Moving to NYC...- Page 3

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:53am

Pab, that image of Harlem is dated these days! Harlem's now the trendy place to live!

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:55am

hahaha... i know! its so tough to shake those dumb ideas. i mentioned harlem to my mother in law last night and she just about booked a flight up here to dc to stop us from going to NYC... hahaha.

i had to send her an article stating that NYC is now the safest large city in america!

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:10am

alright... another question just since i'm looking into every hood.

i have a friend who lives in the bronx. i cant remember where. but he said the bronx is great and really affordable. much more so than brooklyn, queens, etc. he recommended "riverdale".

according to google earth is looks like Riverdale is very very close to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.

is riverdale a nice area? wikipedia seems to say its upper middle class families, safe, quiet... but you all are the experts!

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:15am

Riverdale is incredibly beautiful. It's very green, and full of gorgeous Tudor mansions and plantation-style homes and it's very elegant, and right on the river. I have several friends who own homes there, and the block that one of them lives on reminds me exactly of the neighborhood from "Home Alone". Very suburban-feeling, but just a few minutes on Metro-North from Grand Central. Also an easy drive, and depending on where in the hood you live, not terribly far from the 1 train.

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:23am

Riverdale.

[D2]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:24am

I just had brunch on Sunday at a friend's apartment in Riverdale - it's HUGE, with a view of the river. It's a co-op, but it was only a third of the price she'd have paid for a similar 2 bedroom in Manhattan.

Updated On: 2/26/08 at 11:24 AM

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:35am

could we sell our car and still have the luxuries of taking the subway and being able to do our grocery shopping, etc etc if we lived in Riverdale?

those photos are AWESOME! it looks so nice there

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:41am

Yes, the 1 train to Van Cortlandt Park is accessible, as is Metro North, and there are always taxis and buses, too.

It really is one of the most beautiful parts of NYC, in my opinion.

[D2]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:49am

Yes, you could, but truthfully, a car is a handy thing to have anyplace outside of Manhattan proper. (And parts of Brooklyn and Queens. But only the parts closest to Manhattan.)

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:52am

Listen to the old lady. She is wise. :-P

I personally (and again, this is just me...) would recommend that you focus your efforts on finding an apartment close to Columbia. Eliminating a lengthy commute will significantly enhance the pleasure to be derived from living in New York.

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:57am

thats why riverdale is appealing to me now... i mean its really close to CU Med Center... atleast according to google earth!

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:00pm

Oh, for some reason I thought you've been talking about Columbia University (which, as Emcee is about to point out, is a couple miles south of the hospital).

Riverdale isn't really terribly close. CUMC is in the far West 160's, in Washington Heights. Riverdale is still a good 50 blocks and a river crossing away. You will find freakishly fabulous apartments around there for your budget. No reason to consider Riverdale, really, unless you REALLY want the suburban experience.

Updated On: 2/26/08 at 12:00 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:06pm

Wait, you know the medical center is about 50 blocks from the rest of the University, right? Or is your wife studying at the medical center?

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:13pm

I guess I can settle for a two hour train ride to nature. I hate suburbs. Give me all nature or all city.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:13pm

Updated On: 2/26/08 at 12:13 PM

[elmore3003]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 1:18pm

In late August, I helped a friend whose daughter is going to Juilliard find an apartment. He did a lot of looking on Craig's List, and then he, his daughter, and I went to see the apartments. She and her roommates ended up around 155th and Broadway, in a nice building not far from the subway. I couldn't tell you how much the rent is because I don't remember, but it was affordable for three Juilliard ladies whose income was from student jobs and babysitting.

I would advise you, in moving, to not accept any place without seeing it, and to come into the City to look for a place. I've lived in a very safe area for 30 years, and I still come home after dark with the cautious attitude that it's the worst area in Manhattan.

[cubanpab]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 2:32pm

to jaily and emcee... she's going to be an intern at Columbia Presb Medical Center. its thru Columbia University but shes actually going to be working with the docs at the hospital. I know its a little further from the school itself. and i knew it was in Wash Heights. i just didnt see as many attractive apartments in wash heights as i did in riverdale. so i wasnt sure if it was smarter to go to riverdale which was a bit further out and maybe even cheaper?

i've given up on craigslist... its the same damn listing over and over again with different headings... if anyone knows where else i can search apartments help me out! :)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 2:34pm

Ah, okay, then that isn't in Morningside. But! If you're still interested in the Morningside area, there's a free Columbia shuttle that runs between the Morningside campus and the Medical Center.

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 2:49pm

I've found every apartment I've ever lived in on Craigslist, as have most of the people in New York and San Francisco that I know. There are thousands and thousands of listings...perhaps you need to try different search criteria?

[joniray]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 5:47pm

If it is the medical center that she will be working at (the one around 168th and Broadway) then I would HIGHLY recommend you look into apartments in the Washington Heights/Hudson Heights area North of 181st, and on or to the west of Broadway. Go to Craigslist and do searches for the following streets (maybe as keywords?)

Bennett (Ave)
Overlook (Terr)
Fort Washington (Ave)
Pinehurst (Ave)
Cabrini (Blvd)

For the last three, make sure they are to the north of or not to far south of 181st Street.

It's a great, safe area and the apartments tend to be spacious and right in your price range. And the closer you are to Fort Tryon Park (around 192nd St.) the better as far as I am concerned. (It's a great park ) And your wife's commute will be a cinch. (Just two or three local stops on the A Train.)

And I also believe that Craigslist is the way to go. I have found the best deals/apartments (directly from the owners-no brokers fees) through Craigslist over the years.

Updated On: 2/26/08 at 05:47 PM