I used to think that Columbia University was in a "bad" area, but I was at the Riverside Church recently and strolled around the area and it was really beautiful.

Has it always been that nice? Was I near Columbia? What is that area called? Thanks!

Is that Morningside Heights?

With the price of real estate in NYC, many formerly dodgy areas are being gentrified. It used to be that you didn't want to live north of 96th street on the East Side but that is no longer a hard and fast rule.

Yes, that's Riverside Drive between 120th and 122nd. It's very close to Columbia University, and the area is called Morningside Heights.

Many parts of New York became dramatically safer during the Giuliani years, and Morningside Heights was among them. Columbia's acquisition of property has also contributed to gentrification of the area.

It is a transformed neighborhood.

And Guiliani had little to do with it.

The area around Columbia was never that bad. It may have looked possibly bad to people used to quieter and more homogeneous neighborhoods, but it was always a pretty good area.

What has changed is that Columbia was on a bit of an island, with shaky areas surrounding it. You can now take long walks around Columbia without encountering shaky areas. And Giuliani had plenty to do with that.

I don't call it a "transformed" neighborhood since I lived at 120th and Amsterdam 45 years ago and it was very nice then. The did close 116th street crossing the Columbia campus after we left. It is a nice neighborhood. The "cliff" that separates Morningside Heights from Harlem below it has probably helped preserve it as a high ground.
It was safe when we lived there and seemed safe enough when we went back to visit a few years ago.

We can move this discussion to the Lounge.

The fact that the city has boomed since 9/11 including Harlem and Morningside Heights indicates that he had little to do with those neighborhood.

He had no economic plan and clearly he did little for education. And he attacked the artistic community, one of the economic engines of the city.

The economic boom in NYC, due to many factors, is the reason for the lessening of crime. Manhattan is extremely low in crime but Bed-Stuy and Mott Haven are worse.

I play cards with cops and Guiliani's ukases were more of a burden on the system than a help. It burdened it with petty criminals and did not distinguish. The fact that fire and police came out against him during his bizarre presidential run, should be hint of how was regarded in those areas.

Guiliani's answer to everything were cops or legal action, his strengths.

he was a great mayor for tourists since their confined world was clean and safe. But for the rest of us he was abject failure.

ALmost everyone I know who went to Columbia from 15 years ago and beyond were terrified at night and never ventured into Morningside Park.

I worked with a woman who bought in that area about 8 years ago and yes the buildings themselves were beautiful but it safe but not as safe as it now.

The beautiful buildings in that area were always there. The safety wasn't at times. (In Harlem not only has the safety increased but MANY buildings have been redone/ rehabbed to their original condition.)

But - massive increases in real estate prices in more traditional middle class areas since the early 90's have "gentrified" a lot of neighborhoods that were formerly somewhat edgy. Morningside Heights used to be a small enclave - but now the entire area is upscale/expensive.

(For bargains now in NYC you need to either go to upcoming areas in Queens - or to Inwood at the far northern end of Manhattan.)

That is Morningside Heights, and if you can judge a neighborhood by the price of its rentals, it is a nice neighborhood nowdays. My daughter has been trying to find an apt in that area, and rents are pretty wild!

As an aside, a friend bought a condo on 116th and Madison in a five year old building and there is much new building in the area.

That area is changing dramatically.

116th and Madison is not Morningside Heights/Columbia.