

Ask HN - What's it like living in New York? - film42

I&#x27;m from California, I&#x27;ve lived in the Bay Area, and recently New York has been put on the table as a relocation option, probably Manhattan.<p>I love San Francisco, it&#x27;s an amazing place (having grown up near LA, you can basically eat off the sidewalks). Tell me though, what&#x27;s it like being a developer out there? How long is your commute? How much is rent? Is it hard to connect with other people?<p>I&#x27;d love some feedback as I&#x27;ve never been to the city, but still want to be educated on the matter!
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metaphorm
Commute depends on where you live and where you work, obviously. There's a lot
of public transportation and its a pretty good system. Almost impossible to
end up with a commute that takes more than 1 hour. My commute is about 45
minutes and I'm going Brooklyn (Park Slope) to Manhattan (Flatiron district).

Rent is high pretty much everywhere. You're in the Bay Area though so you
already know about insane rents. New York is in the same insanely too high
range as San Francisco. However, NY based jobs usually pay a bit more to help
compensate for the high cost of living.

There's a burgeoning tech scene here. The so-called "Silicon Alley" runs along
Broadway between Soho all the way up Flatiron. Its not as large of a community
as in San Francisco but its pretty well established at this point. Many of the
tech companies in New York are doing web based services that are linked in
some way to one of New York's other major industries (real estate, media,
advertising/marketing, finance).

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film42
Thank you for this!!

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T-hawk
The best place to live in New York is actually New Jersey. The PATH subway in
Jersey City or Hoboken gives a quick (15 minute) commute to the downtown and
midtown business areas, or there's also bus and ferry options.

Rent goes very roughly 25% cheaper than Manhattan for similar digs, everything
from basement studios (~$1500) to modern luxury towers, and gets cheaper with
more distance from the PATH.

Bonuses: You dodge the NYC income tax (over 3% of income). NJ sales tax is a
bit less too. And NJ has easier driving and flying (Newark) access to the rest
of the world.

I've lived on the NJ Gold Coast and commuted to Manhattan for basically my
entire professional life, and quite satisfied with that. I've never lived in
any other area than NJ/NY so can't compare it with the west coast.

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nrj
This is purely an opinion and totally depends on where your priorities lie.
All of these things are true and your overall cost of living will be lower.
However you will most likely need a car and your social life won't be as
exciting because everything will be happening in the city.

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AznHisoka
Most New Yorkers here, when asked where they'd like to be on ideal weekend,
they would tell you: "Not in the city".

After 5 days of spending a soul-crushing 2+ hours spent in crowded trains,
traffic, smelly subways, etc. the last place you wanna be on the weekend is
the city.

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keiferski
I've visited NYC dozens of times, but never actually "lived there". My
recommendation is to optimize one of two things:

1\. Minimizing cost

2\. Maximizing proximity

In other words, either pick somewhere that's cheaper, or pick somewhere that's
ideal for work/social life/etc. For option 1, living in New Jersey isn't a
terrible idea. The commute isn't any longer than outer boroughs of the city
(15 mins from Hoboken NJ vs. 45mins from Park Slope). To be fair, Park Slope
and other outer-borough neighborhoods might be more interesting to live in
than NJ, but to each his own. For option 2, live in lower Manhattan. It'll be
expensive, it'll be cramped, but you'll be within walking distance to
basically everything you could ever want.

Personally, I hate commuting. I'd rather live in a 2nd tier city and commute 5
minutes to work than live in NYC and commute for an hour.

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richsin
Living in NYC is an amazing experience. If you are relocating, I recommend
staying in the city first, before moving into Brooklyn, Astoria or NJ for
example. Williamsburg is hot right now, but don't expect to pay less to live
in the good parts. I have seen others cut corners and live outside of the
popular pockets and it's the equivalent of me moving to the Sunset - close but
no cigar.

Commute: Within Manhattan your travel will be 5-25 minutes depending on how
far you're going. Cabs are cheap when your in a hurry. If you enjoy walking,
even better. Bicycles are taking over NYC, it's been an amazing transformation
as of recent and if you enjoy riding, thats a bonus.

Work: I do freelance development and there is alot of business in the city,
ALOT. I get calls every week for developer roles. Another great part of being
in the city is the diversity across all boards. You will meet people from all
over the world, working in so many different industries...it will give you an
amazing perspective.

Rent: Expect to pay at least $1800 for a small studio or a room share in a
nice 2 bedroom apartment. You can definitely find cheaper places in the city,
but where you live in the city defines you and your lifestyle to an extent.

Areas to consider: (without knowing much about you)

East Village, West Village, Lower East Side, Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Union
Square, Murray Hill, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Midtown (East and
West). Great food, convenient, always busy.

Meeting people:

There are many meetups and networking events, but your work will be your
gateway to expanding your circle. If your single, NYC is a huge dating market.
Get some good pics, throw it up on Tinder, Match, Howaboutwe and have fun.
Also there are great places like 3rd Ward in Williamsburg which is just a few
stops away on the L Train and they have an amazing creative community. Going
back to my emphasis of staying in the city, it's 100X easier to meet people
while living there than commuting into it.

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throwaway1979
Minor nit: I believe 3rd Ward shut down in a sad, spectacular way :(

All your advice seems spot on. One problem I had was distinguishing between
neighborhoods. While I lived in midtown east, I was oddly in a restaurant
blackhole. All my favorite restaurants and hangout places were around 33'rd,
st. marks, etc. There are some bad spots in Manhattan ... one should be aware
of that.

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richsin
That's sad to hear about 3rd Ward, thank's for pointing that out.

You are right about the dead spots around the city, like Midtown East and
Battery Park, there are a few dead spots where it is really lively during work
hours but in the evening you have to travel a stop or two to find some action
and good grub.

@throwmeaway2525 : streeteasy.com has alot of listings and you can always
negotiate with the agent in regards to fee. I just found my cousin one in
Hell's Kitchen for $1900 and it's a studio. Also take a look at Stuyvesant
Town and Peter Cooper Village, they are renovating all of the apartments and
you can get a 1 Bedroom in a 2 Bedroom share for around $1600. They are larger
apartments and it's a great size room for the price and location.

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AznHisoka
1) What it's like being a developer out there? lots of choices, but mostly in
the financial industry. Startups too, but you're already in the Bay area, so
not as much.

2) How long is your commute? 1 hr + 15 minutes. Prepare to tolerate crowded
trains/subways with smelly bums occasionally in the same train as you.

3) How much is rent? I own a home, but rent out a floor to someone for $1900 a
month. This is in Queens

4) Is it hard to connect with other people? Can't answer, as I'm an introvert
and my answer would be clearly biased :)

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throwaway1979
I suggest you visit before moving. NYC is simultaneously one of the most
amazing and most frustrating cities in the world. Also, NY gives you a
different experience based on where you live and the season. I moved in early
winter and it was brutal! Also, be very aware of cost of living. My jaw
dropped the first time I went grocery shopping. I never felt poor in the Bay
area. In Manhattan, I was poor making low six figures. If you are single,
straight and male, then ignore everything bad I said about NYC and just get on
the first flight here.

