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October 18, 2007
relocating to NYC: yeah or ney?
First of all, thanks to everyone who responded to my post earlier today about moving from CA. Great answers, and I really appreciate the info.
Now, this is for the folks out there who have pulled this off. Please only answer if you've done a relocation (preferably major, from one state to another, e.g.), or know someone who did:
- where did you move from?
- how much time did it take for you to adjust?
- are you glad you did it?
- if you rented before buying (or are still renting), how did you find your apt?
- what would you do differently, if there was a next time?
- any other comments/tips on relocating to NYC?
Thanks, everyone!
Comments
and if you didn't smell a broker with the first one...
Posted by: guest at October 18, 2007 6:25 PM
I moved from Chicago 15 years ago and lived in Chelsea and then the West Village for a couple of years and then moved to Brooklyn. Manhattan was probably an adjustment, but I was energized by the whole experience and was having the time of my life. The move to Brooklyn was a down-shift that took nearly a year to handle. Bklyn is better than it used to be, in terms of things to do. I am thrilled that I moved to New York. It is the best city in the world. I would not/ could not live anywhere else. It is the world encapsulated! I rented when I first moved here. I lived in ridiculously small and romantic apartments with my still-husband in the early years of our enduring bliss. I think we used brokers to find all of our places. I love Brooklyn now but would recommend, as others have, that you live in Manhattan first. It is a great introduction to an amazing city.
Posted by: guest at October 18, 2007 6:53 PM
oh wow, 6:25, is that some authentic NY sarcasm you're dishing out there...? impressive!
Posted by: blacklightblue at October 18, 2007 7:02 PM
Hey, it could look that way, Ms. Cali. I wrote both. Best of luck to you.
Posted by: guest at October 18, 2007 7:07 PM
thanks, 6:53... I don't know that we could do Manhattan to start. We can't do cramped, being consultants that both work from home, so unless we land million-dollar contracts off the bat, I think we need to start in Brooklyn. Maybe Manhattan once things are off the ground.
And I completely agree with you on NYC in general. I've visited 3 times so far, and this places makes me feel like no other. And I've traveled pretty extensively... thanks for your response, I appreciate the feedback.
Posted by: blacklightblue at October 18, 2007 7:08 PM
Jackson Heights is much more affordable. You will not find a loft, but you can buy an apartment for 1/2 or 2/3 the cost of one in Brooklyn. You can even buy an entire house for less then a million.
jacksonheightsnyc.blogspot.com
www.jhbg.org
It's just as close to Manhattan as Park Slope.
Posted by: guest at October 18, 2007 9:01 PM
Brooklyn and Nyc is the only place in the world i would want to be it is the center of the universe so i would jump at the chance to move there.
Posted by: guest at October 18, 2007 9:55 PM
I first moved to NYC after college (relocation #1 but it sort of doesn't count) and then my husband went to business school in Chicago so we moved there, and then moved back to NY. So we have relocated technically, but admittedly we really knew what we were getting into. However, I'll try to answer your questions:
- where did you move from? from Chicago
- how much time did it take for you to adjust? Well, this is what is different since we were just moving back, so we could fit right in pretty quickly. However, the sticker shock was severe, even after only being away for 2 years. That takes some adjustment, but then you do eventually adjust.
- are you glad you did it? We wouldn't live anywhere else. Truly. I love a lot of other cities out there but there is nothing like New York City and it's the only place we want to call home.
- if you rented before buying (or are still renting), how did you find your apt? Unfortunately the vast majority of rentals are controlled by brokers. Meaning that the renter pays the brokers fee to find the place. It's pretty darn annoying! But that's how we found our place. On the plus side, we have a beautiful, large 2 br apt right next to the Time Warner center in Manhattan and we love it. We wouldn't have found it without the broker. We are still renting (our 2nd year) but we will likely buy something within the next few months (so no lease renewal).
- what would you do differently, if there was a next time? Well, I wish we had bought before we went to b-school, and rented out for a few years! But ah well. As for what we'd do differently, can't say. No major regrets. You have to do what life dictates and if the timing isn't right, it isn't right. We made some fiscal mistakes (not buying earlier, etc.) but we weren't ready to buy, so whatrya gonna do?
- any other comments/tips on relocating to NYC? My strong recommendation to you is to rent in Manhattan for the year you are renting (I am the one who suggested it in your other post). Even if you don't buy in Manhattan (unlikely if you are price sensitive), you should live there if you can for a year- it will be worth every extra penny you spend and square foot you give up! (for the short term- after awhile the benefits of the city are outweighed by the fact that you are literally flushing obscene amounts of money down the toilet in rent).
Posted by: guest at October 18, 2007 10:50 PM
10:50pm here. I just read that you won't be able to rent in NYC. I would definitely not have unrealistic expectations about the amount of space you'll get for $2-3k. Unless you go to Queens or Jersey or deep into Brooklyn, it's going to be hard to find over 1000sq ft for that price range. So you'll need to compromise on either space or location. But believe me-if you're comitted to NYC, you'll be surprised how quickly you can either give up space or location, depending on what you decide. Good luck!
Posted by: guest at October 18, 2007 10:57 PM
7:07, your vibe is truly icky. I think you'd fit right in down in Los Angeles, though.
9:01 and after, thanks for sharing your thoughts and I agree with you all that NYC is IT.
Posted by: blacklightblue at October 18, 2007 10:58 PM
Do your own research. You want everything handed to you on a silver platter.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 12:16 AM
I call bullshit. Total.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 12:28 AM
I have moved from the west coast to NYC twice.
SF - NYC
LA - NYC
It didnt take long to adjust. First everything is a novelty and you love it. Then you wake up one day, its not a novelty, its your home, and you love it.
We rented in the village because my wife's company paid for the relo and brokers fee. Then after a year in a 450 sq ft apt, moved to Cobble Hill and bought.
When looking for a rental,do anything you can to avoid a brokers fee. Especially in Brkln, there are way too many no fee rentals on craigslist.
For whats its worth we used California New York Express moving company both times.
I think you have the right attitude, tapping resources like this site and Renting for a year to figure out we're you want to live.
Also another data point since you are coming from the Bay Area. At least 10 of my friends have moved from SF since my first move. They all live in Cobble Hill, Carrol Gardens or Park Slope.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 8:38 AM
"7:07, your vibe is truly icky. I think you'd fit right in down in Los Angeles, though."
Oh no, it was in that ... oh, ...shoot....I can't do it in writing. Email me (wait your email is in here) and I'll say it to you on the phone in the friendly apologetic way that I meant it. It was like, Oh man, it could look like a broker posted this stuff, right? And then I called you Ms. Cali because you described the sarcasm with NY and I was just trying to match it. It was in no way a derogatory thing about California or you. It was an apology for the first post. We do get many brokers here. When I wrote it, I was half joking and half hoping that it would be my turn to be all perceptive and call one out. What a bad day- I'm apologizing for two posts. I don't think that I work well on paper. Sorry again.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 8:59 AM
8:59 - are you having a hangover or plain drunk?
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 9:45 AM
Both
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 10:03 AM
8:38, would you say your friends are all more or less happy that they relocated from the Bay Area? do any of them (or yourself) find that you had to overall adjust to living in tighter spaces, even after you bought?
8:59, apology accepted, I read your post after someone had gotten nasty with me on another thread here... so consider my response on the tailwind of that. It did come across a little odd, but that's the internet for you. I'm sure, over a cup of coffee, I would have smiled at the remark. And understood it the way you meant it.
Posted by: blacklightblue at October 19, 2007 10:17 AM
If someone is open and friendly and genuine you behind a counter or on the street, then almost certainly they are a recent arrival. After a few years this is beaten into scar tissue, or they leave.
Most people who didn't grow up here are here for their job and/or the money and/or their "art". They are not here for their health, the outdoors their kids or the countryside. Most people here for a job/money would leave if they could. Most people with kids are secretly guilty they are putting them through this (unless they grew up this way and don't know any different).
new yorkers are not unfriendly but few have any time to add any more friends. It takes a long time to relate each new wrinkle of their psychoses with each person in their immediate circle, and so if you subtract time for the classes, the yoga, the shrink, and so on, they have simply no time left to expand their friends list. So each stranger is judged on their potential to replace their least interesting friend.
manhattan has increasingly bifurcated into parallel cities. The weird/freaky one that is awash with money, and the real new york where the waiter goes to night school and pays for acting classes from his tips and shares a walk-up in a cheap shitty part of town. Brooklyn not so much, thank god.
I better stop now before I start listing the negatives.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 10:37 AM
you're too needy to NY
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 10:48 AM
PLEASE stop responding to this bitch.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 10:51 AM
10:51 Don't you know that people here just want to respond. It doesn't matter whether the person is real or not. That's not the point. It kills time, it feeds something- clearly it is not really about being helpful and nice. It's a nicotine patch. I wish that we could all help you to feel powerful by ending this at your command. Actually- let's do it- STOP NOW to empower 10:51.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 11:00 AM
Actually, 11:00 I think some people are stupid enough to think this person is REAL.
Apparently you've been hit by the nasty bug too.
Husband hasn't banged you in a while, huh?
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 11:11 AM
I was the first poster on this thread. I get banged so much I can't walk anymore- just sit around blogging while I get the soothing tongue.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 11:23 AM
10:37, I've lived in several large cities, both here and abroad... and I find your comment relevant and quite characteristic of life in the City. There's nothing uniquely 'New York' about what you describe, I have lived through that in Paris, San Francisco and a few others, and they're all like that... forgive me if I'm too frank here, but I detect a note of loneliness in your post, which I can completely relate to. The thing is, isolation is actually everywhere. It's the national epidemic no one wants to talk about. Suburban soccer moms and their corporate husbands might drown that in commutes and their children's activities, but it's no different. For myself, I like my loneliness sharp and real, so I feel most comfortable living in a city. Thanks for your honesty and please, I'd love to hear the negatives, if you have the time. Take it easy...
Posted by: blacklightblue at October 19, 2007 11:56 AM
Definitely the WORST. THREAD. EVER.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 2:26 PM
blackbluelight - definitely 'ney'. Do not come here - STAY where you are............
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 2:33 PM
2:26 and 2:33, don't you have something better to do on a Friday afternoon in NYC than post on a blog? LMAO. And P.S., that kind of hostility gives you cancer. Have a nice day!
Posted by: blacklightblue at October 19, 2007 3:00 PM
Don't YOU have something better to do, blackbluebitch than to post multiple threads, commenting every other minute on stupid asinine questions about moving to New York?
If you're so freakin worldly, you should already know what it's like here.
And from the sound of your posts, you belong in an insane assylum...not in NYC.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 3:05 PM
blackblue, you have no sense of humor, please obtain some before you relocate to NY, otherwise you are sure to get a NY style arse kicking soon after you arrive.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 3:17 PM
HAHAHahhAhHAhAHahaHAHhaHaH!
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 3:18 PM
"2:26 and 2:33, don't you have something better to do on a Friday afternoon in NYC than post on a blog? LMAO. And P.S., that kind of hostility gives you cancer. Have a nice day!"
As opposed to your glorious comments...ALSO POSTING ON A BLOG ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON??!!
C U Next Tuesday!
Anyone who writes "LMAO" is either 12 or a total loon.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 3:25 PM
I love C U Next Tuesday - the saying and the thing -but it is my inner 13 year old.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 3:29 PM
I love it too.
Something so funny, yet childish about it.
This crazy really acts like one though.
And I reserve that word for the WORST of the worst.
Maybe cause I'm gay...
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 3:36 PM
Hey if you're the same guy that just heard about the sex party. I am the original poster and 3:29. We have so much in common. HAHaha! I'm a straight woman and not a cu... most the time. We should shop.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 8:53 PM
I don't know what I'm saying- I posted the first sex party comment... live in Brooklyn. Anyway shashaplecas@yahoo.com
Posted by: guest at October 20, 2007 11:36 AM
Wait a minute blacklightblue, in your earlier post you said you and your husband were relocating, now above you say: "For myself, I like my loneliness sharp and real, so I feel most comfortable living in a city"
I call bullshit! You're a needy moron!
Posted by: guest at October 20, 2007 8:03 PM
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