Anyone from New York City?

[Berna]

Hello everyone, I haven't been around much, I'm in the process of making big plans

Anyway, I may be relocating to New York City next fall, with Cookie of course.

I have a couple of questions for you guys who live or have lived in New York City:

1. Best pet-friendly but affordable neighbourhood? We need a neighbourhood with parks nearby. 30 minutes walking distance is okay, since I won't have a car and big dogs are not allowed to ride in the subway.
2. Vets - should I get an insurance? That doesn't exist here but I've seen you guys talking about insurance.
3. Any places where I can take my dog to swim?
4. Anything else I should pay attention to?

I'll probably have more questions later on -- but thanks in advance for any input!

[Charlotte K.]

Wow. Lots to love, but it sure is different! NYC is big. One of its boroughs, Brooklyn, would be maybe the third largest city if it were on its own. Commute time from your workplace and cost will be huge factors for most. Do you know in what neighborhood you will be working or going to school? That will help us help you.

[kimbersmom]

I grew up nearby. Like Charlotte said, a lot depends on where you need to work/go to school. A friend's daughter works in Manhatten and she's living in New Jersy because she wanted her dog to be with her.

[Berna]

I don't have information yet on where I will be working. I just know Manhattan is nice but expensive I have a friend who lives in Astoria and she loves it there. Another friend rented a place at Sunnyside. I don't care about the commute as long as I can get there via public transport. But Cookie definitely needs a place nearby to walk and run!

I can't even begin to imagine how big New York City really is!

[Charlotte K.]

That is great that you have friends there, and they are not far from each other in Queens. The two neighborhoods are on the 7 train, the Flushing line.

[smartrock]

One of my kids lives in NYC now and has lived in 3 different locations in 3 years. I know you were applying for Ph.D. or Psy.D. spots, are you still pursuing that? I can't say that any of the places my kid has lived have been affordable for a single person to live alone, there are generally 1-2 roommates. There have been parks nearby in most locations and there appear to be a fair number of small dog parks, though nothing the size you're accustomed to. Manhattan will probably be the most expensive of the 5 boroughs that comprise NY City. Brooklyn, where she currently lives in a recently converted warehouse, may be a little less, but many areas have become very popular, which means nearly as expensive as most of Manhattan. I would call her area still a little sketchy and there are 3 people sharing the rent. She was in Washington Heights before, which was a quiet neighborhood way north in Manhattan near Ft Tryon Park (which you can read about in one of the links below), but there was nothing within walking distance like cafes or coffee shops she wanted to go to. She had to take the subway and 2 buses to get to work on the Upper East Side.

I don't know the dog-friendly areas of the city, there are lots of places to go on-leash but aside from small dog parks, I don't know about off-leash. Maybe this will give you some ideas in the different boroughs of what public parks are available. Dog-friendly Areas : NYC Parks or Dog friendly New York parks

[Charlotte K.]

There is a big off lead dog park area in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. They have a dog beach too.

[bett]

astoria, long island city, parts of brooklyn-all very stylish and not a bad commute to the city.

let me know when you are planning and i can try and see if i can help out. i have a friend in cobble hill, used to be not too expensive now competes with park slope, which has been expensive for years. brownstones .

the guy who has eli's brother also lives in brooklyn in a converted loft building. i thought the neighborhood weird but only because i am unfamiliar with it.

my friend in cobble hill has a tenant on the ground level of her house and may know of others around.
her house was used recently to film a movie with ann hathaway and deniro. coming out in the fall. she's an artist and they let her keep her artwork up, which is a very big deal. or so I'm told.
one day she came home to a note in her door, and that 's how the process started. she recently redid the front windows, which are historic and cant be changed and they liked the way it looked.
when she bought the house years ago, for about 500 thousand bucks we thought she was nuts. now , worth over 2 mil. so who's nuts?

[doubledip1]

Check out Westchester, Dutchess, Rockland and Putnam counties! Lots of room for Cookie but close enough to commute.

[bestadmom]

I live in Greenwich, CT, a 45 minute train ride from Manhattan, where I work. I live in a house in the suburbs. I have a yard and there are lots of parks and grassy school yards. And the beach.

Manhattan is so expensive and Brooklyn is a very close second unless you live far from Manhattan in the "uncool" areas. The rule of thumb is the closer you are to Manhattan, the more expensive it is and the smaller your apartment is. Unless you have millions of dollars. Queens, where your friends are, is generally more affordable right now.

Try to stay with a friend for a little while if possible before you commit to a lease. You might find a nice place and decide the area is not right for your lifestyle.