| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Beginner Issues > Topic: Women's Housing in NYC |
Topic: Women's Housing in NYC
| Author | Message |
| Jen480 | Posted – 12/6/2007 10:13:07 PM | show profile I'm planning to move to NYC in the spring and have applied for housing at the Brandon Residence, The Webster, and a couple other women's housing communities in Manhattan. I wanted to see if anyone on the board has lived/does live at one of these places, and what they think of it. |
| minette mechante | Posted – 12/7/2007 1:52:45 AM | show profile | email poster I lived at the Webster for quite a while. Is there anything specific you'd like to know, or are you just looking for general impressions? |
| Jen480 | Posted – 12/9/2007 5:57:58 PM | show profile Thanks for writing back. Were you an intern or were you working when you lived at the Webster? Also, how long did you live there? Did it remind you of dorm living? Do you know if they accept applicants who don't already have a job/internship, but can prove that she's able to pay the rent? Did you know anyone in NYC when you moved there? I guess that's probably the main reason I hope to live there, since I only know a couple people in NYC, and was hoping that there'd be other women in the same position as me at the Webster who are looking for roommates. Thanks again for your help! |
| minette mechante | Posted – 12/10/2007 2:16:41 AM | show profile | email poster I was temping (and job hunting) when I first started living there, landing a job about six weeks after I moved in. It is very much like a dorm--small rooms, twin beds, bathroom down the hall, dining room with mostly lousy food downstairs. The amenities were lacking in some regards, but the Webster allowed me to move to NYC with only a couple of suitcases and pay rent from week-to-week, no bills, food mostly included. Many of the residents seemed to develop friendships with each other. There was certainly never a shortage of people to chat with. I have no idea about the flexibility of their admissions policies, but I didn't have a job when I moved in, and I never had any problem. (I was, however, temping regularly enough that I could provide the required pay stubs when they asked for proof of employment four weeks after I moved in.) Still, I moved out nearly two years ago, so things may have changed since then. |
| Jen480 | Posted – 12/11/2007 7:48:46 PM | show profile Thanks for the info, I appreciate it! |
| WT72 | Posted – 12/13/2007 7:08:43 PM | show profile | email poster Do NOT live at The Webster I interned in the city last summer and decided to live at The Webster on the recommendation of a childhood friend who was, at the time, currently living there while she was interning. I took her word for it when she said that it was very similar to living in a dorm, but when I arrived with all my belongings to move in just a few days before my internship began, I was totally shocked by what I found. I lived in the dorms during college for two years and this was nothing like that. The rooms are super tiny with a little bed that is not much different than I imagine a jail cot to be. They have little, tiny windows that let very little light in, the hallways are dark, the common areas look like something out of the Disney attraction Tower of Terror, every other resident I saw was in their 40s or older, the area is kinda sketchy...in short, if you can avoid living there at all DO IT. I was lucky enough to find other housing at the new FIT dorm just two blocks way for the summer and was able to get my security deposit back from the Webster, but it was a huge hassle that resulted in me having to live in a little hotel room for the first week of my internship and my life in New York. Just don't do it! |
| Jen480 | Posted – 12/13/2007 8:09:28 PM | show profile To live at the Webster, it turns out, you have to fill out an application on-site in NYC, plus prove that you have a job by presenting pay stubs when you get there. Since I'll be moving to the city w/o a job, the Webster really doesn't do me a whole heck of a lot of good. Oh well, I'm on the waiting lists for a few other women's housing places. I still have a few months before I get desperate. |
| minette mechante | Posted – 12/13/2007 8:41:36 PM | show profile WT72, That's interesting...things must have changed a lot since I lived there. It was old-fashioned, sure, but nothing like what you described. Also, most of the residents when I was there were in their early 20s, but that may have been because I moved in during the summer. There were a few older residents who seemed to have lived there for years and years, which I did find curious. |
| katestarrr | Posted – 12/14/2007 12:09:32 PM | show profile i know someone who lived there. i hear the webster doesn't allow tvs, and no internet access. that killed my chances of staying there. |
| bklyn | Posted – 12/14/2007 4:47:59 PM | show profile When I first moved to the city I stayed at the Markle residence on W. 13th Street between 6th & 7th (run by the Salvation Army). There were plenty of young college students living there, some interns and recent grads, and also some older women and retired men. It had its drawbacks, (the food wasn't great and there were a few tv rooms where residents sometimes fought over the remote) but on the whole a great way to move to NYC without tying yourself down with leases, furniture, utilities etc. I made friends I remain in touch with today - and it's an excellent location in Greenwich Village. |
| saharawi | Posted – 12/15/2007 11:13:50 AM | show profile | email poster i found a room on craigslist that is furnished and month to month, with two other roommates. he charges me a flat fee every month, i didn't have to sign a lease, and i only had to bring my suitcases. i've been here for 7 months and it was a great way to get my job started in nyc and learn my way around, meet people, etc. i will be vacating the room between 2/1 and 3/1 (because i made a friend i will be getting an apt. with) and am happy to pass it on to another young woman moving to the city and just starting out. |
| prgirl 1 | Posted – 12/15/2007 11:16:09 PM | show profile A suggestion Hi Jen 480, I moved to NYC without the help of my extended family members who live in Brooklyn. If it's at all possible, try to move there right as the colleges are getting out for the summer. My first time moving there, I lived in one of NYC dorms and it was WONDERFUL. Nothing like dorm life and it was a great way to be introduced to NYC life. You can try NYU, Columbia and Bernard, they all offer summer housing to non-students. You can stay for the entire summer which is good because it will take you that long to find a decent apartment in you choice of neighborhoods. Good luck to you and enjoy your time in NYC. |
| lanatsimberg | Posted – 3/24/2008 1:42:22 PM | show profile | email poster Housing in NYC I am in the same situation as you, except for i'm looking into housing for the fall (or forever) I'm going to be doing my student teaching at a school in the lower east side. I've looked into a lot of the housing for women, but i either don't like the place or the rent or something. in other words, i have not been able to find a place that i really like a lot. I would prefer to sub lease an apt from someone but i need it to be furnished and not too expensive. Where did you end up living? |
| Jen480 | Posted – 3/24/2008 10:38:36 PM | show profile I'd recommend filling out applications asap for fall. Some of the women's residences that I looked into already had wait lists that were as long as 6-8 months! And that was several months ago. |
| jade | Posted – 5/2/2008 6:22:28 AM | show profile | email poster Hey Jen, Would you mind sharing the other places you looked into for housing? I'm interning there for summer, and in the last month I need someplace to crash! I'm getting desperate. :) Thanks. |
| DQ102 | Posted – 5/2/2008 12:12:26 PM | show profile One of my former roommates lived at one of the women's residences on the Upper West Side. I can't remember the name, but she couldn't take it after a month and went on Craigslist to find a room to rent for the rest of the summer, which is how she came to live with me. What really irked her is that the residence gave her the runaround about returning her deposit at the end of her stay. In fact, they tried to say she never paid one. While she was fine with the other residents, some of the desk attendants and other employees were bullies who took advantage of the residents, many of whom came from outside of the U.S. So it is good that you are doing your research. I wish I could remember which residence it was. Anyway, unless you find a place that comes highly recommended, I would go on Craigslist and find a room to rent in an apartment for your stay. |
