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I'm considering applying for married housing at Columbia, and the apartments are at 512 and 514 West 122nd Street, does anyone know what kind of area this is? Most importantly, is it a safe area?
Thx!
This is on the north side of the Columbia campus-- I'd say it's safe as anywhere around there. But it definitely pays to be street smart no matter where you are in NYC!
If you're able to get a good price, I'd do it. Look on Craigslist to see what comparable apartments are running in the area, too.
It's 7200 a semester. What neighborhood is that address considered? I've never set foot in Manhattan, haha
I lived at 115th and Amsterdam and had many friends who lived up by where you are looking. There are robberies at night occasionally, but the area is gentrifying (good for some, upsetting for others). There's a cute wine shop and a number of University-fueled restaurants. 125th St is famous in Harlem, but now has many common shops like H&M and Staples, etc. (again there are mixed views on this)/ The biggest problem is getting groceries. There's a little market that's WAY overpriced right there (Appletree) but otherwise, you are hauling things back from the nearby Fairway. In my opinion, Amsterdam is safer than the Broadway in the 120s, if you were debating that. That's my two cents!
We're less than a block from there. The neighborhood is called Morningside Heights. I do feel like it's a safe neighborhood. Nothing in Manhattan is perfectly safe (nothing anywhere I guess), but I'm not afraid to walk alone at night, and I've never had any problems. PM me if you want to know anything else about the neighborhood!
About groceries: I would invest in either a grocery cart for the Fairway, or a FreshDirect membership!
Ok, is 7200 a comparable rent for the area? (for 5 months, 1 bedroom)
Do you have the square footage? Works out to about 1440 a month... you can find cheaper apartments in Harlem/Morningside Heights depending on the specific block/area, but it may be worth it to be so close to campus and have the peace of mind of not having to go on an apartment hunt when you are new to the city.
Yep, that's Morningside Heights/Harlem. It's safe and full of college students.
Agree w/Hannah -- what's the square footage? The rent does seem a little high for being so far uptown.
Some more (positive!) opinions on MH here:
http://www.yelp.com/topic/new-york-morningside-heights---safety
Also, keep in mind when considering moving to New York that EVERYTHING is more expensive: groceries, movies, dry cleaning...anything you can think of. So consider that in addition to rent as well. Also, you might want to consider ditching your car because parking/insurance/etc. is annoying and expensive and most people take the subway or bus.
If you do decide to make the move, I'm sure lots of NYers on this board can give you tonnnsss of info.
that's a great area and very safe (though I tend to feel safe almost anywhere in Manhattan). I have friends who live in the couples housing at Columbia in that area and it is a great apt in a great location and they love it. I think it's a great deal.
I used to live up in Inwood (207th St) and I paid $1200/month for a HUGE 1-bedroom apartment. Seriously - it was massive. And I know some other people up there whose rent ranged from $935/month (another HUGE 1-br, but he'd lived in the rent-stabilized apt *forever*) to $1400/month. For 122nd St, assuming the apt isn't the size of a closet, I don't think that rent is that bad. Something to consider about living in NYC - finding an apartment if you don't already live there is painful. You'll likely have to go through a broker, and while some landlords are paying the broker fee now, that's not always the case, and that can be quite a bit of money up front. So, while I agree that you might be able to find something for less money in that area, you need to consider how much it's worth to you to not have to look for a place to live. I would also make sure that there's space available in the couple's housing - it would suck to count on it and then find out you've been wait-listed.
@redherring: That's true. It would be worth the possible extra money to avoid broker's fees and all of that. A broker fee can be a month's rent which is a lot to pay up front.
I haven't moved in three years so I tend to forget about that ;o)
My dad works at Columbia and they lived in married student housing for a few months before their new apartment was ready (they moved to NYC about 2 years ago—I thought it was so cute they were in married student housing, considering they've been married 40 years and are far from being students!). The apartment was so nice. Much nicer than anything you can get in the area at market value. Clean and bright and BIG with a ton of closets. $1440/month seems like a great deal.
They live at 116 and Riverside Drive now and have felt very comfortable in the neighborhood—they moved from Galveston, TX so it was a BIG change. And Fairway is the greatest grocery store ever (at least by NYC standards). Plus there are lots of great restaurants in the area and a really nice farmer's market on Broadway -- my mom's made friends with all the vendors). PM me if you have any other questions. Ooh, moving to NY is so exciting. I've been here 6 years and I absolutely adore it!
I think the MH is relatively safe, but I also think it differs a lot even when you move a few blocks. GEnerally speaking, the safest area near columbia is 110-120ish between amsterdam and west end. When I was in school there in 2002-04, the parts east of amsterdam had more crime than west of amsterdam. However, I didn't know anyone who lived in the 120s...overall, you have to be slightly more careful in this neighborhood than other parts of manhattan, but you should be fine if you are. its a great deal!
I think that area is totally fine, I have several friends who live up there...I also have a few friends who live in married housing at Columbia and generally speaking, the apartments are huge! But I am surprised that it is so much for you (although that's still cheap as hell for a 1-bedroom) bc the one couple I know their rent was like, around $1000!
But to put it in perspective, we pay $1700 a month for a studio and I'm only about 20 block south of that!
I'm not familiar with that area and wouldn't consider living there since it is too far from where I work, but that sounds like a good price. I pay $2,000/month for a large 1 bedroom/2bath duplex with a washer and dryer in the building on 73rd and West End which is a great neighborhood. It's also close to, but not right on top of the subway which is key. Only downside is it's not a doorman building and I'm on the ground floor. But I've been here since I moved to NYC 5 years ago and have more than doubled my salary since moving (the joy of living in this city!) so I'm camping out for a couple more years to save for a down payment.
I've never found Morningside Heights to be particularly unsafe. I mean, it's New York Cirty and you're gonna need to be mindful wherever you are. But I don't think you have any major cause for concern in that area, no. I haven't looked for apts in that area so I can't really comment about the rent. It doesn't seem too bad to me. Then again, I pay rent in the West Village so pretty much anything seems like a deal to me!
Wow thanks so much for all the help! As I've said, I've never been to NYC but lived in London for awhile and fell in love with city life. Married housing just seems like it would be so easy- but I guess I should look around. I'm applying to NYU too but don't think they have married housing.
Is Columbia's housing near a subway? I'd most def ditch my car
@ashleyjane: Yes, Columbia is right near several subway lines.
Hi! Just want to chime in - that area is relatively safe; I've had several friends living in Columbia housing. There are tons of students in the area. As someone who lived in graduate housing (at NYU) - one thing to consider when comparing the student housing prices to outside housing is if the Columbia rent includes utilities, furniture, internet etc. The cost of my student housing was kinda expensive, but when I considered the convenience (furniture included, utilities/internet paid, free gym, 9 month lease, no guarantor needed, etc.) it was worth it!
Ok, so I looked further into it. Cable and telephone are included, but gas/electric is not. The apartments look nice, but there's no indication of square footage.
Here's a link w/ pictures
Should I look for cheaper apartments?
That looks really good for the price to me!
ALthough there is no square footage listed, that looks huge for a NYC apartment for that price, as well as recently updated. I think that as a student, there may be more benefits living in college housing. (i.e. if there is ever a leak or maintenance that needs to be done, it will probably be easier to contact the university, rather than a landlord's company) I personally love the location and wish I still lived in NY to live there. Best of luck with your search! You will love it there!
@ashleyjane: That looks bigger than my apartment and your don't even want to know what I pay for rent! Size is always going to be a surprise when moving to NYC from anywhere else because apartments are just smaller here.
Also, if it comes with furniture, that's awesome!
Electric does not cost that much in the city -- we pay about $50/month.
i would go for it! if you're not happy in a year you can always look then, but it looks like a great opportunity, especially if you're going to be brand new to town
Oh wow. I pay $1500 a month for our apt in brooklyn, and my apt is about half the size of yours judging by the pictures!
Clearly I should be marrying a Columbia student instead, haha. And I feel totally safe up in the columbia area. :)
Wow, for a NYC apartment, that looks ginormous! In terms of sq foot for price, it looks pretty good :)
Apartment hunting in NYC is the. worst. If this is in your budget, I'd say go for it. You could certainly find a place for cheaper, but it probably won't be as nice or as close to campus.
I opted to live in the dorms at Columbia! I lived about a block from where you're looking. It's a nice area, and I liked living in a building with all other students. BTW, Bancroft looks SO much cleaner and newer than the regular dorms!
About the subways, the 1 train stops at 116th and 125th. 125th was more in the area where I didn't feel comfortable by myself (I'm kind of a chicken), so I'd walk through campus to get to the 116. I didn't have a car, but it did come in handy to have friends with cars on campus. : )
MH is a great area. This sounds like an awesome deal!
I used to live on the UWS side near ModernDaisy where I paid $1200 for my 1/2 of the rent - then I moved to the Woodlawn section of the Bronx (235th st) and I paid about $1400 back then for a 1bdrm and this looks like a way better deal! Damn, you should take it anyway and sublet it - LOL! Just kidding.
I lived at 126 and Broadway for 3 1/2 years. You will feel perfectly safe. The West 125 Street 1/A/B/C/D subway stops are also perfectly safe. I am a little white girl who had a penchant for staying out late and coming home alone. And yes, anyone who doesn't feel safe on West 125 Street near Broadway and the like IS a wuss.
As far as groceries, Fairway will deliver same-day for a small fee, but you have to carry home anything that requires immediate refrigeration. Fairway is the most amazing grocery store on the island and you will be lucky to live near it.
$1440/month is a little steep for a one bedroom on 122nd Street, as my apartment was only a few blocks away and was that much for two bedrooms. But, its the price you pay for convenience. It's not a terrible price by any stretch of the imagination.
Actually, after looking at the pictures, that apartment is awfully small for two people. You could do better elsewhere, possibly even within a few blocks of campus. You could especially do better elsewhere considering that rental rates have not been rising much recently. Why don't you spend a few days hunting before going for the university housing?
@ChicagoBride: OMG that apartment is HUGE compared to where I live!
I wouldn't recommend "hunting" before getting here just because broker fees are so prevalent everywhere now and apartment searching in Manhattan is such a disaster. Esp. when students are coming back to school.
Every apartment I have been to in upper Manhattan is pretty sizeable. Mine had an eat-in kitchen and two bedrooms both bigger than the one pictured, for the same price. And it was only 3 blocks north of the place she's looking at. And it was closer to the subway and Fairway. But, it was a walkup and a bit noisy. I've been in Columbia graduate housing before and it's just disappointingly tiny. I like to cook and the kitchen was basically a fridge and a sink. Sad.
A lot of landlords nowadays are offering to pay broker's fees. If she has time and was planning to make a trip up here anyway, it'd be worth walking around looking for "for rent" signs. I've seen a few in the last couple of days. Otherwise, just go with Columbia housing even though it's expensive and tiny.
Wait, now I'm reminding myself why I moved to Chicago.
@ChicagoBride: I didn't know there were landlords still paying for broker's fees. Maybe uptown...? On the UES, that's totally unheard of. We just lucked out and got a rent stablized apartment that we'll be forced out of in 2011! ;o)
Yes, uptown. Like those places from which Columbia is easily accessible. Since buses are going to be rare birds after the next MTA cuts.
I lived in a stabilized unit once and had no end of trouble from my reprehensible landlord. It's only possible to force a tenant out for a few enumerated reasons (high rent/income decontrol or landlord moving in his own family).
At least when you live in a University building they are good about taking care of you. Then again, I am in a Columbia building at this very moment and the elevator takes forever because one has been out of commission for months longer than they said it would.
To Ashleyjane: Do you have the option of the buildings on the Washington Heights Columbia "campus"? The area's not as nice but the apartments are FANTASTIC, huge, and cheap as all get out. Except for that elevator.
@Chicago: I loveeeeee my stablized apartment. We're not getting "kicked out" per se, but the rent will go over $2K soon and then it will destabilize. Sad.
If you are getting destabilized because your rent will be over $2K, then you must also earn more than $175,000 [federal adjusted, meaning much more gross] for each of the last two years. And then you don't need a subsidized apartment anyway compared to most people, unless maybe you have four kids.
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