Places to stay in NYC as a young guy?

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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I got news recently that I will be moving to NYC soon and am looking for some places to stay in the city itself. Excited but I do want to make sure I do NYC right and am picking the places that are younger, where the fresh out of college crowd famously moves to, where a lot of the bars and nightclubs are focused and the vibe is also more geared towards that group as opposed to being loaded with families and an older more mature crowd.

Before we can get to the rent situation itself, I want to expand my options as wide as possible, open to looking for and living with a roommate as well.
 

Grand Pooba

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Manhattan:
Morningside Heights (Columbia U)
UES (vicinity of Hunter College, and along 2nd Ave between 59-96th)
East Village and LES
Greenwich Village (NYU)

Brooklyn:
Williamsburg
Greenpoint
Bushwick
Bed-Stuy

Queens:
Astoria
Long Island City
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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Grand Pooba said:
Manhattan:
Morningside Heights (Columbia U)
UES (vicinity of Hunter College, and along 2nd Ave between 59-96th)
East Village and LES
Greenwich Village (NYU)

Brooklyn:
Williamsburg
Greenpoint
Bushwick
Bed-Stuy

Queens:
Astoria
Long Island City

God bless you based Indian!

I've heard a lot of good things about Astoria but also hear that Long Island City is going to get more expensive now since Amazon moved there.

Any thoughts on Yorkville btw?
 

Grand Pooba

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Toby said:
Any thoughts on Yorkville btw?

I haven't spent a lot of time in this area but I've heard that it tends to be either young post-college grads who can't afford other parts of the UES, and young families with young kids who want to be in a quieter part of Manhattan. If you're going to stick to the UES I'd say around 2nd Avenue between 72-86 is optimal; that area also has a ton of young white girls in their 20s.

Toby said:
I've heard a lot of good things about Astoria but also hear that Long Island City is going to get more expensive now since Amazon moved there.

Astoria is fantastic.
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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So some changes on my end after doing research and asking around. It seems like Astoria is actually more family oriented and not that much of a place to be at if you are more on the younger end of your 20s. Maybe others can chime in a bit more on the social scene there, the bar/nightlife in the area and what its like compared to a Williamsburg. I am hearing mixed things so far.
 

Grand Pooba

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Toby said:
So some changes on my end after doing research and asking around. It seems like Astoria is actually more family oriented and not that much of a place to be at if you are more on the younger end of your 20s. Maybe others can chime in a bit more on the social scene there, the bar/nightlife in the area and what its like compared to a Williamsburg. I am hearing mixed things so far.

You're probably looking for something more like Williamsburg to be honest. Astoria has a mix of young people, immigrants, and families; great restaurant scene, good bars, but it's not a super active nightlife area. They have bars and all, but it's not a "crazy" scene if you know what I mean. I do like the exotic looks of the girls in Astoria, though - it's a cool place for day game.

Biggest nightlife "zones" are probably (in no order):
- WIlliamsburg (particularly around Wythe Ave and 11th st, and Bedford Ave)
- Bushwick/Bed-Stuy (around Morgan Ave and Jefferson Ave, this area tends to have mostly late night warehouse parties)
- East Village/LES (throughout but particularly around Ludlow/Stanton, tends to be early 20s)
- Meatpacking District (tends to be late 20's early 30's, European and expensive)
- Greenwich Village (tends to be late 20's and early 30's, and NYU college crowd)

It's New York, though - there are bars and nightlife everywhere, and you can always get around to them.
 

alleniverson

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Can speak for the lower east side. Had success there / bowery area. Lot of early 20s especially in summer, the thousands of college kids who intern in NYC go out there. Very promising fun spot.
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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So the thing about Brooklyn is that apparently they are shutting down one of the train that leads into Manhattan and I will be working in Manhattan itself, just cannot find an affordable place and finding roommates has also been quite tricky for me since well, you guys know my social story in college that is not worth repeating.

What I have been told is that Astoria is seemingly the best bang for your buck but I also wonder if it really fits the mold of what I want.

On top of my 9 to 5 I will be looking for bar work on weekends as well, not exactly bartender but something at a nightclub like maybe busser, barback or something along those lines. I do want to be near more of a nightlife and "happening" type of area.

I will have to see how to go about this more, updating you guys as we go.
 

Grand Pooba

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Toby said:
So the thing about Brooklyn is that apparently they are shutting down one of the train that leads into Manhattan and I will be working in Manhattan itself, just cannot find an affordable place and finding roommates has also been quite tricky for me since well, you guys know my social story in college that is not worth repeating.

What I have been told is that Astoria is seemingly the best bang for your buck but I also wonder if it really fits the mold of what I want.

On top of my 9 to 5 I will be looking for bar work on weekends as well, not exactly bartender but something at a nightclub like maybe busser, barback or something along those lines. I do want to be near more of a nightlife and "happening" type of area.

I will have to see how to go about this more, updating you guys as we go.

This is correct, they are shutting down the L line which comes into Manhattan from Bed-Stuy, Bushwick and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The alternative is the JMZ, which is just towards the South and won't be impacted.

Not sure where your office is but another option would be to take one of the ferries along the east river, if you wanted to live in BK. They connect all along Manhattan.

NYC is a weird city as far as logistics go. It's so congested, yet everything is so far apart. That has an impact for things like dates, pulling, logistics, etc.

My strong suggestion to you is that, since you're in between gigs right now, you come up to NYC for a week and scope out these neighborhoods, and see then for yourself.

Alternatively, get temporary Airbnb housing before and once you "move" up here, and take a couple of weeks to find a good apartment. Getting a place in NYC is not easy, and it's much easier once you're here and can meet roommates and see places actively. Airbnb approach would also give you the ability to experience different neighborhoods without committing for a year, and then you can pick the one that fits your needs. Usually you only have 24 hours or so to commit to a place after it comes on the market.

I did that this year, spent three weeks in temporary airbnbs until i settled in a place that I love.

The good news is that your timing should coincide with the cheapest rents - they're the best in February through April.
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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Got it, thanks man!

One question I do have is, what would be the part of NYC where you would say a lot of the hot girls and “cool kids” hang out?
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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Well there I was asking all of the wrong questions!

So I decided to take a week to stay in an AirBnB but were you suggesting doing it for months until I was set on a place?

Been looking through CraigsList mainly for people looking at roommates, that is the way I am going to go for my move to NYC. Will try to use my better judgment to see if I can find roommates that are fun and social enough as well.
 

Grand Pooba

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Toby said:
I know it did not get mentioned but Murray Hill looks very very promising from what I have heard and read.

Hmm yeah actually, Murray Hill would also fit the bill. It's reputed for being a fratty-ish area in vibe.
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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Grand Pooba said:
Toby said:
I know it did not get mentioned but Murray Hill looks very very promising from what I have heard and read.

Hmm yeah actually, Murray Hill would also fit the bill. It's reputed for being a fratty-ish area in vibe.

Does fratty-ish means it is tough to make friends?
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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So a few findings after just asking around in the city and going off of this thread.

1. Queens, in general, is a no-no when it comes to looking for places as a younger person looking to be in that chill fun vibe area. Does not matter whether Astoria or Long Island City, do not look to Queens if you want to really enjoy NYC.

2. Seems like the party is on the Lower Side of Manhattan whether Lower East Side or Lower West Side, the rest seems to be grown up stuff.

3. Midtown seems to be full of newer luxury apartments, same with Hell's Kitchen.
 

Fuck This

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Why are you not asking your colleagues who are about your age at the local office? Your social area will be closer to your office than your home most likely.
 

Indian Race Troll (IRT)

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Fuck This said:
Why are you not asking your colleagues who are about your age at the local office? Your social area will be closer to your office than your home most likely.

Not a chance my friend. I do not associate my personal life with my work like that, it always sours the mood and you will have coworkers who prefer to avoid it that will target you out of anger for chasing it, that has been my experience. A couple of my coworkers and team members will be commuting from outside of the city, do not want to unintentionally rub it in their face that I am chasing this sort of life.
 
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