Commutes of 1 to 2 hours each way and little family time were not going to happen for me. That is a poor quality of life for me.
@emilybee, your nieces ended up in a couple of exciting places to live. 
@emilybee What if I told you that you could get something affordable in NYC? @-)
@CT1417, I lived in the city between '78-'85. My parents made me live in a doorman building. I wanted to live on UWS in a walk-up but that was a no go with them and they were paying, so. I lived on 44th and 2nd. It was dead on at night and on the weekends.
There are many neighborhoods that are not trendy, but they are affordable. My parents live in Queens in Bayside and it’s a quiet, residential area, but close to shopping on Northern Blvd and Flushing. Even with a bus-train connection, midtown is only an hour away. Other areas in Queens like Jackson Heights, Ozone Park, Jamaica, Ridgewood are still affordable. And there are very nice parts of the Bronx that hasn’t been discovered yet.
“In NYC” can also mean a 1+ hour commute! I live closer to midtown here in westchester than the apt you posted in Brooklyn!
My commute is 45 minutes. It is worth it. Even upper east was 25 minutes!
Sorry, meant to say 100k in renovations. (#38) and yes it is a one bedroom. But it has a large private outdoor space. She was considering two places about the same price. One was two bedroom and the other had a large outdoor space. When asked my opinion, I asked her what was more important. Outdoor space was the answer.
Either way, you can get a decent place for under $1.5M. Jersey and the other boroughs are cheaper. Parts of Brooklyn are very trendy and have become quite expensive. Obviously, the further you get from Manhatten the lower the prices get.
@CaliCash – the problem I would have with a 45 minute (or longer) subway commute is the uncertainty and crowding, compared to say the commuter railroad. When I lived in Manhattan, I was always able to walk to work (OK—two miles, but still walkable) or take the subway or a taxi home at night. I loved the convenience of living and working in Manhattan.
Having said that, I wasn’t ready to leave Manhattan when I did either.
@CT1417 @HRSMom Oh yes. The commute in the city is definitely annoying! I live outside the 5 boroughs as well, but I cannot say I’ve ever taken the train in. We’re about 40 minutes out.
One other thing, if an apartment is not near a subway line, it will be much cheaper. As you get out into Brooklyn and queens, there are many neighborhoods where you would be a mile from a train. And you can’t really drive bc there is nowhere to park…so it is cheaper, but it could take a 15 minute bus(es) ride to the subway.
Metro North is very consistent and reliable. About 3 times a year things go haywire (electric cables cut, suicide by train, etc) and it can add an hour. But that is rare.
@CaliCash, I know there are “affordable” places in the city but couples have other things to think of which cost a fortune if you live in NYC. Child care and schools for instance. That is why so many move out of the city after they have kids.
@HRSMom, if I am really a mile from a train, can’t I walk?
I guess not in the winter.
@emilybee Well like all things in NYC, there are expensive options and there are cheap options. Like @NoVADad99 said, there are many low cost options that are not in Manhattan. The cheaper areas in the cities are the residential areas. Most would rather have all of the perks of living in the trendiest parts of the city without paying the trendy price. It doesn’t really work that way.
@dstark A MetroCard will let you transfer from the bus to the train without paying twice.
I hate buses. I would rather walk.
Buses are a deal breaker.
@CaliCash, I thought you were from California.
That’s true but most of the young marrieds with kids that I know would rather live in Ct. and commute in -especially for the schools.
@dstark – you absolutely can walk the mile before starting the transit commute, but think of that walk when it is pouring or the sidewalks have not been shoveled. Snow seems to melt and turn to gray mush in minutes in NYC, but I would not be happy about a 15 minute walk before entering the subway soaking wet.
When the CPW subway line broke down late summer '89, I started walking down to Columbus Circle b/c the walk WAY over to the Broadway line was so long, and the trains so crowded with all the CPW commuters forced onto the Broadway line, that I found it easier to walk 25 blocks down to Columbus Circle. That was a bit over a mile and it was impossible to not be a sweaty mess in August.
There were 17 snowstorms during the winter of 93-94. (Yes, I still remember.) I lived on UWS and worked in midtown. I could get to work via subway w/o having to cross a street. This was significant b/c of the massive (a yard in each direction) slush puddles one had to hurdle in order to get on or off the sidewalks.
@HRSMom – Agree that the Metro North is very reliable…it sometimes arrives a minute or two early, catching me entirely off guard.
@dstark I’ve got some family connects there, which is why I love California, but no, I unfortunately don’t live there.
Would definitely live in San Francisco after college. I mean, what’s not to love about San Fran? It has everything, so I get the price. My college also has a satellite school there, so if I could live there as part of my education that would be great. I definitely would not be able to afford post grad on a journalists salary even though there’s so much to cover there.
@emilybee – I arrived nearly ten years after you did, so the UWS was a bit less rough. Parents weren’t paying and I am not sure if they ever saw the apt. I never felt unsafe walking home to my apt. All ‘criminal’ activity happened when I least expected it, all during daytime hours, and not near my apt. Once I later lived in a doorman building, I grew to appreciate the convenience.
It is incredible how much safer and more of a playground NYC feels like now.
@dstark – you can make better time on foot than a bus can traveling down 5th Avenue. I would occasionally take an uptown crosstown bus from UWS to UES because it traversed the park quickly but I cannot imagine taking a bus up or down an avenue.
I forgot why I never moved to NYC but now my memory is refreshed. 
And getting way off topic here, but I miss subway tokens. I have wasted more money on Metro Cards that expire with mystery dollar amounts still on them.