Thinking of moving to Sunset Park; advice?

armegeden

Hello all,

I was just offered a job working in and around Manhattan (clients all over) and I currently live out of state. I have been looking through Craigslist for apartments and it appears that Sunset Park is a rather nice area so I'll be checking out an apartment located close to the 59th Street/4th Ave train station.

I was hoping I could get some advice and opinions about the area. Such as: How long of a commute is the N train into Manhattan (I'd be working a 9am-6pm job). How is the neighborhood as far as grocery stores, gym, entertainment, etc?

I'm not sure exactly what defines a "hipster" that I see referred to so often on these boards, so I'm not sure if I fall into this category. I'm a 26 year old white male, unmarried (though in a relationship), independent, and I work with computer networks (Cisco).

Recommend better place to live for the commute? I was looking at places around the Bushwick area before, but was advised to try other neighborhoods. I'm looking for a 1-2bedroom place and expecting $1100-$1350/month. Hopefully a nice/nicer neighborhood, such as the pictures I've seen of Sunset Park.

If anyone could post some thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate it.

raw

Subject: Re: Thinking of moving to Sunset Park; advice?

There are many grocery stores with South American products and not much entertainment. Your commute from Sunset Park to Manhattan could be an hour one way.

raw

Subject: Re: Thinking of moving to Sunset Park; advice?

raw wrote: There are many grocery stores with South American products, Chinese food take-out joints, churches, funeral homes, 99 cent stores, and not much entertainment. Your commute from 59th Steet in Brooklyn to Canal Street in Manhattan might be an hour one way.

armegeden

Hmm,

The landlord I talked to about the apartment said that during rush hours (the times I'd be traveling anyway), the N train runs express and takes about 30 minutes to get into the city. While late nights/weekends when it runs local, you add considerable time to that.

Was his statement that inaccurate?

jane_birkin

your potential landlord wasn't entirely wrong but i would add another 5-10 minutes to it depending on train traffic during rush hour.

Some things you want to consider before moving to SP from out of state. Whether you will be comfortable living in a neighborhood that is predominantly Latino. it can be a real culture shock for some.

How much you plan to spend taking in the rest of the city-- i have lived on the N/R line for most of my life and it's the one with the most frequent track work/rerouting of trains. on the weekend nights the train will take you an hour plus often a 20 minute wait. if you want to be going out to clubs and bars a lot on the weekends, that can really cramp your style. on the other hand, you might find yourself hitting the bars in Bay Ridge, which is the next neighborhood over.

if you're looking at 4th avenue and above you will may have a very different feeling of personal safety than below. 4th avenue, 5th, is mostly families and you should feel pretty safe. the gowanus/BQE highway rusn elevated over 3rd avenue. underneath is where all the adult video stores have relocated. in the 40s, 2nd and 3rd aves have warehouses and quite a few seedy strip clubs. not sure what it's like in the 50s. as a woman i don't cross under the BQE at night because it feels creepy.

good luck-- it is a great place to live with big apartments, good rents and AWESOME food!

rnt

THe landlord is correct. 30 mins max to downtown manhatten. 45 to midtown. Late night that's another story. Evening rush about the same as the morning but starts going up after hours. Also this area has a lot of great Mexican restaurants as well as some greate oriental food over on 8th ave.

MOD

The R train on the weekends is slooooooooow.

On weekdays during morning rush hour, if you are transferring at the Atlantic hub you'll add sometimes 10 minutes to your commute because the trains get packed.

Where is "out of state"? Knowing where you currently live might tell us more on if you'll like the area.

armegeden

Hmm,

Decisions decisions.

I have no problem with the latin neighborhood thing. I'm from Florida and have spent a lot of time in Miami, plus 4 years growing up was in a predominantly Mexican area. So that's no big deal.

The idea of spending an hour+20 minutes on the weekends to get into the city for entertainment leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The apartment looks really nice, really affordable, and lots of room. Bah. I really wasn't wanting to go with a broker, but I may end up having to do so just to get advice on closer neighborhoods with decent living space.

I really do appreciate the advice from you two, it helps tremendously. If you happen to know of any 1 or 2 BR's closer to the city, do let me know. Or if you can recommend a neighborhood/section that is a decent place (non shady/is safe) that is closer to the city, also please let me know.

Thanks for all your help!

armegeden

Mamacita wrote:
Where is "out of state"? Knowing where you currently live might tell us more on if you'll like the area.

I'm currently in the Orlando area of Florida, but have lived a hand-full of places. Atlanta, Denver, even a year on base in Iraq. I'm looking for something that's decently close (or close) to Manhattan (for work commute and weekend entertainment), but also that isn't too much of a shady neighborhood.

A 1 bedroom would do, but I'd like to get a 2 bedroom for out of town guests and to have a computer room.

MOD

You know, i have a coworker & friend who lives on the Upper East Side and I tell ya, her rent is Very reasonable. Dare I say cheaper than places I've seen lately in some brooklyn communities.

armegeden

One more favor...

Does anyone know of a Brooklyn area map online? A map that labels the different areas of Brooklyn for those new to the city?

I get to sites like http://www.bhsbrooklyn.com/search.asp?ros=r and I have no idea which areas to search in (besides Williamsburg).

armegeden

Mamacita wrote: You know, i have a coworker & friend who lives on the Upper East Side and I tell ya, her rent is Very reasonable. Dare I say cheaper than places I've seen lately in some brooklyn communities.

I will say I haven't really looked into Upper East Side living... Wonder if that would be any quicker of a commute to the financial district. Hmm...

filmlover44

Armegeden wrote: [quote=Mamacita]You know, i have a coworker & friend who lives on the Upper East Side and I tell ya, her rent is Very reasonable. Dare I say cheaper than places I've seen lately in some brooklyn communities.

I will say I haven't really looked into Upper East Side living... Wonder if that would be any quicker of a commute to the financial district. Hmm...

Probably not.

carnivore

filmlover44 wrote: [quote=Armegeden][quote=Mamacita]You know, i have a coworker & friend who lives on the Upper East Side and I tell ya, her rent is Very reasonable. Dare I say cheaper than places I've seen lately in some brooklyn communities.

I will say I haven't really looked into Upper East Side living... Wonder if that would be any quicker of a commute to the financial district. Hmm...

Probably not.
It would be longer and more painful. The Lexington Ave line is the most overcrowded line in the whole system, and you'd be riding it at the busiest times, along the busiest segment of the line.

raw

Armegeden wrote: Hmm,

The landlord I talked to about the apartment said that during rush hours (the times I'd be traveling anyway), the N train runs express and takes about 30 minutes to get into the city. While late nights/weekends when it runs local, you add considerable time to that.

Was his statement that inaccurate?

You could probably make it from Sunset Park in Brooklyn to Canal Street in Manhattan on the N train in 30 minutes.
The N is faster than the R. You can beat the R walking. I prefer the Q or 2/3 line to get into Manhattan. I am not a fan of the N or R. The F is so-so.

curlygirl

Honestly, I wouldn't do it. Get yourself a short term (3-4 months?) sublet in Manhattan, even if it costs more than you'll be able to afford in the long term, and then start to look at neighborhoods once you're here.

Finding housing on your budget in NYC is going to be hard. You are not going to find anything close to work/downtown, and so you better be sure that you like where you live once you sign a lease. Also that it is close to the friends you make, and accessible to the parts of the city where you like to hang out.

With regard to the debate about how much time it actually takes to get to the city, keep in mind that often it isn't the subway ride itself that takes so much time, it's also the time that it takes to get to and from the subway, and the time you spend waiting for the train to come. Once on the train? Yeah, 30 min to financial district is about right at rush hour. But add 10 minutes for standing on the platform, and at least five to get out the door and to the station, and you're already up to 45 minutes, more if it's a longer walk TO the subway.

I lived on the UES. There is somewhat affordable stuff up there but it is tiny. And the 6 train is a nightmare although fast, but most of the affordable stuff is a long walk from Lexington Ave.

raw

curlygirl wrote:
Finding housing on your budget in NYC is going to be hard. You are not going to find anything close to work/downtown, and so you better be sure that you like where you live once you sign a lease. Also that it is close to the friends you make, and accessible to the parts of the city where you like to hang out.

With regard to the debate about how much time it actually takes to get to the city, keep in mind that often it isn't the subway ride itself that takes so much time, it's also the time that it takes to get to and from the subway, and the time you spend waiting for the train to come. Once on the train? Yeah, 30 min to financial district is about right at rush hour. But add 10 minutes for standing on the platform, and at least five to get out the door and to the station, and you're already up to 45 minutes, more if it's a longer walk TO the subway.

I lived on the UES. There is somewhat affordable stuff up there but it is tiny. And the 6 train is a nightmare although fast, but most of the affordable stuff is a long walk from Lexington Ave.

Living and working in the same borrough does not ensure a quick commute. When I worked on the lower west side and lived on the upper east side of Manhattan, I had an hour commute to work.
It's hard to find a nice place at a reasonable price on any budget these days. Pretty much everyone who's renting is paying too much. You never know where a good option might pop up. Finding an apartment that you like in a good neighborhood that you can afford is not impossible, but it usually requires a lot of time, research, and luck.

kikintina

I'm going to second the "get a short-term sublet" idea. That goes double if you're not familiar with the city. Either that or come spend a four day weekend to check out different areas.

I love Sunset, but I also know of a few people who found it isolating and depressing and dirty and tedious. Then again, I'd probably find the UES all of those things.

Check out Craigslist for some sublets and for rentals. And walk around any neighborhood you want to be in to check for laundry, grocery, etceteras. Try to avoid brokers if you can. You might see some decent places, but you can do that with prior research as well.

Good luck!

shishkab

curlygirl wrote: Get yourself a short term (3-4 months?) sublet.

that is a fantastic idea! strongly recommend it for anyone arriving from out of state. NYC can be intense (as we all know), and different people have different sensibilities about what they want from their living arrangement. good suggestion, curlygirl!

ben

www.hopstop.com will give you a good estimate of the commute time at different hours and days of the week.

Also, regarding entertainment, while Sunset Park doesn't have a lot there are plenty of places to go out that are closer than Manhattan. 5th Ave in brooklyn has a lot going on and is close to the N/R train (runs along 4th Ave). You can also take a car which is only $6-8.

barndorfer

IF you're looking for stuff to do closer than Manhattan, the B63 bus goes north up 5th avenue to Park Slope and lands beyond. Plus, I know it doesn't seems as cool as Manhattan, but there's also fun to be had if you head farther south on the B63.

I just moved to Sunset Park a month or so ago and am enjoying it so far. My wife commutes to Manhattan (30th and Park) without too much trouble. I work in Brooklyn so my commute's pretty easy.

Good luck.

jane_birkin

by the way, just found this website that may be helpful. it seems to pull local news from all kinds of different sources and it allows you to sort by different neighborhoods.

http://outside.in/Sunset_Park_Brooklyn_NY

brooklynisbetter

My husband and I moved to Sunset Park a year ago with high hopes. Top floor of a brownstone for soooo cheap, park up the block, express train to Manhattan.

10 months later we moved to Prospect Heights. Great mix of people with reasonable prices (you can find REALLY expensive too, if you can afford it).

About Sunset Park. Not only is there nothing to do; it is incredibly difficult to become - or at least feel that you are - part of the community. We are nice people; I'm a friendly girl. Still, after several months, the women in my block would turn to look the other way when I walked past and said hello. Oh, and I should mention - several times we saw guys (older and younger) peeing on the street!! What the F?!

It was easier for my husband, but my uneasiness with the area caused us to leave. I mean there's only so much harassament a girl can take. Cultural...well maybe, but not our cup of tea.

So. You are a guy. You might be able to take it. We loved our old place and our landlord was wonderful. You get a lot of space for your money. Your girlfriend (if that is who you are in a relationship with) might have a hard time though.

Good luck, and welcome to Brooklyn. It's the best thing about NYC.

pitu

Armegeden wrote: One more favor...

Does anyone know of a Brooklyn area map online? A map that labels the different areas of Brooklyn for those new to the city?

http://www.brooklynnow.com/
has a good nabe by nabe, but again, not all of them
more like maps with lots of business cards from restaurants
but that's handy sometimes, and the graphics are nice

There's scrollable maps with lots of particulars of what businesses are where in several Brooklyn nabes on SmallTownBrooklyn
http://www.smalltownbrooklyn.com/overview.html
although I don't think they've done SP yet
http://www.smalltownbrooklyn.com/windsorterrace/windsorhome.html

Google Maps also has the street by street video that you can scroll through to see what each place looked like last fall . . .
http://maps.google.com/

www.hopstop.com for subway times/directions
and
http://www.onnyturf.com/subway/ for a cool newish overlay of the subway and street map

Did you folks scare off the OP?

rtraindweller

brooklynisbetter wrote: Oh, and I should mention - several times we saw guys (older and younger) peeing on the street!! What the F?!)

that mighta been me and my friends coming back from Irish Haven. Sorry!

raw

brooklynisbetter wrote:
About Sunset Park....several times we saw guys (older and younger) peeing on the street!! What the F?!

Haven't done it myself, but I've seen it between 45th & 60th Streets, near 5th Avenue. I've also seen frustrated home owners hosing urine off the sidewalks in front of their homes.

barndorfer

I had people peeing almost daily in front of my apartment when I lived in Park Slope. Apparently we had a nice little corner of our front yard that invited those who really had to go.

Smelled great in the summer, let me tell you.

hamilton

raw wrote: [quote=brooklynisbetter]
About Sunset Park....several times we saw guys (older and younger) peeing on the street!! What the F?!

Haven't done it myself, but I've seen it between 45th & 60th Streets, near 5th Avenue. I've also seen frustrated home owners hosing urine off the sidewalks in front of their homes.

***************************
I've been told that Community Board 7 is trying to have a alternate side of the street urinating bill passed. :P