As I've lurked here for what must be nearing a decade, I've come to realize that people here have an amazing array of experiences. I assume someone must have done what we're trying to do, and I'd very much appreciate any help we can get!
My wife just accepted a 3rd year residency position in Brooklyn (you wouldn't believe how hard those are to find!), starting 1 July or thereabouts. Let's ignore the insanity of the timeframe for a moment, because otherwise I might crack. :-)We currently live in middle Georgia. We actually just sold her house (we're relatively newlyweds) in Tennessee, so we have almost two houses worth of detritus. Sadly, we were WAY underwater on the mortgage, and so currently we have almost no savings.
The position is only for a year to finish her residency, and then we want to come back to the South. Middle GA isn't the probable destination, though.
It's questionable whether or not I'm going to be able to find a job up there. I'm a Civil Servant, and I'm understandably hesitant about leaving the government workforce (especially since I believe that we're headed for another economic rough patch).
Apartment: I really have no idea how much we can afford, especially since I imagine we'll use a broker. If we live close to our means, it makes it less likely that I'll be able to move to Brooklyn (because I expect to take a pay cut). We're ok with paring down our earthly encumbrance (we had already decided to do that before this came up), and living in somewhat close quarters. Any ideas? Good places to live, bad places to live, usefulness of taking a car, etc? If we use a broker, does it make sense to rent something sight-unseen to save some cash?
Moving: I have no idea how much it might cost to move the essentials to Brooklyn from GA. I'm wondering if it might not be cheaper to put what we want to keep (furniture-wise) in storage here, and buy cheap things to last us a year up there. I imagine that the cost of moving things up there and then back would buy most if not all of what we'd need. Assuming that we bring her older CR-V to Brooklyn, I'd only move items that wouldn't make sense to replace (TV, computer, games). Does that make any sense at all? I'm going to call movers this week to get a quote, because no one will give me one online.
We have effectively 5 weeks, and it's going to be hard. ANY advice that you wise folks have would be very much appreciated!
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Swampjedi: I'm wondering if it might not be cheaper to put what we want to keep (furniture-wise) in storage here, and buy cheap things to last us a year up there.
posted
I have a small handful of high school friends that now live in Brooklyn (I'm from Louisiana).
And I'm a touring musician, so I get out there a few times a year.
Williamsburg is the nicest part (in my experience) -- one or two subway stops from Manhattan. It's gotten trendy in the last few years but still isn't super expensive.
I heartily encourage you to store everything you can't bear to part with and sell the rest.
If you want me to put you in touch with my friends who live there, email me and I'll be happy to. A few of them have lived there for 5+ years.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Don't bother taking a car. The public transportation in NYC is great, and keeping a car in the city is very expensive. As for good neighborhoods, I have a few friends who live in Cobble Hill. It seems really nice, and it's a 20min subway ride from Manhattan.
Now, while things in the city are notoriously expensive, it possible to live thriftily. I'm sure you won't have a problem there. There's a new Ikea in Brooklyn as well, where you can buy good cheap furniture to last you the year.
Williamsburg is mostly an odd mix of hipsters and Hasidim. In my opinion it's one of the most interesting places in NYC. Good luck!
Posts: 47 | Registered: Mar 2010
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When I moved to Boston from Virginia I left all my furniture at home and had no problem picking up the essentials for very cheap (sometimes free). Craigslist was my friend.
I kept my car, which I don't regret, because I wanted to leave the city about once a week. The parking space accounted for 1/4 of the apartment rent, though
My friend made a really nice website for apartment searching--I hope it helps:
quote:Originally posted by August: Don't bother taking a car. The public transportation in NYC is great, and keeping a car in the city is very expensive.
I agree with the fact that you can easily get around without a car. In fact, easier than you can drive and park in most areas. But it's pretty easy to park on the street in Brooklyn for free. Keeping a car in Manhattan, however, can be pricey.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I don't think we'll want to leave the city all that often - but I guess taking the car will depend on the apartment we get. It may be one of those things where we leave it behind, and come get it if it turns out that we need it.
How would doing things like grocery shopping work without a car? Is there a better way to do it than hire a cab?
August, IKEA is great for what I'm planning. Thank you, I was wondering if there was one nearby. Granted, I don't like the style of the furniture, but it's "throwaway" anyways.
HOPEFULLY, the Brooklyn Hospital Center will send us the contract today. We haven't signed anything yet. This means that we're not willing to sign a lease, and we can't get a short-term physician's loan to cover the up-front apartment costs.
I think the contract is caught in a bit of a turf war between the Grad Med Education office and Pediatrics. GME called us after business hours last week and demanded that my wife report for inprocessing on 14 Jun. Peds called later and said don't let them push us, that they understand the extremely compressed timeframe is unrealistic. Hopefully Peds will win, since 3 weeks probably isn't doable. :-)
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Hey, Swampjedi! Good to see you! I've often wondered how things have been going for you (this is Noemon, by the way; we hung out in Dayton together back in 2006 or so). Congratulations on having gotten married, and good luck with the move. I agree with most everybody that it makes sense to store your stuff and get cheap, temporary replacements to see you through your year in Brooklyn.
Posts: 1087 | Registered: Jul 1999
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Grocery shopping can be done with a cab (one way -- take the subway to the store), or at a local market*, or you can have them delivered, or the two of you can go together and make the trek back on the subway.
*I sort of prefer this way. It's damn difficult to live in Brooklyn and not be within a block of a corner store that carries virtually everything. You'll pay a bit more, but convenience and slightly higher prices against a taxi ride to the store is pretty much a wash for me. Delivery can also be a great option. You can have absolutely anything delivered in NYC.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: You can have absolutely anything delivered in NYC.
My thoughts exactly. Most people in NYC walk everywhere anyway, and you should be within walking distance from an "everything" store wherever you go. The only reason why you might need a car for grocery shopping is to go to Costco, but I've made the trip on the subway before (just using one of those enormous IKEA bags works). And of course you can get a cab, or rent a van cheaply if you need to feed a small elephant.
Posts: 47 | Registered: Mar 2010
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If you find there are cases where you need a car, you may want to look into one of the car share programs. NYC has quite a few and they're probably going to be much cheaper and more convenient than owning.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I got some news today that MAY change things significantly.
I had put in for a positon at work a few months ago (a promotion, which is rare in my organization). Today, I got notification that I'm on the short list of candidates for the position. It's a big enough move that I would be accepting it (because in this place, it usually takes a decade or more in the organization to be considered, and I just hit 4 years), and remaining here. The pay increase is quite nice,
Even if I don't get selected, this has made us rethink what we truly need in Brooklyn. Based on comments here, and our own thoughts, we probably won't be bringing a car. We're also probably going to scale down what we're looking for, size-wise, in an apartment. It's only for a year, you know? Reducing standard of living for a year, especially knowing it'll go way up after the year is over, is bearable.
It doesn't sound like it's much of a problem to shop, which is good. Delivery would be great, especially since she'll be working 70-80 h/wk.
Jake - I still fondly remember that Indian resturaunt we went to. I swear, that was some of the best food I've ever had. I haven't been back to Dayton yet, but if I remain in my current position I imagine I'll end up working there one day. Thanks for all of the congratulations!
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Are you in the right thread, mph? I honestly can't tell if that's meant to relate to this one or not. Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:Originally posted by MrSquicky: If you find there are cases where you need a car, you may want to look into one of the car share programs. NYC has quite a few and they're probably going to be much cheaper and more convenient than owning.
I just saw a program on one, and it is cheap, really. $50 to join, and then $8 an hour. MUCH cheaper than I thought it would be.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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If you're looking for throwaway furniture, don't buy Ikea, buy Craigslist. So much cheaper. Or buy Ikea from Craigslist. If you only need it for a year, it certainly doesn't need to be new.
Good luck with the promotion!
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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One of my friends in Maryland loves some web page that is basically people getting rid of stuff and willing to give away for free (don't remember what the page is). You can maybe see if there is anything like that in Brooklyn. I think my grad school had a borrow furniture group where you could donate furniture or borrow for a year. Maybe there is something like that amongst the residents and the hospital? Also, try garage sales?
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
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scholarette: You're probably referring to Freecycle; there isn't a specific webpage, and it usually operates as a mailing list. It can be quite convenient.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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