Inwood/Washington Heights - safe area?

[ravishinglylow]

Would one consider the Inwood/Washington Heights area a safe place to live? How is the neighborhood in general?

[ablarc]

^ Not sure you should ask that question on this forum. We have a history of being spectacularly wrong about such things.

[ravishinglylow]

^ Not sure you should ask that question on this forum. We have a history of being spectacularly wrong about such things.
Well, I'm willing to take the chance, and am open to any and all opinions regarding the subject.

[ablarc]

^ That can and has been a matter of life and death.

[ravishinglylow]

^ That can and has been a matter of life and death.
I'm willing to take my chances. I won't hold you to your opinion. I just want an idea. From your response, I'm gathering it's not the best area...

[Schadenfrau]

Ablarc doesn't even live in the city, so take his posts with a spoonful of salt.

Some parts of the neighborhoods are fine, others are a bit dicier. I doubt that you're asking for opinions on the neighborhoods because you're looking for alternatives to your multi-million dollar Tribeca option, so you're asking a valid question.

[ravishinglylow]

Some parts of the neighborhoods are fine, others are a bit dicier. I doubt that you're asking for opinions on the neighborhoods because you're looking for alternatives to your multi-million dollar Tribeca option, so you're asking a valid question.
Would you recommend it to someone who would be moving to the city for the first time?

What I am getting at is, the area in question is the only part of Manhattan I've found that is in my price range apartment-wise. ($1300/mo max) That said, I may not exactly have a choice in the matter. Unless of course, spawning off a bit - you know of another area that may offer the same as far as price goes.

[ryan]

You should look to Queens or Brooklyn for a cheaper alternative. Inwood/Washington Heights are nice neighborhoods in their own rights, but don't really have a lot of that "manhattan-ness" that you're probably looking for. Mostly they're really far away from downtown, so if you plan to go there with any regularity, you might look elsewhere.

What are you looking for in a neighborhood? Commute to midtown/downtown? Bars/restaurants/nightlife? A specific community?

[Schadenfrau]

It really depends on what you're looking for? I generally think that it's better for people just moving to the city to have roommates. For whatever reason, a lot of people balk at that, but if you don't know many people here, it's the best idea.

You could find plenty of comparable places in Queens and Brooklyn for that price- don't limit yourself to Manhattan.

How old are you? What do you do? What are you looking for in a neighborhood?

[Schadenfrau]

And, jinx.

[ravishinglylow]

The husband would be accompanying me, and we are both in our early 20's. (Which rules out the idea of rommates in my book. If I were single it would be a different story.)

As ryan put it, the "manhattan-ness" is what I crave. As far as what I'm looking for in a neighborhood...hmmm, well just a safe area. I'd prefer a light commute to mid-town, as I will more likely than not be working in the city when I arrive.

We aren't big into clubs at all. If I can't afford a decent Manhattan neighborhood, then Brooklyn it is.

[ryan]

$1300/month is pretty tight, but with some looking you should probably be able to find something in Ft. Greene/Clinton Hill (pretty with brownstones, Pratt University, diverse), Greenpoint (ugly, but home for me and growing hipper) or Astoria.

There are others, of course - especially in Queens, which I don't know much about, but you stressed safety, so I'm guessing you want a fully gentrified neighborhood...

Don't feel like you'll miss out on much if you don't find a place in Manhattan. Cheap neighborhoods in Manhattan suck and aren't worth the premium over less sucky Brooklyn/Queens (and Bronx, but I defer to Schadenfrau on BX) neighborhoods.

[Schadenfrau]

I'd much rather live in a $1,300 place in the Bronx than uptown Manhattan, but that's just me. My commute is about half the time to midtown.

[ravishinglylow]

I've been doing some research, and have noticed that it's definitely a steal for what you can get in Brooklyn for $1300/mo as compared to Manhattan.

I'm still grasping at straws at this point, however, I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that until I can adjust to the difference in the cost of living, (NYC compared to where I am now in a Chicago suburb) I should be satisfied being able to move to the area in itself.

[ryan]

Most people I know took the first apt that suited them, then moved after that lease was up. Neighborhoods are so different that it's hard to choose before you know what you like. I love Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but you'd find 5 people on the forum that hate it (and a couple that had never been). Without the luxury of a week+ long trip to apt hunt, I think it's best to just take a place that seems ok, and not worry about finding the perfect place.

It's not just the quality of apartment, but the quality of the neighborhood that changes with those manhattan prices. It's a huge adjustment, and you really can't predict what you'll want out of an apt after you've adjusted to living here. Let yourself off the hook a bit.

[Ninjahedge]

I would also recommend looking for places in Hoboken and Jersey City that are close to the PATH train.

Hoboken has a lot of nice stuff and it is really close to midtown/the village by the path.

JC is cheaper, and hit or miss depending on the area.

I would also recommend places like Fort Lee, Queens and Brooklyn, but there are SO many areas in Queens and Brooklyn that you might need something a little more specific to look for.

One of the best bets is to ride around on the subway to look for what you want. It will give you an idea of how close it realy is to the city and how convenient it will be as well as give you a better idea of what the area would be like to live in.

GL!

[ablarc]

Ablarc doesn't even live in the city, so...
Guilty as charged.

If living in New York were the criterion for usable truth in such matters, a recently-deceased forumer, TLOZ, would still be with us. He lived in New York, was convinced that Harlem was safe, and was encouraged in that view by others. He died tragically trying to escape mugging on “safe” 125th Street.

Clearheadedness seems a sounder basis for answering your question than living in New York, and it seems in shorter supply.

[ryan]

There is crime in all parts of NYC - especially the random, senseless kind. Nicole DuFresne (http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2005/03/02/lower_east_side_shooting_prompted_by_goading_and_h appiness.php) was killed in the Lower East Side a while back. Does that mean the LES should be avoided? That train of thought leads a person to live in suburban Charlotte.

Using TLOZ's death to fearmonger about non-white neighborhoods is pretty ironic...and more than a bit disrespectful.

[Schadenfrau]

No kidding, and it's really just the icing on the crap cake to get the neighborhood wrong, as well.

ETA that TLOZ was NYC born and bred. I don't think he ever asked for anyone's half-baked opinions about neighborhoods they've little more than heard about.

[JayDeeBee]

I first moved to new york last November--got my first apt in the city on Rverside Drive in Washington Heights. mostly because we had to find an apartment in a single day-trip, but also cos my husband is at Columbia, which is a pretty nasty commute from Queens/brooklyn--our only other options given our budget as he flat out refuses to go to Jersey.

Pluses: Beautiful big old apartment buildings, cheap rents, proximity to parks, Columbia Med etc., yummy latin food.

Minuses:the kids and olds hanging out, dirty streets, few good local bars/restaurants

I don't list the commute as an issue, i work at the flatiron and the train takes 25 mins, i'm at my desk 40 minutes after i shut my door.

The white people tend to disappear in the evening, but i've never had problems. Catcalls, but that's the city. My husband has had a few comments from kids that have made him uncomfortable, especially when dressed up for a meeting, but never any violence or threat of it. I'm quite fond of the area and it still feels "city" to me. I find the staff in stores, bars and restaurants v. friendly and love my apt. It's a welcome break from the galling pretension of much of manhattan, which i enjoy.

Given the choice though, i'd go to Hudson heights 179th to 190th and West of broadway. All the good things about Washington Heights but a bit prettier and more well kept. Feels a lot like a village.