Questions re: moving to New York (1 Viewer)

[Scott D S]

I'm considering moving to New York.

Long story short... I went to film school, lived in LA for a year and a half, left when it was getting good, subsequently realized filmmaking might not be the passion I thought it was, and for the last year and a half, I've been living in Florida with my parents... again. I've managed to save up almost $10k and I have less than a thousand dollars in credit card debt.

I'm only 26 and I figure now is as good a time as any - in other words, I can still afford to screw up! I have an aunt and uncle in NJ who might be able to put me up for a short while but I know I'll have to find a place. I've seen some decent ads on Craigslist and I know I can't afford Manhattan - Brooklyn and Queens are more viable alternatives. I know I'll have to live with roommates and I have no problems with that.

I won't be bringing my car and as for work, I'm sure I'll be temping for a while. What I really want to do is pursue improv and I know there's a nice improv/comedy scene up there. I did improv in Orlando and was told to continue - I've been looking at continuing my lessons at the UCB Theater in Chelsea. (I know, one thing at a time.)

Now for the questions (apologies for the naive nature of some of them):

-For folks without a car, how do you accomplish relatively simple tasks like buying furniture? Do you have everything delivered? Or do you lug everything with you on busses and subways?

-Having lived in Florida for most of my life, I wouldn't even know where to buy winter clothing. I guess I need an idea of your basic winter ensemble (coat, earmuffs, etc.).

-The economy... I know California is in the red and Florida is not much better. I've been lucky in that I've been working almost non-stop for the past two years. I plan on putting my resume on the usual websites and calling temp agencies like crazy once I get up there. Thoughts?

-Apartments... as I said, I've seen some good ads on CL but I realize some are bullshit and some are too good to be true. What's the typical monthly rent, for example, for one room in a three bedroom apartment in one of the boroughs? I've seen $500, $600, $700, and so on... I was paying $712.50 for my room in LA and if I can keep it around that number (plus utilities), I'd call that a good deal.

-Take this CL ad for instance - too good to be true? http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/roo/1372541310.html

-Since I won't be bringing my car with me, do I still need car insurance? It's entirely possible I find myself driving for someone else at one point in the future.

I might have more questions later. Thanks!

 

[Michael Reuben]

I can answer two of your questons for you:

1. Delivery: Almost anything in New York City can be delivered. I have never owned a car here, and there is nothing I couldn't have delivered. Yes, you can lug things on buses and subways, and you see people trying to do it all the time, but at a certain size and weight, you're crazy to try.
2. Winter weather: Winters are not nearly as severe here as they used to be. It's rare to have more than a week or two of below-freezing temperatures, and large amounts of snow are no longer common. That being said, if you're used to Florida weather, you'll want to start building a winter wardrobe, but I'd do it on an "as needed" basis. Get familiar with LL Bean; it's the best value around for all-purpose winter wear.

I'm afraid I can't help you with rents, because I haven't rented for over 20 years. And the problem you're going to have with temp agencies is that the outfits that were the biggest consumers of temp help -- Wall St. and law firms -- are the ones that have cut back the most in the wake of last year's banking crisis.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

-Since I won't be bringing my car with me, do I still need car insurance? It's entirely possible I find myself driving for someone else at one point in the future.

The owner of the car (whether an individual or a company) is required to provide the insurance. If their policy covers other drivers, you're fine. If it doesn't, and they let you drive their car, it is their problem, not yours. Car insurance covers the vehicle and its use, not individuals.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Jay H]

As far as cars go, if you do need the occasional car at normal hours, I've seen a lot of hikers and stuff with using Zip Car, zipcar.com I guess... up and around the greater NYC area...

Jay

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Scott D S )
-Having lived in Florida for most of my life, I wouldn't even know where to buy winter clothing. I guess I need an idea of your basic winter ensemble (coat, earmuffs, etc.).

At stores. Well, maybe NYC stores are different, but around here, you go do any normal retail store, like Target or REI or Dick's, and in the Fall they will be full of all the Winter clothing you want. And as Michael implies, mail-order / online places are easy to shop too. More importantly is what type of coat you need. When I was in grad school and walking to campus in knee deep snow, I needed a big, down-filled Parka with wrap around hood and oodles of pockets. Now that I'm driving to work every day, I wear a leather coat (with liner) and leather driving gloves all Winter. If you need to buy something without really knowing your ultimate situation, I'd suggest either a leather jacket with removeable liner (preferably below the waist length) or an all-purpose ski jacket / winter coat.

 

[Carl Miller]

Scott, if you're willing to share a place with strangers, you should still look into Manhattan. My wannabe actor nephew lives with 3 other people and pays $750/month. It's a tiny room, but he likes living there a lot more than the $500/month room he rented in Brooklyn before it.

As Michael said, our winters have been very tame the past few years, but you should be prepared for the occassional wickedly cold day. LL Bean is of course a great source for reasonably priced quality clothing. In the city, a place called Conways is good for budget conscious clothes shopping.

I totally agree with Michael as well about the temp job situation but if the goal for working is just to have money as you pursue your craft, you'd still have plenty of options. I know my nephew does well waiting tables and pulls in enough to live off of. Though, he really seems to enjoy the whole poor starving artist type lifestyle.

 

[Scott D S]

Originally Posted by Carl Miller ">[/url]

I totally agree with Michael as well about the temp job situation but if the goal for working is just to have money as you pursue your craft, you'd still have plenty of options. I know my nephew does well waiting tables and pulls in enough to live off of. Though, he really seems to enjoy the whole poor starving artist type lifestyle.[/QUOTE]That's pretty much it. My only criteria so far (that isn't related to money) is that I don't want to kill myself after eight hours of work.

 

[Dave Mack]

Hiya Scott. Don't have time to go into depth tonite but I grew up in NYC and am here now. Left for 2 and a 1/2 years to try the west coast so I have some perspective. Can probably help you out. Gotta run now though. peace!

 

[JonZ]

The winters might be a bit milder in NYC, but as you move away from the coast they become more severe. Depending on where in NJ your aunt& uncle live, you might have to put up with more snow than the city people usually deal with. Im a hour west of NYC and the winters have sucked the past few years.

As for winter clothes, a few years ago I got a pair of Magnum boots, which are almost like what corrections officers wears. I love them (theyre so comfortable) and cant go without them in the winters now. Just bought a pair saturday for upcoming snow and slush.

Warm clothes are a must for the winter. The wind in NYC during the winter can be brutal cold.

 

[Jay H]

NYC is somewhat considered "Coastal" in such that the warm atlantic breezes do create less snow in NYC, however, the result is more sleet/freezing rain and snow followed by rain. In other words, probably worse than dealing with pure snow. In NYC (manhatten), you'll want some good high boots or so to deal with the slush puddles that generally form in snow conditions at the sidewalk-road junction. I live about 40 minutes drive from NYC and we get a bit more snow than NYC, usually because we get more of the colder northern canadian air that drives down and get less warm ocean breezes being further inland than NYC. You will though, deal with windier conditions because of the ocean and openness and they sure do blow through the canyons of the skyscrapers though...