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**Warning: Trip report thread ahead. These are my opinions**
Just spent another couple of days in Syracuse, and enjoyed my time. This time I drove from my hotel in Galeville in a full circle, not avoiding any rough areas. Anyway, I drove up a street that appeared to be as steep or nearly as steep as any I've seen in San Fran or Pittsburgh. It was also paved in bricks, which probably has something to do with the steepness of it (as hot asphalt would run downhill, I imagine) Is this the single steepest street in Syracuse?
I will say, this part of Syracuse is pretty rough. But I did get a better feel for how quickly things change from one neighborhood to another. Its remarkable. In Philly, bad neighborhoods rarely run right up against good neighborhoods. In Syracuse, there's almost no transition. Drove through several neighborhoods- Eastwood (ok), Hawley Green (not impressed), and Little Italy area (not great, in transition though. Would not look safe after dark though) My single favorite street:
Wow- what a neighborhood. See photos: I cruised around toward the east/north to look at Clayton Manor in Liverpool (meh, ok); Pinecrest Manor in Liverpool (decent/cheap); and Pine Tree Apartments in Liverpool (terrible, but surprisingly rated 100% on apartment ratings website, go figure, more windows filled with wood than downtown Flint. Glass is too expensive I guess). Went on to Cobblestone Square apartments in Cicero (very nice, my top 2 places). I must admit to liking this area of Cicero more than I imagined. With that state game management area and the lake, Cicero has a very natural, Northern appearance. Next, I went to Crystal Tree apartments (also very nice and more private). Another great area as you have that really nice Fayetteville Towne Center which reminds me of places near King of Prussia or Cherry Hill. Upscale with a sort of New England feel. Fayetteville is really nice. You can't go wrong living there. I went from there through Manlius, and Jamesville. I also liked the area where it said: Welcome to The Valley- very hilly, treed and nice. I think this was on Route 173. Again, headed toward some exceptionally shady parts south of the city. Still, I was very lucky to have brilliant sunshine and no clouds on those two days.
From there, I headed toward the Onondaga Nation Territory. Interesting area- drove down all the side streets, got some looks but nothing threatening. Noticed that many homes had no siding and it was the only place around Syracuse where standard homes sat right next to trailer homes. I walked around a bit to try and talk to people but since I noticed many, many stray dogs, I wasn't sure if it was a great idea. Maybe its a cultural thing to keep the dog off leash- but you'd just see dogs walking down the road here- some looked like feral dogs, to be honest. To my surprise, it reminded me of the South more so than anyplace else in the Syracuse area. Its uncommon to see trailers not in trailer parks in most parts of the Northeast. Down South its very common.
Went up through Westvale and Fairmount. Not my favorite areas, as I discovered. At this point, I now know why people recommend the east side to the west side of the city. East side is much nicer. Lots of people walking around in pajamas here. Not sure why. Anyway, Camillus is nicer and the apartments on Weatheridge are nice. I was told by a local not to live at Chicopee Mews- said the place is a tinderbox and the AC units have faulty wiring. So I skipped it.
Down the hill, Camillus is a cute village. I went back into Marcellus (which I visited on my last trip, because I like the ride along, well, whatever road that is that goes to Marcellus. The one with the nice fishing area and it feels very rural. Love that area. Due to time constraints, I never made it into Clay, Lysander, and Baldwinsville as I wanted to (though I've been through there before). I guess that will be the next trip.
Favorite spots:
Fayetteville
Manlius
Cicero
Least Favorite:
Northside of city
Fairmount/Westvale
Southside
Last edited by VintageSunlight; 03-07-2014 at 02:54 PM..
I'd agree on the assessment of Sedgwick - that's a beautiful neighborhood. Used to be moreso before they tore down some of the old mansions along James Street (where a lot of the squat ugly office buildings are now) but a lot of the old glory is preserved over there. You can see some of the same types of neighborhoods looking at parts of Strathmore (far SW corner of the city), Scottholm and Genesee Park (east side, off E. Genesee) and Berkeley Park, close to SU.
Small chunks of the Valley (mostly south of Seneca Turnpike) are similar, though generally more on the faded end :\
As far as the brick hills go - there are a fair number of them here, and mostly not paved over from not being able to do so (or if possible, not cost-effectively) - including 2 on Scottholm Terrace, one on Westmoreland Ave (700 block), one on Clarendon (300 block, I think). There are probably others scattered around the city.
Generally, the roughest sections of town are, yes, just a few blocks from good ones. You're very much on target with the transition bit - there really isn't much of a transition between good and bad around here. Hyper-local focus is a good thing to be aware of, as just a few blocks can mean a world of difference between neighborhoods.
**Warning: Trip report thread ahead. These are my opinions**
Just spent another couple of days in Syracuse, and enjoyed my time. This time I drove from my hotel in Galeville in a full circle, not avoiding any rough areas. Anyway, I drove up a street that appeared to be as steep or nearly as steep as any I've seen in San Fran or Pittsburgh. It was also paved in bricks, which probably has something to do with the steepness of it (as hot asphalt would run downhill, I imagine) Is this the single steepest street in Syracuse?
I will say, this part of Syracuse is pretty rough. But I did get a better feel for how quickly things change from one neighborhood to another. Its remarkable. In Philly, bad neighborhoods rarely run right up against good neighborhoods. In Syracuse, there's almost no transition. Drove through several neighborhoods- Eastwood (ok), Hawley Green (not impressed), and Little Italy area (not great, in transition though. Would not look safe after dark though) My single favorite street:
Wow- what a neighborhood. See photos: I cruised around toward the east/north to look at Clayton Manor in Liverpool (meh, ok); Pinecrest Manor in Liverpool (decent/cheap); and Pine Tree Apartments in Liverpool (terrible, but surprisingly rated 100% on apartment ratings website, go figure, more windows filled with wood than downtown Flint. Glass is too expensive I guess). Went on to Cobblestone Square apartments in Cicero (very nice, my top 2 places). I must admit to liking this area of Cicero more than I imagined. With that state game management area and the lake, Cicero has a very natural, Northern appearance. Next, I went to Crystal Tree apartments (also very nice and more private). Another great area as you have that really nice Fayetteville Towne Center which reminds me of places near King of Prussia or Cherry Hill. Upscale with a sort of New England feel. Fayetteville is really nice. You can't go wrong living there. I went from there through Manlius, and Jamesville. I also liked the area where it said: Welcome to The Valley- very hilly, treed and nice. I think this was on Route 173. Again, headed toward some exceptionally shady parts south of the city. Still, I was very lucky to have brilliant sunshine and no clouds on those two days.
From there, I headed toward the Onondaga Nation Territory. Interesting area- drove down all the side streets, got some looks but nothing threatening. Noticed that many homes had no siding and it was the only place around Syracuse where standard homes sat right next to trailer homes. I walked around a bit to try and talk to people but since I noticed many, many stray dogs, I wasn't sure if it was a great idea. Maybe its a cultural thing to keep the dog off leash- but you'd just see dogs walking down the road here- some looked like feral dogs, to be honest. To my surprise, it reminded me of the South more so than anyplace else in the Syracuse area. Its uncommon to see trailers not in trailer parks in most parts of the Northeast. Down South its very common.
Went up through Westvale and Fairmount. Not my favorite areas, as I discovered. At this point, I now know why people recommend the east side to the west side of the city. East side is much nicer. Lots of people walking around in pajamas here. Not sure why. Anyway, Camillus is nicer and the apartments on Weatheridge are nice. I was told by a local not to live at Chicopee Mews- said the place is a tinderbox and the AC units have faulty wiring. So I skipped it.
Down the hill, Camillus is a cute village. I went back into Marcellus (which I visited on my last trip, because I like the ride along, well, whatever road that is that goes to Marcellus. The one with the nice fishing area and it feels very rural. Love that area. Due to time constraints, I never made it into Clay, Lysander, and Baldwinsville as I wanted to (though I've been through there before). I guess that will be the next trip.
Favorite spots:
Fayetteville
Manlius
Cicero
Least Favorite:
Northside of city
Fairmount/Westvale
Southside
Brookford Road and Scottholm Terrace on the East Side of the city are very hilly. Scottholm Terrace has brick paved roads on a portion of the street. Both are in very nice neighborhoods that have a suburban feel. Scottholm Terrace reminds me of Southern California with its 1950 style contemporary and somewhat modernist type homes. The upper parts of Brookford Road are also lined with contemporary homes that remind me of the Pacific Northwest. There are some newer homes that were built about 7 years ago for $300 to $550 k.
I knew that you were going to refer to John Street when I read the thread title. There is the hill on Adams Street near the SU campus that is pretty steep.
Interesting commentary in regards to Westvale and Fairmount. Did you make it over to Solvay, which is nearby? Sedgwick is a Northside neighborhood actually and may be the wealthiest neighborhood in the city. If you like Sedgwick, check out Strathmore and Scottholm on your next trip up.
Good idea about not getting out at the Rez. Many are nice, but you never know.
If you like Marcellus, you would probably like Skaneateles, if you haven't been there yet. Maybe check out the often forgotten about Jordan-Elbridge area, which is rural and west of Camillus.
Also, eventhough it is just outside of city limits, you may like Onondaga Hill. It is just west of the Valley.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 09-28-2012 at 02:26 PM..
Down the hill, Camillus is a cute village. I went back into Marcellus (which I visited on my last trip, because I like the ride along, well, whatever road that is that goes to Marcellus. The one with the nice fishing area and it feels very rural. Love that area.
That is Route 174, but most just call it the Gorge Road. There are fishing spots all along 9 Mile Creek.
Not familiar with John Street (though it looks horrible - how does the city allow front yards to be paved in asphalt like that? Would be nice to see code enforcement in all neighborhoods; could prevent their wholesale deterioration), but the 300 block of Marshall Street stands out as a very steep one. Ditto for the eastern-most block of East Raynor and the brick-paved blocks of Scottholm Terrace and Clarendon.
I'd say it's one off of East Genesee Street and various streets in that part... little slips of roads that I notice especially while driving my non-performance, classic Benz. lol - also with an old brick road.
Can't believe that we haven't mentioned Seeley Road in terms of steep streets. Fillmore Avenue near Loretto and Bernadine Apartments in the Valley may be another street. Avery Avenue near Burnet Park and Teall Avenue near Henninger High may also fit. South Avenue near St. Agnes Cemetery is also pretty steep.
Brookford Road and Scottholm Terrace on the East Side of the city are very hilly. Scottholm Terrace has brick paved roads on a portion of the street. Both are in very nice neighborhoods that have a suburban feel. Scottholm Terrace reminds me of Southern California with its 1950 style contemporary and somewhat modernist type homes. The upper parts of Brookford Road are also lined with contemporary homes that remind me of the Pacific Northwest. There are some newer homes that were built about 7 years ago for $300 to $550 k.
You're right- there is a bit of the Southern California feel to certain parts. Never thought I'd say that! Especially when it was as sunny as it was last week. Another thing that was very California? Electric car charging stations near the Bonefish Grill in Fayetteville.
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