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Washington Heights has a lot of pros and cons. I loved the A train when I lived right at 175th/Fort Washington Ave. I could literally walk outside and get to Midtown in 20 minutes when it was running right. Unfortunately, that wasn't as often as one would reasonably expect or hope. The worst was on the weekend, they'd shut down the 175th stop entirely forcing me to walk to 168th then take it LOCAL all the way to 59th. That sucked.
I found that I got a TON of space there by Manhattan standards for the money. Pre-war apartments up there are built huge, with high ceilings and good layouts. I literally had more space than I even knew what to do with. I shared an apartment and my rent was $900 a month.
Fort Washington Ave. has completely gentrified with it being more questionable as you go east of Broadway. My biggest frustration was grocery shopping. If you like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc. there just isn't anything there. I wound up getting FreshDirect and that's the best money I've ever spent. There's also a lack of diversity in restaurants but it seems to be getting better. There's a lot of good restaurants up on 181st, good Thai, sushi, Chinese and pizza. I also enjoyed Fort Washington Park and the bike trails. Beautiful views of the Hudson River and not congested with too many people.
I know some people will get mad at me for saying this, but I did experience some reverse racism up there as a Caucasian woman. This was made painfully obvious when I went to the Dominican-owned stores. I never got a smile, a hello, nothing. It was always a very cold transaction, even when I spoke in Spanish. Which always struck me as odd, because I'd be friendly myself. As I spent time up there, I started to realize how many families were being priced out/pushed out to the Bronx. So I suppose I understand some of it, but believe me when I say it was less than pleasant to experience firsthand.
Last edited by EastBoundandDownChick; 02-16-2016 at 04:28 PM..
Washington Heights has a lot of pros and cons. I loved the A train when I lived right at 175th/Fort Washington Ave. I could literally walk outside and get to Midtown in 20 minutes when it was running right. Unfortunately, that wasn't as often as one would reasonably expect or hope. The worst was on the weekend, they'd shut down the 175th stop entirely forcing me to walk to 168th then take it LOCAL all the way to 59th. That sucked.
I found that I got a TON of space there by Manhattan standards for the money. Pre-war apartments up there are built huge, with high ceilings and good layouts. I literally had more space than I even knew what to do with. I shared an apartment and my rent was $900 a month.
Fort Washington Ave. has completely gentrified with it being more questionable as you go east of Broadway. My biggest frustration was grocery shopping. If you like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc. there just isn't anything there. I wound up getting FreshDirect and that's the best money I've ever spent. There's also a lack of diversity in restaurants but it seems to be getting better. There's a lot of good restaurants up on 181st, good Thai, sushi, Chinese and pizza. I also enjoyed Fort Washington Park and the bike trails. Beautiful views of the Hudson River and not congested with too many people.
I know some people will get mad at me for saying this, but I did experience some reverse racism up there as a Caucasian woman. This was made painfully obvious when I went to the Dominican-owned stores. I never got a smile, a hello, nothing. It was always a very cold transaction, even when I spoke in Spanish. Which always struck me as odd, because I'd be friendly myself. As I spent time up there, I started to realize how many families were being priced out/pushed out to the Bronx. So I suppose I understand some of it, but believe me when I say it was less than pleasant to experience firsthand.
lmao I'm dominican and I get treated a little rude too. Dominican restaurants are known for that. The service isn't great.
This is sort of a rant. But I recently signed a lease to a humongous 2BR on 51 and 8 in midtown. I'm paying $3200 for rent and may rent the other room out. I feel lucky to have got the place in such a prime location right next to 50th street subway
HOWEVER I hate all the damn tourist and transplants. Nothing about my neighborhood feels like authentic New York, nor do I feel I fit in with the 'community'. Which seems to be a large portion of gay yuppie white men.
I miss my bodegas, seeing families, hearing Spanish in the streets..just the whole flavor. Now I live somewhere flavor-less and extremely expensive
Man, I don't know what people are talking about given how expensive every neighborhood is becoming... I just saw a listing in EAST NEW YORK for a 3-bedroom apartment for $2200 . And here the OP has a huge two bedroom near central Manhattan for $3200. That's a steal at that location. Regarding the other things you mentioned, there are still remnants of the past in Hell's Kitchen not too far off from you. I have friends that live I think on either 51st or 52nd between 10th and 11th. There's a couple of old rent-stabilized buildings where you'll still see your fair share of bodegas and other Latino owned businesses in that immediate area. It's been a couple years since I passed by; hopefully it hasn't changed too much.
Washington Heights is located in Manhattan. During rush hour, it's a half-hour to (west) Midtown.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raveneye217
They're certainly similar; I think Washington Heights might be a bit louder and overall just have a more prominent Spanish presence. But Spanish Harlem isn't a slouch either (though that area has gentrified a bit). He didn't move for cultural reasons, rather the commute from Washington Heights into Manhattan just took its toll.
Man, I don't know what people are talking about given how expensive every neighborhood is becoming... I just saw a listing in EAST NEW YORK for a 3-bedroom apartment for $2200 . And here the OP has a huge two bedroom near central Manhattan for $3200. That's a steal at that location. Regarding the other things you mentioned, there are still remnants of the past in Hell's Kitchen not too far off from you. I have friends that live I think on either 51st or 52nd between 10th and 11th. There's a couple of old rent-stabilized buildings where you'll still see your fair share of bodegas and other Latino owned businesses in that immediate area. It's been a couple years since I passed by; hopefully it hasn't changed too much.
$2200 is actually very cheap for a three bedroom apartment. If you have three people living in each bedroom, the rent would only be $733. The price reflects the area appropriately.
Washington Heights is located in Manhattan. During rush hour, it's a half-hour to (west) Midtown.
To clarify: I meant he moved from Washington Heights to Spanish Harlem because of the quicker commute into MIDTOWN of Manhattan.. Should have made that clear.
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