24 June 2013

Pisos and Barrios

I have a confession to make: I was too busy doing other "big girl" things these past few weeks to sit down and write a blog post. Mostly this has consisted of sending in my resume to various places in search of a job for the summer (I need money to take with me!), but I've also been quite busy researching graduate schools. But more on all that in another post. For now, I'm focusing on what I've been doing late at night for about three weeks now: piso (flat/apartment) hunting.

During college, I never lived in an apartment. Partly out of convenience and partly because it was fully paid for by my college, I opted for on-campus housing all four years of college. Back in my hometown, I have always just lived at home (hellooo free rent, utilities, and food). Come autumn I will be moving into my first-ever apartment, and to say that this is overwhelming would be an understatement.

My knowledge of the piso world was basically about equal to my knowledge of nuclear physics. So, none. Luckily, plenty of past auxiliares I know have been extremely generous in offering me advice about how to search for a good flat and what areas to live in. I have also been extremely lucky that several people who are Madrid natives (including my school's director and the bilingual program coordinator) have also provided me with invaluable advice and suggestions.

I know the entire process can be overwhelming, so I'm going to write out what I've accumulated in the hopes that it will help others as well!

Pisos

Searching for a flat can be overwhelming. Madrid is a city that is full of students though, so they're not difficult to come by. The question is how to find them. There are actually loads of websites that have announcements for spaces that are available. Some of the most prominent ones include:

Personally, I've found idealista and fotocasa the most useful. I haven't quite decided if I want to live with a roommate or not, and those two sites provide a lot of options for flats. Easypiso is quite useful if you decide to go with a roommate, as people on there advertise empty rooms and such. I'm wary of craigslist in any country because of the whole craigslist killer thing, but plenty of people have found their piso through there with no problems! The great thing with these sites is you can filter flats based on how much you want to pay per month in rent, whether you want it furnished or not, and what neighborhood you want to be in.

Which brings us to the next topic of this post.

Neighborhoods of Madrid


[I will be referencing the neighborhoods seen above a lot, so I figured it's easier to provide a map so you know at least what area of town I'm referring to...]

When you receive your school placement, you can easily put the address into Google to get a general sense of what neighborhood you'll be working in. However, Madrid has an extensive metro and bus system as well as a highly advanced train system, which means that there really is no need for you to live in the same neighborhood you work in if you chose to. On the contrary, many auxiliares who work in the suburbs of Madrid commute from the more central neighborhoods of the city. 

Metro lines in Madrid city

My school is located in the Puente de Vallecas neighborhood, southeast from the city center. I'm a bit of a freak and Googled my school when I received my placement and searched till I found an email address. I sent a message and received a response from the school's director. He then put me in touch with both the bilingual program coordinator and the current auxiliar at the school. All three were extremely helpful in providing me with information regarding neighborhoods and commuting to the school. I've also received help from other Madrid natives and current auxiliares. Since my school is a mere 5 minute walk from a metro stop, I can pretty much live anywhere in the city since I will just take the metro to the school. As such, I've gathered information on pretty much every neighborhood, and I will attempt to summarize the ones I've been told most about here:

Centro/Sol

This area is in the middle of Madrid and consequently in the middle of everything. Gran Vía is considered the main central street in Madrid, and many of the big shops and restaurants are found here. The main tourist attractions are here, including Plaza del Sol, Kilometro 0, and Plaza Mayor. As such, it's pretty much always swarming with tourists and makes it a prime "work" location for pickpockets. The life found in Sol translates to lots of noise too, so if you're not a fan of noisiness, this might not be the area for you. 

La Latina

This is one of the oldest parts of Madrid, and as such is very traditionally Spanish. It is one of the few neighborhoods that has not been completely modernized in the way that other areas have been. Many of the buildings are older, which can mean that many flats lack modern conveniences like heating or A/C. Still, if you're looking for more traditional architecture, food, and way of life, La Latina is the way to go. (Also, rumor has it that some of the best tapas bars are in this area!)

Lavapiés

[Centro area on map]
Extremely popular among the younger crowd, Lavapiés boasts a large immigrant community, making it a diverse neighborhood. It's easy to find all sorts of global cuisine and ethnic markets here and it's always bustling. The rent is comparatively cheap, too, but beware: the crime rate is high here! If you're planning on living alone, I would probably stay away from this area for safety reasons. 

Atocha

[Arganzuela area on map]
I would describe Atocha as Madrid's connection to all of Spain. Here, you'll find Atocha station, the main train station of the city which connects many of those who live in the suburbs with their jobs in the city. Most of the most popular museums are also located relatively close by. This place is ideal for those who are looking to live in the city and commute to a school out in the suburbs. It might not be the hippest place to live, but it's definitely convenient and practical.

Retiro

As the name suggests, the Retiro neighborhood surrounds the famed Parque del Buen Retiro, perhaps the most famous park in all of Spain. The park itself is enormous and offers sprawling grounds for all sorts of outdoors activities, such as picnics, a run, rowing on the lake, or even a nap on the grass. There are also loads of performances in the park, so if that's your scene, this may be the area for you.

Salamanca

Comparable to Manhattan's Upper East Side, Salamanca has some of the most high-end shopping and restaurants in Madrid. This is definitely an area that is aimed at those of better SES, but there is a selection of affordable flats as well. Families are definitely the predominant portion of the population, giving the area a quieter vibe than some of the other neighborhoods. Not going to lie, this is one of the neighborhoods at the top of my personal list.

Moncloa

Located on the northeastern corner of the city of Madrid, Moncloa is home to the Universidad Compultense de Madrid, the largest university in the city and the best university in the country. Students live in the surrounding areas, which is particularly great for auxliares who are looking to live with Spaniards or other Erasmus students. One of the people giving me living advice currently lives in Moncloa, and she does warn that it is a bit removed from the center, but easily accesible by metro and buses. The neighborhood also does not lack much, given that so many students live there.

**Of course, there are plenty of other neighborhoods I haven't mentioned on here. Some of these are smaller neighborhoods that are part of the larger areas seen on the map: Chueca (the gay neighborhood), Opera and Palacio (Centro), Embajadores (Centro), Malasaña (between Centro and Chamberí). If you want more info on some of the best places to live, I've found this article and this one that pretty much mirror what I've been told by a couple of people. Of course, I am not a pro, and I will probably present a much more accurate version once I live in Spain (probably more specific to the area I live in). Here's a good Google map of larger neighborhoods too :)

Other Options

There are also other possibilities for housing. If you're looking to find a place that brings the maximum convenience, residencias might be an option for you. These are basically like student dorms: you get a private room, in some cases a private bathroom, and a common living area. Residencias would be an ideal way to meet more people as well! A quick Google search for residencias in Madrid can bring up a lot of options, but this was one that was recommended to me.

If you're looking to avoid paying for rent entirely, you could consider being an au pair! For those of you who are clueless on what that is, au pairs are foreigners who work in a country as a sort of nanny and language teacher. In Spain, many parents (particularly those of the upper classes) have come to realize how important it is to start foreign language classes when young, so they hire au pairs for their children. You can live in with the family to save money on rent and you will also receive a small salary. It is possible to be a live-out au pair as well, but you have to talk about that specifically with the family. I've used this site to find families, mostly because I wouldn't mind being a live-out au pair to get some extra money.

Good luck to all my fellow auxiliares on their search! Hang in there, I'm still undecided!

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