42nd between 9th and 10th (New York, York: apartments, rent, neighborhood)

[seanmichaels85]

i am looking at a apartment i may rent in a high rise on 42nd street between 9th and 10th on the west side in midtown manhattan. can anyone tell me if this is a safe place to live? is it safe to leave my apt at 3 am to go to the deli to get a snack or pack of smokes? during the day it seems safe but night time could be a completely different story. let me know what you guys think..thanks....and also do you think $3,000 for a 650 sq ft apt on the 30th floor is outrageous or reasonably priced? thanks so much for your help!

[rlrl]

The area has changed for the better and is getting upscale in certain places. if you stick to 42 street you should be OK but the side streets like Dyer Ave (where the buses come out of the tunnel to go into the PA), 41, 40th and on down are very dicey especially at night. If the deli is on 42 street you may be OK but definitely not if it's off 42 street especially at 3AM. Why go out to the store anywhere at that hour if you had no reason to be up at that hour?

[Henna]

I agree with rlr. I worked in a building one block south of there, on 41st near 10th and I would not feel comfortable walking from there to Port Authority at 3am (though actually I did it many times at midnight. I am not recommending it and I didn't necessarily feel totally safe but I did do it and live to tell.) This was about 2 years ago and I think things are much the same.

However, 42nd St. is a different story, and yes, I do believe I would feel perfectly safe on 42nd in that location to go out for a 3am snack. It's strange what a difference one block can make, but if you see the makeup of that area one block south you will see why. 41st west of 9th ave is an area of tunnels and dark spaces and loitering opportunities, and not residential fancy highrises, like on 42nd.

One thing I would cautiion you about - and you might not understand this til you are actually living there -is to be careful crossing the street, especially if you are crossing
9th ave around 41st st. I believe there is not an insignificant number of pedestrian deaths around there, as there are truck drivers very very anxious to turn west to get into the tunnel to NJ which is a few blocks away. So look before you cross! They will run you down if they get the opportunity!

I don't know about the rent because I have never had the opportunity to look in that high of a price range, but if it's a nice new space and you like it (probably has a view, too?) then it sounds reasonable. Very convenient to get places to and lots of amenities around there.

[Lillietta]

I remember that area in the early 1960s, I spent time in one of those apartments. Shared toilet in the hall, apartment opens in the bedroom large enough for just a full-size bed, and to the left was a good-size kitchen. LOL. Probably has changed since then. 42nd and Tenth.

[baylovers]

42 St is pretty safe... you have the NYPD Manhattan South Task Force building down the block between 10 & 11 Ave and there is usually some police movement up & down the street.

[Henna]

I have found in my time here that police presence is not what makes a neighborhood feel safe. There are alot of cops crawling around the Port Authority and in fact the Port Authority police station is directly across the street from the area that I think is totally gross at night and definitely a place to avoid (9th ave between 40th and 41st).

Sometimes an obvious police presence is because the area is not safe and the NYPD is allocating resources there to try to make it safer (which also does not mean it's 'safe' -- just maybe on the way to being safer)

but as I said, I think the OP's location sounds fine.

[rlrl]

I remember being frightened out of my wits as a teenager on 8th Avenue and 47th street back in the late 70's (closer to the theater area) so you could imagine just how awful 42 street between 9-10th must have been back then!

[baylovers]

Henna, you may be right... the PA Bus Terminal & its surrounding blocks are disgusting. I worked on 40 St between 8-9 ave for a few years and it was nasty! Still is actually.

I can tell you that the downside of living on a street where there is a police station is the parking!! They are notoriously congested and unless you have a driveway iy is next to impossible to find a parking spot.

[Marlin331]

9th-10th Avenues from 42nd Street and UP is a fine area. Below 42nd there is not much and is not a very good area to be walking around alone late at night. $3000 for 650 square feet is by no means a deal, but if the building is very luxurious and the apartment has nice views I can understand paying that.

[Manhattan-ite]

You're probably renting at 420 West 42nd Street, the zebra building on top of the theaters and across Manhattan Plaza. I live one block down.

You're fine. Geez! Do you even need to ask? You're half a minute from Times Square, you'll have tons of tourists walking in front of your door, and theater-goers, and restaurant crowds, and... I mean, it's not like you're moving to South Bronx and you need to ask about safety.

Yes, the blocks around Lincoln Tunnel and the Port Authority Bus Terminal are seedy and weird, but still, I'd rather walk there than by the MTV Studios, if you know what I mean. Strange people will always be part of the landscape in New York, but they won't bother you (in general).

Take the advice on traffic and be super careful- Tunnel drivers make the area difficult for pedestrians.

You're paying top dollar for that rental. Is it a 2-bedroom? You can get a 1-bedroom for 2,500 at The Strand on 43rd and 10th, a fine doorman building with views and things. But anyway, this is New York. Everything is extremely pricey.

Love the neighborhood and it'll love you back.