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Hi. My husband and I (who currently live in Park Slope) are considering an apartment on 153rd and St. Nicholas. I'm a native NY'er and relatively street savvy having lived in many different neighborhoods in NYC. But I'm not as familiar with this area. I work late at night and come home anywhere from 9:30P-11:30P. From work, I can take either the 1 train to 157th Street or the ABCD train to 145th (am aware there is a C train stop on 155th but I hate the C train with a passion as they're so infrequent).
The things that are important to us are:
1. safety at night
2. a neighborhood that's relatively quiet (realize it's block by block in this neighborhood -- would appreciate any input)
Yeah - that part of Harlem is still pretty hood. But you're a native right? You should know how to move by now. You're not far from the Polo Grounds, which is you average crappy Harlem housing project.
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
Someone I know has family up that way. One day he went to the local drug store and was in for a shock; the place was on total lock down. There was a small waiting area just inside the doors but everything else was behind a thick wall. There was a bullet proof thick glass window with a sliding door/window sort of arrangement. You stated your business and all transactions occurred through the window. It was like something out of the 1970's. *LOL*
The problem with using the 1 is that, on many cross-streets in the 150's, that long block between Broadway and Amsterdam has relatively more crime stats on maps. Setting that aside, it's hilly there. Notice any uphill blocks now from the 1 on your homeward walk. It sounds silly but, depending on your stamina, you may notice them more in winter cold or if tired after work. If you're healthy and strong, no problem.
If you take the apartment, you might decide in time you'd get over your C-dislike for infrequency, which I agree is annoying. But from the C, you only walk 2 blocks late-night instead of maybe 6 blocks from the 1.
Also see if a bus drop-off might serve you better, if you transfer off a train onto a bus somewhere along your way home. Buses may come closer to your home block, but also have somewhat unreliable schedules. Evening bus delays aren't so much for traffic. One night on an M-5 up there, I thought I was a mile from home when the bus I was on stopped, waiting 15 minutes with passengers for the next shift's driver to show up. Or you'll see several same-type buses come tailgating each other, then none. It's not an ideal solution, but you might come to terms with it as an alternative. There are new bus smartphone apps, plus the MTA text-in, that tells you real-time next bus arrivals, not just the posted street schedules. I put up with a lot of bus-delaying to enjoy getting dropped off very close to home.
All told, I think I'd start out using the 1 and see how you feel. If your city experience holds up, you won't mind the walk home from the 1, just stay alert, as you know. Some of those crime stats relate to drug dealing and won't impact you as a passer-through, walking strong.
Another thing about that neighborhood (I lived 160@Riverside and mostly used the 1) is I felt the age/gender shift around 10 p.m. weeknights when the grandparents and moms with young kids went indoors. Where I lived was an active and sociable family street life that made me feel safe walking home before, say, 10:30 p.m. because "everybody's" outside until around then, which is good. After then, away from Broadway, it's pretty much teens and young adults for rest of the night, which felt different than earlier in the evenings. In a year, nothing happened but it just felt a little more tense to me if I came home after 10/10:30 than before that.
Even that's not an all-or-nothing statement. Until midnight, there are still plenty of shift-workers of every age and gender, coming home, filling the 1 train (seated-full, not standing). So that 157th stop had around 2 dozen departing passengers, keeping Broadway full of people walking home after each train well into midnight. I didn't see the C that late, so can't compare. The issue is the long blocks between B'way and Amsterdam, and there you might find some you feel are better than others.
Very different neighborhood than Park Slope!
Last edited by BrightRabbit; 07-13-2015 at 07:45 AM..
Thanks for all of the input. It is very helpful. My husband would rather have me cab it from work in the evenings but I don't think it's necessary.
I do have another question -- the apartment in question is for purchase, not rental. With Columbia's Manhattanville campus, I'm assuming there will be an appreciation in property value around the Broadway/Riverside area. Would this area be affected as well? Or is there something (eg. Polo Grounds) that will keep it from doing so?
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