washington heights/morningside heights: safe? (Amsterdam, Inwood: houses, neighborhood, university)

[sere2411]

Hi all,
I am moving in NY next week and I have to decide btw 2 places, one in Morningside Heights (123rd street and bdway) and the other in Washington Heights (Fort Washington and 172nd street), do you know if these areas are safe? I have to confess I'm quite surprised to find them so cheap in comparison to other places, also in Brooklyn and Queens..
Thanks, cheers!

[coolcuddledude]

you betcha!!!

[SuperMario]

Ft Washington and 172nd isn't too bad.

123rd and Broadway is sketchier. There are a ton of projects on 125th and Broadway (Manhattanville PJ's) all the way through. Given the choice I would choose the first address.

[Viralmd]

I would agree, the Washington Heights area you've mentioned is safer.

[NooYowkur81]

Fort Washington is definitely nicer.

[Coem]

The Inwood area above the GW Bridge is gentrifying faster than Washington Heights, however WH I found to be quite safe.

[UpsonDowns]

I live on Ft Washington - it is quite safe and very close to the subway. Since it is just up the street from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, there are lots of med students in the neighborhood.

One warning, be street smart no matter where you move to. Last night, I came in to my building behind a new neighbor and she didn't turn around once to see who was behind her. That's just plain dumb. Always be aware of your surroundings - always look to see who is behind you when you are entering a building or an elevator. Don't be afraid to "offend" the person behind you. That is self-defense lesson #1.

[lilachu]

I know this post is old, but in case someone else reads this and gets the wrong idea, I had to respond. 123rd Street and Broadway is a terrific block and very safe! I live one block further north and grew up around the corner. Yes, it's close to Grant Houses (a public housing unit), but that does NOT make it a seedy or bad area. There are housing projects around the corner from Lincoln Center, too, but no one would say that's a rough area. It's just a few blocks north of Columbia and the area is mostly students, artists, and professionals with kids. The #1 train is right there (more convenient than Washington Heights), so are all the buses and cabs you could want, and great restaurants like Pisticci and Toast. Then there's Fairway, Citarella, etc. Riverside Park is around the corner. Columbia University security patrols the area constantly, too, for added safety.

Morningside Heights is now and has always been safe; it is not a ghetto by ANY stretch of the imagination and has only gotten more expensive/desirable in the last 10 years.

[quelinda]

Oh no, I would live in the 123rd & Bway location rather than Washington Heights any day of the week. So much more accessible for one thing. And right near a very very quiet neighborhood one avenue over going west, on Riverside drive. Going east to Amsterdam there are some projects, but just go about your business on Bway and you should be fine. Your only a few blocks away from Fairway, which is a great grocery store with a parking lot, and there fixing up the parks around the river, not too far from Broadway.

I lived in Ft Washington years ago and it was only accessible by the A train, which barely ever came and it was so far to get home. That is about 3 miles uptown from the Bway location. Remember, most of life occurs downtown (meaning work, going out etc) so the further downtown you live the better. Also keep in mind that while Washington Heights/Ft Washington has never caused me any problems in the tons of times I've visited friends there and been shopping there, it is known as the drug capital of the metro area, which could make things dicey. Oh yeah, except when I was double parked in front of my friend's building on Vermilyea (in Wash Heights) and these kids were throwing their ball and kept purposely hitting my car. I ended up getting into it with the parents. Whateva!

If you'll have a car DEFINITELY PICK BWAY! There are literally a million empty spots on Riverside Drive around 123rd street. That is just two avenues west of Broadway. You'll basically have your own parking lot over there as its near a park and there are no buildings on that avenue so plenty of spaces.