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There is an apartment on 130th and Convent (Morningside) that we were interested in. It was a pre-war building that is gut-renovated, so it doesn't have all the jazz that we liked in the other buildings, but it is extremely affordable for us and a very nice apartment. Anyone have any opinions on this area? Safety, access, etc.
Nice area, but the hood is nearby. That's Harlem though. You have to take the good with the bad.
To answer some questions, we plan to move in a year because we couldn't get jobs to be able to move THIS summer. We are going to try again in a year (we both work in schools, so it just depends on vacancies), but it is not the best time to be looking for jobs, period. We don't want to have a family in the city. It would be a full year, because we have summers off, so we would move a summer from now if we can, just like we are moving now. It is not that we are not ready to move out of the city, but we're not going to leave the city if we don't have jobs in the place we're planning to go. Especially in this economy.
And why we can't stand our current apartment anymore is because it is roach-infested and the landlord doesn't care. When I complained they sent the super over with a can of Raid, which was hysterical and infuriating at the same time. And it's right on a very busy street with pollution from buses that leaves our apartment with a fine black dust over time. And the homeless get fed right outside our building every day. And we have dealt with it for long enough. It is too much hassle and anxiety when there are lots of rentals in the city. If that clears up why we want to move, even if it is just for a year.
So I think we will probably end up living uptown. Yes it is Harlem but it seems like a nicer area than the other place we were looking at, and I don't mind an area that has some good and some bad...right now my priority is a nice apartment that is cared for that won't break our budget. I've lived in Morningside Heights and Hell's Kitchen and a lot of people don't find those neighborhoods to be desirable. But we like to have money left over, so that is our compromise. I guess I would rather take the train more often then pay over 10K more a year to be able to walk around. It is tempting because its what we're used to...but I just don't know if its worth it in the long-run.
If anyone has any more opinions on 130th and Convent, please let me know. It seems quiet and a woman even said good morning to me when I was up there this morning. It doesn't seem developed at all (there are just corner delis) but the blocks are cleaner than where we currently live. Thanks!
To answer some questions, we plan to move in a year because we couldn't get jobs to be able to move THIS summer. We are going to try again in a year (we both work in schools, so it just depends on vacancies), but it is not the best time to be looking for jobs, period. We don't want to have a family in the city. It would be a full year, because we have summers off, so we would move a summer from now if we can, just like we are moving now. It is not that we are not ready to move out of the city, but we're not going to leave the city if we don't have jobs in the place we're planning to go. Especially in this economy.
And why we can't stand our current apartment anymore is because it is roach-infested and the landlord doesn't care. When I complained they sent the super over with a can of Raid, which was hysterical and infuriating at the same time. And it's right on a very busy street with pollution from buses that leaves our apartment with a fine black dust over time. And the homeless get fed right outside our building every day. And we have dealt with it for long enough. It is too much hassle and anxiety when there are lots of rentals in the city. If that clears up why we want to move, even if it is just for a year.
So I think we will probably end up living uptown. Yes it is Harlem but it seems like a nicer area than the other place we were looking at, and I don't mind an area that has some good and some bad...right now my priority is a nice apartment that is cared for that won't break our budget. I've lived in Morningside Heights and Hell's Kitchen and a lot of people don't find those neighborhoods to be desirable. But we like to have money left over, so that is our compromise. I guess I would rather take the train more often then pay over 10K more a year to be able to walk around. It is tempting because its what we're used to...but I just don't know if its worth it in the long-run.
If anyone has any more opinions on 130th and Convent, please let me know. It seems quiet and a woman even said good morning to me when I was up there this morning. It doesn't seem developed at all (there are just corner delis) but the blocks are cleaner than where we currently live. Thanks!
Convent is a nice stretch. But like I mentioned before Convent and Riverside are like havens in the midst of hood areas. If your willing to put up with that it's worth it. That whole "Hamilton Heights," area is in the midst of changes and gentrification. It was never that great to begin with in terms of local businesses and services but I've witnessed that many have left in the last 4 to 5 years due to higher rents.
I would move out of Manhattan period based on what you're saying. Harlem can get pretty loud and chaotic at times, and you could find much, much nicer places in Queens/Brooklyn for what people seem to be asking in Uptown. Besides, rather than make a one year move, why not place yourself in a nice family friendly area already so you know what to expect when the kids come?
I don't like the west 30s at all, but I'd take it over that far Uptown.
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