East Nashville to Vanderbilt commute (Cleveland, Portland: homes, living, price)

[jbmill3]

Originally Posted by multics

As for East Nashville, I don't think anyone on here -- suburbanites and exurbanites included -- will disagree that taking back and revitalizing an area that had descended into crime and decay is a good thing. Almost everyone wants to see East Nashville succeed, but they need to be realistic about its positives and negatives. It's certainly not for everyone right now, but it's definitely an option for some.

And I don't think anyone on here will disagree that being "realistic about its positives and negatives" is a good thing. Isn't the disagreement about what it means to "be realistic" about East Nashville? Like, do you need to carry a pistol in your pocket to be safe walking around on the streets? Almost certainly not. And suggesting that it might be a good idea isn't necessarily being "realistic"; its scaremongering.

[FiveSevenNine]

To get back to my question: the commute from East Nashville to Vandy...

I'm wondering what the traffic is like from the east Nashville area through downtown to Vanderbilt. Does it get pretty congested during rush hour or no? Are drivers pretty friendly to bikers or have there been a lot of bike-related deaths in the downtown area? Are Nashville drivers friendly to bikers in general?

Its not the distance that worries me, or the safety of the area--I understand that not all parts of East Nashville are safe but am willing to be selective and careful in my home-searching..I'm mostly wondering about the feasibility of the commute and the amount of time it would take...

[rossc]

The commute could be 30 - 45 minutes in rush hour. Maybe 15 minutes in light traffic. Getting through downtown is the hard part. If you were working on the East side of downtown, it would be a breeze. I wouldn't try biking from EN to Vandy. We're avid bikers, and generally speaking, the drivers are not very patient. When we moved here we had hopes of being able to commute more by bicycle, but it's just not practical. The transit buses have bike racks. You could bike to the bus stop and take the bus over to the west side.

[rossc]

Originally Posted by bluesky42day

At least you're open minded enough to come hang out with me in my "hood" for a day. I remember saying something along the lines of "now you can go on city-data & tell them you spent the day in EN & didn't get shot in the face" jokingly of course.

We had a good time that day, but I must admit, I didn't come unarmed. Bad things happen everywhere, even in Brentwood. Best to be prepared.

[multics]

Originally Posted by jbmill3

And I don't think anyone on here will disagree that being "realistic about its positives and negatives" is a good thing. Isn't the disagreement about what it means to "be realistic" about East Nashville? Like, do you need to carry a pistol in your pocket to be safe walking around on the streets? Almost certainly not. And suggesting that it might be a good idea isn't necessarily being "realistic"; its scaremongering.

Everyone has a different comfort level with crime, so they need to make their own assessments based on objective information (like the metro crime maps and police reports) as well as trusted subjective information (like opinions from friends who live or work in the area).

That said, my personal assessment of East Nashville, based on the sources of information I mentioned above, is this: there's still a fair bit of crime (with some pretty serious crimes occasionally), but it's on its way, has a great vibe and a vibrant, active community, and is not the crime-ridden hellhole some people try to make it out to be. For me though, since I'm not very street smart, have a hard time dealing with crime in general (even petty ones, like getting my car broken into or something stolen off my lawn) and tend to be paranoid anyway, it's probably not the best place for me right now. However, if you are street smart, used to living in urban areas (or feel confident about living in one), and aren't oblivious to your surroundings and behavior, it can be a great place to live and invest in and I would encourage you to do so to speed up the gentrification process out there.

[bluesky42day]

Ross I am SO glad you had a good time, next East CAN event I'll be sure to let you know.

Jbmill3, yes, unfortunately sometimes it is "scaremongering" whether it be about EN or another part of the city that makes some people feel uncomfortable.

Multics, right on.

Now to the OP, I live off of Shelby & could be at Vandy within 10 minutes easily, rush hour I would say 17 minutes but realize from Inglewood it may be a lot longer.

30-45 minutes would never happen where I live in East Nashville unless there is something extreme going on causing major road closures...which does happen every single time the Titans play. The police block off not only the main bridge that connects me to my house but also the closest Interstate access to me *sigh*.

As far as biking I don't think most drivers in Nashville are courteous or aware enough of bikers, the friendly ones are more of the exception than the rule. So many people commute to Nashville from as far away as Bowling Green & are in such a hurry to get out of the city that they don't seem to care who they cut off. And then there are the cell phone talkers weaving in & out of the bike lane...or even worse...the people that PARK in the bike lanes *another sigh* But it definitely can be done & is done routinely by people, you just have to watch out a little more than you may be accustomed to.

[artemis]

My neighbor across the street teaches at Vandy, her drive is about 25 minutes. There are several people in Inglewood who work at Vanderbilt.

[artemis]

Originally Posted by scottv

I drove all over East Nashville last year when looking for a house...I value my safety so I did not buy there. I felt like I made the right decision after reading about the Vandy professor and his sister getting gunned down by some of his diverse neighbors.

This isn't the first time you've ragged on East Nashville. Same old, same old.

So how many of you East Nashvillians are going to get a gun now?

[scottv]

Originally Posted by artemis

This isn't the first time you've ragged on East Nashville. Same old, same old.

So how many of you East Nashvillians are going to get a gun now?

[Carol McCullough]

We live in Cleveland Park (on Stainback near Vaughn) and my husband works at Vanderbilt. He bikes periodically and it takes him about 25 minutes. He's not an avid bike rider (he was in the past), but he is an experienced commuter (which can mean a somewhat liberal view toward some stop signs ).

His route: Cleveland St. to N.9th to Woodland to 5th to Shelby and cross the Gateway Bridge to Demonbreun. Drivers treat him generally ok, but they don't tend to know how to behave. They aren't hateful, just not terribly knowledgeable with regard to how to interact with bike commuters (this perception is based on living a decade in Portland, Oregon which has much better infrastructure for bikes but also seems to have some drivers that are extremely hostile to bike commuters).

Most of the time that you might save driving to Vanderbilt tends to be eaten up by finding and walking from your parking space, so the only real inconveniences with biking are [1] getting a shower once you're there and [2] dealing with the fact that Vandy has inadequate covered bike parking.

In inclement weather, you can use your Vandy ID and ride the bus for free. Bus stops are plentiful in our neighborhood (there are 3 within a block of us). The commute is a bit long (45 minutes to an hour) but it's a good time to read, etc.

When he drives, it takes about 22 minutes door to door (the driving itself takes 12 to 13 minutes and then there is the walk to the building). You will also have to pay for parking. You could do a little of both and drive to some close, free street parking and then bike the rest of the way.

Based on your description of yourself as one who seeks diversity and is familiar with urban living, I highly recommend Cleveland and McFerrin Park. At this point, there are no specific streets to be avoided outright, but there are definitely blocks that have issues. These are almost always obvious to a casual observer, so just pay attention to the surroundings when you are house-hunting and visit a few times at different times of the day/week.

And, *no*, you most certainly should not feel like you need to pack heat. It is certainly your right to do so, but don't feel like all these people who DON'T LIVE HERE know what they are talking about. It's absurd.

I or my husband can tell you more if you want to send me a direct message (he's not on the board). Alternatively, you can attend a neighborhood meeting and talk to others who live here. McFerrin Park meets the first Thursday of every month at the MP Community Center [Meridian and Grace] at 6:30 pm. Cleveland Park meets the second Thursday of every month at the CP Community Center [Bayard and N 6th St] at 6:30 pm (this is a new time, we used to meet at 7p).

Both areas also have google groups: McFerrin Park Neighborhood - Nashville, TN | Google Groups
Cleveland Park - Nashville | Google Groups

Good luck, I hope you find what you are looking for!