The neighborhood I live in is pretty good and only 10 minutes from Mid-town Manhattan. My area is called Sunnyside. As Hottytoddy mentioned, other close areas to Manhattan in Queens are Astoria, Long Island City, and then Woodside. While there are a few areas in each of these locations that are not great safety-wise, and far from the train, the rents are pretty decent and there is still a lot to do in terms of restaurants and nightlife. Also the subway is right there in *some* of these areas and if you do go out in Manhattan and want to cab it home at night, it won't usually cost ya more than $15.00 to get home. If I had money, I definately would live in Manhattan but since I am a Social Worker and don't want a gazillion roommates, I guess I will just have to stay "bridge and tunnel" for now
If you have any questions about a certain area or street address in Queens, feel free to PM me. I know Queens pretty well and can look up the area and tell you if it is safe to live in or is ghettofied, or isolated. Also be wary that many of the buildings in these areas of Queens are not always maintained well. I recommend going with a private house if you can!!! If you don't mind a farther commute from Manhattan, I recommend checking out areas in Queens like residential Flushing, Bayside, Whitestone, Fresh Meadows, Kew Gardens, Bellerose, Howard Beach, Maspeth, Forest Hills and Rego Park. You can check out more of Queens by going to
www.queensbp.org. Again, feel free to PM me
Now I am waiting to hear Mr. Manhattan himself, Russ make fun of everyone who lives in Queens or the other outer boros...........