Moving to NYC...- Page 2

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 3:25pm

pab - Columbia is just directly below Harlem, which is why some people think it's unsafe. My understanding is that it's gotten a lot safer in recent years than it used to be, but I've been living here for the past four years, and I have never once felt unsafe. I won't lie and say there's no crime and things don't happen, but it also definitely doesn't deserve a bad reputation. It's beautiful, vibrant, and very safe. It's surrounded by areas in which you do have to be careful, yes (like, I wouldn't suggest going to the park at night, or whatever), but as with any other part of the city, as long as you use your head about where you go and when, it's fine. I think the safety here is one of the good things about living in a college community; people are milling about at all sorts of weird hours, and of course, safety is an important issue here because of all of the students. I love it here. I'm graduating in May and I'll definitely be sad to leave.

Updated On: 2/25/08 at 03:25 PM

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 3:29pm

And for those who would assume that certain neighborhoods are "safe" and others not...

Let us recall that one of the most brutal murders in recent news just took place on the swank Upper East Side, where a psychiatrist was viciously hacked apart with a meat cleaver in her own office.

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 3:30pm

jailyard - thanks! i'll look into it for sure then...

D2 - i have a friend who lives in the bronx. he lives in... shoot... whats the name... pelham bay? i dont know. i cant remember. he recommended riverdale and i remember it looked pretty decent. i'll look into it.

luvtheemcee - you live in morningside? i dont know why NYC gets such a bad reputation for being unsafe and dangerous. i know it has crime, but we go there all the time and not once have we ever had an incident like that. mind you we only ever stay in the touristy areas like times square (lol) but still... i'll talk to monica. but she says shes always heard that CU area is dangerous... but i'll give her this info you guys have given me.

everyone's being so helpful... woo-hoo! thanks all

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 3:33pm

I do, I got to Columbia. Like I said, though, it used to be regarded as a really dangerous area. My (very uptight) parents were wary of my wanting to come here until they visited the area and saw how much it's changed in the past ten or so years. They too had always heard that it was unsafe. So while I'm not surprised your wife has heard bad things about the area, most of that is probably based on an outdated reputation. Anyway, feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I'd be happy to talk with both of you guys about the area.

Updated On: 2/25/08 at 03:33 PM

[D2]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 3:34pm

Columbia is not in a dangerous neighborhood - as Jaily pointed out it may have been a while ago (and longer than 10 years) but the University itself has been a big buffer. And with the real estate explosion directly to the south (and north) of the area, it really is a beautiful neighborhood. As Emcee said, you use your head (as with any city), but you should really look into the crime statistics for NYC - they're pretty low these days.

PS: I live in the area as well, and in the past ten years it has seen explosive growth.

Updated On: 2/25/08 at 03:34 PM

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 3:38pm

thanks all....

what about my previous question about westchester?

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 4:33pm

Riverdale? Who is he, Jughead?

And if you go up to Westchester, remember that ain't no $2 subway ride.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 4:37pm

Updated On: 1/27/09 at 04:37 PM

[george95]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 5:27pm

People still talk about New York City as being unsafe? And about Columbia on the UWS? Are you kidding me? I could see being wary in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn but anywhere else in the city is fine. Its been the safest big city in the country for how many years now? And the crime rate keeps setting new record lows. Last year's rate was the lowest since what 1964 or something like that?

[WestVillage]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 5:38pm

Look into Hudson Heights ... its way uptown near the George Washington Bridge, but its near the subways (A train mainly) and is a very pretty and quiet area. Its about a 15-20 minute subway ride to mid-town. Apartments are much more reasonable and spacious up there than any place that is closer to mid-town.

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 5:50pm

The truth, he speaks!


(That's where *I* live. )

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 6:25pm

so happy to hear this!! we went into this thing thinking alot of areas werent safe, but now i'm seeing thats not true.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 6:28pm

Washington Heights and Inwood

[TheatreDiva612]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 8:35pm

"certainly quite a bit more savory than the neighborhood at the bottom of the hill (the "hill" being Morningside Park, formerly nicknamed "Murderside Park"), which is West Harlem proper."

jaily, are you talkin' smack about my 'hood?

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 8:38pm

I'd never, darling.

DO tell those lovely gentlemen who I always pass smoking crack on your steps when I visit that I say hello

[TheatreDiva612]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 8:40pm

They don't hang out outside when it's cold.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:29am

Can I jump into this discussion too?

I don't want to steal cubanpab's thunder, but I am doing some preliminary decision making. I am considering a move to the greater NYC area. I love the city, but I also am a country boy at heart.

I want to look someplace that would be about a thirty minute commute by train, but is also close enough to natural areas about an hour away. (I was looking along the Hudson Line of the MNR, but I am open to other areas.)

I'd pretty much love anything near the Appalachian Trail (near=1/2 hour to 45 minutes) or a community with a decent trails/greenway system.

I know transit isn't as cheap as living in the city, but is it realistic to find an affordable place like this for someone just getting out of college? Should I look somewhere else or just lower my expectations? Earliest I could move would be January so I have a lot of time still. I just want to be informed in my decisions.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:38am

I live in Hudson Heights, and it ain't no 15-20 minute subway ride to "midtown". The official MTA train timetable calls it at 33 minutes. That's not including wait time. And if you're taking an A, your wait time is going to generally be pretty considerable.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 2:25am

Nobody mentioned Astoria (Queens). 15 minutes to Manhattan by train, GREAT food and shopping and restaurants, friendliest neighborhood, decent affordable rents if you look hard and investigate.

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 8:32am

son of a gunn - jump right in! we're both learning...

astoria queens?? i've heard about that... and its nice?? huh! lemme look into it

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 9:58am

I just hate those Astoria queens...they're almost as bad as the Chelsea queens.

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:30am

what about something at this adress:

235 W 137th St at ST. NICHOLAS

does that sound like an OK area? or maybe a bit sketchy?

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:46am

It's Harlem. Not very scary...in fact, St. Nick around the upper 130s/140s is rather lovely. Lots of actors/musician types who live around there. (My ex-partner lives at 139th and St. Nick, in fact, in a GORGEOUS apartment that I am violently jealous over.)

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:50am

like you said... its not a bad area, but its so hard to shake the word "harlem" from my head without thinking "scary" "dangerous"... etc. you know how it is. thats all we've ever seen on tv, movies, etc...

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:52am

Well, then, take it upon yourself to do some investigative research online about the current real estate situation and cultural shift going on in Harlem...about the time you look at your 12th listing for a multi-million dollar townhouse in Harlem, you'll have (one hopes) a slightly different impression of the area. :)