Summer, Fall, Spring and Winter in Central Park - lovely.
There's a heart beat to the City.
Stop on the sidewalk, in a historical part of the city, look around and it's easy to imagine the generations that lived here prior.
Free events each week.
I've never felt threatened.
This city will humble you but make you stronger as well. 

Feel free to comment with your own insightful advice.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

One of the biggest considerations for this move is which neighborhood to settle into. Chelsea, Upper West Side, Financial District, Murray Hill, Morningside Heights, etc. etc. There are upsides and downsides to everything I've looked up so far and it really isn't all that easy choosing. What I have determined are what my "must-haves" are to help determine what options are really viable. So, here they are:

Must-Haves

1. Price (we are looking in the 1800-2400 price point for a true one bedroom)

2. Safety

3. Easy Commute

Bonuses

1. Lively, social neighborhood (bars and restaurants)

2. Nearby Central Park (maybe it all is?)

I suppose it would help to know where I'm going to work, but I don't. So...mostly we are basing it off of Columbia University's location, which is technically in Morningside Heights/Harlem (116th Street and Broadway)... which I'm not too keen on, however I do hear it is an up-and-coming neighborhood! No?

Well, not knowing much, I set off to Google. And here is what I came up with:

Gramercy/Murray Hill:
34th St. to 40th St., East River to Madison Ave.
Really cute and safe and is filled with young professionals and is pretty well priced. It’s decidedly unhip, which may be why Murray Hill is $500 to $1,000 cheaper per month than most of the surrounding neighborhoods. But it’s extremely safe, the schools are good, and its residences are modern and well maintained (if architecturally middling). The famously fratty neighborhood gets a little extra flavor from its excellent Indian, Korean, and Sichuan restaurants. And though transit access can be a problem in the neighborhood’s eastern reaches, the eventual completion of the Second Avenue subway will solve that problem. The league-average hood is mostly bereft of bars and restaurants despite being rebranded as the more fashionable “NoMad”. The houses and apartment buildings around the park are some seriously coveted real estate, since ownership is still the only way to make it through the gates of the park; Rockefellers and their ilk live here. The area north and east of the park (Murray Hill) is residential and not particularly interesting to tourists, though the Morgan Library, with its spectacular new renovation, is to the northwest.

Financial District:

Chambers St. to southern tip of Manhattan, East River to Broadway

is a little more expensive but has nicer buildings. I don't think the neighborhood has the charm some other places do. As quiet, safe, and conveniently located as Tribeca, but without much neighborhood life; it can feel abandoned at night.

Upper West Side:

59th St. (excluding Columbus Circle) to 110th St., Central Park West to Hudson River

is great and super cheap and safe if you stay below 116th. Alex Schwartz lives up there actually on 106th. Mimi lives here near Lincoln Center. Some of the most desirable property in the city is on Central Park West, but Amsterdam Avenue is a morass of mid-rises and much of the neighborhood lacks street life. Historically the heart of liberal, intellectual, political New York (the home of Bella Abzug and John Lennon), the Upper West Side has undergone considerable gentrification in recent years, with the influx of chain stores and the advent of the Time-Warner Center (the grandly named Shops at Columbus Circle is just another upscale chain mall, though it has some fabulous restaurants hidden away in its upper reaches). Still, the neighborhood remains funky, cranky, and relatively diverse--not to mention family-friendly (it is, perhaps, the stroller capital of Manhattan). Bounded by Riverside Park (overlooking the Hudson) to the west and Central Park to the east, the neighborhood is exceptionally culturally rich, even for Manhattan.  Watch Shakespeare in the Park , or hang out at the  Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon, in Central Park opposite the Dakota, where the Beatle lived and died; while away an afternoon drinking a glass of wine, listening to music and watching the yachts, the roller-bladers, the walkers and runners and dog-walkers in the Riverside Park Boat Basin; check out the Children's Museum and the American Museum of Natural History (with its fabulous dinosaur exhibits and the gorgeous Rose Planetarium); watch ballet or opera at  Lincoln Center (in summer, you can dance outside on the plaza and watch performances by artists from around the world). Juilliard is located here; so is a campus of Fordham University. Foodies will want to check out Zabar's and Fairway , two of the city's most renowned culinary outlets. While the architecture is often gorgeous (check out the Ansonia , on Broadway north of 72nd Street), it's the people-watching that's really great here--but be prepared to keep moving or get out of the way, as the crowd moves quickly and this is still the domain of sharp elbows and sharper retorts.

Upper East Side:

59th St. to 96th St., East River to Fifth Ave.

Famously safe, charming, green, and beautiful, but other neighborhoods offer those same virtues while also being cheaper and more densely packed with entertainment. A historically elite bastion of old money, the Upper East Side (59th Street to 96th Street between 5th and York Avenues) remains conservative and upscale. Quiet cross-streets are lined with  beautiful apartment buildings (as is the "Gold Coast" of 5th Avenue facing the park, home to some of the most coveted addresses in the city); the avenues (particularly Madison Avenue) are dotted with posh hotels, upscale restaurants and high-end designer boutiques. Visitors find easy access to Central Park as well as the fabled “Museum Mile” section of 5th Avenue, home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art , the Guggenheim , the Whitney , the Museum of the City of New York , and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design .  This is a great neighborhood for dream-shopping and people-watching, if the luxe life is your thing; cruise the high-end shops on Madison Avenue, have a cappuccino and a salad in a cafe with tables facing the street. (If you want to do some actual shopping but can't afford the stratospheric prices, you might check out Bloomingdale's). At night, much of the neighborhood goes dark (safe but very, very quiet) with the exception of restaurants; but from Third Avenue over, far from the convenience of the subway and the elite status granted by Central Park proximity, the Upper East Side turns into one big frat party, rife with bars packed with preppie post-collegiate types.

Upper east Side is Sub-divided into 3 areas. All walking distance to each other but all different in history. You have the Yorkville Section Which is above 72nd Street to 96th Street between Lexington and 1st Avenue. Carnigie Hill Section above 72nd Street to 96th Street between 5th and Lexington Avenue. The Upper Yorkville Section, Above 96th Street to 106th Street between Park Avenue and 2nd Avenue

East Village:

Houston St. to 14th St., East River to Fourth Ave.

Trendy and young but east of Ave. A can be sketchy, its still fine but there are safer places. The neighborhood with the highest concentration of bars in the city (if not the world) scores off the charts in all the expected areas: retail diversity, restaurant density, proximity to nightlife, and desirability to the creative classes, with only schools and affordability truly lacking. With a typical two-bedroom running at about $3,300 per month, it’s expensive. But thanks to nearby NYU, the East Village has more income and ethnic diversity than most of its neighbors. The East Village once was part of The Lower East Side has undergone gentrification and has lost its former edge. However, it is still a culturally diverse area with significant Polish and Ukrainian immigrant history and the restaurant row dubbed “Little India.” If you walk its narrow side streets, including St. Mark’s Place, you will discover numerous funky shops, and people-watching is especially fun in this colorful neighborhood.

Chelsea:

14th St. to 29th St., Broadway to Hudson River

Charming in some places (especially its 400-gallery art colony) and less so in others, including some pockets with high crime. Historically a residential area known for its writer and artist population, Chelsea (15th to 39th Streets between the Hudson River and Sixth Avenue) was the epicenter of the city’s gay life for quite some time; but as the neighborhood has become increasingly upscale, it's changed considerably. New York's hottest gallery scene inhabits the area's western edge, with haute restaurants to match. The Chelsea Market attracts foodie types from all over, despite its dark, dated design. A clutch of trendy clubs have taken up residence on and around 27th street and on the western edges of the neighborhood. Practice your golf swing or try a little rock climbing, or bowling  at Chelsea Piers Sports Complex. Or, enjoy a harbor cruise on a warm summer night on one of the historic vessels of Classic Harbor Line. Once dangerous, then quietly residential, Chelsea has become very, very downtown. 

Lower East Side:

Canal St. to Houston St., East River to Bowery

Reasonable and trendy but its filled with all the bars where everyone goes out so you're always in the middle of it which is good and bad. Suppose we told you about a neighborhood with some of the city’s best nightlife, along with outstanding restaurants and shops. It’s conveniently located in Lower Manhattan. It’s vital and energetic, gentrifying but reasonably diverse. And a two-bedroom apartment costs around $2,300 a month. Sounds too good to be true, but the numbers tell the story. Yes, the Lower East Side has some prominent warts: Its housing stock is fairly run-down. It’s noisy. And not everyone wants to live where they go out. But few other neighborhoods offer such a complete New York City experience at this price point.

West Village: Everything you want New York to be, but it is definitely expensive.

Sunnyside:

Greenpoint Ave. and First Calvary Cemetery to Northern Blvd. (along the census tract), 44th St. and Locust to Van Dam St.

Sunnyside is a hidden gem if there ever was one—though its communities of Armenians, Romanians, Indians, Bangladeshis, Chinese, Koreans, Colombians, and Ecuadorans have known about its attributes for years. It’s flat-out cheap (and not just by New York standards): A typical two-bedroom costs $1,300 a month. And that’s in a safe, quiet neighborhood with better-than-average schools that’s just sixteen minutes to Times Square on the 7 train. Although it’s a bit lacking in restaurants and nightlife, it’s a quick livery ride to both Greenpoint and Astoria.

Midtown West:

29th St. to 59th St., Madison Ave. to Hudson River

More cultural cachet than Midtown East, but much grittier, with modestly high crime rates (especially around Port Authority) and a high incidence of air, asbestos, and noise complaints.

Astoria:
36th Ave. to Twentieth Ave./Con Ed Power Plant/19th Ave., Ditmars Blvd./BQE /Northern Blvd. to East River

Most Manhattanites know Astoria only for its beer gardens, but this large—about 170,000 people—and eclectic neighborhood has much more to offer, including reasonably priced housing, strong ethnic clusters that have weathered the first waves of gentrification, good shopping at both local markets and big-box retailers, and pedestrian-friendly streets. The downside is a lack of foliage and park access, as well as a commute that is reasonable to midtown but cumbersome to lower Manhattan.

Morningside Heights:
106th Street to 125th Street between Morningside Park and Riverside Drive
Bordered by Harlem and the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights runs from 106th Street to 125th Street between Morningside Park and Riverside Drive. A number of major educational institutions are located here: Union Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary, Manhattan School of Music, and, most famously, Barnard College and Columbia University. The neighborhood boasts a park promenade along the river ( Grant's Tomb is located here) and some spectacular architecture, including the flying buttresses of the Riverside Church and the perpetually unfinished but breathtaking Cathedral of St. John the Divine , arguably the world's largest Gothic cathedral. Less exalted but perhaps still more interesting to couch

After quite a bit of research, I thought I'd try something fun and took a neighborhood quiz. You can take the quiz here:

http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/new/futurebird/which-neighborhood-in-manhattan-is-best-for-you/

And, here are my results!

You Scored as Inwood. Inwood is located on the northern tip of Manhattan. Inwood extends from 200th St (Dyckman St) to 220th Street. It is banked on all three sides by huge wild parks.

Inwood- 67%
Chelsea- 67%
Financial District/Battery Park- 56%
El Barrio- 56%
Alphabet City- 50%
Upper West Side/ Morningside Heights- 50%
Stuyvesant Town- 50%
Hell's Kitchen/ Theatre District- 44%
Harlem- 44%
Kips Bay- 39%
Upper East Side- 39%
Washington Heights- 33%
SoHo/ TriBeCa- 28%
China Town- 11%

I tied for Inwood and Chelsea. After having Rob take the test, he tied with Chelsea and the Financial District. So Chelsea residents, what do you think? Ready for a new neighbor?