Upper East Side or East Village? (Union, Bedford: apartments, to rent, safe neighborhood)
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My wife and I are planning on renting. We've looked at a few apt, and have are trying to decide which of our two options to rent:
- Upper West Side, around 68th and 3rd.
- East Village, 14th st, between A and B avenues.
Both apartments cost roughly the same.
My job is downtown (around Union Square) and my wife's easily accessible through the L on Brooklyn. However, we don't really mind an extra 15 min. commuting time. On the other hand, having Central Park nearby is a huge plus.
Neither of us is really crazy about the party scenes, but we do like having cafes and restaurants around open late. Also, we love that there's tons of places to do groceries in the East Village (tons of delis open 24 hours, which is great for our schedules). How is the Upper East Side in that respect?
Finally, how do the two neighbourhoods compare in safety?
If anyone could help us with answers to some of these questions, it'll be greatly appreciated!
The UES is certainly muted compared to the East Village, but there'll be some going-ons in the evenings (but very little in the late, late evening). The East Village location will put you close to the going-ons of Union Square (such as the farmer's market) and places you a few blocks from Thompkins Square Park and the East River Park--though the aren't Central Park, they're still good in their own ways. My only qualm about 14th street is that it's a major thoroughfare, so perhaps the street noise would bother you. Personally, I'd take East Village.
If you want a good idea of your nabe, you can always use the google streetview, perhaps in combination with walkscore to see what you have around you.
If you don't have children I would go with the East Village. You'd be able to walk to work and the restaurants, bars, shops, etc. are much better for someone in your demographic. I live at 11th and B and love it. It's a very safe neighborhood. There are people on the street at all hours. I go to the deli at 2:00 am all the time and have never had a problem. You don't have the Central Park close at hand (frankly Third Ave. is not that close to the park either) but you have the East River. It's great for cycling/jogging, etc.
3rd avenue and 68th Street is pretty bland and far enough away from Central Park that you probably won't go there that often.
14th Street is a much more interesting neighborhood and being on the L for commuting and going to Bedford Avenue should be a plus at your age.
I love the UES because of the shopping options and proximity to Central Park. However, I find the transportation limiting. The 4,5,6 trains are horrible.
For that reason alone I'd probably consider the East 14 St location. There are so many options over there. Also there is Whole Foods nearby and Union Square Park, a really cool park to hang out in.
If you're considering Stuyvesant Town on 14th, then it would be a worthy contender. For some of the other buildings in that area, I don't care how trendy they seem, they're not worth the same money as E68th & 3rd. In that part of the UES, you're not far from the park as people have noted, and that's a huge selling point, since one can easily walk or bicycle to Central Park in minutes. Plus, there are many conveniences on the avenues for all kinds of shopping, within easy distance. And, there's a Whole Foods in the Time Warner, so it's not terribly far away, though Trader Joe's is going to be more of a trek down to Union Square.
Union Square is nice, but it's not in the same league as Central Park, though if you love to cook the green market is a compelling reason to be in the Union Square area, especially if you want fresh ingredients. Parkland is limited on the LES/Alphabet City, though one reason why Stuy Town is an exception is the planned lanscape that surrounds the complex, not that you can use it, but it does preserve the view to a certain extent.
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