Hints on Accommodation and Cost of Living in New York

By Laura Tang, Intern 2006-07

Accommodation

Finding temporary accommodation in New York is not difficult. However, as with anywhere, location determines the rent you pay. A godsend website is Craigslist (http://newyork.craigslist.org) which provides listings for both furnished and unfurnished rooms, short-term and long-term. I moved twice during my internship, although it was within the same neighbourhood, Williamsburg, in Brooklyn. The commute was easy enough, as I lived at Bedford Avenue station, which is one stop away from Manhattan. At both places I lived at I paid US$850. One could find cheaper places in Queens (for instances, Astoria and Woodside) or further inland Brooklyn. I am less familiar with the rent in Manhattan, but it is not unusual to pay up to USD $1000 or more for a flat share in Manhattan.

Transport

The subway system is extensive and operates 24 hours. It is also the easiest way to get around in New York. The fare for a single ride on the subway or bus is US $2. A metro-card is most cost effective. If you need to commute everyday, it is best to get an unlimited seven day metro card, which costs US $24, or an unlimited thirty day metro card, which costs $US 76. With the monthly card, it is best to pay using a credit card or an Eftpos card, as opposed to cash, because in the event you lose your card, you can report the card, and have the remainder of the credit refunded.

While there are public buses, they are only useful if you wish to travel cross-town, as opposed to travelling up and down the length of Manhattan.

Location of HRF

Human Rights First is located on 333 7th Avenue (between 28th and 28th Streets), Manhattan. [Quick note: "Avenues" run north to south and "Streets" run cross-town, east to west]. HRF is two minutes from Penn Station, Madison Square Gardens. 

Food

Buying grocery from Chinatown is the cheapest and, perhaps, freshest. For daily bread and milk, I go to my local deli/grocers. You will find corner shops dotted everywhere and open till the early hours in the morning.

For organic food shopping, I recommend Earth Matters, an organic food store cum café, with free wireless internet, on Ludlow Street (see photo below) in the Lower East Side, and Commodities Natural Market, on the corner of 1st Av and 10th Street in East Village. There is also a franchise called Whole Foods, which is impossible to miss, but some may regard as pricey.

New York is a culinary paradise because of the diverse cuisines. Different cuisines occupy various pockets of New York. For instance, one can find "Little Brazil" in Midtown, "Korean Town" (or K-Town) on 32nd Street, between Broadway and 5th Avenue, "Chinatown" extending from Canal Street and beyond, "Little Italy" next to Chinatown, a string of Japanese restaurants on 2nd Avenue and concentrated around St Marks Place, and authentic Indian food in Jackson Heights, in Queens.
If you like your cafes, you can find great cafes in the Lower East Side, especially around Rivington Street, and in West Village, along Greenwich Avenue and Bleecker Street.

Phone

Before departing Australia, ensure your mobile will work in the U.S; your phone will need to be a tri-bank phone. I believe most new and modern phones will work in the U.S., but do check. Buying a local SIM card will be cheaper than going roaming. I went with Cingular Wireless (www.cingular.com) because they are everywhere. However, I would recommend Verizon Wireless as well. 

Volunteer

If you have time on your hands, and would like to engage with some community work whilst in New York, I would recommend Bowery Mission (www.bowery.org/). Since I worked 9-5 hours at HRF, I helped out only in the evenings. 

Museums/Galleries

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has Target Free Fridays, where admission is free for visitors every Friday from 4pm onwards. The Guggenheim Museum has pay-what-you-wish on Fridays from 6pm to 8pm. The Brooklyn Museum of Art is free every first Saturday of the month.

Talks around Town

Without doubt you will be receiving countless emails in your HRF account with schedules of talks and lectures around town. New York University School of Law's Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice have interesting talks. For upcoming events, check: http://www.nyuhr.org/events/index.html. Likewise, Columbia University's Centre for the Study of Human Rights offer talks open to the public (http://www.humanrights.columbia.edu/events.html)