Finding An Apartment
Needless to say, the market for real estate in New York City is difficult and expensive. Real estate brokers, while expensive because they charge fees as a percent of the yearly rent, often have the “inside track” to available apartments in specific neighborhoods. However, here are other good alternatives to avoid the fees:
TownRealEstate.com – One of many brokers, but is good for local NY renters & buyers. Contact broker Karen Stone at kstone@townrealestate.com
StreetEasy.com – A great place to preview an extensive list of rentals and sales.
NYTimes.com/pages/realestate – For both rentals and purchases
Neighborhoods
Manhattan Neighborhoods
There are many different neighborhoods in Manhattan – each with a distinct culture and “feel.” Understand the location of the neighborhoods using this neighborhood guide. Click the image to the right to view larger.
Outside of Manhattan
Places outside of Manhattan are typically less expensive, more spacious and have relatively easy commutes, some include:
Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx – All of these communities are large and very diverse, with some parts of the boroughs more attractive than others.
New Jersey – Just across the Hudson River are cities like Hoboken (really young & fun area, but no parking), Jersey City (fast becoming a mini “Wall Street” area), Weehawken, and West New York. All of these areas have quick and easy mass transit into Manhattan 24 hours a day.
Banks & Utilities
Banks
- Citibank – CitiBank.com
- JP Morgan Chase – Chase.com
- Bank of America – BankOfAmerica.com
- Commerce Bank – CommerceBank.com
Utilities
Telephone
- Verizon (local service) – Verizon.com
- AT&T (long distance) – ATT.com
- Sprint (long distance) – Sprint.com
Electricity & Gas
- Consolidated Edison – ConEd.com
Cable Television/Internet
- Cablevision – Cablevision.com
- Time Warner Cable – TWCNYC.com
- RCN – RCN.com
Cellular Phone
- Sprint – Sprint.com
- AT&T – Wireless.ATT.com
- Verizon Wireless – VerizonWireless.com
- T-Mobile – TMobile.com
Shopping & Grocery
There are myriad shopping opportunities in New York; here are the crucial things when relocating. In general, keep in mind that sales tax in New York City is more than 8%.
Furniture & Home Items
IKEA – Stylish furniture for those on a budget. Located in Paramus (NJ), there is an hourly bus from Port Authority. Also located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
1-800-Mattress – For a reasonable price, they can get you any mattress delivered right to your door.
Union Square – For standard furniture shopping. Can run the gamut on pricing.
West Village – Antiques
SoHo, Tribecca, Downtown – Trendy and expensive boutiques
Lower East Side – Delancey Street can have some great neighborhood store bargains on home items for the kitchen and bath.
Food Shopping
The major food store chains located throughout New York City are Pathmark, A&P, Food Emporium, Whole Foods, and Gristedes. Basic needs (milk, sugar, bread, soda, etc.) can also be purchased at delis and “quickmarts” in your own neighborhood.
Other useful sites for Food Shopping/Ordering:
Freshdirect.com – Order groceries online and have them delivered to your door.
Ground Transportation
Public Transit
NYC Transit (subway/bus) – This massive urban transportation system provides access to most areas of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. It is the best way to get around, even though it can be dirty and crowded. Buy monthly Metro cards for $104 card unlimited 30-day use. You can also buy Metro cards for specific dollar amount from $5.00 to $20.00, as well plus one-time-use tokens or cards for $2.50 per ride. Transfers between both systems are free regardless of the ticket you have.
MTA.info or HopStop.com
NJ Transit – Buses to New Jersey neighborhoods and beyond from Port Authority (42nd Street and 8th Avenue); trains from Penn Station (34th Street and 7th Avenue) to multiple locations throughout New Jersey.
Metro-North Railroad – Trains to Westchester County, NY and Connecticut, departing from Grand Central Station (42nd Street and Park Avenue).
Long Island Railroad – Trains to multiple locations on Long Island, NY, departing from Penn Station (34th Street and 7th Avenue).
New York Waterway Ferry – Ferry service to multiple locations in New Jersey, as well as to Yankee Stadium.
Other Transportation Options
Amtrak
Taxi – Taxis are abundant in NYC, and are usually easy to get (except in the rain or when you’re in a rush). Tips of 10-15% are expected.
Automobile
If you have a car, EZ Pass is a “must-have” to flow through all toll plazas without having to shell out cash. See EZPass.com for more information. Note: Because garage parking and insurance can be quite costly, and parking on the street a major inconvenience, it’s a good idea to get rid of your car before coming to New York.
Zipcar.com – An alternative to owning a vehicle, this service provides rentals for frequent users.
Drivers License
New York – www.dmv.ny.gov
New Jersey – www.nj.gov/nj/trans
Connecticut – www.dmvct.org
Airports
New York City has three major airports in the metro area. For additional information on all NYC airports, refer to www.panynj.gov.
Here are some general guidelines on getting to the airports:
JFK – NYC Transit buses from Park Avenue between 41st and 42nd St on the Northbound side will cost you about $15 round trip. You can also take the A train (blue line) to the JFK/Howard Beach stop and take the JFK AirTrain system to your terminal for $5.00. The flat taxi fare from JFK to Manhattan is$45, not including tip and tolls.
LaGuardia – Private buses from Park Avenue between 41st and 42nd St on the Northbound side will cost you about $15 round trip. You can also take the N or W train to Astoria Blvd. in Queens and then catch the M60 bus for $2.50. Typical taxi fare is approximately $25 one- way.
Newark (NJ) – Academy buses from 41st St between Park and Lexington Avenues cost about $15 round trip. You can also take NJ Transit trains from Penn Station to the Newark Airport Station, then take the Newark AirTrain system to your specific terminal. One-way cost is $14.00.
Entertainment
The best resource for information on tourist attractions is www.nycgo.com. Needless to say, there are a million things to do and see in this city – this is a great place to start. You can also pick up a tourist guidebook at any bookstore around the city.
Shows & Entertainment
New York City is one of the entertainment capitals of the world – here’s just a small sampling of things to do:
Ticketmaster.com – Concerts, sports and other entertainment.
Telecharge.com – Theater information.
Broadway.com – Broadway shows.
Smarttix.com – Discount tickets to off-broadway shows & events.
Lincolncenter.org – Opera, classical, jazz and ballet.
Carnegiehall.org – All musical events at Carnegie Hall
Summerstage.com – Information on concerts in Central Park during the summer months (many of them are FREE).
NBCstudiotour.com – Tickets for NBC studio tours
Nbc.com/tickets – Tickets to shows like “The Voice” or “Saturday Night Live.”
Cbs.com/late_night/late_show – Information about tickets to see David Letterman.
Local News Media
- CBS (WCBS) – Channel 2
- ABC (WABC) – Channel 7
- NBC (WNBC) – Channel 4
- FOX (WNYW) – Channel 5
- The New York Times – The most widely respected daily newspaper
- The Wall Street Journal – Daily (M-S) business newspaper
- New York Daily News – Inexpensive daily newspaper
- New York Post – Inexpensive daily newspaper
- Newsday – Long Island’s daily newspaper
- Metro / amNewYork – two free daily tabloids
Entertainment Publications
Time Out NY –The most comprehensive weekly guide of almost EVERYTHING that is happening in New York City – pick up a copy at any newsstand or bookstore.
The Village Voice– Free weekly publication available at numerous locations through the city.
New York Magazine – Published monthly, this magazine offers the more upscale information and good articles about the city.
metro.com
Gyms
The major fitness chains in New York are:
New York Sports Club – Nysc.com
Bally’s – Ballyfitness.com
Crunch – Crunch.com
New York Health and Racquet Club – Hrcbest.com
Equinox – Equinoxfitness.com
Other gyms and locations can be found at Globalfit.com.
Restaurants & Bars
There are so many restaurants in New York City for every taste and budget that they are impossible to list here. Find spots that fit into your interests and budget at the following places:
Zagat – Long considered the “gold standard” in dining and nightlife information, you can pick up a copy of this printed guidebook at any newsstand or bookstore. All the information is also available at Zagat.com.
Other good comprehensive resources are at:
Menupages.com – Online menus for thousands of NYC restaurants
Opentable.com – Online reservations for many NYC restaurants
