110th and 5th- OK for a white female? (Lenox, Vernon: apartment, condos)

[Jennif102]

Hi,
I found a pretty nice apartment in a high rise on 110th and 5th- right by the top of Central Park! I visited tonight, exiting the 2/3 train right there on 110th (and lenox/Malcom X Blvd). There were people out and about, mostly black, but I didn't necessarily feel too unsafe. That being said, I wonder how deserted it gets in the wintertime?
The building I want to live in is a nice & very diverse high rise building. It looks like there are high rises/condos going up everywhere around there.

I'm mostly concerned about the walk at night from the 2/3 headed east to the building on 5th. It's only 1 block. Though the park is to your righ as you head toward the building and I did notice that I pass a correctional facility on my left.

What are people's thoughts? I REALLY like the apartment but not at the expense of my safety.
Please note- anytime past 11:30 pm I'll most likely take a cab home instead of the subway.

Thanks!

[Charzone]

you should be alright... its not an incredibly bad neighborhood

[debbon1]

The West SIde would be nicer and safer.

[7 Wishes]

Not the greatest place, but better than it used to be, and up here in Mt. Vernon I know of white people in similarly "not so bad" mostly black neighborhoods that are thriving and doing fine and have no issues with safety and getting along. It's a different (and much better) world than it used to be, at least in this part of the country.

Now if the Internet and the forums existed circa 1975-1980 or so and you asked back then.......

[kemcnyc]

There were people out and about, mostly black, but I didn't necessarily feel too unsafe.

There were people out and about, mostly black, but I didn't necessarily feel too unsafe.

Jeez guys.... I am not really a big P.C. proponent, but GOOD LORD!!

Anyway, I do not mean to preach. I think that area is OK. I would recomend you go there at night sometime to get the FULL picture. ALSO- I recently kind of "discovered" the north side of Central Park recently. Beautiful. Sort of a hidden gem in my opinion.

[NooYowkur81]

It's an okay area. Not the best but not nearly the worst.

But please leave race out of these type of questions. Speaking for myself and a lot of other posters we are tired of these type of threads. Being White does not necessarily make you more likely to be the victim of a crime. The topic could have just as easily been addressed without involving race and in fact if we want to go there, being Black or Hispanic in this city greatly increases your chances.

[jhwdds]

Originally Posted by nooyowkur81

it's an okay area. Not the best but not nearly the worst.

But please leave race out of these type of questions. Speaking for myself and a lot of other posters we are tired of these type of threads. Being white does not necessarily make you more likely to be the victim of a crime. The topic could have just as easily been addressed without involving race and in fact if we want to go there, being black or hispanic in this city greatly increases your chances.

+1

[cirlin6]

I lived for a year less than a block from that 2,3 station at Lenox and 110th.

Anyway, I found the area to be safe (I never had a problem anyway). There are always people around that subway station and Central Park and you get both Central Park police and regular police in the area. People will ask you for money every once in a while. My girlfriend was sometimes cat called walking down the street but they never touched her or followed her or anything like that. Then again, I'm pretty sure I've seen cat calling pretty much everywhere.

My main hangup about the place was the lack of amenities in the area. There weren't many bars or neighborhood cafes where you could just go and hang out. The grocery store closeby wasn't very good for produce or meat so I ended up huffing it over to the grocery story at 110th and Central Park West (there's also a great coffee shop there, by the way). Central Park is obviously a huge amenity. Check out the Conservatory Garden in Central Park a bit downtown on 5th from where you're looking. It's beautiful.

Anyway, that was my experience. I'd check crime reports for the precinct for overall safety. You just have to be mugged once for your perception of an area to turn from "safe" to "not at all safe". My girlfriend and I didn't experience any crime, so we left happy.

That said, I completely disagree with other posters that race has no relevance in this conversation. And that has nothing to do with safety. It's that some longtime residents of Harlem have an issue with white people moving in. There's a false perception that the newcomers are driving up rents, and maybe a more accurate perception that they're opening businesses or driving old ones out that change the neighborhood's character. For me, this translated into the VERY occasional "What are you doing here white boy?" which I found offensive. I tended to ignore it, or answer him with a "Who are you calling white?", followed by awkward silence. Then "Just kidding, I'm totally white." And then mutual laughter. This was a small issue, and I've heard it's gotten increasingly small over the years. But I faced it both in that neighborhood and when I lived near Columbia.

I completely agree that you should visit the area at night and see if you feel comfortable walking around. There are MANY more people out on summer nights than during the day, hanging out around the front of buildings, sitting on stoops, etc. I haven't seen anything like it anywhere else I've lived. During the winter, there are fewer people out at night. There are a few buses that run between that subway station and where you lived if you ever didn't want to make the walk for some reason.

I'm sure you noticed this, but there is a huge project complex just a block northeast of the subway. This was completely irrelevant to my living situation, but it freaks some people out. I also wondered if it was why there were so few retailers around (fewer people with sufficient money to spend to keep them alive).

That was my take on the area. Hope it helps.

[MoItaly]

I think you are going to be fine. If it's too late get a cab. The area is definitely differemnt than it used to be.Just came back from NY, miss the city like the desert misses the rain.

[vitalove]

You should be fine in this area. It has become increasingly gentrified. You have the benefit of the park and then further west is a lot of good shopping, especially West Side Market etc. There is also a lot of home ownership in the area through condos and coops and the townhouses on the blocks nearest 8th Avenue. And as you've already noted the transportation is good. I would just steer clear of the projects.