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I'm going to expound a little bit because posts like this are always filled with sugar coating and real estate-ese:
SoBro is the phony real estate industry name for South Bronx but specifically it's used in reference to the southernmost Port Morris/Mott Haven area.
The neighborhood is a ghetto & IMO no one in their right mind would suggest you move there unless you're a seasoned New Yorker who's used to the streets. I lived in the area for a minute and it's mostly an ugly, dirty, impoverished place that shouldn't be hyped up beyond what it is.The artists and hipsters are almost entirely based on one street (Bruckner Blvd.) which is separated from the rest of the neighorbood by the Major Deegan Expressway. The rest of it is just poor Latinos and blacks.
Affordability - yes. most of the Bronx is affordable relative to the other boroughs. I dont think you could get a place for $1,000 that's anywhere near Manhattan though due to speculative rent increases.
Safety - Not particularly safe. Definetly not a warzone but again if you're not used to being in the hood it can be an intimidating place.
Culture - A small art scene on Bruckner is what most of the area buzz is based around. Most of the real culture there is Latin culture but the only artistic venues I know of above Bruckner are Progenes Theater and Longwood Art Gallery further north of Mott Haven. The Bronx Museum of the Arts too. Bruckner has Haven Art Gallery and another gallery next to the hipster-heavy Bar & Grill under the Third Avenue bridge. Those places are anomalies though. It's not really an art-centric area
Diversity - practically speaking, the area is 90% poor people and 99% of them are Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican & Black.
Atmosphere/Vibe - a few nice restaurants, bars and clubs scattered here and here but most of the neighorborhood vibe is just poverty/depression. For every Pio Pio, Bruckner Bar & Grill or Alexander's Cafe there's 3 or 4 run down Chinese or fried chicken spots.
A lot of the South Bronx is making steady progress but I dunno, Mott Haven looks like it's stuck the same rut to me. There's still abandoned lots that don't look like they'll be built on anytime soon. the only recent construction I can think of is that big HPD apartment building coming up next to the Willis Ave bridge. I really don't get the hype about it other than the proximity to Manhattan. There's hardly anything appealing about it.
Hey Pookie, thanks for your honesty and for taking the time to answer my questions so specifically.
The question still remains: If not "SoBro," then where can a "middle/working-class," single, Black poet, writer, performer, and educator live in NYC? What neighborhood comes to mind?
Pookie...I do not believe my post was in anyway sugar coated or filled with real-estate-ese. If someone asked you for a neighborhood to live in for $900-$1,000 a month that was close to Manhattan, how can you NOT have SoBro or Mott Haven/Melrose/Woodstock/Port Morris/Concourse etc as viable options?
I stand by my assessment, however I also stated it is my neighborhood and I am partial to it, and it does meet her requirements in a way that 95% of neighborhoods in NYC cannot. I also stated it is best for her to find anywhere to live temporarily and explore these neighborhoods herself, as this is the only way to know how it feels TO YOU. Based on her requirements, SoBro should be considered, and it IS improving substantially.
[quote=SobroGuy;13137583] Pookie...I do not believe my post was in anyway sugar coated or filled with real-estate-ese. If someone asked you for a neighborhood to live in for $900-$1,000 a month that was close to Manhattan, how can you NOT have SoBro or Mott Haven/Melrose/Woodstock/Port Morris/Concourse etc as viable options? QUOTE]
SobroGuy: After reading this thread, I tried to find something in this neighborhood for that price, and I couldn't. The lowest rents I found was something for $1200 and all of them were taking "programs". I think at this point she may be priced out of "Sobro". They seem to prefer a person that qualifies for a "program", over a middle class person that doesn't.
It is a very scary time in NYC if people are now getting priced out of the Southern Bronx. That is mostly due to so much competition from newbies moving in and the artificially higher rents from programs....who loses? The working class of course like this poster. However, I am confident she can find a decent 1 bedroom for $1,000. If she is serious about it, I would assist her in her search in this neighborhood (for free of course).
It is a very scary time in NYC if people are now getting priced out of the Southern Bronx. That is mostly due to so much competition from newbies moving in and the artificially higher rents from programs....who loses? The working class of course like this poster. However, I am confident she can find a decent 1 bedroom for $1,000. If she is serious about it, I would assist her in her search in this neighborhood (for free of course).
Hey Pookie, thanks for your honesty and for taking the time to answer my questions so specifically.
The question still remains: If not "SoBro," then where can a "middle/working-class," single, Black poet, writer, performer, and educator live in NYC? What neighborhood comes to mind?
Nala,I think you might be having a problem because you might be looking for something that doesn't exist....or rather exists everywhere.
Pactically every neighborhood and every building I have ever lived in in NYC has had lots of musicians,artists,writers,educators,poets and performers living in them.Both black and white.If you are looking for one or two neighborhoods where they all live and hang out,forget it.
I am an artist/painter and a teacher so I guess I qualify on two counts.While I live in a neighborhood that not many think of as an "artsy" neighborhood there are in fact many...very many of us throughout the neighborhood and in my building.I didn't know it before I moved in but I now know that there are other artists,other teachers( NYC and Fordham U),a concert harpist,a sax player and a pianist in the building.And these are just the ones I have met who happen to live in my 1/2 of the building and share the same elevator with me.There is another whole 1/2 of the building, the inhabitants of which I know nothing.
If you find an affordable,stable middle class neighborhood in NYC close to the subway you will find lots of these people.
It's one of the things that makes NY different.We are not necessarily all sectioned off and pigeon holed as in other cities.
Hey everybody, thanks so much for this discussion. Whatever neighborhood it turns out to be, I am certain now that I will find an affordable apartment in a relatively decent neighborhood, with or without a room-mate. Bluedog, thanks for reminding me that artists are everywhere in NYC. So true. I think NYC may be winning over Madison. We shall see.
Mod cut
Last edited by Viralmd; 03-03-2010 at 04:06 PM..
Reason: Not a chat board.
Hey Pookie, thanks for your honesty and for taking the time to answer my questions so specifically.
The question still remains: If not "SoBro," then where can a "middle/working-class," single, Black poet, writer, performer, and educator live in NYC? What neighborhood comes to mind?
I don't live in NYC anymore, but I still think you can find a decent 1 br or a studio in various parts of BX for 900 to 1K that is safe, and middle classed. I don't really like Craigslist - but I managed to find this gem for example -
Mod cut: NO links to specific properties.
City Island is a GREAT place to live, though it is remote. But that's what public transportation is for. There aren't many real hipster/artsy places in the Bx. Bx has always been about the commuter worker joes/janes. Again that's what trains and buses are for. Find yourself a place close to a train/bus and you're golden.
Pelham Parkway, not artsy really at all, but has great location, safe, and affordable. Worth checking out.
I don't live in NYC anymore, but I still think you can find a decent 1 br or a studio in various parts of BX for 900 to 1K that is safe, and middle classed. I don't really like Craigslist - but I managed to find this gem for example -
Mod cut: NO links to specific properties
City Island is a GREAT place to live, though it is remote. But that's what public transportation is for. There aren't many real hipster/artsy places in the Bx. Bx has always been about the commuter worker joes/janes. Again that's what trains and buses are for. Find yourself a place close to a train/bus and you're golden.
Pelham Parkway, not artsy really at all, but has great location, safe, and affordable. Worth checking out.
Thanks riaelise. Taking it all in. Giving Madison six more months with real effort, but my heart seems to be bringing me back to NYC. The question is can I afford it?
Thanks riaelise. Taking it all in. Giving Madison six more months with real effort, but my heart seems to be bringing me back to NYC. The question is can I afford it?
NYC has definitely gone up since I've lived there (2004). My mortgage was $1,100-1200 back then and I had a 1100 sq ft 2/2. I guess it'd probably be much more than that now. but I think there are still good places to be found if you look hard enough. I think you could afford it, as there are people who live in NYC and make less than you and aren't on government assistance either. 40k-48k isn't poverty money. Of course, that dollar would stretch more in some other places, but if you feel that you must move back, there are many fine neighborhoods in BX that fit your price point.
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