arttravel

One can air bnb for over 30 days or live with someone.

Manhattan less than $2k will be hard unless going into Harlem or further uptown on the West Side which would a pain to commute,
I would look at East Harlem or Queens if in Midtown East,

Re: sublease in a coop -- usually more application fees and takes time, and just more of a hassle. Many coops have limits on the time the unit can be subleased, such as one year.

Many of the larger 'luxury' landlords have their own website and they are often no fee (Related, Glenwood) but there is next to nothing in the inventory for $2,000.

I never met a good rental real estate broker in Manhattan -- it may be different in the higher price levels, but when I looked it was the under $2,700 level and that was several years ago. You will learn a lot of euphemisms -- cozy means closet size, character can often mean run down.... Think of what is non negotiable -- would you consider a 5th floor walkup or do you want an elevator?
Google the landlord before signing the lease on a smaller building --- there are some that are barely above slumlord.

Vacancy rate is low, Good luck.

awayIgo

The vast majority of Airbnb, VRBO etc. ( source is irrelevant) apartments in Manhattan are illegal. If you are lucky, you will find an illegal apartment, if you are unlucky you will be hit with the dozens of scams the are out there. There is corporate housing if you want, but that is expensive.

I also think 2K is very low for Manhattan and you will need to think Queens, Brooklyn or parts of New Jersey.

ijgordon

I haven't looked, but I wouldn't be surprised if Midtown East (like 40s/50s east of 3rd Ave) wasn't crazy expensive, as it's kind of a dull neighborhood.
Astoria's not a bad place to start looking, but there and LIC are going to go +++ over time with Amazon moving in.
East Harlem is probably the other more reasonably-priced option.

turnleftbrighteyes

You should totally be able to find a studio or 1-bedroom for around $2,000-2,300 in Yorkville or Spanish Harlem, or generally east of 3rd Avenue above the mid-80s. (That's the current price in my building, at any rate. I have a decently-sized 1 bedroom.) It would be an easy commute to midtown east. At that price range, you're looking at a walk-up, certainly without a doorman or other amenities. If you walk around my neighborhood I see plenty of signs on buildings advertising vacancies right now.

If you must have an elevator, doormen, laundry in building, and the like, then you're mostly looking at the bigger buildings, many of which have incentives like one month free and no broker's fees, which maybe work out if you're just staying year, but you're generally starting at $3,500+ for 1- bedrooms.

Good luck! NYC real estate is a special level of hell, and reminds me that I never, ever want to move again.

And, editing to add: I've lived off the G. I've lived off the L. Both were commutes to midtown east, several years ago when service was if anything rather more reliable than it is now. NEVER AGAIN. And certainly not now, Lpocalypse or not. And most of cool Brooklyn is way more expensive than the staid world of the (non-fancy) UES.

Analise

You've got that right!!!

I wasn't sure if someone would start a thread but the gov's last-minute involvement now saying that the L will remain open is making those who got 1-2 months FREE rent from landlords in Williamsburg the LUCKIEST renters in the city! Those deals stopped after the gov's press conference on January 3. Will the MTA board approve the gov's new plan? The gov called for an emergency last-minute meeting for the MTA board. They haven't rushed. Who know what will happen in April….

krazykanuck

I didn't realize this got banished from OMNI. No wonder I hadn't seen it pop up.

You nailed it actually. I wound up putting in an application for a nice sized 1BR in the upper 80s near 1st at the top end of your price range. It's a good size on the ground floor and has a private patio/backyard area and seems to be relatively recently renovated/spruced up. I'm pretty happy with the find and it's an easy commute to my new office.

turnleftbrighteyes

Well hello neighbor! While not the most thrilling part of town, it's a pleasant and convenient place to live.

And to save you some trouble: your best pizza option is Delizia on 92nd & 2nd, and the take-out versions of the biryanis at Drunken Munkey can feed you for a week (the delivery portions are ridiculously huge; if you eat in, it's just a regular amount of food but the cocktails are quite nice.)

cestmoi123

This is well-intentioned, but incorrect. The correct answer is Italian Village at 78th and 1st.

krazykanuck

Well clearly I'll have to get around to both!

nerd

If you're in the upper 80's, then, no, the best pizza option is not on 78th Street.

cestmoi123

Depends on how far up. From 86th and 1st, it's basically the same distance to 92nd and 2nd and 78th and 1st. Even from 89th, the difference is only 5 minutes on foot. And this assumes, of course, that you're not just ordering. ;p

hoffmich45

You can't go wrong with either one. And they both have an "A" health rating