Well my friend i think you have a right to be nervous,i travel all over the usa on a daily basis and i here to tell you,to me its a great place to work and visit but not to live,it is very very costly there .but again you may not mind that on your income,it is a big jump on living scale from where you are now,so what ever you do go luck on it.you may want to check out forbes.com its very helpful for diff areas of the usa on pay scales and the living. when you go there click on forbeslife then click on real estate and i think that it will be very helpful to you. good luck
if you are more of a 'suburban' type and would consider staying within the city limits, then i would look at 2 neighborhoods:
Riverdale, The Bronx: in my opinion the nicest suburban-like neighborhood in the city. a little isolated, but a quick ride on Metro North commuter rail into Grand Central, which you can access at around 48th Street and Park Avenue, very close to 51st and Lexington. it also feels about 5-10 degrees cooler on a hot summer's day, because Riverdale sits on a bluff over the east bank of the Hudson River.
Forest Hills, Queens: especially the Forest Hills Gardens part, which looks like a very quiet English village (it was planned that way) in the middle of Queens. it only gets a little noisy if you are right next to the Long Island Rail Road tracks! easy access via LIRR into Penn Station, but, better yet, a direct ride on the E express subway train to 53rd and Lexington.
btw, there is *no* comparison between DC Metro and NYC Subway. NYers either love it and/or hate it, because things always go wrong, but we couldn't get along without it. different train lines run on the same tracks in NYC, dissimilar to DC. after you get used to NYC, you'll find DC bland; NYC Subways have character.
also, there isn't any reason you couldn't take the bus/subway from LGA to 51st/Lex: just get on the M60 bus into Manhattan, and when the bus gets to and runs on 125th Street, transfer to the downtown local #6 train at Lexington Avenue.
good luck!
Living without a car is something you get used to, although admittedly it is easier if you are the sort of person who sought out opportunities to walk, bike, take light rail, etc. wherever you lived previously. The NYCT subway has a lot in common with the Metro; it has more lines and runs through many more parts of town than the Metro; stations are older, and therefore more cramped and more beaten up than in DC; usually stairs, not escalators; it runs 24 hours, which can be wonderfully convenient, but also contributes to the NY system being dirty. Unclear why you don't like brownstones -- if you can tolerate being near them without living in one, you might like the Fort Greene or Park Slope areas of Brooklyn (both with park access for your and the dog's benefit). Many people choose an area to live in based on length or directness of commute, but you didn't say where you are working in Manhattan, so it's difficult to give you specific neighborhood advice.
BTW, no one can take the subway direct from LGA to Manhattan, as the subway doesn't run anywhere near the airport! :) You can take a bus to the train, and if you don't have huge amounts of luggage, it saves lots of money and time. Directions for that route are at http://www.nysubway.com/airport/laguardia.html.
Good luck with the interview. NY is a great city, and I highly recommend moving into the city itself (Manhattan) for a year or so before settling in the suburbs. Most people don't have cars but you get used to it. The subway is fantastic and so easy to use. (I don't think you can take it from the airport though - i know they were building something, but cab is still best for the occassional airport trip.)
As for neighborhoods, for $2K a month you can get a decent studio apartment in most areas - Upper East Side, Murry Hill, Gramercy, etc. Upper West side and The Village might be out of your price range... but if you want quiet, you can get a place further east - like first or york avenue. I lived on 88th between york and east end for 6 years and loved it. A bit of a walk to the subway but the bus ran cross town all the time. And i was a few steps from Gracie Mansion, Charles Schurz park, and the east river - making it quieter and giving me more neighborhood type things to do.
I think that if given the chance, everyone should live in New York City for at least a year. It is such an experience and one that you will never forget!
I came from Florida and understand the apprehension but I said I would stay one year and it's been 7. I think I would die if I left. It amazes me everyday.
You can easily get an apartment for what you want to spend in Park Slope Brooklyn. The subway to your job would be about 30 minutes on two trains (the F & V). The transfer is on the same platform, no stairs. It will also give you access to the city in about 10-15 minutes. This is the most beautiful brownstone neighborhoods in the city. You'd live near a beautiful park that is one of the largest in the city. In the summer there are concerts. There is a running track, bike path, canoes on the lake and it is well kept. The nearby library was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is an architectural landmark as well as the main branch. The Botanical Gardens are also nearby. Heck, you can even take a short bus trip to the Target from there.
I've lived in the city all my life and it's much better than living in the suburbs. Manhattan is convenient, but it is also expensive and noisy 24 hours a day. The Bronx is a bit of a trek and the subways only serve a small portion of it. Same in Queens. Staten Island is a long commute by Express Bus and traffic can sometimes be a problem. I recommend Brooklyn as being near the action but not in the action. Lots of trains (there's 2 ways to Park Slope too). As far as the comparison between the DC Metro and the NY Subway, I've rode on both. They're both underground and theres not much else they have in common. The subway here is over 100 years old, the trains are fast and big. There are numerous lines, but it doesn't take long to learn. There is usually more than one way to get somewhere and if you take a little time, it's a cheap and fun way to learn your way around the city. I've been to all Five Boroughs via mass transit and it's not hard if you know your way around. Relatively inexpensive too.
New York is a lot of fun to live in. I know I wouldn't live anywhere else. It just grows on you.
Below is a link to a map of the subway system. If you get a chance, take the F to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. That's Park Slope. And it is next to one of the biggest and most beautiful parks in the country.
http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/neighborhoods/parkslope.htm
Whatever you choose, Good luck.
You might to try looking for a room mate situation somewhere in jersey. Just saw that you can go up to 2thousand, you can definitely find something with an easy commute maybe a parking spot. Check out a Jersey City complex called Newport City. Much as I love NYC I hate to admit that the DC subway is much nicer than ours.
I cant wait to go from NYC to San Diego!!
The DC system is cleaner then NYC, NYC system is old and is running 24/7 you get just about anyplace in NYC via subway..Taking the train from La Guradia is not that bad but you can take a cab will cost about 45 dollars plus tolls.....The commute to NYC is just like the 5 freeway the 5 may run smoother due to the traffic lights to enter and exit we dont have them here but not much different but the drivers in NYC Metro area are RUDER!!! You will find something in Queens and Brooklyn for 2k...IN Brooklyn you may want to look at Park Slope nice area also Prospect Highets or Willamsburg DownTown Boreum Hill Clinton and Cobble Hill in Queens Astoria is NYC best kept secert from what friends of mine have told me.....NYC is the melting pot all kinds of people all nationallities every kind of food you can imagine from hot dogs to polish, greek, west indian, german, itilian, japanese, and the list goes on...There are museums broadway shows off broadway shows central park prospect park bronx zoo yankee and shea stadium bars clubs everything and more.....The cost of living is expensive but there are advantegs you can get to most places by subway or walking..... and You also have QUIET TIME IN YOUR APT!! NYC IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT...GOOD LUCK DONT BE NERVOUS ITS A SAFE CITY!!! JUST DONT ACT STUPID BE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU AT ALL TIMES
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