West 112th & 7th Avenue
 

Does anyone out there know this area? Is it safe for a young woman? Would appreciate any info. Thanks!

How young and where is she staying? The area is at the northern end of "the upper west side". I don't know the exact block but there's a well regarded hostel near there called Hostelling International. I'd be more concerned about the actual accomodation/building than the neighborhood. There are some blocks that are fine in that area and some that are not.

Well - columbia Univeristy is on 116th Street on the upper west side and most of the nearby area you're talking about has been greatly gentrified - but there are still some holdout buildings that aren;t great.

Is the young woman city smart? If so - I wouldn;t hesitate. Is she naive - and likely to feel threatened if many poeple are of other ethnicities, or she sees someone seedy, eccentric or conducting some illicit activity?

Agree with the other two posters. Is she high school/college aged at least with "big city" street smarts? If so, I'd say yes as long as she's not alone and keeps her eyes open. I'd make sure to take a cab home at night (if she's going to be coming back after 11 pm) just to be on the safe side but she should be ok taking the subway or walking at all other times. As OP's have said it's close to Columbia and the area has been greatly gentrified. However, that doesn't mean that it's a high-end neighborhood or that there is a ton of foot traffic late at night.

I think it's more like Morningside Heights than the Upper West Side (disregarding the "technical definition" of UWS) because you start to get into the less-nice neighborhoods up there once you pass 110th.

The above posts are not correct. West 112th street and 7th Avenue (Adam Clayton Powell Jr.Blvd) is in Harlem and not the Upper West Side/Morningside Heights. It's not the safest neighborhood (for anyone, male, female, young or old) but it is not the most dangerous place in New York either.

Thanks so much for all of your responses. She is a rather young 25 year old who has lived in Astoria for a year or so, and is thinking about moving to the area around West 112th between 7th and 8th. She goes out at night and we always encourage her to take a cab but she doesn't always listen of course. The apartment in question is on the first floor and has grates on the windows. Besides all of the other potential issues ... what do you do in summer when you need a window a.c. unit? Thanks much!

I wouldn't live on the 1st floor of any building. I remember reading a story in the NY Times within the last year about one particular block in that area that was having problems b/c of a homeless shelter. I don't remember the street and can't find the article. Ironically on doing the search I found on one end, ads for a quite luxurious apt. for sale in a building called the Leonora at 263 west 112th b/w 7th & CPW that's amazingly beautiful.
http://halstead.com/detail.aspx?id=1083770

At the other extreme is an ad for share in a 4 bedroom apt. that looks dreadful.
http://ny.tenant.com/123726

112th and Seventh isn't Harlem. Harlem is still a few blocks North as is Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

Thanks everyone. It's true about the neighborhood ... a million dollar plus condo, medium priced rentals and just about everything else, which sounds like many areas of NYC. I think ultimately that the 1st floor apartment is the biggest negative.

My first apartment in NYC - on the upper esat side - was a first floor - but in the back. there were secure window guards - but one evening we came home to find a couple of inebriated young men hanging on the ourside of the windows and singing/shouting - and had to call the police. And this was on 77th near third.

A first floor with all windows on the street and secure window guards is one thing. (The apartment should already have AC - either through the wall - or built inside the window guard.) It's likely to be somewhat noisy and you may see some ratty looking people wandering by. But if it is a raised first floor (passersby can't see into the window) I would consider it. If it low enough for everyone to see in - or at the back of the building I wouldn;t take it - but more for a nuisance factor than for safety reasons.

GoTravel is mistaken. West 112th St. and 7th Avenue IS Harlem. Specifically, Central Harlem. And 7th Ave. from Central Park North is also named Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. It's the same avenue with two names (similar to 6th Avneue below the Park also being named Ave. of the Americas.)

Of course that address is Harlem. Look at a map!

Names of neighborhoods are fairly mobile. I would consider the area Harlem - but also gentrified and wouldn;t hesitate to reco that she live there if the building/apartment are appropriate.

It's completely Harlem - it's north of Central Park and east of Morningside Park

Thanks again all for your responses! Do you have any opinions you wish to share about Washington Heights, i.e., 161st and Riverside? That's another area my youngish 25 year old daughter is considering. Much thanks.

That one requires a long train ride to get to midtown, for example. Good housing stock especially on RD; lots of street life on Broadway; Heavy Dominican presence. What is the building like?

My bad, it is Harlem. Brain fart as I was thinking for some reason the park ends at 119th Street.

I guess we'll find out what the 161st and Riverside apartment looks like sometime today? I suppose it will be attractive but, once again, how about that commute at all hours of the night?

I would go for 112 th way before I would do 161st. Much further to midtown - and some of the surrounding areas are not very gentrified.

Thanks againf or your insights. My daughter checked out 161st and Riverside. This after we gave her police precinct stats that do not exactly provide a glowing review of Washington Heights. After seeing the apartment (which wasn't bad but too small) my daughter asked two patrolmen about the area. Their response was something about drugs being the problem. My job now is to get my daughter to understand that it's not the intake of the drugs per se that is the problem but the resulting behavior, i.e., robberies, break-ins, larcent, ad infinitum.

Hey, what's wrong with Astoria? OK, so it's ugly and not in Manhattan -- it's cheap and safe!

But anyway -- 161 and Riverside is a bit sketchy, I'd say. Would your daughter consider moving a little further uptown, to Hudson Heights or Inwood?

Marrco, dude: You need to convince your daughter to keep her sweet heinie over in Astoria. Good grief! Astoria is way safer than ANY of those Manhattan neighborhoods you've been mentioning.

If you want to see for yourselves, go visit each of those neighborhoods twice: once at about 4-5 pm and then on another occasion at about 11pm-12 midnight. Hang out in those neighborhoods for about an hour, then you and she can then see for yourselves.

My husband used to live on 111th. Around the time he was there (6 years ago), a network news program and a National Geographic program had a special on the NYC rat problem just a couple blocks away from him (I believe on 112th). Maybe the area covered was further east than 7th Avenue, but it's still worth asking about.

That's another problem besides safety with basement, first and second floor apartments in that area - rats. Acc. to the anecdotal evidence my husband had heard, the rats wouldn't really go higher than the third or fourth floor, though the mice would. And I know about the mice for a fact - even in a fourth floor apartment. Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night to the scurrying of little feet on the floor beneath you...

161st and Riverside can be a bit sketchy.

For her safety (and your peace of mind), I would suggest she look to Washington Heights ideally between 181st and 190th, closer to the Hudson River (not a good idea below 175, and not as pretty the closer you get to Broadway- though the 1/9 subway stop there is very convenient).

Washington Heights is a great neighborhood- safe, food markets, a few cafe/bars(there is even, gasp, a Starbucks there!)to hang out in, a shopping mall at 220th street with a Marshalls and a Target (very handy for younger people starting out in the city) and very populated with actors and artists (and more and more young professionals these days). If she is near the A train at 181, it is only a 20 minute ride to Columbus Circle.

That being said, regarding the big gap between Columbia University area and Washington Heights- I have known and know several people who have lived there- married, single, male, female, gay, straight...and all of them said they felt comfortable living in the neighborhood.

Thanks all. Apologies for not responding earlier but have been out of the loop. My daughter's search continues. Today she asked about 145th and Eighth Avenue. I believe that's Hamilton heights /A/K/A Harlem, right?

Why is she moving from Astoria to lower Harlem? I don't get the appeal. The park ends at 110 street, and while the whole city is safer and cleaner than in past years, why move from charming Astoria to some ex-slum because some people think it is trendy? Hamilton Heights is better, but still has no services. If she wants better subway connections look at Jackson Heights.