West Village Info
 

Hi everyone. Looking at renting an apt at Janes and Greenwich. Can anyone tell me about this area? Grocery stores, restaurants, etc.?

Thanks

It is one of my favorite areas of the city. There are supermarkets but the slection are small and the prices high. Thee are however, excellent specialty shops and restaurants. The little streets in thw west Village are a joy.

This is the place to be. If you like the apartment, snap it up. You can be sure there are services galore for the residents of this area.

A great location. You should look for delis and bodegas - the city has few supermarkets - and trekking through the street with major shopping is a pain. And you'll get better quality at local greengrocers etc.

Just heads up to clarify what block you are on - is it Jane and Greenwich AVENUE or Jane and Greenwich STREET?

Greenwich Ave runs diagonally east to west from 6th Avenue to 8th Ave - Jane and Greenwich Avenue is a charming corner - ground zero for "Little Britain" a sort of phony marketing ploy by the owners of three British-themed stores/restaurants right there. Nonetheless, it's a really charming block with lots of tiny boutiques and restaurants. There are a couple of large loft-like buildings but most of the buildings are tenements (walk-ups) or townhouses. Sandra Bernhard lived on that block a couple of years ago, but I'm not sure if she's still there. It is one block from the A, C and E trains at 14th St., the L train and also 2 blocks from the 7th Avenue and 14th Station of the 1,2,and 3 trains. Very convenient neighborhood.

Jane and Greenwich STREET is three long blocks further west. Greenwich STREET runs north/south from 14th all the way down to the WTC. It is a bit more remote - the nearest subways are those 14th St stations. There are buses, too. This is pretty much residential, some industrial and lots of bars/restaurants as the meatpacking district bleeds further south. There are lots of frat boys and naughty girls running around at night,sometimes cabs are hard to get there, and some of the blocks are still cobblestones. It's fun to watch the girls toddle around in high heels across the street. Lots of models during the day, mixed in with families and photography studios. It is a very charming area, just not as central as Greenwich Avenue.

Oh - not sure when you're coming, but a new glass monstrosity is under construction 1 block from Jane and Greenwich AVENUE- but the traffic back-ups haven't been too bad as yet . . .

Thanks for the clarification. It IS Jane and Greenwich Avenue.

Better do a lot of research on your apartment as many are scams. Check out the TripAdvisor forum and read all about it:

http://tinyurl.com/54pmqu

Love the area and the specialty shops are amazing!

If this is from athomeus.com I would tread very carefully and read the contract small print BEFORE you send your money. I also would look carefully at whether the apt. has a/c if you're coming soon. Most of the apts. I looked at downtown don't seem to have a/c and it doesn't say one way or the other.

Thanks for the info everyone. I had no idea there was such a problem in NY renting apt's. It's just crazy. My husband has decided he's not thrilled about a 5th floor walk up. So I'm now considering the financial district through VRBO. I've used them before and it's been great. However, I see that even some of the NY listings on VRBO can be scams. I'm looking at http://www.vrbo.com/158765. I've spoken to her and she seems quite legit. However, any comments from you fodorites would be appreciated as well. She seems to be the most legit and easy going out of all that I've looked into.

I continue to wonder WHY you need to rent a private apartment for a vacation? It's soooo chancy in NYC. You'll probably be asked for cleaning fees, a security deposit... If you are coming for a month or more, I understand. But otherwise, there are plenty of suite hotels that will give you the space and kitchen of a apt. with hotel maid service etc. If you're thinking of staying in Battery Park, what's wrong with the Embassy Suites? You'll get a 1 bedroom apt. and full cooked breakfast included.

I, too, prefer staying in apartments when I visit New York. But I rent them through New York Habitats, not private individuals.

By the way, I think one of the problems you can run into in the Financial District or too close to the river is the deadness of some parts of it at night. It's spotty, but you may find your little rental corner of it shuttered up at night, with no nearby restaurants or coffee spots/bars open. And you might have a hike to markets and drugstores to get supplies. I wouldn't worry about safety there more than I would in GV, but I'd prefer something with more services right at hand.

I was actually wondering about that zeppole. I'm still trying to decide between the Battery Park area and the Park South Hotel which seems to be the most reasonable decent hotel available for 5 nights at $2k.

In response to mclaurie:
the reason for looking into an apartment rental is the hotel prices Sept 18-23. We had a trip booked for the 4th of July weekend with a stay at the Millenium UN Plaza (where we stayed last time) booked for just a little over $1k for 5 nights. Unfortunately, my husband was diagnosed with pneumonia the day before leaving and we had to cancel everything. And we had to eat our $400+ Yankee tickets. So, in essence, we have already lost money on this trip and didn't realize that September in NY was the beginning of high season. Although, there isn't much we can do about it. So, while this will be the most expensive trip to NY that we've taken, I am trying to conserve where I can. And yes, there is a refundable deposit and small cleaning fee, the 1 br apt is still cheaper than any hotel at that time. And considering the airline change fees now, at $150 per ticket, I'm quite stressed about trying to save money where I can. We'll probably be eating lot's of Grays Papaya!

I'm sorry about the canceled trip but I find it hard to believe you had to eat $400 worth of Yankee tickets. Tickets are at such a premium this year I think you could have easily sold them at stubhub, ebay or elsewhere (maybe even here).

As to the apt. thing, yes, I understand but there's such a high risk of losing ALL your money by picking wrong for an apt. from an individual. I agree with zeppole, try nyhabitat.com or furnishedquarters.com and see what they can offer. At least they're reputable agencies that will stand behind a rental.

There are quite a few "b & b's" that rent out the equivalent of an apt. Have you looked at any of those? You can even read reviews on tripadvisor.com which makes a lot less like guesswork. Some of the options include

west-eleventh.com
abingdonguesthouse.com
gvhabitue.com
wymanhouse.com
1871house.com
chelsealodgesuites.com

The Milburnhotel.com on the upper west side has a 1 bedroom suite with a king bed for $1900 for the 5 nights. It's a bit dated but nice area and good space with kitchenette.

PS, the Milburn is very close to Gray's Papaya. ;)

HaHa on Gray's. Thanks for the B&B's Mclaurie but I've already tried all of them. All booked for my dates. So tired of looking already. And re-booking airfare really sucks right now.

And actually, I did try to sell the tix. Craigslist and ebay. Tried to practically give them away really. Red Sox game too. Tried stubhub as well but due to the short time available for shipping, we were supposed to leave on 7/2 red eye, game was on 7/6, they wouldn't let me list. AND, because of the Friday holiday, I would have had to ship Thursday evening for Saturday delivery to arrive in time. Believe me, I tried everything I could. Posted on here even. Shocking that I had so much trouble getting rid of Yankee/Red Sox tix. Maybe everyone was on holiday elsewhere.............

The Milburn is available.

bookmarking to keep mclaurie's b&b list handy

Booked at Milburn, The Bedford and Park South Hotel. Any comments on these?