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I'd like to know which neighborhoods in Manhattan the locals love the most. Which neighborhood would you live in at the drop of a hat if you could?
Super extra bonus points for you if you feel like sharing the pros and cons, compare and contrast:
Chelsea
East/West Village
Upper East/West Side
Also, how does one find a rental there? Is it all done through a broker, or are there some good private (owner) rentals as well? Are prices negotiable? Any other sage advise you'd like to share?
I live in the East Village and love it for the shops, restaurants, bars, and Tompkins Square Park. The park is a wonderful amenity and one of the, if not the best, neighborhood parks in the city. There's nothing like it in Chelsea or Hell's Kitchen (two other places I've lived).
The biggest disadvantage is transportation. It's very poorly served by the subway. I usually end up walking or taking the bus to Union Square, but that adds 15 to 20 minutes on to my commute. It's better if you live near First or Second Avenues because you're closer to the train.
The shops and restaurants in the East Village tend to be a little more indie than in the West Village or Chelsea. There's something for every taste and in, most importantly, in every price range. You can get a great meal for under $10. That's harder to do elsewhere.
If I had to move I'd go back to Hell's Kitchen. Mainly because the transportation is so convenient.
I've been reading the forum a lot to get other's opinions on the neighborhoods I've mentioned. Based on what I've seen so far, it appears that:
Chelsea: is hip, "gay area" (fine by me), but is it noisy, nice, good amount of amenities (grocery and restaurants) within walking distance? What type and age of person would you generalize that lives there? Parks, etc?
West Village: really nice and very hip, most expensive of the areas I've mentioned, but sounds like it is probably really active (read loud). Same questions as above, what age and type of person live there?
East Village: more "hipster", but is it grungey?
Upper East Side: quieter, a little more spread out (as in you have to walk further for restaurants, subway, grocery), a mix of old money close to the park and white collar further out. The apartments are bigger on upper east and west side. You have the park, but are all areas near the park desirable?
Upper West Side: a bit more hip than upper east side but still a quieter part of town, 20s to 40s, good transportation and amenities.
Am I close with what I've gathered so far? If I were looking for a 3br for around 5k to 6k, on a quieter, tree lined street with mostly professionals as my neighbors that has good access to public transportation and has some nice restaurants and cool (not crazy) nightlife, where would I look?
I've been reading the forum a lot to get other's opinions on the neighborhoods I've mentioned. Based on what I've seen so far, it appears that:
Chelsea: is hip, "gay area" (fine by me), but is it noisy, nice, good amount of amenities (grocery and restaurants) within walking distance? What type and age of person would you generalize that lives there? Parks, etc?
Whether Chelsea is nice depends on your taste. Some blocks are fairly nice looking, others not the most attractive in the city. Chelsea has become a hip area but I don't think it's the most aesthetically pleasing part of Manhattan. There are more restaurants, etc., now than, say, 10 years ago. It doesn't have a huge number of parks, just some small ones, but they've made some progress on that front with the Hudson River Park and the High Line.
West Village: really nice and very hip, most expensive of the areas I've mentioned, but sounds like it is probably really active (read loud). Same questions as above, what age and type of person live there?
The West Village (which to me is west of 7th Av, or at least 6th), is only loud in a few places. Right on the avenue, or on W 4 or Bleecker Street east of 7th Av, can be loud. Christopher St maybe. But it's got a lot of very quiet and peaceful streets lined with brick townhouses. As you move west of Hudson the look is different, and it can appear deceivingly desolate. There's actually a lot to do, but it's pretty quiet. The real noise in the Village is east of 6th Ave, near MacDougal Street and on 3rd and Bleecker from LaGuardia to 6th.
East Village: more "hipster", but is it grungey?
It was more grungy 10 or 15 years ago. It may look grungy in comparison because it's got more walk-up tenement buildings than the quainter West Village, but it's not a totally grunge scene by any stretch. Might still be too grungy for your tastes.
Upper East Side: quieter, a little more spread out (as in you have to walk further for restaurants, subway, grocery), a mix of old money close to the park and white collar further out. The apartments are bigger on upper east and west side. You have the park, but are all areas near the park desirable?
All areas near the Park on the east side are desirable, and even very exclusive, except maybe a stretch north of 96 St. Even that up it isn't bad on 5th Av. The Conservatory Garden (which is gorgeous) and the Museum of the City of New York and a couple of other museums are up there above Mount Sinai. Madison and Park through there have some public housing and bodegas.
Unless you're all the way over by York Av, I don't know that you'll have to go that far for restaurants. There are a ton of restaurants and bars on 1st, 2nd, 3rd Av. From 5th to Park not as many, at least not relatively afforable ones. From Lex to the East River are some of the more affordable apts in Manhattan below 96th. A lot of walkups and a lot of post-60's buildings. The scene is a little more 20-something professional, preppy and kind of fratty.
Upper West Side: a bit more hip than upper east side but still a quieter part of town, 20s to 40s, good transportation and amenities.
The Upper West Side has a lot of people over 40 who've been living there forever. It's not exclusively, or even largely, a young person's neighborhood until you get closer to Columbia. I don't know if it's more "hip" than the UES. Traditionally it's been more intellectual, more Jewish, less finance-oriented, not quite as bland. So maybe that's where the "hip" impression comes from. I think it looks nicer, and Broadway breaks up the monotony of the grid and allows for some squares and cafes.
Transportation is OK, except that a lot of people work on the east side of Midtown and it takes longer to get there from the UWS. The UES is a straight shot, the UWS requires a transfer. Downtown it's easier (near Union Sq, W 4, Canal, even 34) to get to multiple trains serving both east and west sides.
Near the Park is desirable from Columbus Circle to maybe the mid-90's. Even in this stretch Central Park West has some gorgeous buildings but, becasue it's relatively desolate after dark (no stores or restaurants on it to speak of), there are more muggings there than elsewhere on the UWS. Not to suggest it's a high crime area, but it's better to walk on Columbus than CPW late at night.
Below the mid-90's the neighborhood is pretty similar from the park to the river. Above the mid-90's it is more upscale west of Broadway. Amsterdam and Columbus from about 94th to 110th have a lot of tenements and public housing, and some of the side streets (109th, I think) were known for a huge rat problem. West End and Riverside still have mostly pre-war buildings with doormen up there.
Am I close with what I've gathered so far? If I were looking for a 3br for around 5k to 6k, on a quieter, tree lined street with mostly professionals as my neighbors that has good access to public transportation and has some nice restaurants and cool (not crazy) nightlife, where would I look?
With that budget and not seeking noise, you'd probably not look in the East Village. You might look around Union Square and Gramercy Park, though. The West Village, Chelsea, or the Upper West, all might fit. It depends on a more specific definition of your preferred scene.
Rentals most often happen with a broker, at a hefty fee. Often the non-broker apts are not as nice. Compared to about 3 years ago, you might have an easier time negotiating the rent, and especially the fee. It certainly never hurts to try. You might avoid the brokers if you look in some of the larger high-end buildings that have opened. They often have a leasing office and you'll pay only an "amenity fee" for the building's gym, etc., that is far lower than a broker's fee.
Do you think that I could find a nice 3 br in the 5-6k range in those areas? For me, nice mostly means a relatively modern kitchen and bath. Bonuses are high-rise, elevator, doorman, gym, etc. Also, what do people do with their cars in these areas?
Do you think that I could find a nice 3 br in the 5-6k range in those areas? For me, nice mostly means a relatively modern kitchen and bath. Bonuses are high-rise, elevator, doorman, gym, etc. Also, what do people do with their cars in these areas?
Thanks!
I haven't kept track of rental prices super closely since I moved away but I would imagine you'd do OK in that range. I sure hope so. For 5-6k a month, you could pay the mortgage on a million dollar house.
The car thing, though, will cut into your budget. A lot of people simply don't have a car in Manhattan. Then there are people, even in those Manhattan neighborhoods, who park on the street, but between alternate side and the hassle of finding a spot in the first place it's not easy, and the car is likely to get dinged up pretty fast. It's especially a pain if you take the car somewhere and come home late. A lot of people therefore pay for a parking garage. That can run hundreds a month, with price depending on the location. More for a larger car like an SUV. And most are not self-serve, so you're tipping the attendents pretty regularly.
I did not have a car when I lived in Manhattan or Brooklyn. I finally got one when living in Hunters Point in Long Island City, Queens. For a while it was pretty easy to park on the street there, but it got progressively tougher and I got a space in the building's garage. Luckily for me they'd dropped the price to under $100/month. It made a huge difference-no more circling the neighborhood in search of parking.
Do you think that I could find a nice 3 br in the 5-6k range in those areas? For me, nice mostly means a relatively modern kitchen and bath. Bonuses are high-rise, elevator, doorman, gym, etc. Also, what do people do with their cars in these areas?
Personally, I wouldn't live in Manhattan again at the drop of a hat at all because I love it so much in Brooklyn. I never felt quite at home in Manhattan, and I really do here. But lets say I had to live in Manhattan, it would be somewhere in the area north of Canal St, west of West Broadway, east of Greenwich St, and south of West 12th St. I like the area because it has really quiet patches with unique, pretty buildings and tons of tiny shops, and subway access is generally pretty good. Bad side is that there are a lot of rich people, snobby people (sometimes), tourists and hipsters there!
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