babelgazing

I lived in Sunnyside for 8-9 months while working as a young professional, first in Long Island City and then in downtown Manhattan, and it was perfect for me. I paid dirt-cheap (for NYC--$700/mo) rent for a pretty, spacious room in a newly remodeled 3BR, 2 bath third-floor walkup with 2 (count 'em!) balconies on 47th & 50th, 2 minutes from the 7 line. Our building was shared with 2 immigrant families and I always felt perfectly safe there, not to mention that there was a laundromat and quality Mexican and Thai food literally right next to our apartment. Although the 7 line isn't perfect, the vast majority of the time I could leave my apartment and count on being in midtown in 15 minutes, and for what I was paying you just can't beat that. It's also an interesting mix of young people and families-- a lot of East Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and Irish immigrants, especially-- which means diverse authentic cuisine and the benefit of not feeling like you're living in Gentrification Central (I'm looking at you, Hell's Kitchen and Crown Heights!) Lots of kids and pups around!

The cons: You do have to keep your wits about you walking home late at night if you're a single woman. There was little crime in my neighborhood and I never had a problem, but it's not 50th & Park. Though there are many bars, they are nearly all Irish pubs with little selection and definitely no cool factor. There's also little shopping, and while the neighborhood itself is walkable, the walks to good shopping are a little long & sketchy, so if you want shoes or a new ipod, you'll have to hop on transit. Good thing there's a ton of that!

The worst: There's no green space in walking distance except a cemetery, and if you are a middle class single young person (read: someone whose friends/peers mostly live in the LES/Brooklyn) the transit to every party or happy hour you go to will be annoying.

Essentially, for my purposes (low price, nice pad, groceries, quick transit, relatively safe, quiet place to relax on weekends) it was PERFECT. However, if you're looking for hip bars right nearby or a place where you can cross the street to a park or an American Apparel or the latest rooftop jam session/art exhibit/rager, this is obviously not your cup of tea. It's a place to live in peace and relative ease while knowing you have to get on transit to do everything but stay home, go to the gym, or grocery shop.