What’s upper Manhattan like?

Found a seemingly decent place in south Harlem for like 3000/mo. If I split with roommates it’ll be less than a thousand. Looks clean but what’s the catch here? Shows building has a gym and some other amenities. It’s also about a 20 min commute to office which is in midtown. 

Also found some stuff in Murray hill, Chinatown and lower east side that's within my budget. Will probably be shitholes but I don't mind.
 

37 Comments
 

First, it shows it has a gym? Until you physically go check it out don't give it any real consideration, you should know this being in RE. Find roommates first, then the apartment. Even if you're ok sharing a home and co-leasing with randos, its tough enough to find 1 let alone 2.

In order of importance: Commute time, walking distance from door to the nearest subway, personal bathroom, food/takeout options.

I recommend you just find 1 roommate and a nice 2bed in bk or qnz. Better space for only 10-20min more on a train you'd be taking anyway. Plus if you can currently only afford 1k/mo rent you can't enjoy nearly as much in Manhattan, expect to pay a 25-75% premium for food/drinks.

 

East side or west side?  Harlem can get kinda sketchy, the heights decently less so, even if you're 50 streets higher.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Also, all of NYC is pretty safe.  I've got Baltimore stories that are on a different level, and I've been a 130lb kid wandering around uptown in a pink XS t-shirt.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 
Funniest
punk

I live by the Bronx close to Yankees stadium, great views, cheap rent and it's a quick walk to work

You're joking, right?  Nobody significant is up there. (do you work at the local bodega?)

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Also: since I can't edit (can we fix this forum on Chrome?) !30s-150s to the stadium on the west side isn't a bad walk.  I did it for Clemens' first try at 300. (he bombed)

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

The issue is, the more we keep going out to Astoria, Long Island City, Hoboken and the Bronx, the more these bastards who rule us would up the prices. We make so much fucking money and yet we have gotten to the point where we as one of the highest earners at our ages are being pushed to live in the outskirts of the city.

It doesn't make sense to me at all, the prices are out of control and no one seems to care, very soon the Bronx and Astoria would be unaffordable even for us and we'll see people asking for communities to move to in rural New York, this has to end somewhere.  

 
craig.owen

The issue is, the more we keep going out to Astoria, Long Island City, Hoboken and the Bronx, the more these bastards who rule us would up the prices. We make so much fucking money and yet we have gotten to the point where we as one of the highest earners at our ages are being pushed to live in the outskirts of the city.

It doesn't make sense to me at all, the prices are out of control and no one seems to care, very soon the Bronx and Astoria would be unaffordable even for us and we'll see people asking for communities to move to in rural New York, this has to end somewhere.  

Hey, an ex bought a cute little place in Binghamton for $40k.  The only issue was needing to live in Binghamton. (It was also insanely 60s and needed a new roof)

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 
Most Helpful

Upper Manhattan isn't bad but it shows the sad state of our country and society where someone who works in finance such as yourself and a lot of us on this website are looking to places like Harlem to rent, God knows whats going to happen to the locals there in a few years because they are definitely being priced out.

I am not calling you a gentrifier as an insult because at the moment I am also being pushed out of my place in Midtown and need a place to live, and despite pulling in over 100k a year, I genuinely cannot find anything affordable in from Middle to Lower Manhattan, everything is $2500+ if I want to live alone and $4000 if I actually want to live in a "nice" building even for a studio. 

The fact that so many of us are high earners and even need to consider roommates is legitimately insane and I don't know how we can come out of this death spiral. 

 
IncomingIBDreject

Newark will be the new finance bro hub in 5 years at the rate prices are rising. 

Are you a FI guy working at pgim?  Even with all the building Harrison has significant stigma.  I have an old story about Newark.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Harlem’s cost of living is lower than the rest of the city and has been for years. Obviously check it out but just something to keep in mind I guess. Def explore the boroughs tho, can get great spots for the same price. And if ur cool using the subway a lot then I’d even check out LI City. Can pay ridiculously low rent for beautiful apartments with crazy amenities

 

Harlem can be a bit sketchy and Ubers are not going to be thrilled to take you all the way up there at 3am, let alone from downtown on nights you go out. You will be one of the few white collar professionals - and really most people are very polite and respectful, but you may run into the occasional violent person especially walking around at odd hours with IB

I'd suggest Murray Hill as all the finance bros live there and it's cheap and convenient. Also depending on how close of a walk you are to grand central/the 7 line, LIC is a decent bet for pretty cheap and a much more professional area. but agree with the consensus that you are looking at $2k+ per person these days, the market is up significantly from even pre-covid.

Array
 
eloquence

Harlem can be a bit sketchy and Ubers are not going to be thrilled to take you all the way up there at 3am, let alone from downtown on nights you go out. You will be one of the few white collar professionals - and really most people are very polite and respectful, but you may run into the occasional violent person especially walking around at odd hours with IB

I'd suggest Murray Hill as all the finance bros live there and it's cheap and convenient. Also depending on how close of a walk you are to grand central/the 7 line, LIC is a decent bet for pretty cheap and a much more professional area. but agree with the consensus that you are looking at $2k+ per person these days, the market is up significantly from even pre-covid.

You want the easy answer: going downtown is easy Dr. M----(Real Phd, research doctor) who's black couldn't get a cab pre-uber for 10 minutes out my old place on Broadway, I grabbed us one in 30 sec.  I'm blonde, and just a little too bro-ish to be a bimbo, Twink can apply.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

I lived in East Harlem for a year (near 100th). I’d stay below Spanish Harlem (starts around 102). I’ve lived in other areas like Murray hill and upper east side and I felt that in East Harlem 1. theres less foot traffic at night, 2. Sketchier crowds here and there, particularly if there are any project housing nearby, and 3. Dimmer lights. I felt safe but not the best place if you are a girl. The only time I didn’t feel safe was when I was shitfaced drunk getting back home 

You crave what you are not. Dude, your perspective on life sucks.
 

I actually lived in Harlem for my SA (Central Harlem around 127th St), happy to give my $0.02.

I felt OK during the daytime, but nighttime is SUS. My (white) girlfriend is from a southern African country, and she told me she felt more unsafe walking around Harlem alone than most places back home.

I would not live north of 125th on the west side, 116th in the middle, and 95th on the east side - unless close to central park. Imo, you want a place where you can walk around at any hour of the night.

 

Does anyone have any advice on how to find roommates? None of my college friends want to be in Manhattan so I need to find a way to find other people in a similar situation to me, but not in like a sketch way if you know what I mean lmao

 

Craigslist interviews - interview 10-20 people until you find the right person.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

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