Roll Call! What NYC neighborhood do you live in? and name a few pros and cons about it.... (White Plains: home, neighborhoods)

[DAS]

MANY people have no idea how nice the neighborhood is...still kind of a hidden gem

It won't be anymore.

At the mercy of the 1 train!!
It can be hard to get a cab.

I can always get a cab.

[drkman]

Crown Heights (living here for 12 years)

PROS:

• Easy commute to Manhattan via 3, 4 train
• 2, 5, A and Q train easily accessible
• Close proximity to Cultural Institutions (Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Jewish Museum)
• Close proximity to Prospect Park and Botanical Garden
• Nice sized apartments
• Culturally Diverse (live in the Jewish and Black section)
• Numerous Bus routes to various sections of Brooklyn
• Close enough to hang out in Fort Greene, Park Slope etc without paying the prices for those areas.
• Reasonably quiet

CONS:

• No real nightlife to speak of, but more things are beginning to open in North Crown Heights
• Some crime hot spots
• No diversity in restaurants (mostly Caribbean, Chinese Take Out or Fast Food)
• Parking is horrendous
• Alternate side 4x a week

Personally, I enjoy living in Crown Heights and have no intention on leaving.

Fort Greene/Clinton Hill

PROS:

• Diverse neighborhoods
• Loads of restaurants and bars in the area
• Some of the best commuting in New York via subway
• Numerous Bus Lines
• BAM
• Fort Greene Park
• Easy shopping

CONS:

• Rent
• Rent
• Parking
• Parking
• Rent

[moxiecat]

GREAT POST!!!!

UES (wahhhh!!) 88th/2nd av

pros: Lex. Ave subway line, lots of loud and rowdy college grads, families with kids, predictable apartment layouts

cons: all the above

[UpsonDowns]

Washington Heights
Fort Washington/170s

Pros
Pretty cheap rent for a huge apartment in an elevator building
(a little over $1300 for around 700sf)
Gorgeous buildings
15 minutes to Columbus Circle on the A train, the 1 train is also a few blocks away
A million people walking on the streets so I always feel safe whether it is 1pm or 1am
Close to the GWB bus terminal
(I often hop on Jersey Transit to go to Ikea or Garden State Plaza for a bit of a suburban vacation)
Tons of inexpensive take-out
(as long as you like Dominican or Chinese)
Easy access to uncrowded parks
Nice library
(although I usually go up to the one in Inwood because it's right by the subway and I'm lazy)
I love the contrast between the hustle on Broadway and the serenity of Ft Washington

Cons
Not much restaurant variety, but it's getting better
The local movie theater has very thin walls and the attendees are rowdy, we don't go there anymore
Lack of decent grocery stores
(but I've never lived in a neighborhood in NYC with a decent grocery store)

[ProvGuy]

I got a question about Rockaway, why is the area south of Larkin Ave headed toward the beach between 61st and 73rd all completely vacant? What used to be there?

[SeventhFloor]

Originally Posted by ProvGuy

I got a question about Rockaway, why is the area south of Larkin Ave headed toward the beach between 61st and 73rd all completely vacant? What used to be there?

slummy bungalows....razed during the arverne urban renewal project in the 60's.....city hit the fiscal crisis in the 70's and could not afford to continute with the project....that has changed now, with arverne-by-the-sea and water's edge, 2 developments that are currently being built on that site....search for arverne in this forum and i posted a video on how the site looks now.

[nep321]

Midtown, Manhattan

Pros:
Excellent access to anywhere in the city via subway or bus.
One of the safest areas in the city to live.
Excellent shopping choices within steps.

Cons:
Too busy and noisy at all times of the day and night.
Not so residential; less grocery/laundry options nearby.
Too many tourists walking around.
Expensive (My 300 sq. ft. studio has a legal rent of $1,800 now).

Overall:
After living here for over a year, I would prefer to live in a real neighborhood that isn't bombarded with tourists or businessmen. Midtown is really a business district and is not ideal for residential life. Constant beeping, loud trucks and people making noise, really makes this place the center of chaos and noise. But, it is very safe and I would recommend it to someone who wants to move to an area in NYC with a more traditional American city feel. The people in this neighborhood are normal professional types; no goths, alternative, etc. My rating: 7/10.

[mead]

Originally Posted by nep321

Midtown, Manhattan

Pros:
Excellent access to anywhere in the city via subway or bus.
One of the safest areas in the city to live.
Excellent shopping choices within steps.

Cons:
Too busy and noisy at all times of the day and night.
Not so residential; less grocery/laundry options nearby.
Too many tourists walking around.
Expensive (My 300 sq. ft. studio has a legal rent of $1,800 now).

.

WOAH! 300 sq feet? Thats some tight space. I guess I've read about those tiny studios, but never seen one in person. How do you manage that?

If you're having problems with your neighborhood I would suggest you look into the Upper East Side. I've seen studios on craigslist in the UES for $1,600/$1,700. Probably same or more space and less noise for you to deal with.

[NYLifes2shrt]

Manhatten - Financial District 2 block from Seaport:

I lived on the 51st floor 1 bdrm 1000 sq ft.

No closet
Too loud
Had to down to walk the dog 4 to 5 times a day
Park my 2 cars in the bldg garage that I had to call 30 mins in advance
Doorman and everyone else in the bldg knew my business
No access to outside immediatly
No pool
No privacy
No yard

Now I bought a house a 4 story house Staten Island

Fab view of New Jersey, the city and Brooklyn from every floor of my house
Lots of Room!
Big Yard (bldg a custom pool for the hot summers)
In the city in 30 mins!

Greaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!!!!!!

[Q-d0g_Bronx]

quote from rlrl -("CNG--I always saw the NE Bronx as dull(as you seem to say) more than unsafe. Even before it changed I always perceived it as flat, drab and dull. I work at 238th street and White Plains Rdarea and it's pretty dull here and it seems to get worse as you go south to Allerton; south of that it seems to liven up")...just stay away from most the public housing in the northeast & you wont get ya head popped off