Thursday, April 14, 2005

Maybe, Maybe Not

I haven't quite decided, but I'm beginning to think that I should look for an apartment outside of Manhattan. I'm thinking about Astoria.

After thinking about it objectively, the main reason I chose to live in Chelsea to begin with was its proximity to the bars I like, a few of my close friends, Penn Station and my office.

But in truth, I rarely ever see those friends and when I do, we just meet for dinner or drinks, often in a different part of town. As for the rest of it . . . well, there are bars in Queens and getting to the Manhattan bars won't be too troublesome. Penn Station is still close to work, so that won't be too bad. As for being close enough to the office to walk, that won't be possible any more, but so what?

I suppose the deciding factor will be saving close to $400 a month in rent.

So if any of you Astorians hear about apartments near you, please let me know.

7 comments:

Jess said...

There are other areas to consider. I know from visiting some gentlemen you know that Forest Hills is lovely and also is a short ride to Manhattan. I'm sure there are plenty of other areas, as well. So don't just look in Astoria!

Gil said...

I confess that I am not a fan of Astoria or Queens in general. I lived in Queens for a year and it was an extraordinarily depressing place. Perhaps you could move to Baltimore and commute every morning to Penn Station from here. We can talk jwer into renting you his house's basement apartment, a short walk from the train station. :)

Anonymous said...

Ah, I LOVE Astoria. You and Matt could be neighbors. :)

Just a guy said...

Queens... ah... was there tonight... three words come to mind... "yummy latin men"... enuf said!

http://ruggerjohnnyd.blogs.com

Unknown said...

I lived in Astoria for almost 2 years on teh last stop (Ditmars) and I liked the area. It was nice and quiet (which for me is always a plus) and the rent was great. I think my commute from there to 49th Street was about 20 minutes at most.

Anonymous said...

I have lived in Astoria for over 8 years. The best parts to live are btw 43rd street and Crescent from approx 34th Ave to above Ditmars. The most ideal area for convenience to shopping, cafes, restaurants, gyms is 30th Ave btw Steinway and 31 st street. ON the N&W it would be the 36 Ave to Ditmars stop or the Steinway St stop on the R&G

Other parts of Queens that are attractive -- Forest Hills near Austin Street area. Jackson Heights a few blocks north of Queens Blvd btw 74th and 82 nd streets has some great pre-war apartments and you will see abit of yummy Latino and some South Asian men. Sunnyside which is the 33rd to 51st streets stop on the 7 has some nice areas. The best areas are around 46th Street and Skillman Ave.

Latly, the area around the Hunts Point and Vernon Jackson stops on the 7 has some cool restaurants and cafes w/ a small park w/ fantastic views of mid-town Manhattan.

Overall, Astoria offers the most convenience, Forest Hills provides the most suburban like setting, and Jackson Heights the most ethnic, Long Island City for a hipster feel (think nascent Williamsburg) -- but in all cases location can impact your living experience greatly!

Anonymous said...

don't move to astoria :-( forest hills is much nicer and it's only 1 stop on the lirr to penn station. anyway, i say stay in manhattan.