It may be enemy territory, but we at least have Celticsblog's own Steve Weinman. I relocated to Manhattan from Maine six years ago, and I'll be sorry to leave, if I ever do. Also, I'm 30 and live within walking distance of NYU, so I'd be glad to recommend some local shops, sights, restaurants, when it comes to that.
As far as apartment hunting, I don't have a lot of useful advice. Certainly the market for renters has improved - comparatively - in the past year. I'm curious if the university has an affiliated broker or even listings solely for faculty and staff?
If you have the time you could likely, in one long weekend, canvas the neighborhood - and one or two others - for open apartments. I found a charming,
small, rent-stabilized one bedroom in Soho that way, just calling supers, and avoided paying a broker's fee.
Should you decide to live in another neighborhood, good news is that NYU's "campus" is surrounded by train stations. The aforementioned 6 at Astor Place, the N and R at Eighth Street, also the A,C,E,B,D,F and V at West Fourth Street. If you want to time out prospective commutes, may I recommend
hopstop?
Should you use Craigslist - and a lot of people do - just exercise a healthy skepticism, as there are lot of disingenuous offers and some outright scams amidst the honest deals.