SA 2022 NYC Housing Thread

Hey everyone,

I noticed there were SA housing threads for prior years and figured it would be useful to recreate for 2022 summer analysts in New York. 

A bit about me, I go to a semi-target and accepted a 2022 SA IB offer not too long ago. The office I accepted is in Midtown Manhattan. Except for a few weekend trips here and there, I haven't experienced New York at all and have no idea what to look for in apartment hunting. I was looking at one bedrooms and studios in midtown, and for the summer it seems the vast majority cost $2,500 - $3,500/month. As a non-New Yorker (actually from the Midwest), $2,500/month is absurd - even at that price, the apartments seem abnormally small and outdated. 

What do typical summer analysts do for housing? Do people usually walk to work, Uber, or take the subway? From reading other forums, it seems a lot of people have roommates and have a decently long commute. Since I don't know anyone my age in NYC, it's likely I'll live by myself, and as I've never taken the subway and have only heard bad stories about the subway late at night, I would greatly prefer living walking distance from my office in midtown. Is $2,500 - $3,500/month normal for a studio/1 bedroom in midtown? I've been using Airbnb and Zillow to find apartments - are there other rental cites I'm missing?

Although I would prefer living by myself at a walking distance from office, (again) I don't know anything about Manhattan and my preferences may be impractical - hence this thread. What are your SA 2022 housing plans?

Side note: I've heard good things about NYU housing from multiple people, but I was also told that NYU housing forces you to pay for a meal plan, and NYU meals end at 7pm which is well before I'll get off work. I would rather pay extra for a nice apartment than pay for a meal plan that is unusable.