-ChoKo-

the answer depends entirely on what you like to do. do you like beer, wine, food, modern art, dinosaurs, musicals?

Funny, I like all the things you mentioned!
Obviously, for the food part, I definitely won't go alone in a super classy restaurant to have dinner..

I'd just like to be able to see a lot of different & cool stuff (not necessarily specific to NYC), but keeping in mind that I'll 'only' stay one week (and - - hopefully not - - potentially alone)

ChoKo,

I had a post about food directed at another solo traveler somewhere in the last ~50 posts in this thread or so.

just to that point - I think you'll find more places in NYC where eating at the bar is standard than in is in France. Not 3* places, but lots of nice places.

Il Mulino for instance has a tiny bar you can eat at and it's the easiest way to get a "table" there. I recommend that - it's expensive but they give you so many appetizers for free (parm, mussels, peppers, etc )that you don't need to order anything before your main dish. (which is sometimes an awkward thing about eating alone - and an expensive one)

Spotted Pig is another good choice to hit solo

Thanks for the answers.

And what about the non food related spots? (like to go out in the evening/at night). And the cool places to see for an European like me

Question that isn't exactly on theme with asking about things to do, but figured it was worth asking since there seem to be a lot of smart NYers in this thread.

I recently interviewed for a job at a university in Brooklyn that I believe I have a good shot at. The appeal of teaching (plus obviously living) in nyc has huge appeal to me. Only problem is I really can't seem to figure out the math on how people that don't make six figures make it work.

The salary for this gig would be approximately 70-75k. After federal, state, and city taxes, retirement and school loans (of about $400 a month), and normal expenses is there any possible way to still take advantage of living in the city without having to eat ramen and PB&J?

Any thoughts on areas in Brooklyn I should be looking into for rent prices? I know Williamsburg and the super trendy places are not an option, but is it possible to find a one bedroom (or decent sized studio) in a good area of Brooklyn at a somewhat affordable price?

I think you can do it w/roommates. It's not the high life, but people live on far less (and I'm referring to young professionals in this case).

Where in Brooklyn? There are a number of areas which can be affordable w/1-2 other roommates.

Cobra,

Very doable as long as you don't have a huge debt/loan burden every month.

El D,

Care to break down the where and how much to support the notion of doable? I'm skeptical about anything decent in manhattan.

Places in Brooklyn
Bay Ridge - 1,5k/month you can get a decent studio or a 1bed if lucky, however 30-40min from Manhattan and you probably going to work in Metrotech area, so its like 25-35min from there
Dumbo - if you share the apartment, but has the best location in Brooklyn. 10 min from Manhattan and perfect view

I work in Higher Ed and live in Brooklyn, and I live an excellent quality of life, highly recommended (fwiw, 75k is about about 150% of average household income for New York). Sounds like you don't want to say what school it is, but if this is Brooklyn College, then I think you should just live in that area, which is actually pretty nice and affordable (although I expect hyper-gentrification to take off any second now).


Sell your car ldo.

Cobra,

What's your budget and are you willing to live with roommates?

Bay Ridge is cheaper than stated. I know an owner and the superintend of a large apt. building near 86th st. where studios go for less than a grand and very nice, renovated 1 bdrms go for $~1200-1300. It's a really nice neighborhood, but pretty far from the city.

You could look around Prospect Park, should be still doable with that income.
As stated, roommates would pretty much allow you to live close to anywhere.

Thanks for responses! Will definitely do a little more research on the mentioned suggestions. And yep, Brooklyn College, wasn't meaning to be coy about that. I don't mind a little commute, but definitely not looking for a long haul just to save a few dollars.

As for my specific budget, its a little tough to know exactly until I can figure out more specifics on my student loans, but based on my lifestyle, and from my rough math, it seems like $1500 or less would be optimal for monthly rent. (But closer to $1200 would probably help me actually save a few bucks each month)

Really not looking to go the roommate path. Nothing against it, I just have moved past that part of my living lifestyle.

Can you give me more info about this building?

Bay Ridge is nice but to me feels like living in a suburb of NYC vs. being in the midst of the experience. I've never lived but once dated a girl around 86th, took forever to get there on the weekend.

If you can tolerate living in a non-fashionable neighborhood without a lot of nightlife, then I would definitely look for a place within walking distance of campus. Central Brooklyn is a pretty pleasant working class area with good housing for that amount. For 1200 I would look East of campus in Flatbush around the 2/5 trains. This is a fairly high-density, largely Caribbean, family area - kind of a classic Brooklyn neighborhood. For a little it more money, you could look at the area to the west of campus in Ditmas Park/Midwood around the B/Q trains. This may be a bit better for a young person coming out of school, as it is rapidly gentrifying and a lot of young professionals priced out of Park Slope-type areas are moving in. Both have good transit options to "Brownstone" Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan.

Bay Ridge is nice but would be an absolute PITA commute to campus, I wouldn't bother.

third that on bay ridge.. have a cousin and aunt that moved there from the LES,. I think other family has visited once in the past year.

it is nice though.

Has anyone had a good experience with a company that arranges short term rentals in Manhattan? We're planning on renting a furnished apartment for the month of August. We did the same thing a couple of years ago just using Craigslist but I'm expecting it to be a bit more challenging this time (we're taking our dog and our car this time, so that will make it harder to find a place). We could do the same thing again, but if anyone can recommend one of the companies where you just send them a list of requirements and a budget for them to coordinate everything that would be helpful.

I don't, though a site like Airbnb could potentially have what you're seeking.

Hello,

I'm coming back for other advices, in case you have any:
'
What are your recommendations for the 'night scene' ?
(maybe a mix of well known clubs -- if it's possible to enter without paying $100+-- or bars/pubs with good ambiance &/or cool particularities? )

- I'm planning to get shoes / clothes in NYC, apparently they are cheaper overthere (and because of the difference € / $, eventhough it's not that good at the moment...). What do you think?

Again, feel free to mention anything you consider worth seeing/checking in NYC (not necessarily food, bars, clothes...)

Just a reminder, I'm 25 yrs old, french & never been to the US (and my trip will be from 13th may to 21st)
Might end up solo often, depending on my airbnb host / place (Apparently, I'll share the place with other people).
I'll be around little italy / Nolita, on Grand Street

'

thanks in advance

Anyone been to Batard? Thoughts?

I went last week. I thought the food was very good, but slightly over-hyped. You basically choose the number of menu items you want and the pricing is 2 for x, 3 for x+10, etc. Two great dishes were the fluke and the octopus pastrami (with the latter simply amazing and utterly creative).

The wine list was superb. Had a couple different 2008 Burgundies that were peaking - sommelier was knowledgable and helpful.

Thank you. Planning a June date night with the wife, and that's tops on our list.