Living The Dream and Paying The Bills in New York

Making Rent

Waiter. Temp. Personal assistant. Paid intern (if such a thing exists anymore). Day jobs are not meant to be your end-all, be-all. They exist for only one reason: a paycheck. Ideally, you need something that is flexible and pays decently enough. There are plenty of options available to you, some better than others. This is usually why it’s good to have a career plan. Speaking from personal experience, the most disorganized actors are usually the ones that live paycheck-to-paycheck. Do yourself a favor: make a plan and stick to it. True enough, things change, but believe me – you don’t want to be four years out of school and still waiting tables.

Making It Happen... On No Cash

It’s no secret that actors are dirt poor. Such is the life of an artist in high-priced New York City. Even with the high cost of living, that doesn’t mean you still can’t have a life here. But, like you’re day job, you have to be flexible. But what makes New York awesome is that many non-profits are feeling you when it comes to low dough. After all, we’re not all Donald Trump.

TKTS Booth

A Midtown staple for over a decade, you can hit up the TKTS Booth in Times Square for discounted rush tickets to popular Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. Sponsored by the Theatre Development Fund, you can also sign up with the organization to directly purchase discounted tickets year-round from home. Does this make you a cheap-skate? No. It just mean good art has a price… that you can barely afford to pay.

Making It Home

Ever dream about living in some amazing one-bedroom apartment off of Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen? Dance your way through the big city lights of Times Square to fame and fortune? Yeah, well: I hope you can afford $1500 a month – that’s the standard rent nowadays for a studio in the neighborhood. Okay, so you can’t live in the neighborhood of your dreams your first year here, big deal. You work your way up, and in the meanwhile, you can find other ’hoods with like-minded starving artists to commiserate your angst.

Neighborhoods On The Cheap

There are many living options for you in New York City, it all depends on what you can handle. Without writing a book on the subject, here are some of the better known ‘hoods to come-up in the last decade and well-known for their affability and affordability.

Washington Heights/Inwood, Manhattan
The Heights starts in the 160s and goes to the end of Manhattan. The predominantly Puerto Rican/Dominican/Reggaeton boppin’ haven have their respective rough patches. But the gentrification wars of the late ‘90s, the cheap, spacious, pre-war apartments, and the ahem Tony-winning Broadway musical In The Heights has put Washington Heights on everyone’s radar.

Astoria, Queens
Once a quiet Greek ‘burb only fifteen minutes from Midtown exploded into the must-live ’hood that everyone had to be in. Despite the influx of Noveau Yorkers in the last decade, Astoria has maintained its small-town feel. It’s still quiet, still very Greek, and still semi-affordable.

Sunset Park, Brooklyn
Just south of Park Slope on the N train is the new must-live ‘hood in Brooklyn. Sunset Park has become extremely well-known for its working class charm and affordable two-bedrooms. Off the N express train, it’s only twenty-five minutes into the city. Besides being home to the serene tourist attraction, Greenwood Cemetery, Sunset also boasts some of the best culinary excursion in all of the BK. Did I mention you can still get coffee for fifty cents there as well?

Making Connections

We all want to be famous, don’t we? Okay, how about working? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Having a successful acting career isn’t about talent, it’s about who you know. If you’re not spending time going to see shows, meeting casting assistants, and learning names to faces and vice versa – then you’re kind of missing out. Take some time every day to figure who you need to know so you don’t get turned away at an agent’s door.

Making It To The Next Day

Health insurance options… yeah. The one sticky subject many performers in New York try to avoid, because they really can’t afford it. There are options, some are a bit more on the pricey side than others.

Check The Guides

Make It To The Movies

It’s no secret that an artist’s life is cost-consuming and seeing the arts is downright expensive. Don’t we all wish that going to the movies was a $8 affair, or that catching a Broadway play could still be done on $20 rush tickets. No fear though: it may be hard to find a “flexible” bargain in New York, but it’s there, believe me.

HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival

Summer always means big movies, but at $12 a ticket, who can afford to go to the cineplex in this city? Luckily, there’s a whole bunch of outdoor film festivals that play in Manhattan from June to September. The Bryant Park series remains the most popular with classic fare this year like The Apartment and Superman. Sure, there aren’t any big releases, but doesn’t everyone complain that “they don’t make ’em like they used to.”?