A hop, skip and a jump to Grand Central and just $1700/month?

April 6, 2013 10:40 AM

I’ve gotten a job in NYC and am moving back to the city with my girlfriend on June 1. Yes! It’s too early to look at places, but right now we’re neighborhood shopping. Our challenge: finding a safe, comfortable neighborhood that’s a half hour or less commute to the Grand Central area where we can get a one bedroom apartment costing $1700/month or less.

Neighborhoods that we’ve considered are East Harlem, West Harlem (particularly the Sugar Hill area), Morningside Heights, Washington Heights (I’ve lived here before and liked it, but it’s far uptown), and Sunnyside, Queens (never been there but we’ve read some good things). What say you, New York mefites? Got any advice or recommendations? Our priorities, roughly in order of importance are 1) safety 2) accessibility 3) cost/feasibility of finding an apartment in good shape at our price point 4) green space nearby 5) ambiance of the neighborhood.

posted by reren to Home & Garden (25 answers total)

I'd look in Astoria, Queens.
posted by dfriedman at 10:42 AM on April 6, 2013 [2 favorites]

Definitely Astoria for quick eastside access; the crosstown schlep from the Heights might get old.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:47 AM on April 6, 2013

Yeah, you're going to get the best bang for your buck in Astoria, which has every single thing on your list.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:47 AM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

I don't know much about Astoria, but you'd be able to get a huge one bedroom for that price in Washington Heights. And it's safe, has parks, and a great feeling in the neighborhood. The A or 1 are quick to midtown, and it's really not bad hopping on the 7 to Grand Central.
posted by the twistinside at 10:53 AM on April 6, 2013

Astoria.

Washington Heights is too far. I lived there and worked and went to school on the East Side and it was annoying.

Sunnyside is great.

Something in Brooklyn that is an easy walk to the 4/5 train could work, too -- For a while I lived in Crown Heights near the Franklin Ave 4/5 and could be at Grand Central in half an hour. The key here is to keep your walk minimal, though. If you've got 10-15 minutes on either end, your half hour commute could stretch closer to an hour. That said, if you could find something in your price range closer to the Atlantic/Pacific transit hub, things would be a little less tight.
posted by Sara C. at 11:01 AM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

Similarly, Williamsburg close to one of the first two or three L train stops could work. But again, CLOSE. And I'm not sure you'll find a one bedroom within five minutes of the Bedford or Lorimer L train stops for that price.
posted by Sara C. at 11:03 AM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

I live in Washington Heights. You can get a one bedroom for $1,700 up here but getting to Grand Central is a pain: A to 42nd & 8th, then walk across town one block underground to the 7 or S line. Astoria is much easier.
posted by dfriedman at 11:05 AM on April 6, 2013

And funnily enough I'm moving to Williamsburg at the end of the month...I agree that the Bedford Ave L stop would be a possibility. The L to 6 transfer at Union Sq. is easy.
posted by dfriedman at 11:07 AM on April 6, 2013

If green space, safety, and affordability are big concerns, you might consider living outside of NYC-proper in a town on the Hudson valley line, which comes in right to Grand Central. But of course, this might defeat the point of moving to NYC (am a happy upstater, but I realize that it's not for everyone).
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:16 AM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

Definitely Astoria (I just signed a lease there after living in Morningside heights for a year.)

Getting across town is the problem--anywhere on the west side north is pretty inaccessible from Grand Central. Not insanely so, but commuting would be annoying. Astoria is awesome and the NQ goes right to that area.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:35 AM on April 6, 2013

I'd go with Astoria and Wash Heights, but Washington Heights is on the ragged edge of 30 minutes, and you'll probably get really sick of the various 42nd street crosstown options, especially in the morning.
posted by kaszeta at 11:42 AM on April 6, 2013

We live in a big 1br in Sunnyside with a direct ~20 minute trip to Grand Central on the 7. We pay less than that.

Broadly compared to Astoria, Sunnyside has: less (ok, no) green space than much of Astoria (though lots of trees), somewhat more sedate lifestyle, and seemingly hundreds fewer interesting restaurants (but closer to Woodside and Elmhurst, which are amazing for that). Safety and accessibility are generally similar.

The crosstown options will be much less convenient.
posted by deeaytch at 12:32 PM on April 6, 2013

I'd definitely consider Sunnyside and the area around Franklin Ave (which as Sara C. said might be a little bit on the long end of 30 minutes, but the 4 and 5 trains are pretty quick). Or you could transfer right across the platform from the N/Q to the 7 if you live in Astoria; any rush hour transfer more extensive than that would get pretty annoying, in my opinion.
posted by mlle valentine at 12:53 PM on April 6, 2013

I'm not sure about price, but it just occurred to me that it's silly of us not to suggest that you at least look at the Upper East Side, especially places around the 86th street 4/5/6 stop.
posted by Sara C. at 1:24 PM on April 6, 2013

Astoria is solid, but check out Forest Hills, too. It's VERY green, has great subway coverage, and it's extremely livable & safe. You get a lot of quality of life out of the few extra minutes on the train past Astoria.
posted by FeralHat at 1:46 PM on April 6, 2013

As someone who lived in Forest Hills and then moved to Astoria, I have to disagree completely. It's more than a few extra minutes and the quality of life was sooooo not worth the longer commute to work and the higher cab fare (and making the cabbie grumpy).

Move to Astoria. It's awesome.
posted by elsietheeel at 1:50 PM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

I would be shocked to see a 1 bedroom anywhere in Williamsburg for that price. Maybe Long Island city? You can just hop on the 7.
posted by Ragged Richard at 3:15 PM on April 6, 2013

Sunset Park in Brooklyn is probably about 40 minutes on the subway, but if that green space on your list is high in your list of priorities, they call in Sunset Park for a reason, and the even bigger Prospect Park isn't far away either. It's a great neighborhood and for $1,700 you'd have a good chance of finding a two bedroom and I think could find a really nice 1 bedroom pretty easily.
posted by layceepee at 3:29 PM on April 6, 2013

I work in East Williamsburg, and get to see what the L is like in the morning for the Manhattan-bound. Frequently the platforms at Bedford, Lorimer and Graham are completely jammed. If you live in Queens, the option to commute by bike is more doable.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 4:45 PM on April 6, 2013

Keep in mind that virtually all major subway stations will be packed to capacity during rush hour. That's not something you can guard against in your choice of neighborhood unless you move somewhere that would have you driving into the city. And in that case, there's bridge traffic to worry about. It's New York City. Eight million people live there, and they all have to commute to work.
posted by Sara C. at 4:52 PM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

surprisingly enough i've heard a few people over the last couple of years moving to the Upper East Side. one person told me he and his GF have a place off Park ave. in the high 60's or low 70's i don't remember where exactly but i believe that it was for around your price range.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 5:18 PM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

Check out Riverdale or lower on the westside. Metro north will take you to GC in under 30 min, and is generally a nicer and more reliable ride than the subway. Look for an apt either on a bus line that will take you to the station, or some of the larger buildings have shuttles. Van cortland park is awesome for greenery.
posted by cestmoi15 at 5:54 PM on April 6, 2013

Also consider Long Island City, maybe around the Vernon-Jackson stop. There are lots of new high-rises in that area that are likely out of your price range, but look at some of the older buildings. This place, for example, is $95 above your price range, but it's a nice block -- and it's about a four-minute walk to the subway, and from there it's just one stop to Grand Central. That usually takes about six or seven minutes (though you'll never get a seat on a weekday morning). It's not the hippest neighborhood, but you can walk to PS1 or Greenpoint easily. There's a little park on that block, and it's two blocks from the river (with a really nice waterfront state park). And now there's a nearby grocery store! (unlike when I lived there.)
posted by lisa g at 5:58 PM on April 6, 2013

Also consider Long Island City, maybe around the Vernon-Jackson stop.

Was coming here to say exactly this. I've lived in Astoria the last 12 years and it's great and would fit your needs (as is well-covered above). For Grand Central accessibility, though, the Vernon-Jackson area is worth a look; if you got a place near the train, you'd be pretty much 5-15 min from GC. There are also some fun restaurants & bars on Vernon in that area.
posted by torticat at 4:15 PM on April 7, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. We spent a whirlwind weekend in NYC looking for apartments and ended up taking a 1 bedroom that's a two minute walk from the 30th Avenue subway. It was within our budget and beautiful and we really like the neighborhood. Many thanks for all the suggestions. We wouldn't have considered Astoria without your input.
posted by reren at 7:16 AM on May 14, 2013 [2 favorites]