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[drpud]

I have not yet received an offer so please bear with me. This is a hypothetical question based on two separate on-campus interviews this month, both of which are at universities (coincidentally) in or near NYC.

Is this a horrible time to attempt to relocate to a very, very expensive HCL area in the US? We are currently living in another expensive city but not nearly as expensive as NYC. I don't have a car or any furniture to speak of, but I do have a young child. So hu would have to attend daycare. I am asking about whether it is worth it to take one of these positions (if offered) because my partner has a TT job elsewhere and thus I don't need to take a job that wouldn't help me at all financially but rather increase our debt due to the HCL and Asst prof salary.

I would, however, like to be employed sooner rather than later and NYC seems like an ideal location from which my partner would be able to find a position within commuting distance. But we're concerned about the expense of living in a major city with a child and paying rent, etc. Friends from expensive cities with kids have tended to relocate to areas with lower CL and a more laid-back vibe, but we don't have that luxury.

Is there anything about NYC I'm not considering that might help? TIA.

[systeme_d_]

On pages 2 and 3 of this recent thread, Pry gave some terrific advice about relatively affordable places to live in NYC.  (I second her Riverdale recommendation.)

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,66192.15.html

I lived there myself many years ago, but it was too long ago for me to have any really insightful advice for you.

[drpud]

Thanks, I should have read through the CUNY GC thread first but didn't think it applied my situation; I assumed it was someone asking about the GC in general, which would be a pretty plumb gig, one would think. Just very nervous about the prospect of possibly moving to NYC, even though I like the idea as a fantasy. I am an urban person myself, but with a small child such a life seems much more difficult to pull off.

[prytania3]

I have not yet received an offer so please bear with me. This is a hypothetical question based on two separate on-campus interviews this month, both of which are at universities (coincidentally) in or near NYC.

Is this a horrible time to attempt to relocate to a very, very expensive HCL area in the US? We are currently living in another expensive city but not nearly as expensive as NYC. I don't have a car or any furniture to speak of, but I do have a young child. So hu would have to attend daycare. I am asking about whether it is worth it to take one of these positions (if offered) because my partner has a TT job elsewhere and thus I don't need to take a job that wouldn't help me at all financially but rather increase our debt due to the HCL and Asst prof salary.

I would, however, like to be employed sooner rather than later and NYC seems like an ideal location from which my partner would be able to find a position within commuting distance. But we're concerned about the expense of living in a major city with a child and paying rent, etc. Friends from expensive cities with kids have tended to relocate to areas with lower CL and a more laid-back vibe, but we don't have that luxury.

Is there anything about NYC I'm not considering that might help? TIA.

Or move to Astoria, Queens, very affordable, and I'll hook you up with a wonderful childcare provider. She has somehow become the childcare provider of academics.

[janedoh]

My siblings live in Brooklyn and commute via subway. One is a NYC public school teacher. My teacher sibling probably makes less than you will on the TT, but manages to have a nice life. Although daycare can be very expensive there, it is also easy to find all sorts of alternative arrangements (nanny-share, coops, in home providers, etc) at a range of prices.

Good luck! NYC is a great place to live.

[dragonbait1]

Riverdale, Queens, parts of Brooklyn, parts of Staten Island... all doable on an asst prof salary.  Waiting for the NYer to chime in, esp on the childcare issue.  Lots of people do it.   Might be more difficult, though, if you're maintaining two households - your partner can't come with your right away, yes?   

[drpud]

Might be more difficult, though, if you're maintaining two households - your partner can't come with your right away, yes?

Pretty much. Either my partner or I would have our child in one of two different expensive urban locations when I started said hypothetical TT job in NYC. Unless hu or I was able to swing a spousal! ha ha. I'm only joking.

I've heard good things about the Bronx, though, and Riverdale so I will plan to start there if I do get an offer.

In any other situation I would spend less time thinking and researching unless an actual offer was on the table, but without having lived in NYC, I think 10 days or so, while considering the offer, is not long enough to figure out the hard cold logistics of such a major move. And I've/we've made several major moves that we do now regret. In each case we had to figure everything out--all pros and cons--while deciding on my partner's offer in 7-10 days, and the pressure was on! You tend to have rose colored glasses on once you have an offer as well . . .

[macaroon]

I lived in NYC on a grad student stipend for 2 years, and then when my husband joined me, he got an entry level job that was only 30% more than my pay.

The hardest thing is learning that all those expensive and amazing things the city has to offer are only for you once or twice a year.  You'll have the desire, but neither the money nor time,to go to the Village Vanguard on Tuesday, then to dinner at Esca on Wednesday, to the opera on Thursday, catch some theater on Friday, and then to a pub-crawl on Saturday. 

[systeme_d_]

That was definitely my experience as well, Macaroon.  You put it perfectly.

[verbena]

True, but on the other hand:

You can pay a nickel and spend hours in the Met Museum.

You can get standing room tickets to the Met Opera for $15 and find a seat during the intermission (if not before) for the rest of the performance.

You can walk along the promenade in Brooklyn Heights for free, or bike up the Hudson River along the west side, or rollerblade in Brighton Beach along the boardwalk.

And there's really nothing better than Central Park -- except maybe Prospect Park?

And you don't need to spend any money on a car if you live in NYC, either.

[macaroon]

Oh, for sure, Verbena.  After a short, hedonistic period, I learned how to enjoy cheap / free NY too.  Many of the universities and companies in NY come with "free" admission to the major museums.  I figured out how to get student rush tickets at Carnegie Hall, too.

But all those things that cost so much money?  They are soooooo worth it. 

DrPud - I went to grad school in NYC with enormous reservations.  I cried for half the drive there.  Now, though, I'd move back in a heartbeat.

[thenewyorker]

CUNY has some sort of compensation for childcare. I don't know more than this because I am just now dealing with the issue. I have an appointment with HR this coming Monday to discuss it. So it is something to ask about.
And since I know how it is to grocery shop in the city and grocery shop with a baby, I have a website for you:
freshdirect.com
'nuff said. It has saved my life.
tny

[verysneaky]

I'm currently a grad student in NYC. What's more, due to a series of horrible complexities, my student loans from undergrad were not eligible for forbearance, so I'm living in the city on about $1500 a month. I've been frankly shocked at just how doable it is--and I'm speaking as a somewhat older grad student who had a professional salary for five years and is not particularly frugal. For me, what has made all the difference in the world is the community of people: my cohort is close, and we are all broke, so we eat a lot together and socialize in each other's homes. I'm not sure what the practical takeaway is on this point, other than that it may be more possible than you think.

[verysneaky]

I will also note that a) deeply discounted theatre tickets are often available through universities and b) in my experience a $15 performance in NYC is better than a $60 performance in, say, Denver. So you may be able to benefit some from the cultural scene even on a tight budget.

[thenewyorker]

And all of the museums have free nights. Just check the websites.
If you are employed by CUNY, the Whitney and MoMA offer free entrance to faculty and students.