Moving to NYC, any advice?

jasonthewho

jasonthewho

Veteran
My wife and I will be moving to NYC this summer, and I know there are a number of dvxusers that live there, or used to live there. I was just looking for any advice you guys could offer.

Like:

Good neighborhoods to rent an apartment - price, safety, and convenience to metro being primary concerns.

Advice on searching for film/video related jobs.

And any other advice you'd care to offer.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
NICE! Been a lot of threads about this but...

Pretty good prices in Astoria. Plus it's a good nabe.

However, in Bklyn I have a large Tx ex-pat group(including my fiance) so if you move here, you will be invited to many BBQs, get access to frito-pie and maybe even get hold of a Shiner.

In Bklyn: Pk Slope and Carroll Gardens, you should be ready to pay about $2K/month. Sunset Park is further out and cheaper. Also areas like Leffert Gardens, Prospect Heights(though not for long), will be cheaper too. Fort Greene is getting pretty expensive, though it's really nice. Williamsburg is...ewww. Just...ewww....

I think bushwick is still a little cheaper, now loading up with hipsters whose parents could no longer afford Williamsburg, and artists. but it's ugly as hell, all industrial, not a tree for like miles. ick.

Dunno about film jobs, but i suspect they pretty much suck.

Why choosing NYC (Except that it is the best place to live?)
 
Thanks for the advice Mark!

What's your problem with Williamsburg?

NYC's always been the dream, back when my aspirations were more acting heavy. My wife's a theatre director as well, so it's the place to be for her. It's the sort of thing we feel we have to do, if just for a year or two, or else we'll always regret it.
 
Here's a great apt. for you to rent on the upper west side!

http://tinyurl.com/2dar3yo

The upper west side is awesome because you are near Central Park and Riverside Park. Columbia University keeps the neighborhood fresh, and there's plenty of restaurants and things to do!
 
Check out Hoboken and Jersey City if you want a big place with relatively cheap rent. If you live close to the PATH stations, you can be in Manhattan in less than 20 minutes, which is about the same as many neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn.

In terms of finding film/video jobs - are you looking for something full-time? Or just gigging? Mandy.com is always a good place to start, but probably 90-95% of the work I get as a freelancer is through personal connections... which obviously take a little while to build. Are you a shooter? Editor? Sound guy?
 
jasonthewho said:
Thanks for the advice Mark!

What's your problem with Williamsburg?

NYC's always been the dream, back when my aspirations were more acting heavy. My wife's a theatre director as well, so it's the place to be for her. It's the sort of thing we feel we have to do, if just for a year or two, or else we'll always regret it.
Click to expand...

Williamsburg is kind of over dude....

its the Soho for the new millenium. 15 years ago it was a spanish/oldschool italian nabe, full of pimps, hookers, junkies and artists cause it was DIRT cheap. now its HIPSTER central, but the downfall is this, they just built 3-4 highrise condos, and its filling up with Wallstreet types... IE its OVER.

Spanish harlem is cool, along Pleasant Avenue, Astoria, Redhook is AWESOME, Carrol grdens, Sunset Park in brooklyn.... If yo udont mind a long (yet fast) trip on the A train, washington heights is a good area. just stay as far west as possible... and if you can..... get an apartment on the corner of (i **** you not), "seamen st and Cummings Ave".......
 
Will Clegg said:
In terms of finding film/video jobs - are you looking for something full-time? Or just gigging? Mandy.com is always a good place to start, but probably 90-95% of the work I get as a freelancer is through personal connections... which obviously take a little while to build. Are you a shooter? Editor? Sound guy?
Click to expand...

I'm an editor primarily. And yeah, full time would be best, otherwise I'm going to have to get a second job. I realize that it's unlikely I'm going to find the kind of job I'm looking for, but I figure I should try.

Thanks for the advice.
 
TimurCivan said:
Williamsburg is kind of over dude....

its the Soho for the new millenium. 15 years ago it was a spanish/oldschool italian nabe, full of pimps, hookers, junkies and artists cause it was DIRT cheap. now its HIPSTER central, but the downfall is this, they just built 3-4 highrise condos, and its filling up with Wallstreet types... IE its OVER.

Spanish harlem is cool, along Pleasant Avenue, Astoria, Redhook is AWESOME, Carrol grdens, Sunset Park in brooklyn.... If yo udont mind a long (yet fast) trip on the A train, washington heights is a good area. just stay as far west as possible... and if you can..... get an apartment on the corner of (i shi* you not), "seamen st and Cummings Ave".......
Click to expand...

I knew Williamsburg was hipster heaven, but I hadn't heard it had been infiltrated by Wall Street. That's a shame.

Thanks for the neighborhood suggestions, I'll check them out.

Seamen and Cummings... classic.
 
I lived in Prospect Heights for years and loved it. Paid $1400 per month, 2 bedroom. It was actually a pretty big place. Subway was 3 blocks away and My commute to manhattan was only about 30 minutes or so via train.

If I could afford to live there with my two kids, I would go back in an effing second.
 
Dude, forget NY, it's all about the suburbs: Connecticut!

You know, white picket fences, pugs in the yard.....saying hello to a neighbor named Fred. :-Laugh(DBG)::-Laugh(DBG)::-Laugh(DBG):

Well seriously Jason, good luck in your search. Let us know when you get to the East Coast.
 
I've lived at a bunch of places downtown manhattan in 90's, spent 7 or so yrs in BK, now in Queens
I freelance for ad agencies in midtown. Either web or video. Mostly web work because it pays a little better.
When you get here hit me up with a PM and I'll meet you for a beer. NY rocks
 
Hmm...

Advice on moving to New York?

Um, don't?

:D

I'll take Chicago anyday. It's got the laid-back chill vibe of LA without the creepy personalities. New York is just so busy and angry.

My girl just flew there two days ago on a business trip for some alumni financial people and once she got back she was like, "I am so glad we live in Chicago and not New York. It's so friggin lame -- busy for the sake of being busy."

Of course if you grew up and live in NYC I think it's probably a totally different experience. Like I'm Chicago through and through, so I can be out at like 2 in the morning, alone just walking between clubs or whatever and I can feel Chicago being there with me all the time. L.A. is like that too. But I don't know if that happens if you aren't, like, from that city, ya know?

My grandpa was an actor on Broadway, lived and raised in NYC (the bronx, I think). He left for the Chicago advertising scene in his 30s.

I think New York is probably okay for strangers if you're incredibly rich and have affluent friends. In Chicago, though most of my friends are broke-asses, but we can still hang out at the same places and do things together. I feel like NYC is a little more sectioned-off.

Anyway, yeah -- my advice! :D

(In the end, though, you have to live in NYC, Boston, LA or Chicago if you're in the U.S. -- you can have a country home or place on the beach to get away from all the concrete, but you have to make your home in a big city if you want to have any notion of what's transpiring with regards our species, IMO)
 
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