New York, NY

[roguesenna]

Thank you! New York is by far the safest city of its size. There is some variation in this by neighborhood, but even the worst neighborhoods are still better than many other cities. Midtown does in fact have the highest crime rate in the city, which is mostly explained by low population and a large amount of theft. 

And Bushwick is definitely a quickly changing neighborhood, as are many places in New York. I haven't lived in the city for that long, and I feel like I have a very different experience of the city than people who lived here was legitimately dangerous (in the 80s and early 90s). 

 

Agreed. I've only been here for a year, but generally common sense is enough to keep you out of trouble. I only know one person so far that's been mugged/attacked and this is because she was super drunk, wandering home alone and generally not making smart decisions. Not victim blaming, but she was an easy target and a few teenagers knocked her over and stole her cash. Just make smart decisions (i.e. don't be wandering around by yourself in unpopulated areas at night, etc) and you should be fine. Even if you are coming home drunk, just make sure you're not by yourself or that you're at least sober enough to make your way home.  

[roguesenna]

Oh also, I might be moving to another spot within the city and I'm curious, does anyone have a good suggestion for 'hoods less than an hour away from NYU that might be as cheap or cheaper than Wash Heights? I might be SOL here, but just trying to see if anyone might be able to give me a better answer on this than I've been able to find myself.

 

and that's NYU Tisch. not sure if that makes a difference. haven't seen the whole campus yet, just a few of the buildings I needed for administrative business.

Edited March 25, 2014 by roguesenna

[Varangian]

If you use the interactive map here (http://maps.nyc.gov/crime/) and click through the months, you'll see that in many months there were more murders per capita in Williamsburg than Bushwick.  Honestly, it looks like you're more likely to get murdered in Midtown than Bushwick, lol - but nobody would say don't live in Midtown because it's not safe.   I'm not saying that some neighborhoods aren't safer or nicer than others, but saying that Bushwick is still "pretty much a slum" is exaggerating quite a bit.  I repeat my point from a few pages back that I generally don't put a whole lot of stock in ruling out entire neighborhoods in the city.

 

For those trying to figure out commuting time, I recommend HopStop.com.  You can enter an address or cross-streets and it will give you a variety of ways to reach your destination (subway/rail and bus if you ask it to), plus pretty accurate travel times.  Google Maps also gives accurate directions but their travel times are always an underestimate for me, usually by about 10 minutes.  But the advantage there is that you can see the entire travel mapped out on the map and they give you two or three different routes on the map at a time.

 

I'm not sure if you're a transplant or not but like I mentioned, I've lived in Brooklyn my whole life (minus some traveling time) and I used to go to school with lots of kids from Bushwick, Bed Sty, Sunset and Flatbush. These neighborhoods were THE ghetto. Some still are. Up until the late 90s, I would say, no one wanted to live in these areas because they were full of crime, drugs and (shock! black people and hispanics). It wasn't until the end of crazy Guiliani's term and big business Bloomberg  that lots of Manhattan started changing. Manhattan grew exponentially more expensive at an alarming rate, pushing all your young white students and young professionals out and over the bridges. With more and more white people moving into these areas and landlords upping the rents, it's pushing a lot of people in poverty out. Williamsburg was also a big ghetto. But now it's "trendy" - doesn't change the fact that the rent is crazy there, subway transportation is lacking, and that one only has to walk a few blocks to get to the worse off streets. The best bits about Williamsburg used to be the availability of big and cheap loft space. Now...not so cheap. 

Though now because of that wide amount of space and the influx of young whites, there's now big bars, big restaurants and art spaces. And the landlords get to charge crazy prices for those spaces, which all get past down to the people their in the exorbitant cost of restaurant food and rent. The same is going forward in Sunset and Crown Heights (the other side of the park) and parts of  Bushwick. But one only needs to scratch the surface to get underneath all that gentrification and into the poverty and crime. Bushwick is basically a slum. But if you want to live there, no one's going to stop you. Looking at the crime map - yes midtown has a lot of crime - mostly theft related. Not surprising considering all the tourists. 

[spearmo]

I went to SLC for cw too in Poetry and graduated in class of '12. The best thing you can do is look for apartments using the Housing page on the SLC boards. You could probably called the grad studies office and they'll direct you to the forum. Rooming with people is best.

If you want to live close to campus (which in my opinion is better for your first year for community involvement and getting to know people. I know moving to NYC is expensive for one, and two it can be a bit isolating without knowing many people) you should try to look on craigslist or partnering with someone already there and looking at the area close to the Cross County Mall in Yonkers. I lived in the neighborhood there and it was usually a twenty minute walk to campus. 

What's nice is the neighborhood bars in Bronxville and parts of Yonkers. Most of the people in the program would use Palmer Lounge or Station House as an excuse to gather those that lived in the city for a drink after our Happy Hour readings and this was convenient because of the MetroNorth being right there and allowing those that didn't come out often to stay for at least a drink. 

Then there's the Malt House and Burke's in Yonkers. The Malthouse has cheap beer, a jukebox and pool, which is nice. Burke's has food. Outside of going to events on campus, there's not much else to do, but the fact that SLC, at least when I was there, hosted readings or some sort of event every week, it was nice to be close to campus and not find an excuse to not go. 

Rent can run you into about $600-800/month if you split it with someone three ways if you go for this route. There's the Beeline bus system too, but it stops running to the bus stop on campus after 7PM, I think and you have to walk a bit further to the other ones. 

If you have a car and want to live close to campus, that's an option too. You can also try living in Bronxville too, but they have limited options for apartments that are affordable. There's apartments you can try on Midland Ave, Bronx River Rd (although, most of them are co-ops and would probably be sublets), and things running along Kimball Rd neighborhoods.

SLC campus, itself is beautiful and if you live in those areas close to campus, it's an easy MetroNorth ride to the city. It takes about half an hour going to Grand Central. Although, this is expensive since it's about 14 bucks round-trip. You can get a monthly pass and try living in areas of the city.

Affordable neighborhoods to try would be Morningside Heights, Washington Heights, Harlem, and Inwood. But these neighborhoods could make the commute to SLC annoying. Most neighborhoods in Queens are affordable, I know some people that commuted from Astoria. Brooklyn is getting expensive and it seems anything east of Williamsburg is affordable. But commuting from the city is expensive unless you can get your work to pay for it. 

I hope this isn't over load. But feel to free to ask me other questions, if you end up with any. Best, S
 

 

 

[tac0d00d]

Ugh...most apt listings are only for a month in advance. It's impossible to find a lease/sublet beginning an August!

[Varangian]

Your best bet would be to arrive in July, stay somewhere cheap and apartment hunt then. Apartments and real estate move very quickly here and the only ones that last are either the really terrible or the supremely expensive. 

[juilletmercredi]

My mother's from Brooklyn.  I grew up in the city, moved away in childhood, but moved back before graduate school.  I've still been here for the last 6 years, and I don't know how being a more recent transplant threatens my ability to speak about perceived safety in one area of the city (how long is one required to live somewhere before they are able to speak about their experiences living there?)  I am well aware of the history of gentrification in Brooklyn, that Bushwick, Bed Stuy, Sunset Park and Flatbush used to be "ghetto" areas, just like cab drivers used to not want to take you into Brooklyn at all and nobody wanted to live in Williamsburg.  But that's not true these days, is it?  Williamsburg is a hipster paradise, and if cabbies don't want to drive into Brooklyn it's simply because they don't want to miss a Manhattan fare and not because they're afraid of getting carjacked.

 

As for Bushwick and Flatbush, different people have different experiences and desires.  I have friends who live very comfortably in Bushwick and Flatbush, have lived in the area for years (some native, and some transplants) and like their neighborhoods and apartments very much.  I even have a pair of academic friends who moved to Bed Stuy and are very happy there; they made a conscious choice to live there.  (They'd lived in the city for several years before moving there.)  I also have a friend who just bought a brownstone in the South Bronx, in a area that's known for being relatively dangerous.  My point is that while some neighborhoods are definitely safer than others - both objectively and based on subjective experience - that different people have different thresholds of what they would call safe, and where they would want to live, and I wouldn't ever blanket say "Don't live in Bushwick."  Also, Bushwick could be called a lot of things, but slum it is not, if we want to get technical.  (I have to be frank, one of the reasons I get testy about this is because these neighborhoods are predominantly African American and Latino neighborhoods, and I know that much of the warnings people give about these areas have more to do with scary brown people - usually on an unconscious level - than actual concerns for safety.  Or rather, their concern for safety is fueled by the fact that scary brown people live there.  People say the same thing about Harlem and Washington Heights, to which I roll my eyes.)

 

And no, when I was looking at the crime map, I was looking at violent crime - you can click the drop-down to look just at murder and rape.  Midtown actually has more violent crime per capita in many months than Bushwick.

 

Can anyone give insight on how Columbia's housing application works? Specifically, I intend to move with my wife and would need couples' housing. It seems like you have to bid for it through the system?

 

It's not really a bid; it's just an application.  You specify your needs and say how much you'd be willing to pay per month (I think in $300 increments).  They will then offer you a unit if they have one available, and tell you when it will be ready, and you can decide whether to accept it then or not.  If there aren't any units available, they'll put you on a waiting list, and then you can decide what to do.  In me and my husband's case, we were put on the waiting list and started looking for other places, and then we were suddenly offered a pretty sweet unit in the Columbia housing system and decided to take it.

[juilletmercredi]

There's no strategy for Columbia's housing application.  It's very straightforward.  The amount you're willing to pay per month is a ceiling.  You can be offered anything at or below that amount.  I'm not sure if they ever offer you more than one option; when my husband and I applied we were only offered one option, and we were provided with a floor plan.  You can't see the apartment before you move in, which irritated me but I accepted it.

 

The types of accommodations and prices are listed here: http://facilities.columbia.edu/housing/types-accommodations-0.  If you are a single student coming to New York by yourself, you are eligible for either corridor-style dormitory housing - a single room with a shared bathroom and community kitchen - or an apartment share in a 3-4 bedroom apartment.  The vast majority of single students opt for the apartment share, which ranges from $850-1425, with an average of $1040.  I don't know anyone who pays more than around $1050-1100 for an apartment share in a 3-4 bedroom apartment.  They're decent-sized apartments - average for NYC, small compared to what you can get somewhere else.  Columbia owns a variety of apartments so I get the sense that they are priced according to the amenities - all apartments have laundry in the building but some buildings have door attendants, some units are newly renovated, some are newer than others.They are all in the same rough geographic area (spans about 15 blocks north-south and three blocks east-west in the Morningside Heights area).  The pricing is definitely based upon size; some units are larger than others.  It's my sense and experience, though, that you get little choice in the matter.  They offer you what they have at the time.

 

If you choose the dorm-style rooms the range is $700-1025 per single, cheaper for a double.  I wouldn't recommend it because you could rent a shared apartment with your own room for around the same price; you're not really saving that much money.

 

If you have a partner or children then you can compete for the studio/efficiency/one-bedroom apartments.  My husband and I got lucky and were offered a one-bedroom (as opposed to a studio) and we actually pay less than the Columbia average and far less than the neighborhood market rate average for it.  Our rent is $1385/month, includes Internet, heat and hot water.  Our electric and gas usually comes to about $100/month.  This is actually pretty cheap relative to the market price for a one-bedroom in Morningside Heights/the Upper West Side, which could easily run $1700-2000+

[sorairo]

Hi guys, I'll be starting at Columbia in the fall and I have a(nother) question about housing! A good friend of mine will be headed to MSM and we'd really like to live together, but it seems like this isn't really possible with either school's housing. What options do we have? I'd like to stay close to campus because I worry about not meeting other people (how much of a concern is that?), and we'd be happy to share a one-bedroom apartment. We looked at International House, but I'm not sure if they would let us share a place (seems like as a student, you can bring your spouse into a one-bedroom apartment, but nothing about two students) and they've yet to reply to my email. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[schpsy92]

I'm looking for housing in Queens, seeing as I will be attending St. John's University (in Jamaica, Queens) starting in the fall! I was curious if anyone had opinions on certain boroughs in Queens... I would really like to be near a subway line that goes into Manhattan, is relatively close to the St. John's campus (by bus), and is not too expensive.

[mintminutemen]

Hey guys, so I really need help from a seasoned commuter. I'm new to the NY area and am currently living in Suffolk county in Long Island. I will be attending Columbia this fall but my program only requires me to be on campus twice a week. From my research, I believe that I would take the Ronkonkoma station to Penn and get to Columbia from there...however my question is: Is there some kind of pass for students or anything that can help me save money? It seems like each way costs $20 which would be $40 a day...what is the optimal ticket/pass I can get? 

 

I've tried reading through the website but I wanted some advice from someone who has perhaps done it before or has more knowledge regarding the LIRR or general commute?

 

I'd really really really appreciate any advice on this!

 

Thanks so much in advance!

[perpetuavix]

Hi guys, I'll be starting at Columbia in the fall and I have a(nother) question about housing! A good friend of mine will be headed to MSM and we'd really like to live together, but it seems like this isn't really possible with either school's housing. What options do we have? I'd like to stay close to campus because I worry about not meeting other people (how much of a concern is that?), and we'd be happy to share a one-bedroom apartment. We looked at International House, but I'm not sure if they would let us share a place (seems like as a student, you can bring your spouse into a one-bedroom apartment, but nothing about two students) and they've yet to reply to my email. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I don't think any type of graduate housing is set up to accommodate two students sharing a bedroom unless they're married. I also doubt that either school would be willing to house a student from another school in their grad housing. You can always ask, but I wouldn't be terrible surprised if the school said no. If you want to live close to campus, look for apartments in Morningside Heights (the surrounding neighborhood) or Washington Heights (about 30 blocks north, so a short commute). I would avoid between maybe 135th and 155th St (it's sometimes called Hamiltion Heights); it's probably one of those areas that will be really nice in 5 years, but I would avoid for now. You could also look in Central Harlem, but you probably don't want to be further east than maybe, 7th Ave just because crosstown buses on 125th St are a special kind of hell. Especially if you're planning to share a one-bedroom, you can almost certainly find something quite affordable. 

[perpetuavix]

I'm looking for housing in Queens, seeing as I will be attending St. John's University (in Jamaica, Queens) starting in the fall! I was curious if anyone had opinions on certain boroughs in Queens... I would really like to be near a subway line that goes into Manhattan, is relatively close to the St. John's campus (by bus), and is not too expensive.

I got my Masters at St John's. Trekking to the Queens campus is not an experience I would want to repeat ever again. They do have a Manhattan campus that's right near WTC, but they generally offer limited classes down there. 

Just so you know, Queens is a borough; I think you mean 'neighborhoods'. The E and the F are the closest to St John's so you'll probably want to look at places near those trains. Specific neighborhoods would be Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, and possibly Woodside (although you'd be on the local subway line, which would require a transfer to get to St John's and would increase the amount of time it takes to get to Manhattan. Not sure if St John's gave you any funding, but you could probably live in any of those neighborhoods close enough to the subway stop if you lived with roommates for a reasonable price. 

[deci:belle]

Hey guys, so I really need help from a seasoned commuter. I'm new to the NY area and am currently living in Suffolk county in Long Island. I will be attending Columbia this fall but my program only requires me to be on campus twice a week. From my research, I believe that I would take the Ronkonkoma station to Penn and get to Columbia from there...however my question is: Is there some kind of pass for students or anything that can help me save money? It seems like each way costs $20 which would be $40 a day...what is the optimal ticket/pass I can get? 

 

I've tried reading through the website but I wanted some advice from someone who has perhaps done it before or has more knowledge regarding the LIRR or general commute?

 

I'd really really really appreciate any advice on this!

 

Thanks so much in advance!

There is no student pass. However, what might be best for you is to buy the round trip tickets ahead of time which saves like $2-3 each time (depending if your going offpeak or peak). If you do end up going into the city for more than 2x a week then I would advice you get a weekly pass which from that zone I believe is $116

[NOWAYNOHOW]

Bushwick is, in most areas, just as shiny and safe as Williamsburg.  It's getting expensive, and most realtors call it "East Williamsburg" anyway.

Crown Heights is actually lovely and many people in their 20s and early 30s are moving out there from places like Williamsburg and the East Village.  We live in Prospect Heights, but this neighborhood is getting very expensive (we lucked out on a stabilized unit) and it is very close to Crown Heights anyway.  Lots of bars and restaurants, the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, the green market at Grand Army Plaza...all perks of these neighborhoods.  Very doable for NYU and CUNY. 

 

I'm also confused to hear people hating on the Bronx!  Mount Vernon, for example, is easy for Columbia students to get to and very affordable. 

 

I'm also not hearing anything about Greenpoint or Clinton Hill in Brooklyn -- parts are still affordable.  Bedstuy (the parts that border Clinton Hill) has loads of students from NYU, New School and Pratt. 

[mintminutemen]

There is no student pass. However, what might be best for you is to buy the round trip tickets ahead of time which saves like $2-3 each time (depending if your going offpeak or peak). If you do end up going into the city for more than 2x a week then I would advice you get a weekly pass which from that zone I believe is $116

 

Thank you so much! 

[sorairo]

I don't think any type of graduate housing is set up to accommodate two students sharing a bedroom unless they're married. I also doubt that either school would be willing to house a student from another school in their grad housing. You can always ask, but I wouldn't be terrible surprised if the school said no. If you want to live close to campus, look for apartments in Morningside Heights (the surrounding neighborhood) or Washington Heights (about 30 blocks north, so a short commute). I would avoid between maybe 135th and 155th St (it's sometimes called Hamiltion Heights); it's probably one of those areas that will be really nice in 5 years, but I would avoid for now. You could also look in Central Harlem, but you probably don't want to be further east than maybe, 7th Ave just because crosstown buses on 125th St are a special kind of hell. Especially if you're planning to share a one-bedroom, you can almost certainly find something quite affordable. 

 

Well, we'd have one person in the living room (MSM tuition is pretty ridiculous). I also doubt that either school would be willing to accommodate that, but actually I haven't even asked so I'll probably do that soon. Thanks for the off-campus housing suggestions though! That's what we'll likely be going with so it's great to have a starting point

[HKsai]

Anyone has tips on apartment hunting??. I'm looking for a studio around 2000 per month. Please pm me if you have any information. Thanks!

[arktoura]

Anyone has tips on apartment hunting??. I'm looking for a studio around 2000 per month. Please pm me if you have any information. Thanks!

 

From what I understand about the NY housing market, you want to wait until you are about 4 weeks out from your move date to start apartment hunting. For $2000, you should be able to get a decent apartment (probably not right near NYU though). 

[HKsai]

From what I understand about the NY housing market, you want to wait until you are about 4 weeks out from your move date to start apartment hunting. For $2000, you should be able to get a decent apartment (probably not right near NYU though). 

like 4 weeks before the date I wanna move in?

[arktoura]

like 4 weeks before the date I wanna move in?

Approximately, yeah. Things move very quickly here

[HKsai]

Approximately, yeah. Things move very quickly here

I'm looking at Brooklyn Heights and Carnegie Hill :3

[perpetuavix]

I'm looking at Brooklyn Heights and Carnegie Hill :3

Then $2000 is probably a good estimate. But four weeks out is probably even still a little too early. Real estate in New York moves very, very quickly. The last time I moved, I was the first person to see my apartment and moved in two days later. I also made appointments to see places the next day, only to find they had already been rented. Landlords have a strong incentive to fill apartments as quickly as possible; they're losing money when it's empty. So if you start looking for something four weeks out, I don't think you'll find many landlords who would take your application over someone who needs to move sooner. It's stressful, sure, but I wouldn't start seriously looking (ie making appointments to see places) until 2 weeks before, but I would go to every viewing with all my paperwork in hand and ready to go. 

[HKsai]

Then $2000 is probably a good estimate. But four weeks out is probably even still a little too early. Real estate in New York moves very, very quickly. The last time I moved, I was the first person to see my apartment and moved in two days later. I also made appointments to see places the next day, only to find they had already been rented. Landlords have a strong incentive to fill apartments as quickly as possible; they're losing money when it's empty. So if you start looking for something four weeks out, I don't think you'll find many landlords who would take your application over someone who needs to move sooner. It's stressful, sure, but I wouldn't start seriously looking (ie making appointments to see places) until 2 weeks before, but I would go to every viewing with all my paperwork in hand and ready to go.

Thank you so much. Btw do you know where you are going for your program? I'm from Seattle

[juilletmercredi]

For the roommates from MSM and Columbia looking to room together - none of the on-campus options will allow you to do that, and I-House - as far as I know - will only allow domestic partners and married couples to apply for housing together with the guarantee of ending up in the same unit or room.  I'd look for off-campus housing on the open market.  Morningside Heights may be more than you want to pay for a two-bedroom; if you were willing to flex a one-bed you could probably find an apartment on the market in the area for <$2,000.  If you wanted separate bedrooms then you should probably investigate Harlem or Washington Heights.  I lived in Wash Heights and it took me 20 minutes door to door to get to Columbia, and me and my roommate lived in a big two-bedroom for $1800/month.  I 100% agree with the crosstown bus thing, though, in Central Harlem.  You can get a decently-sized and priced apartment there, and it might even be newly renovated in a brownstone.  A friend of mine and her roommate lived at 133rd and Malcolm X/Lenox (Central Harlem) in a newly renovated two-bedroom in a brownstone with exposed brick and stainless steel appliances - including a dishwasher!! - for $2000/month.  BUT.  You could wait aaaaalllll day for the M60 to come by, and I have a friend who lives at 141st & Lenox (Central Harlem) who has to take the 2/3 down to 96th and then switch to the uptown 1 train to go to 116th/Columbia.  (I hate the crosstown buses.)

 

I agree with the two weeks estimate.  My roommate went to scout out an apartment probably like 3 weeks ahead of time, found one, signed a lease.  When we called to arrange for me to sign the lease, the landlord had rented the apartment to someone else who was going to move in sooner and start paying pro-rated rent sooner.  We found our actual apartment on Monday, signed the lease Thursday and had moved in by Friday.  And the only reason we waited the four days is because it took me that long to cobble together my security deposit (they asked for twice as much as I expected they would).

 

I also did the LIRR thing to Port Washington every morning and evening for a summer internship - I was commuting from uptown by CUMC.  It took me 2 hours each way, but it was a pretty pleasant trip - only one change (A to Penn Station was about 45 minutes and then the LIRR to Port Washington was about an hour).  I also tried to find a way to save money but found none - the student discounts are only for those in K-12.  So yeah, it does look like it'll be about $40 round-trip and also about a 2-hour trip (the 1 train from Penn Station to Columbia/116th St is about 30 minutes).  The only way you could save money is if you were always coming at off-peak times and could by a 10-trip off-peak pass.  But then you'd have to get to Penn Station after 10 am every day and department from Penn Station before 4 pm or after 8 pm, which is probably unrealistic for your program.