<p>Your son may be able to negotiate one month free if he can’t negotiate the rent down. It’s all worth a try. (My S was able to do that as a new tenant. He also negotiated his rent down $100 when it came time to renew.) If he can pay half a year in advance, that might give him bargaining room too.</p>
<p>I would look into doorman buildings. It’s more convenient for deliveries. As a busy professional he probably will have a lot of thing delivered when he is working.</p>
<p>The Best Neighborhoods in New York City: Where to Live</p>
<p>People may disagree on some of the choices, but in my opinion this article makes many good points:
[The</a> Neighborhood Issue 2010 - A Quantitative Index of the 50 Most Satisfying Places to Live in New York – New York Magazine](<a href=“http://nymag.com/realestate/neighborhoods/2010/65374/]The”>New York Neighborhoods Ranked - Best Places to Live in NYC - Nate Silver -- New York Magazine - Nymag)</p>
<p>I second the doorman building. If he can find one he can afford, it really makes life much simpler. It’s a huge pain not having a doorman. You always have to be home for deliveries, pick-ups, etc. You wouldn’t believe how much New Yorkers rely on delivery services for just about everything. (Your S will probably have his shirts delivered for example.)</p>
<p>The comments to that New York Magazine article are (I think) more interesting than the article itself.</p>
<p>The whole of the east side between 14th and 33rd st (south of murray hill and north of the east village) can be a fruitful place to look because its a sort of the off the radar neighborhood-- i’m not even sure it has a name–and slightly less expensive than the rest of manhattan, aside from a pricey enclave named gramercy park. perfectly fine with a mix of buildings (doormen, walk ups, brownstones), safe, enough bars and restaurants for a twenty-something, and easy trasportation
, though you may have a bit of a walk to the subway. this areas includes peter cooper and stuyvesant town (both huge complexes originally built for returning WWII serviceman) where a lot of young people will now live and where they may actually be some bargains because the owners recently lost a big court case about raising their rents. </p>
<p>east village and LES are very hip, of course, but not at all cheap at all anymore, plus a lot of the housing in both nabes hasn’t yet been renovated and there are few doormen buildings. but the vibe is cool. always a trade off in NYC. </p>
<p>hells kitchen, west 40s and 50s, might also be good to check out. the 40s are still slightly dismal on the cross streets, and can get a lot of spillover from times sq. tourists. should add however that therer are several new doorman rental buildings on or near 8th ave and living high up in one might not be a bad choice. </p>
<p>i like the w 50s better myself (w of times sq and north oto 59th st). quieter, better mix of buildings. all along 9th ave ieverywhere theres a plethora of cheap eats and of course youre a stones throw from the entertainment center of the city. near it but not in it. </p>
<p>good luck</p>