It's a little over a month left until I make my big move. I still have to take care of a few more things before I leave. It scares me that I haven't found a place to live just yet, and although I have a roommate to work through together with, it's very difficult to find a place without physically being there. Being positive is the only thing that helps me carry on about it.
Although I'm stressed about finding a place to live, I hope I don't forget about the things I've always wanted to do while
living independently. I've always dreamed of living in a big
city, where I would have the freedom to roam around and organize my tiny
apartment the way I wish for it to be. I hope I won't forget small
things like filling a cabinet full of various types of tea and finally
owning a record player where I could listen to vinyls on days where I
need to relax, and so many more things. I also want real weather changes, even though my inner
Californian will die over your harsh winters, NYC.
As silly as this sounds NYC, I fear I will forget about all these things is because I will be caught up on so many responsibilities. Living here at home made me forget about things I've always wanted to do because I'm obliged to be responsible for others, yet I have grown to want to because it's out of love. And although I've tried to make time for myself, it gets hard to do. That's why I think it's so stressful to do things for myself right now, especially with this big move. But a small voice inside my head tells me that it will be different, because moving is for me and I'll be focusing on myself.
This
will be my first time flying inside of America. I feel like I am finally embracing the country I was born in when all this time before I kept running away from it. I guess you can say you appreciate where you're from once you've been away for so long, but that doesn't mean I'll get nostalgic for the places I've known so well like the UK or South Korea.
You're going to be just fine! If it makes you feel any better, I found my first NYC apartment one week before I moved here. Let me know if there are neighborhoods you have questions about or want me to check out for you. :) Now for the other things...you'll find that this city is a bit of every place you've ever loved. I see London in SoHo, Hong Kong in Chinatown, and there's even a Little Korea here. The only thing I regret to say is that I have yet to find decent fish tacos here, so eat up before you leave CA! Just accept the stress now, and breathe deeply when you get here. It'll all be worth it then. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Genesis :) I feel like there is too much time left because I'm thinking too much yet there isn't enough time and I still have a few things I need to do! I don't doubt that NYC will be amazing. I'm more stunned about moving out and it feels really different compared to studying abroad.
DeleteMy roommate and I are trying to find a place in East Village. We decided it was a good area since her classes will be mostly on the main campus whereas I'll be at the midtown center majority of the time. Do you know any other places that are good to look into?
Oh I will, I should learn how to make fish tacos then. :P Thanks for the encouragement and all. :) I hope you've been enjoying your summer there. Are you ready for your second year? It seems to go by fast, doesn't it?
East Village is a GREAT place! I actually live on E. 14th myself. I would recommend anywhere between Houston and 14th street, Lafayette and Avenue B. Going east of Ave B gets a little sketchy. I will tell you that this neighborhood is very popular, and since a lot of students live here, an average rent will be around $3k for a one bedroom or small two bedroom apartments--as in room for a full size bed and not much else in each room. On the good side though, there is an enormous apartment complex called Stuyvesant Town, and the apartments are HUGE, and priced at about the same as what you'd get in East Village proper. If you are in midtown and your roommate is on the main campus, Stuy Town is in a great middle area. The L train is on 14th and 1st ave, Union Square is just a couple avenues away with several train lines. I lucked out and got a Stuy Town apartment right on 14th street, so I'm very close to school and Union Square. You can look at their website (pcvst.com) and search apartments there.
ReplyDeleteJust a tip--if you search in Stuy Town, try a "flex 2" apartment. The one bedroom apartments in Stuy Town are so large that some units have had walls put up to create a second bedroom. These "flex 2" apartments (which is what I have) are enormous and priced the same as a regular one bedroom (which can fit a king size bed and still have room for a jungle gym, I can text you pictures of my room later if you like).
Many NYU students do live in Brooklyn, and to be honest, I am very happy that I did not go that direction. There are a few subway lines that service Brooklyn, and often on the weekends those lines do not run from Manhattan to Brooklyn, or the service slows to one train ever half hour. Additionally, some lines run above ground, and will be affected by winter storms and that kind of thing. Now, on the other hand, there are cheaper rents by going to the Upper East Side/East Harlem neighborhoods (average $2500). These places are usually above 92nd street and way over on York, 1st and 2nd Avenue. My current roommate lived up there last year, and she commuted to school just fine, but it was an easy 40 minute trip.
Just be vary wary of people on Craigslist--using that website is a real thing here, and most of the time it's legitimate, but there are still swindlers. My rule of thumb for Craigslist in New York is if it sounds too good to be true...it usually isn't a real listing.
Sorry for the long response! I'm very excited for you. I hope this helps! Savor your time before you move here because time will FLY once you get here. :)
Wow! Thank you so much for the lengthy response. Hearing from you gives me relief! I heard of Stuyvesant Town, but I skimmed through it briefly and saw the prices and got scared. But I guess I haven't done a lot of researching about it. And since I've been seeing places less than the amount listed for Stuyvesant Town in East Village, I sort of ignored it after. I'm sure the total amount I pay a month for rent and utilities in any apartment other than Stuyvesant Town will add up to the same price though, I'm guessing? But hearing from you, it would sound a LOT better to have a bedroom that fits more than just a bed lol. I would love to see pictures of your place!
DeleteI'm just curious, how did you find your first apartment while not physically being there in NYC? Did you work things online with a real estate agent or landlord? It's hard to find a place too without the no-broker fee. :/ My roommate is going to be on the east coast by August 9th to do some browsing but I feel like there's so much pressure on her. I won't be there until August 29th.
My last roommate's sister lives here in the city and she helped us out A LOT. We sent her listings we were interested in, and she went and looked at the actual apartments. We were signing the papers for a place across from Tompkins Square Park when someone came in at last minute and bid $500 more than we were willing to pay, and the realtor told us he had a place within our budget and would give it to us without showing to anyone else, and so we took it without even looking. I think we are pretty lucky in that case.
DeleteStuy Town is offering move in deals, like a month free and whatnot. All utilities are included too, so you only pay one bill! So basically yes, the amount you'd pay in most East Village apartments would total to the same as Stuy Town, and you'd probably have a smaller place. To be honest, I know the actual apartment I'm in was listed for almost $2k more than we're actually paying, but with all of the deals and some bargaining, we got it to just about where we wanted it.
Just keep your chin up! Apartment hunting in NYC is stressful, no matter how you go about it. I'm done with my internship on August 15, so if your roommate would like some help, I can offer a day to go run around and look if that helps. :) I'm keeping fingers crossed for you! :)