Troy

My wife and I are moving to Manhattan to attend graduate school (CUNY). We will have to get an apartment before we arrive (getting there in mid August). I know NYC has gotten safer, but I am sure there are still dangerous areas that we should avoid inhabiting. Can anyone suggest an "off limits" zone? I.e., think twice about getting apartment north of x street.

Jess

Not sure which CUNY you will be attending, that might influence where you want to live. I personally don't like being much above 125th st. There was an article a couple of weeks ago about how despite gentrification, drug gangs still pretty much run the area.
Some areas between 96th & 125th on the Westside can be a little rough. I babysit for some people on 100th & Amsterdam and I don't feel comfortable walking there after dark. The area around Morningside Park is another bad spot, rather sketchy feeling even during the day.
I think a good rule is to avoid areas right around large housing projects and elevated train tracks, as they just don't seem to be cleaning up like the rest of the city. I very rarely feel unsafe in Manhattan, but I still listen to my gut whenever I feel 'funny'.

me

Which CUNY? If you tell us that, maybe we can suggest neighborhoods to concentrate on. Jess's neighborhood assessment is pretty accurate. There are other small pockets of marginal neighborhoods in various other locations through Manhattan. ALso apartments very near high traffic areas (entrances to tunnels or bridges) could be noisy. Is there anyone at the school that can refer you to areas that other grad students live in?

Troy

We'll be attending the Grad Center. I will be assisting at Hunter and my wife will be teaching a lab at City College. We have a chance to get a studio on 129th and Lennox (60 W 129th). We found out about it through the grad school. Any thoughts about our plight in general or that location in particular?

Thanks

OfficerCrumkey

Jess: Did you know that there is a police station on West 100th Street right off of Amsterdam? Might help when you are in the neighborhood again.

Michelle

I would not take an apartment on 129th and Lennox! If you don't mind, it would help to know what your size requirement and budget are, that way we can provide more realistic suggestions.

Troy

Looking to spend about $1,000. Little more (or less!) is do-able. Studio or 1 bedroom.

cjw2001

129 and lennox - don't take it

bottom line--- not a good neighborhood!

Troy

Thanks for the info. Odd that CUNY would suggest a bad neighborhood. In fact, this is what they had to say about the location:

Part of the recent wave of real-estate development in historic Harlem, the Smithsonian is in a prime shopping/dining/entertainment neighborhood that includes the offices of former President Bill Clinton, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture, and the renowned restaurant Sylvia's. The Graduate Center is
fifteen minutes away by express subway.

Good thing I checked here before signing up.

Thanks.

michelle

Troy, Here is an example of a listing that I pulled up from the real estate section of the New York Times (www.nytimes.com): Gramercy Park Area
Village, Flat Iron
Large Sunny Studio in walk up building.newly renovated with high ceilings and charming view. New Hardwood floors and exposed brick wall. Separate kitchen and Full bath. Great Closet Space. No Fees. Call owner 212-533-1823. No brokers.

The search I performed was: Search: All Manhattan, Price Range: I went up to $1,200, and in the Optional Key Word space, I typed: No Fee. My search yielded 57 hits. Give it a try!

Michelle

By the way, the rent on that apartment is $1,200 which is a great deal in a very nice area. A side-bar indicated that the apartment is 600 sq. ft. which you shouldn't trust all that much.

ttt

topping for Troy

a

Considering where you will be working the Upper West Side above 72nd St and up to 120th Street. FRom Central PArk WEst to RIverdside drive to 100th ST and above 100th from Amsterdam Ave to Riversidfe DRive. THe 1 bedroom for $1000 is not likely but you could get a studio at that price and maybe slighytly less.

a

This is an ideal time to move to NYC as rents are dropping here for the first time in seemingly forever.

Given your budget, I would consider moving to the Morningside Heights area. This is approximately
W. 96 St up to 120th St. Although as the other poster mentioned, Amsterdam feels a little less safe, but it really is not as rough as it appears.

The neighborhood is a mixture of Columbia University students and Latino residents.

The commute to Hunter will take approximately 40-60 min. in rush hour.

The most difficult part about NYC is finding an apartment. Make sure that once you find something that you truly like, act on it right away.

Good Luck.

reality

Despite dropping rents, it is still impossible to get a safe one bedroom or even a studio in Manhattan for under 1800 dollars (maybe a sublet with connections). CUNY is the most pc place on earth and it is PC to recommend that area. You may have to look in Brooklyn or Riverdale or other parts of the Bronx. Sorry but thats the truth.

a

In response to reality.

I totally agree that you can not find a one bedroom in Manhattan for under 1800. However, in the boroughs, there are many safe places where you can live for less than 1800 for a 1bd. I don't know that you could do it for under 1000 though.

brooklynite

I would try Brooklyn. I live there and there are many nice areas. I'm paying 1150 for a 1 bedroom. You won't get much better so you might have to adjust your rate because there's not much for 1000 that you'll find in a habitable area. The rents aren't going down THAT much, despite what you hear.

Michelle

Any lick, Troy?

Michelle

Oops!! Sorry, that was "luck" not "lick"... It's been a looong week.

Marj

That's a tight budget. I think you may want to look into queens neighborhoods closest to Manhattan (Brooklyn will be a tougher commute). Some possibilities are Astoria, Long Island City (very up and coming), Jackson Heights. All of these are very diverse and interesting neighborhoods. There are many nice museums and some great restaurants in the area. Everything is much more reasonable than Manhattan. I also wouldn't recommend 129th. Anything below 110th should be OK.