Briana Warsing

To those unfamiliar with Long Island City, believe the hype (or almost all of it, anyway). The westernmost neighborhood in Queens (read: closest to Manhattan) has a real community feel, lots of apartments with water views, and enough amenities to make you want to stay put and enjoy the neighborhood, even though Manhattan is an easy 5 to 15 minutes away via subway or ferry, depending on location.

If you've ever searched for a Manhattan apartment (on a budget) and found yourself scrolling through listings on Roosevelt Island — it's a classic broker trick, listing Roosevelt Island apartments under the "Upper East Side"  since it's just across the East River— you may have wondered whether you could actually live in this relatively inexpensive, and somewhat mysterious, part of the city.