Korean Job Discussion Forums

marmotkorea · Joined: 12 Nov 2007

I'll be moving to New York in a couple of months. I'm a U.S. citizen, but completely unfamiliar with the New York area.

Could anyone please give some advice on where a good place to look for a house/apt. will be? Interested in both rental and purchase in either the city or suburbs (subject to reasonable commute). TIA.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

I absolutely love everything in the East Village (below Union Square and above Houston). Actually, I take that back, I loved absolutely everything below 14th Street in Manhattan.

Outside of Manhattan, many young people are moving to Williamsburg in Brookly. An interesting Polish neighborhood is above it - Greenspoint. Everything is in Polish, the stores and everything. Kinda interesting and nearby Manhattan as well.

I also have to admit I kinda liked Flushing Queens for its high Asian population, as well as Astoria (heavy greek area that isn't too far from Manhattan just into Queens).

If I were younger, I'd do whatever it takes to be in Manhattan at all costs (which is what I did the first time). Upper East Side is also good for this, believe it or not.

Well, what kind of budget are you looking at? Are you single or married?

derl · Joined: 06 Nov 2006

It all depends on your budget. Do you want cheap or dirt cheap? NYC is very expensive in terms of real estate. Will you be sharing?

derl

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Yeah, more info would be appreciated.. Given NYC's size, it has pretty much everything. It totally depends on your budget and what you're looking for.

I'm a big fan of Astoria and LIC simply because they are right across the river from Manhattan, extremely diverse, and a bit cheaper. Not the prettiest of areas though.

Brooklyn these days is getting quite pricey and some areas are very popular with twenty-somethings.

marmotkorea · Joined: 12 Nov 2007

Thanks very much for the replies. I'm married, have a small child, and would budget up to ~3000/mo for rent and ~475000 for purchase.

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZTEN359V8pI

sojourner1 · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:49 pm Post subject:

One reality one must consider is how decent the job market is for your qualifications and ambitions. How good are your prospects of success without going broke? I was going to move to New York 2 years ago when I graduated college, but found it was tough just to get a $30,000 a year job there, though they are available. I wanted to get close the action of the business world and become an analyst, but the start up costs and cost of living are grossly out of my range of possibility.

Do you already have a great job set up or staying with someone to get established?

Any opinions, ideas, and facts any of you have on living in New York is greatly appreciated. It could be a gold mine to have a career or it could be too low paying with a too high cost of living.

marmotkorea · Joined: 12 Nov 2007

marmotkorea · Joined: 12 Nov 2007

jeffkim1972 · Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Location: Mokpo

Depending on where you're working, many people also live across the river in NJ.

NY City is Huge, as well as the surrounding suburbs so you really have to be more precise. don't say NY, which burrough and where in the burrough?

Where are you working?
Drive to work? and how long (can be up to an hour)
Commute by train? and how long (can be up to an hour)

Sorry, i've never lived in California, so can't compare the two.

marmotkorea · Joined: 12 Nov 2007

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

kapshida · Joined: 18 Oct 2007

Hoboken, NJ is a great city, and couldn't be a shorter commute to manhattan on the Path train. Greenpoint in Brooklyn, as someone said above, is great, but if you have a kid, I don't think it would be ideal. $3000 a month won't get you much in manhattan. I used to be a realtor there, so believe me. It's not worth it. Plus, you'll be paying first month's rent, security, and the realtor's fee (which in Manhattan is a shocking 15% of the yearly rent- close to two months!)
Cobble Hill in Brooklyn is a great place, as is Park Slope- they'd be great places to have kids, plus a pretty short commute to the city. You can get a pretty decent place there too, for what you are willing to spend.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

haute 4 teacher · Joined: 19 Nov 2007

Hey now!

I'm from dirty Jerz' and the sketchiness is the whole appeal.

I lived 5 minutes from the beach and a 1 hr train ride to mid-town Manhattan.

In certain parts of Brooklyn and the other boroughs your commute could be longer than 1 hr, even though you are 30 miles closer to the city. It all depends on the buses and subway.

Man, now that I'm here I feel as though I never fully appreciate the proximity to the diversity of New York. Any street in Manhattan would have more of a variety of restaurants than the whole city I'm in now.

And you can hear 4 different languages being spoken in 5 minutes and nobody thinks anything of it.

And if you stare at somebody you either want sex or drugs or both.

And your girlfriend doesn't get yelled at for talking on the bus.

Ah, Falafel........I miss you!![/quote]