Aside from the realities of price and space, the requirements set by New York landlords are also bound to help turn a bright-eyed first-time renterâs outlook grim. To start with, landlords want only tenants who earn at least 40 times the monthly rent, which means an $80,000 annual salary for a $2,000 apartment. According to census data, more than 25,000 graduates ages 22 to 28 moved to the city in 2006, and their median salary was about $35,600. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/r...em&ex=1208836800&en=b26c9a8883854c14&ei=5087
I used to make $93,000/yr and lived on the Upper West Side for $1500/month, but I had a 5th floor walk-up. I gained more weight than lost on that 5-flight because I became super lazy and never wanted to leave because of the stairs. UWS was good, but 5th floor walk-up is never ever worth the money. Then, being burned by finance, I got a shitty "lazy" job that paid $55,000. I then moved to a place that charged $1375/month in WaHI. Now I'm well over 150k/yr, and still at the $1375/month place. We have an elevator, onsite super, no doorman. Not having a doorman isn't terrible, since packages come in at 8pm or later. My only beef with WaHI is that the Dominicans are litter bugs. The problem with Hispanic neighborhoods is the sheer amount of trash. I don't know what it is about black/hispanic neighborhoods that cause them to have so much trash in the streets and so many roaches in the apartment buildings. I also have to ride the train with the filth rolling in from the Bronx and the total nut cases from the projects through Harlem. Manhattan blows. I think Jersey is next. I can't take this city living anymore and I want to see trees.
There is so much eye candy to adorn the streets of Upper Broadway, I never notice the litter on a warm spring day. You pay $1375 for a one Bedroom in WaHi?
I don't know how some of you keep your sanity. Come to Michigan (not Detroit), with lush green lawns, 1 to 10 acre lots, and golf courses, crystal clear ponds, clean air, blue lakes and rolling ground all around (in the Northern Suburbs). My lot overlooks a championship golf course, while not being directly on the course (no pesky golfers), a sweeping view of deep green rolling ground approximately 100 acres wide, with tall pines and spruce trees standing in perfect rows, and I have a true, springfed, 10 acre pond that is always gently flowing - oh, not to mention the walking, rollerblading and bike path that is interconnected in a 25 mile link, that winds around a nature preserve with streams and small lakes, that lay 1/4 quarter mile from my front door. I could never live in a city like New York. No offense. If I ever had to move, it would be to Colorado or Utah, with a lot having a view of a wide expanse of mountains. You see concrete, in shades of dirty gray, and the rich live right next to filthy areas. You are couped up in your drywall and concrete encased rectangles and squares, one place atop another. I could not take it. Ever.
As Surdo is alluding to, you have access to an amazing assortment of women though ... admitedly, the novelty of that only lasts for a decade or so ... but man, when it's on, IT'S ON!
Oh, I'm not intending to offend anyone at all. It's just that I'm not used to what you guys in NYC have to put up with in terms of cost of living and lack of natural beauty. I know there are many positive attributes, as well - you have access to world class cuisine, a wide array of cuisine, some celebrity hotspots, and a world glass nightlife. Plus, if you're a BSD, you sort of have to be there to be close to work. But damn, you pay through the nose for it, and if you want to see green (nature), you need to hike it to Central Park. I could never adjust to the ridiculous cost of living, pollution, congestion, noise or incredibly small living spaces, though. It's as if you guys are willing to kill yourselves working 100 hours a week to afford a friggin' apartment in a 'decent' area. Insane.
I believe the NYC guys on this thread are assuming that you cant get laid anywhere else in the United States and that NYC is the only place where there is some ladies. Actually, I've been to NYC maybe 3 times in my life and I never really saw a good looking woman there. Most seem kind of thick and not too athletic always stuffing food in their faces. The women I saw seemed mid-30s and not really that young as in college aged. Im sorry, just not into that. I prefer younger and slimmer women myself, but to each his own. If you go to the midwest, then there are plenty of ladies who are more then willing to go to bed who look much better and dont seem so up-tight. They like to hit the bars and you actually have a chance versus the up-tight overweight NYC women. In fact, the world class nightlife just seemed like a bunch of bars with overpriced drinks and ladies that I couldnt pick up. I have all that in the midwest except the drinks are reasonably priced and the ladies much easier to actually pickup. Remember that the ladies in playboy always come from places like Utah or Iowa and NEVER NYC.
On the same note, I haven't seen as much prostitutes lurking in high end bars as there are in NYC. I used to travel there for business quite a bit but didn't like it all that much after a trip or two. I much prefer DC or Chicago to be honest. Chicago being my #1 if I had to rank them.