With the possible exception of Hollywood, no other spot on American soil is dreamed about more than New York City. For those folks who were inadvertently born in a small town but yearn for big city life, New York is like a siren song that beacons those to its shores. Living in New York City can be a hassle until you’re use to it: the high cost of rent, the public transit system and the sheer number of people can all be intimidating. But the myriad of benefits of living here, from the culture to the restaurants to the people to the architecture is simply unmatched anywhere else on American soil. If you can afford it and you are built to live the big city lifestyle, a New York City apartment is exactly what you need!
Who doesn’t know about things to do in New York City? The tourist rounds here are the stuff of legend. What most people don’t know is that while most of the general attractions are on the island of Manhattan, there are 4 other boroughs that all deserve exploring. Long Island, for instance, has some of the most beautiful beaches and some of the most expensive land you’ll find anywhere in the country. Brooklyn has some amazing shopping and some of the best authentic cuisine in the world. The Bronx is forever home to the Yankees and the shrine of American baseball, Yankee Stadium. Staten Island and Queens also boast enough things to do to keep the average tourist or new resident busy for months, and you haven’t even touched Manhattan yet. Let’s face it, even in 100 lifetimes, there is no way you could ever do everything in New York City. There is too much variety, too large an influx of new things to do and not enough time in the day.
One of the most amazing aspects of New York City is how so many people here don’t own cars and rely completely on public transit. The massive subway, bus and raised train system here is truly an engineering marvel. For some, the choice of living in New York City is only possible because they give up their car; the price to park in Manhattan or the price to store a car here is astronomical. It can be a bit intimidating at first, but once you learn the transit system here, the city becomes your playground.
It is almost impossible to make generalizations about rent in New York City. Most Manhattan apartments are rent controlled, which means the city pays part of the rent, and you pay the rest. Otherwise, rents of $2000, $3000 and more per month would be common. As it is, there are spots in the city that charge $10,000 a month with a view of Central Park. A good rule to remember here as you cross boroughs is that the farther you get away from the city, the less you’ll pay for a New York City apartment. |