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Thanks so much for all the help!! Are there any "bad" parts either safety or location-wise areas in uws I might avoid or anything in my budget I find should be okay?
How long will you stay? Will your kids go to public or private school? What's your vibe? Are you artsy, foodies, into music, movies, religious, conservative, liberal, athletic, outdoorsy? Do you want quiet, residential streets or lots of ground floor bars and restaurants? Those answers will help you pick a neighborhood.
Thanks so much for all the help!! Are there any "bad" parts either safety or location-wise areas in uws I might avoid or anything in my budget I find should be okay?
There is a limited amount of good public schools in NYC and they are competitive to get into. Be aware of the zoning of local schools if you plan to use public schools. You might find yourself having to overcompensate for crowded schools.
The below link is a UWS neighborhood blog you can look at to get a feel for the area.
We don't need to be concerned about schools yet because I'm sure we will move into a bigger place before our oldest turns 5.
We are conservative and religious and some what outsoorsy and love our food but don't need everyone to be just like us...a residential street with a very easy walk to playgrounds, restaurants, coffee shops etc and accessable to children's museum and zoo shopping entertainment and stuff is probably good for us. Not into the bar scene much.
If you are considering private school then you will want to make your neighborhood choice with regards to the preschools that have good exmissions. The Upper East Side is your best bet for quiet and residential.
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We are conservative and religious and some what outsoorsy and love our food but don't need everyone to be just like us..
Weird. Why NYC as a choice unless you have to? Doesn't seem like a good fit, ESPECIALLY the part where you don't need everyone to be just like you. I've noticed that NYC has a very hive-like mentality whereas if you don't conform (aka in the most yuppified obnoxiously bland of ways) you will be ostracized. "New Yorkers" seem to love to scream they love diversity of thought and action, but I rarely find that to be the case.
Come to the Upper West Side! It's great here. There are lots of families and good schools. I would probably say anywhere from 70th to 100th. There are some great schools here. You may want to check what the ZONED school is for the address of apartments you visit. The school PS 9, PS 452, PS 199, and PS 87 are first rate.
Yorkville, which is the Upper East Side-East is very family friendly.
The new 2nd Ave subway/Q train will get you from 86th street on the upper east side to Herald Square (one block from MSG) in around 10-15 minutes.
Carl Schurz Park has a huge playground with tons of kids running around. The crosstown buses make it easy to get to the Natural History Museum, Met museum of Art, Central Park, which is awesome.
I can think of a half dozen grocery stores within a 5 block radius from my apartment. There is no shortage of restaurants. It seems like there are maybe 40%-50% stalwarts and the remainder come and go like the seasons.
The downside is that it’s a bit out of the way and quiet but IMO that’s been good for us (with twin now 14 yo girls). It’s also a bit construction-crazy.
If you are considering private schools, start looking into them now. Some are very competitive.
There are young families with children all over Manhattan, Battery Park, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Chelsea. Anything in District 2 is going to be a good elementary school and hard to get into, even if you are zoned for a specific school. Young families, schlep with strollers all over the city in all sorts of weather and on public transportation. If you wish to live close to MSG, then best bets are West Village (if you can afford it), Chelsea, all those new buildings near the High Line, Hell's Kitchen, and Upper West Side. Plenty of activities/museums for children all over, not just the "famous" big museums. And don't forget the New York Public Library which has tons and tons of activities for tots-teenagers.
Last edited by Kefir King; 01-11-2018 at 07:36 AM..
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