Urban Living. Best Place in the U.S?

[jpeirpont]

What are the best urban enclaves, or neighborhoods in the U.S. I am in need of a change, tired of CT. I am looking for a fun place with culture, activities, coffee houses, restaurants, and good public transportation. I'm not really concerned with crime but obviously I'm not looking to move to a ghetto. My goal for a while has been to move to Harlem but I am not able to afford the set up I was looking for. So I'm starting to research other cities. My preference would be an older city somewhere along the East Coast or South Eastern U.S.

 

[mikemas22]

hmmmm, carnegie hill, nyc is fine but it's also more expensive than harlem...

stuyvesant town, nyc? heard many good things about it and that it's still rent-controlled. plus you have the best of LES within easy reach.

my favourite would be the village though.

 

[Millerp]

Boston

 

[JayJay]

Indianapolis

 

[rdawson808]

How about Philly? I'm not that familiar with it, having only been there a couple times. But the Center City area has had a real resurgence, is my understanding. The real estate must be massively cheaper than NYC. And yet, you're a very short train ride to NYC.

Good restaurants, good theater, museums. Shopping, I assume, would be all right.

b

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by JayJay

Indianapolis

+1. A little lacking in the restaurant scene, but having Chicago and Cincy both relatively short drives away makes up for it. Cost of living is great, people are nice, city is nice, suburbs are nice-- especially Carmel and Fishers. Zoos, museums, tons of little interesting things to do, and it's really a fun city to just set a day off and explore. It's big enough to be fun to live in, but small enough to not worry about crime. Shopping is a little shaky, but everything you want you can buy online nowadays anyway. Can't get enough of that Midwestern hospitality (or waistline

).

Edit: Oh, and, a big plus for Indy is that every single year that passes, it gets better.

 

[ryoneo]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

How about Philly? I'm not that familiar with it, having only been there a couple times. But the Center City area has had a real resurgence, is my understanding. The real estate must be massively cheaper than NYC. And yet, you're a very short train ride to NYC.

Good restaurants, good theater, museums. Shopping, I assume, would be all right.

b
+1

 

[edinatlanta]

Honestly...

Atlanta.

 

[Hany]

Originally Posted by Millerp

Boston
+1

 

[bc78]

Originally Posted by jpeirpont

What are the best urban enclaves, or neighborhoods in the U.S. I am in need of a change, tired of CT. I am looking for a fun place with culture, activities, coffee houses, restaurants, and good public housing. I'm not really concerned with crime but obviously I'm not looking to move to a ghetto. My goal for a while has been to move to Harlem but I am not able to afford the set up I was looking for. So I'm starting to research other cities. My preference would be an older city somewhere along the East Coast or South Eastern U.S.

Brooklyn and Queens have great inexpensive neighborhoods that have many of those things and are only a quick train ride away from Manhattan. I've also heard really good things about Philly.

 

[mikemas22]

Originally Posted by bc78

Brooklyn and Queens have great inexpensive neighborhoods that have many of those things and are only a quick train ride away from Manhattan. I've also heard really good things about Philly.

Speaking about queens, astoria seems nice.

 

[dhinggok]

I have been living in Philly for the past four years and I am not impressed. I am ready to get out of here.

D.C. or New York would be my suggestions, but it is pretty difficult to compare NYC with any city, in my opinion. It is much more expensive, but, imo, offers so much more than any other city in terms of places to go, things to do, etc.

Here is a cost of living calculator if you want to compare a few cities (from a financial standpoint):

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costo...tofliving.html

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

How about Philly? I'm not that familiar with it, having only been there a couple times. But the Center City area has had a real resurgence, is my understanding. The real estate must be massively cheaper than NYC. And yet, you're a very short train ride to NYC.

Good restaurants, good theater, museums. Shopping, I assume, would be all right.

b
I was in Philly for a few days last fall. I wasn't impressed; in fact, I was terribly disappointed. I had been there about 4 or 5 years prior and didn't enjoy it then, but thought this time would be different.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

Edit: Oh, and, a big plus for Indy is that every single year that passes, it gets better.
This is the best part. The transformation in recent years has been tremendous.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Charleston, South Carolina.